Once the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, I yearn for strawberries. It’s no surprise, considering that strawberries are one of the first fruits to ripen in the spring and continue their season well into the summer (fun fact: they aren’t botanically a true berry because they bear their “seeds” on the outside). As they make their rounds across farmers’ markets and grocery stores, strawberries remind us that harsh winter days are behind us.
Although the juicy, vibrant red fruit is commonly featured in desserts, like buttery tarts, spritzes, chocolate mousse and chiffon cakes, it’s also exceptional in more savory dishes. Take, for example, an aguachile, courtesy of chef Claudette Zepeda, that’s made with scallions, Persian cucumbers, radishes, fresh hoja santa, pequin chiles and microgreens. Or a simple salad with almonds and watercress or a garlic-strawberry sauce that’s great on pork tenderloins and grilled chicken.
“Strawberries can be a fun ingredient to add a little tartness, a little florality and a little sweetness, but without too much sugar,” said Ann Ziata, chef at the Institute of Culinary Education’s New York City campus. “Anytime we are using fruit in a savory recipe, we want to be careful to make sure the dish is not getting too sweet and using it rather to balance the salty and the savory or spicy flavors of the dish.”
Here are some recipes to make with strawberries this season:
From Hailee Catalano's latest cookbook, “By Heart: Recipes to Hold Near and Dear,” this springtime sundae is “reminiscent of a cozy crumble or crisp but with a bit more lightness.” It features a roasted strawberry-rhubarb mixture made with rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cardamom, star anise, vanilla and ginger that’s topped with a scoop of ice cream, a drizzle of olive oil, honey whipped cream and homemade crushed pepita-sesame crunch.
“This is the perfect make-ahead dessert because both the roasted rhubarb and strawberry mixture and the pepita crunch can be made up to 3 days ahead,” according to Catalano.
Balsamic vinegar paired with fresh strawberries is a match made in heaven. As Nigella Lawson famously wrote in her first cookbook, “The balsamic vinegar seems to make the red of the strawberries against it shine with the clarity of stained-glass windows.” It’s simple yet elevated — and a must-try this season.
Inspired by “America's Test Kitchen” and "How to Eat" by Lawson, Salon’s Mary Elizabeth Williams whipped up a four-ingredient dessert that’s perfect for warmer days to come. It consists of fresh strawberries soaked in a balsamic sauce made from balsamic vinegar simmered in sugar. The strawberries are cooled and refrigerated before serving with a generous grind of fresh black pepper.
Per Ziata, strawberries hold their shape well, even when puréed. For that reason, they are great in a sweet-savory salsa with diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro and fresh lime juice. “The onion, garlic and cilantro take over, it’s really lovely,” Ziata said. “You can serve that with chips or over some seared fish. And it's just very bright and refreshing.”
If you’re looking for more variety, you can try pickling strawberries with thyme, peppercorns and vinegar. There’s also strawberry vinaigrette, a simple yet refreshing recipe that calls for frozen/fresh strawberries, honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, shallot, salt and ground black pepper.
“It’s going to have a nice texture that’s soft and may feel light and creamy, but without any cream — just getting the body from the fruit,” Ziata explained.
You can never go wrong with adding strawberries to a springtime salad. Ziata’s favorite strawberry salad incorporates chunks of beets, baby spinach, crumbled goat cheese and almonds, all seasoned with salt and fresh, ground black pepper.
“It's a really fun play on two flavors: beet and strawberry,” Ziata said. “They are kind of sweet, but very differently with floral and earthy notes. And the beets are pretty aromatic too.”
Another great salad is strawberries mixed with fava beans, radishes, greens and a garlic vinaigrette or shallot vinaigrette.
Erin Jeanne McDowell revamped a seemingly ordinary pie with homemade streusel. It’s also baked in a cast-iron skillet!
The pie's filling consists of sliced rhubarb and strawberries cooked in granulated sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg, and a pinch of fine sea salt. The streusel — made from a flour mixture of oats, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt — is sprinkled on top before baking.
“This is baked feta, yes, but there’s no pasta or tomatoes,” wrote Food52’s Emma Laperruque. “Instead, we’re turning to one of spring’s shiniest gems: strawberries.” Inspired by food blogger and artist Jenni Häyrinen’s viral feta pasta recipe, Laperruque’s seasonal creation calls for a pound of fresh strawberries, extra-virgin olive oil, honey, salt, freshly ground black pepper and a block of feta.
“Those fruity juices, plus olive oil and honey, yield a ruby syrup perfect for spooning over molten cheese,” Laperruque added. “Go easy with the salt, since the feta itself is salty as can be. But be brave with the black pepper — floral and kicky, it’s a wonderful match for spring fruit.”
Enjoy with crusty bread or crackers. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even add the baked strawberries to grilled chicken, pan-fried pork chops or seared duck, Laperruque recommended.
The beauty of a Japanese fruit sandwich is that it can be a tea time snack, a dessert or even a meal, if you desire. All you need is whipped cream, fresh fruit and slices of milk bread.
To make a strawberry sando, or “ichigo sando,” simply layer sweetened, homemade whipped cream and sliced strawberries in between two pieces of Japanese milk bread. Be sure to arrange the strawberries in the same direction and in a diagonal line with one on each side of the middle strawberry. Wrap each sando tighly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Cut the sando in half along the diagonal line of strawberries.
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