Off to a backyard cookout this evening and since I was raised never to go to anyone’s house empty-handed, here’s what we’re bringing.
Balsamic strawberries[1]:
1 pound ripe red strawberries (doesn’t matter if a few are underripe or overripe: this covers a multitude of sins). These are on sale at a lot of places right now so make the most of it.
1-2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Clean/hull/trim the berries and cut them in pieces no larger than the last joint of your thumb, halving ordinary ones and quartering the big monsters. I clean mine with a damp paper towel and wipe down each one: if you rinse them, they absorb water and taste, well, watery. You could use a squirt bottle and a mushroom brush: I haven’t tried.
Drop the pieces into a bowl, and add the sugar. Cover with plastic wrap or a tight-fitting lid, and shake/swirl/agitate the contents so that the berries all get some sugar on them.
Leave them on the counter for a couple of hours, gently swirling them every half-hour or so as they sit.
Uncover and marvel at the rich red color and heady smell. And all that juice you’ve released makes them a perfect complement to a rich vanilla ice cream. But first, drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the top and gently stir it all around. Then serve in small bowls, over a shortcake, with ice cream, or however you like. We’re bringing vanilla ice cream with us.
This sugar technique (if I can call it that) is similar to macerating, but the strict definition is to steep in a liquid. We’re not doing that, so I’m reluctant to call it that.
1. Previously written about here.
[composed and posted with ecto]