Celebrating the Versatility of Strawberries

 

Strawberry Shortcake 

Cook's notes: Savor the flavors of summer with this light dessert. I made my own shortcakes, but something from the bakery, like sponge cake or pound cake, works just as well. It's the filling that's the star attraction.
Strawberry Filling
Ingredients:

• 1 package (10 oz.) frozen halved strawberries in syrup, thawed
• 1/4 cup currant jelly
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 3 cups fresh quartered strawberries
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon orange Cointreau (liqueur)

Directions:

• Drain berries in a glass measuring cup.
• In a saucepan on the stove, add the drained juice, currant jelly, water, orange juice, and strawberries from the box.
• Add in cornstarch, and whisk to blend.
• On low heat, thicken the sauce and add in fresh strawberries as well as drained strawberries.
• Remove the pan from the stove and stir in Cointreau.
• Place the strawberry mixture in a bowl, cool, cover, and refrigerate until serving.

Another similar idea is to bake a pie crust and let it cool. Spoon the strawberry filling into the pie crust. 

Whipped cream, yogurt or ice cream are option toppings.

Strawberries with Balsamic Glaze

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

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 the oven for 12 minutes, or until the strawberries start to release their juices but are still slightly 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 this process until the 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.

Another option for roasted strawberries: spoon over ice cream YUM and Yum!