Shrikhand with strawberries and balsamic caramel recipe

Ingredients

• 1 quart full-fat Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup creme fraiche
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1⁄8 teaspoon lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon roughly ground cardamom
• Generous pinch salt

• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch salt
• ½ pound strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
• Toasted almond slices, for garnish

For the Shrikhand
1. The first step is to thicken the yogurt by hanging it overnight in cheesecloth and letting the liquid drip out from it. Line a medium bowl with a large square of cheesecloth with about 2" of overhang on all sides. Then, just turn out the yogurt into the lined bowl and tie the ends of the cheesecloth up to form a knot, squeezing the yogurt a bit. Take the top of the cheesecloth, tie it to a wooden spoon, and lay the spoon over the top of a medium stockpot. Refrigerate overnight, making sure the yogurt bundle is clearing the bottom of the pot, and all the liquid will simply drip out.
2. Transfer the hung yogurt to a large bowl or to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the crème fraîche and whip until uniform and a bit fluffy. Add the corn syrup, lemon zest, cardamom, and salt and continue whipping until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.
For the Balsamic Caramel
3. In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water over medium-high heat. Watch the mixture as the sugar dissolves, thickens, and then starts to caramelize. Sugar can go from a lovely caramel to a burnt mess very quickly, so keep an eye on it.
4. When the sugar starts to caramelize, gently stir using a heatproof spatula to help create an even color. Once the color reaches a deep amber, add the balsamic vinegar, vanilla, and salt. Be careful because the caramel is extremely hot and can spatter! Let the mixture thicken on the heat for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the caramel coats a spoon; remove from heat, and let cool completely.
5. Serve shrikhand chilled, topped with sliced strawberries; drizzle with the balsamic caramel, and sprinkle a few toasted almonds on top.