This simple-and-sweet strawberry dessert makes the most of fresh berry season.
The season for local strawberries is not very long, so I tend to focus a lot of energy on enjoying them to their fullest while they are here. That means that most of those days involve some kind of recipe with strawberries in it, on it or with it. This easy and few-ingredient strawberry dessert recipe is a staple of mine during berry season; when the bright red, ripe berries are so sweet and delicious that my mouth waters just thinking about them the rest of the year.
Strawberries with balsamic vinegar and basil
Ingredients
- 1 quart of strawberries, rinsed, cored and sliced
- 4 teaspoons sugar (or a bit more if the berries are not very sweet*)
- 1 teaspoon high-quality balsamic vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Chiffonade of basil, optional
Instructions
- Toss strawberries with the sugar, and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. Do not refrigerate the mixture.
- Sprinkle with the vinegar and toss gently. Sprinkle with the pepper and toss gently, again. Taste the mixture and add another teaspoon or so of sugar, if it is not sweet enough.
- Serve with a chiffonade of a few leaves of fresh basil on top.
- Spoon the berries into a small bowl on top of low-fat frozen vanilla yogurt, or enjoy with a cookie, on some angel food cake or by itself.
Nutrition Information
Calories 71.7 |Total Fat 0.6 g | Saturated Fat 0.0 g | Sodium 2.8 mg | Potassium 253.5 mg | Total Carbohydrate 17.5 g | Dietary Fiber 3.5 g | Sugars 11 g | Protein 0.9 g | Vitamin C 143.7 %
Notes
• Quality balsamic vinegar is aged for years in wooden barrels. The vinegar takes on the flavor of the various wood the barrel is made of, such as cherry or oak and gives it a naturally sweet flavor. Although a good balsamic vinegar costs a bit more, you will need less of it and it is worth it in this recipe where the vinegar flavor really shines. • Recipes often refer to a knife technique called chiffonade. It is used commonly for lettuce, basil or any time you want ribbons. To chiffonade leaves of basil, simply stack the basil leaves, roll them into a tube and then carefully cut across the ends of the tube with your knife to produce thin strips.
