Here in New Zealand Strawberries are one of the most popular fresh foods at Christmas time - usually paired with sugary Pavlova and lots of whipped cream. Here are some other ideas for lounging in the lusciousness of this sweet fruit without going to too much fuss.
"Spring is full of harbingers, but none is more evocative of summer than the first great strawberries at market. As a child I like to think that my father had planted the rows and rows of them in our garden with special affection, knowing them to be my favourite fruit (I would have had him plant strawberry fields forever, if the song had then existed)."
"Those small to medium-sized berries were moist and sweet and seductive. Alongside them, some of the big, red, photogenic supermarket hybrids have as much claim to the name strawberry as today's steroid-enhanced athletes have to the mantle of Babe Ruth. Not surprisingly, 'ersatz' strawberries have the same sort of non-descript taste and texture one finds in supermarket tomatoes: just enough to be discernible as the thing it's called, but ultimately only a taunt. They are over-refrigerated and served very cold - death to the flavour of most fruits."
Strawberries are versatile, so I try to observe the principle of faire simple (keep it simple), which should always be remembered when preparing them. Shortbread can be elicious, but why overwhelm the taste of really good fruit?"
"My favourite way to serve strawberries is sliced in a pretty dish
with a tablespoon of mascarpone, creme fraiche, plain yoghurt, fresh ricotta, whipped cream or vanilla ice crem. A bit of freshly ground pepper can really pull the fruit and dairy flavours
together, and today one can play with the huge variety of peppercorns."
"In Italy, great strawberries are served with just a squeeze of lemon, or somethimes a dash of fine aged baslamic vinegar."
The above quotations are all excerpts from one of my favourite 'lifestyle' books: French Women For All Seasons - A Year of Secrets, Recipes & Pleasure, by Mireille Guiliano - also the author of the famous French Women Don't Get Fat.
I'd certainly never heard of cracking pepper over fresh fruit until reading her book, but now I'm an avid fan. Pepper is after all, a sweet spice - so why not add it to dessert? Certainly a simple and fabulous flavour enhancer!
Want to go to just a tiny bit more fuss? Here are a couple more ways to show off these li'l beauties - albeit with added sugar!
Strawberries in Balsamic
Hull 2 punnets (about 500g) strawberries and slice in half vertically. Place 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tbsp water in a small pot and cook over medium heat, swirling the pot occasionally, until sugar melts and begins to caramelise. Stir in 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar and drizzle over the top of the strawberries. Leave to macerate for 10 minutes. Serve topped with a dollop of creme fraiche.
Recipe from Annabel Langbein's Free Range in the City.
Caramelised Fruit Kebabs
You will need 16 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes.
Peel 1 pineapple, quarter, core and cut into small triangles. Hull 3 punnets (about 750g) of strawberries. Thread the pineapples and strawberries, alternating onto skewers. Mix 2 tsp of balsamic vinegar with 2 tbsp caster sugar. Grill the fruit skewers for 2 minutes, then sprinkle with the balsamic and sugar and grill for a further 2-3 minutes until fruit is caramelised.
Serve immediately.
Recipe from Party Food Bible, by Margaret Barca.
My inspration for writing about the humble yet delicious strawberry came when I added yet another gorgeous piece of strawberry vintage linen to TangerineToes.
L-R - all from TangerineToes on Etsy
Vintage Irish Linen Tea Towel 'Strawberries' by Ulster - view here
Vintage Irish Linen Tete A'Tete 3pce Cloth & Napkin Set with embroidered strawberries - view here
Vintage Holly Hobbie-style hand painted children's pillow case - view here
Set of 3 hand made small/newborn size baby's bibs - strawberry - view here
This article is part of the Blog @ Kroshajje 'food and cooking' inspiration section. There are more exciting posts to come - you can can get them direct to your inbox by subscribing to updates here.