Don’t you just love this time of year? There’s a glut of strawberries to devour and you can’t move for Murray mound madness. If the traditional strawberries and cream is no longer scoring you aces in the kitchen, try your hand at our updates on a summertime classic.
1. Strawberries with basil, balsamic vinegar and yoghurt
Combine 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar with 3 tablespoons of runny honey in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1–2 minutes. Allow to cool. Toss 250g of hulled and quartered strawberries with finely chopped ribbons of basil and the balsamic syrup. Serve with wholemilk yoghurt.
2. Strawberries with rose cream and pistachios
Add ½ teaspoon of rose water and 2 tablespoons of icing sugar to one pot of double cream. Whip to your desired consistency, adding more rose water and icing sugar to taste. Serve with hulled strawberries topped with chopped pistachios.
3. Strawberries with thyme and sour cream
Hull strawberries and sprinkle with caster sugar and ½ a teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves. Leave to macerate for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream. The tang of the sour cream will cut nicely across the sweetness of the strawberries.
4. Strawberries with pink peppercorns and crème fraîche
Grind ½ a teaspoon of pink peppercorns over hulled strawberries in a bowl. You could use a pestle and mortar to bash the peppercorns up. Sprinkle with caster sugar and leave them to macerate a little, for about 10 minutes. Serve with crème fraîche and garnish with a few ribbons of freshly cut mint.
5. Strawberries with raspberry sauce and whipped cream
Place raspberries in a saucepan with a pinch of sugar and a teaspoon of water. Bring to the boil, simmer for 1 minute and allow to cool. Puree the raspberries. You could strain the pips if you like. Serve the raspberry sauce on top of hulled strawberries and a bowl of lightly whipped cream. Dust with icing sugar.
See all Wild Country Organics and Chegworth Valley strawberries on Farmdrop
