The Versatility of Strawberries

The Versatility of Strawberries

When paired with complementary flavors, strawberries add color and a bit of sweetness to salads, act as a natural sweetener to desserts, and gives texture to breads. Don't let the season pass you by. 

Five flavors that compliment strawberries in a tasty way.

Balsamic Vinegar: Recipes incorporating both balsamic vinegar and strawberries abound, and they don’t meet up exclusively in salads either. Combine strawberries with a little sugar and pepper as a side dish when an abundance of extra-sweet berries has come in. Basically, the vinegar (especially when nuanced with a little black pepper), steps into the background, making the strawberries even sweeter. Strawberries and balsamic vinegar also mix well in toasted breads, flatbread, scones, and more. And let’s not forget desserts a role strawberries were born for.
Rosemary: Introduce the smoky flavor of rosemary, and strawberries take on a new, unique spirit, giving cooks lots of ways to use them up. A rosemary sprig makes homemade strawberry iced tea, jams, and ice cream more three-dimensional.
Basil: A basil chiffonade blends well with salads, adding surprising flavor when paired with balsamic strawberries and candied almonds.
Spinach: Sliced strawberries blend well with spinach, red onions, feta and walnuts. But spinach and strawberries shouldn’t always be laid out on a plate. Blending spinach with strawberries, yogurt, and bananas, creates one of the highest nutrient-per-calorie smoothies one can make.
Chocolate: Put a little Nutella or chocolate sauce on a plate with the strawberries and watch it all disappear.

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar

This is a unique, gourmet way to serve this fantastic summer fruit! The balsamic vinegar enhances the berries' beautiful color and flavor. Great served with a simple pound cake, over vanilla ice cream, or simply by themselves as shown in the above photo. The pepper really works to enhance flavor and gives the fruit a little zing. Chocolate balsamic paired with strawberries is amazing.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. fresh strawberries, hulled and diced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar or Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar
  
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Directions: 

• Place strawberries in a bowl. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over strawberries, sprinkle with sugar, and stir gently to combine. Cover, and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour but not more than 4 hours. Just before serving, grind pepper over berries and place in small glassware.  

Roasted Strawberry Parfaits 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup granola
• mint for garnish, optional

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, combine strawberries and sugar. Spread out strawberries on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar.
• Roast in oven 12 minutes or until the strawberries start to release their juices but are still a little firm. Carefully pour the roasted strawberries and their juice into a bowl and set aside.
• Mix yogurt and honey in a medium bowl and stir until combined.
• Assemble in 8-ounce glasses or parfait cups by adding a layer of yogurt to the bottom of the glass or cup.
• Next add a few spoonfuls of the strawberries on top of the yogurt and then add a spoonful of granola on top of the strawberries. Repeat layers until serving glasses are full. Top the parfaits with a spoonful of strawberries and a sprinkle of granola. Place a sprig of mint for garnish, optional.

Warm Roasted Strawberries
Cook's notes: Follow the roasting directions from the posting above serve the warm roasted strawberries over ice cream. Try the roasted strawberries over blackberry ice cream. It's amazing!