Summer strawberries go sweet or savory

My father loves dessert. My mother baked spice cakes, brownies, pies and cookies daily, so he'd have a homemade treat after dinner and in his brown bag lunch. His first words after surgery? Chocolate ice cream, please. All this means that for his birthday and Father's Day, we pull out the sweet stops.

I also enjoy these aromatic red berries with savory seasonings such as sweet-tart balsamic vinegar and black pepper. These macerated strawberries make a terrific topping for avocado toast or stirred into warm brown rice with garbanzo beans and fresh chives.

The following strawberry sauce, infused with red wine, thyme and cardamom, tastes equally great on ice cream as it does grilled pork, duck or chicken. Make a double batch-it keeps a week or more in the refrigerator and can even be frozen.

For a new twist on a strawberry sundae, assemble the dessert on a plate instead of the traditional sundae bowl. Add broken meringue cookies and decorate the plate with confectioners' sugar and cocoa to be oh-so-chef-y.

Strawberries, sweet and savory. Get 'em while you can. Your father will thank you.

 

BALSAMIC AND BLACK PEPPER STRAWBERRIES

Prep: 20 minutes

Chill: several hours

Makes: 4 cups

Serve these berries on top of fresh spinach salad with a balsamic vinaigrette and crumbled goat cheese. Or, spoon them onto plain Greek yogurt with some chocolate granola.

2 quarts small strawberries, hulled, thinly sliced, about 6 cups

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

A couple of grinds of black pepper

Put all ingredients into a bowl. Stir well. Refrigerate for several hours, stirring a few times. The mixture will keep for several days in the refrigerator.

Nutrition information per 1/2 cup serving: 54 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 13 g carbohydrates, 10 g sugar, 1 g protein, 2 mg sodium, 2 g fiber

 

HONEY AND THYME STRAWBERRY SAUCE

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Makes: about 3 cups

2 quarts (2 pounds) halved small strawberries (quartered if large), about 6 cups

2 thin strips orange peel (orange only, no white pith)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup each: dry red wine, honey

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

8 cardamom pods

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 inch piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon thyme

 

1. Put strawberries, orange peel, sugar, wine, honey, lemon juice and salt into a large 4-quart saucepan. (Use a deep pot to prevent boil-overs.) Put cardamom, bay leaves, coriander seeds, ginger and thyme into a tea ball infuser (or wrap in a double thickness of cheesecloth and tie closed). Add to the pan, tucking it under the strawberries.

2. Heat to a simmer over medium heat, being sure to submerge the tea ball. Let simmer on medium-low, stirring often, until strawberries soften and juices thicken slightly, about 25 minutes.

3. Cool completely. Remove the orange peel and the tea ball. Refrigerate the sauce in a tightly covered container overnight or up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition information per tablespoon: 20 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g carbohydrates, 5 g sugar, 0 g protein, 6 mg sodium, 0 g fiber

 

STRAWBERRY RICOTTA TOAST

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 5 minutes

Makes: 6 appetizer servings

Don't walk away while the bread is in the broiler-it burns easily.

1/2 loaf (about 1/2 pound) multigrain sourdough bread, sliced 3/4-inch thick

Olive oil

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, or to taste

1 carton (15 ounces) whole milk ricotta cheese

2 to 3 teaspoons very thinly sliced fresh mint leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup honey and thyme strawberry sauce, see recipe

 

1. Heat broiler. Cut each bread slice on an angle into thirds making triangle-shaped pieces. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Brush both sides of each bread piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt.

2. Broil, 4 inches from the heat source, until bread is nicely toasted with crusty edges, about 2 minutes. Turn each bread piece, and return to the broiler to toast the other side, about 2 more minutes.

3. Put the ricotta into a shallow bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Scatter mint over the oil, and sprinkle with pepper. Put strawberry sauce into another bowl. Set the toasts around the bowls of ricotta and strawberry sauce. Have guests spread some of the ricotta onto the warm toast and top with the strawberries.

Nutrition information per tablespoon: 295 calories, 13 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 36 mg cholesterol, 33 g carbohydrates, 13 g sugar, 12 g protein, 449 mg sodium, g fiber

 

SUNDAY SUNDAES

Prep: 15 minutes

Makes: 2 servings

I like vanilla meringue cookies here. Other options include shortbread, madeleines or your favorite crisp cookie.

4 vanilla meringue cookies

1/2 cup honey and thyme strawberry sauce, see recipe

1/2 cup balsamic and black pepper strawberries, see recipe

4 small scoops vanilla ice cream

Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Confectioners' sugar

Unsweetened cocoa, optional

Mint sprigs

 

1. Put 2 meringue cookies onto each serving plate. Use the tip of a knife to break the meringues into quarters.

2. Spoon half of the sauce and strawberries around the meringues on each plate. Top each plate with 2 small scoops of ice cream. Top with a dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle the plate with confectioners' sugar and cocoa. Add a mint sprig to each and serve right away.

Nutrition information per serving: 459 calories, 20 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 65 g carbohydrates, 59 g sugar, 7 g protein, 130 mg sodium, 3 g fiber

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