Indeed, we are buried in strawberries over here. I love it when these sweet-as-candy little gems start to roll in at the farmer's market. It is the surest sign of spring if there ever was one. A few weeks back I tossed some hulled and quartered berries with maple syrup, olive oil and salt and popped them in a hot oven to roast for a good 40 minutes. When they were cool, I splashed them with a bit of port and balsamic and served them on top of chocolate coconut milk ice cream for my dear friend Mandy's birthday dessert.
She was over the moon about this little concoction and we declared then and there that we would hunt down a large quantity of organic berries for a good price and make a big old batch and preserve them so come November we could still be tasting their sweetness. Last week we did just that. I take no credit whatsoever for orchestrating this whole scheme. Mandy found the berries at an awesome price, got the jars (and even BPA free lids), provided the kitchen and stayed up late processing them in the water bath canner. I simply showed up cut some strawberries and tossed them with some syrup and oil.
The recipe is from this book that is just about a year old now and still gets almost daily use in my kitchen. If you don't have this one, it is a worthy buy for sure. I reference it a lot on this here blog, like here, here and here. The recipe calls for a good deal of sea salt - a teaspoon if I recall - and the result is a divine, salty-sweet, juicy & fruity flavor. They are the perfect sticky treat to pile on top of ice cream. I think they would be great to make strawberry shortcake with too, which you can be sure, is next on my list. We made a whole lot and there are plenty to give away all year as gifts and whatnot. That is if I can keep myself from eating a jar a day. I am not the only strawberry lover in the house.
Rylie found some in the fridge the other day and proceeded to take a single bite out of each and every last one. And when she's not eating them, she's studying up and learning all about them.
Hello! I'm Liz Scott - mama to two little ones, maker, and all around curiosity chaser. I live with my family in Los Angeles, where we seek to fill each day with adventure, joy and creativity. I write about it all here on the blog. Thank you for visiting.
