Poor Strawberries—Here’s the Easy Rescue!
Jun 04, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
It's entirely possible that there is no flavor more delightful and compelling than strawberry.
I’ll never forget my first taste of wild strawberries. I was 13 and was sent to the Putney Work Camp in Vermont to learn some work ethics and outdoor skills. The first overnight hike, carrying what seemed like an unbearably heavy backpack, was not very much to my liking until I discovered just before falling asleep that my sleeping bag was on a bed of wild strawberries. The sweet intense sting of the tiny berries was so amazing I almost forgot about the raw egg someone had slipped into my sleeping bag after hearing me brag about how my father had made it for me (another lesson learned!).
A few years ago, at the Union Square Farmer’s Market, I discovered the best strawberries since that night in Vermont so many years ago and a subsequent trip to France one June. They are called “day neutrals” and are a cross between the French fraises de bois and our often watery, flavorless, over-sized variety.
But what to do when now, at the height of strawberry season nearing, when the berries are sometimes disappointingly flavorless. This happened last weekend and here’s my restoration solution. It's quite shocking to discover how a little sugar and time can transform and bring out the flavor that a strawberry was born to possess.
For 1 cup/4 ounces/113 grams of hulled, sliced strawberries add about 1 teaspoon of sugar (don’t get fancy here—just superfine or granulated). Toss lightly, cover, and allow to sit for a minimum of 30 minutes—longer is better still. They will keep at room temperature for several hours or in the refrigerator for several days.
When ready to serve, drain the berries, placing the liquid in a lightly oiled microwave safe cup. Watching carefully, microwave on high until the juices are reduced to thick but still pourable syrup. Allow it to cool until just warm or room temperature and gently stir them back into the berries. Fabulous over Haagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream!
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Shimi
06/08/2009 06:21 AM
Thank you Julie. It was quite delicious, and by the time I thought of taking a picture there was only a small slice left!
I can get strawberries year round here, either locally grown in the highlands, or imported from US, Korea, Australia, Indonesia... Quality varies so I always taste 1 first to gauge how much sugar I need to add. I buy local whenever possible.
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Julie
06/07/2009 12:02 PM
Shimi, your strawberry shortcake sounds lovely!
Bet these "Rose-i-fied" strawberries would also be wonderful spooned over little mini-bundt rounds of Golden Butter Cream cake and topped with whipped cream. I'm so glad summer fruits are here!
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Shimi
06/06/2009 05:13 AM
I always do this for strawberries. Usually I adjust the sugar according to the berries' sweetness level. But I never thought of reducing the juices! What a great idea to concentrate the flavor even more.
2 weeks ago I did something similar. Sugared the berries and let them sit for a few hours. Drained off the juice and used that instead of water to make super stabilised whipped cream. I used agar instead of gelatin as it's more stable in hot weather (doesn't need refrigeration to set). The whipped cream went on top of the sour cream butter cake, then I arranged the strawberries on top. I brought the cake to my weekly dinner with the in-laws, and it was gone in a flash! All the kids' eyes lit up and they said "Oooh..strawberries."
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ButterYum
06/06/2009 02:02 AM
I discovered a little trick for anemic/flavorless strawberries one day when I was in a pinch. We were having dinner with friends and I was in charge of dessert. I purchased the most beautiful looking strawberries from the market, but they didn't smell very fragrant so I knew they weren't going to taste very good. I thought I could sweeten them with a bit of sugar, so I purchased them anyway. What I didn't expect was to cut the red berries open to find the most anemic looking interiors (needless to say, the berries had zero flavor, even with a bit of sugar).
Well, I had some of your Raspberry Puree in the freezer, so I quickly thawed it, poured some over the berries and tossed. An hour or so later when dessert was served, the berries were a deep ruby color and they tasted absolutely delicious!!! You should have heard the rave reviews.
This little discovery of mine worked so well that I've done it many times now, and with delicious strawberries too!
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Hector
06/04/2009 05:24 PM
thank you so much for sharing these most great baking tips and underlying stories. my mother ALWAYS macerated fresh strawberries with sugar just like you!
secret: try adding a pinch of salt for even a more wonderful result!
growing up in Peru, our strawberries were mostly small and similar to the wild berries, also never waxed nor sprayed for selling, which means you could tell strawberries were fresh and sweet when flies were around! mom always said that this maceration was necessary to kill bacteria.
and now been almost an italian adoptee: usda please bring wild strawberries, wild berries, and raw pancetta =)
http://www.hectorwong.com/roselevy/Strawberries.html
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Rose
06/04/2009 02:26 PM
growing up in ny with a grandmother who shared my room and picked up after me my mother though i should learn to be somewhat self-sufficient. it took more than one summer but i would say that by now i have achieved her goal for me! i even bake my own bread and knit my own socks.
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Sharon
06/04/2009 12:28 PM
Seems to me there's an untold story here. Why did you need to learn work ethics? Your father sounds like an interesting man, would love to hear more.
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Zach Townsend
06/04/2009 12:08 PM
...oh, and I'm always SO disappointed in our strawberries here in the US (or at least the ones we get here in TX). Rarely can I use them without applying sugar. I miss the ones in Europe, too!
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Zach Townsend
06/04/2009 12:06 PM
wonderful information and very timely. I happen to do the same when I'm making desserts in the summer that require strawberries; it's good to see a recommended amount. I usually place the sugared berries in a colander, then set the colander in a pie pan to catch the juices.
Zach
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Terrific New Discovery Just in Time for the Pie Baking Season
PBS 106: Cranberry Walnut Bread