Junior's Fresh Strawberry Sauce

This is the strawberry sauce to serve over Junior's Pound Cake which I have posted separately. Also great on ice cream. This can be frozen. Yield is estimated.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Yields: 3 cups

Ingredients

• 3  quarts  fresh ripe strawberries
• 1 1⁄4 cups cold water
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 3  tablespoons cornstarch
• 3  drops  red food coloring (optional)
• 1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Wash, sort through, hull, and slice the berries 1/2 inch thick.
2. Bring 1 cup of the water and the sugar to a boil in a medium sized sauce pan over high heat.
3. Boil for 5 minutes.
4. Mix cornstarch and the remaining 1/4 cup water together in a cup until the cornstarch throughly dissolves.
5. Slowly whisk this mixture into the boiling syrup.
6. Return to a full boil and boil for 2 minutes.
7. Remove the syrup from the heat and whisk in the food coloring if you wish.
8. Stir in the vanilla and gently fold in the strawberries.
9. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.