6.01.2011

Best Dessert

It has been well-documented here how little I like to bake.  And my complete lack of a sweet tooth.  I know I sound like a proverbial broken record - how many times have I talked about this?

All my blah-blahing aside (because, yes, there is part of me that takes a little pride in my love of all things savory), there is one dessert that I cannot resist: strawberries tossed with balsamic vinegar.  And preferably spooned on top of vanilla ice cream.

Thanks to this past Saturday's Union Square Greenmarket, I had three pints of strawberries.  One whole pint we ate on Saturday, of course, while still sitting in the park.  One pint would be eaten on Sunday morning.  But Saturday night we had a pint for dessert.  Here's what you do:


Hull the desired amount of strawberries.  If they're very large, feel free to halve them but, otherwise, you can keep them whole.  Place in a large bowl.  Add good-quality balsamic vinegar* and sugar to taste.  I know my lack of measurements may be frustrating to some of you but you've got to trust me on this.  Some people like it more vinegary, some with lots of sugar.  It's up to you.

Okay, you need measurements?  Here's a good place to start: I recommend a pint of strawberries with a half-tablespoon of vinegar and a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.  Taste it.  Want more bite?  Want more sweetness?  Adjust accordingly.  Did you add too much vinegar?  Easy fix: add more sugar to even it out.  Spoon it over vanilla ice cream...and make sure to get the juices from the bottom of the bowl and drizzle that over the strawberries and ice cream.


Easiest dessert ever.  And the balsamic is a surprising addition that your dinner guests may not expect at first bite, which makes this seem much fancier than it really is.  The other thing is that if you're one of those people who insists on buying strawberries from the supermarket in February (rather than when they're in season), then this is one of the only acceptable ways to eat them.  Me, I wait until those first strawberries in May or June - there's nothing like them after eating no other fruit but apples all winter.  I was in heaven eating this dessert.

Eat, drink, and lick the bowl clean.


* Don't know if you have good-quality balsamic vinegar?  A good test is whether it's the consistency of syrup.  It should have a thick, syrup quality to it and, for heaven's sake, it should never leave your mouth feeling sore!

3 comments:

Lazygal said...

A friend of mine gave me this "recipe" a while ago and it definitely is the best dessert. He later suggested raspberries in lieu of strawberries. Can't wait to try it!

Beth S. said...

I love balsamic strawberries. I serve them with basil too. If I want to make it a dessert I pair it with olive oil ice cream. (If you haven't tried it, you must! It's heavenly!)

Unknown said...

@Lazygal - Ooooh, raspberries! I'll most definitely try that. And aren't recipes-in-quotation-marks some of the best?

@Beth S.- I tried olive oil ice cream for the first time when my mom was in town a couple weeks ago. Divine! One of my favorite other dessert "recipes" is vanilla ice cream with olive oil drizzled over it...then sprinkle sea salt on top. So. Good. It's all about the easy ice cream "recipes" with me! (Another one: vanilla ice cream with limoncello drizzled over!)