With milder temperatures, longer days, and more sunshine the British berry season is now in full swing, and naturally leading the way is the good old Strawberry.
Although strawberries were in plentiful supply throughout May the season will reach its peak in June and July, and if good weather continues from July you can expect to see British strawberries until the end of September.
The best thing is that strawberries can be enjoyed when dining al fresco as part of a main course or dessert, straight from the punnet at a picnic, or just simply with cream or ice cream. Strawberries – a great accompaniment to summer!
With this in mind it didn’t take us very long at all to come up with a recipe this week, especially with Wimbledon starting on Monday.
Strawberries and cream are the staple diet of near half a million people that will attend over the fortnight of the event. Last year over 23 tonnes of strawberries were sold – that equates to over 2 million individual berries – or if you want to be really bizarre 37 miles of them if they were laid end to end. Add to this 7,000 litres of fresh dairy cream.
This recipe actually use Ricotta cream - it’s light and whipped and when sweetened with a little maple syrup it makes the perfect sweet snack or breakfast. Pair it with these balsamic strawberries and quick maple nuts and you’ve got the perfect healthy mid-day snack or easy weekday breakfast. This dish literally takes only a few minutes to make, and there is no baking involved!
And if you didn’t want to use strawberries you could always substitute them for blackberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches etc
Ok lets get on with it…
Sweet Balsamic Strawberries & Whipped Ricotta Cream and Maple Glazed Seeded Nuts Recipe
Prep Time: 15 mins / Cook Time: 5 mins / Total Time: 20 mins
Makes: 4 bowls or jars
Ingredients
Whipped Ricotta Cream
• 2 cups part skim or whole milk ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Balsamic Strawberries
• 2 cups strawberries, halved
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple Glazed Seeded Nuts
• 1 1/2 cups mixed whole nuts
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds or pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds or flax seeds
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1 - To make the ricotta cream: Place the ricotta cheese, pure maple syrup (make sure there is no added sugar in your syrup) and vanilla in a food processor or blender. Puree until completely smooth and whipped, about 1 minute. Scoop the ricotta cream into a bowl and refrigerate until cold, at least 15 minutes or until ready to eat.
2 - Meanwhile make the balsamic strawberries: Place the strawberries, balsamic vinegar and maple syrup in a small pot. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes or until the strawberries are just beginning to soften. Using a slotted spoon remove only the strawberries and place them in a bowl. Bring the remaining sauce to a boil, boil for another 3-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened into a thin syrup. You do not want it to thicken too much so watch it closely. Pour the sauce over the strawberries. Allow the berries to cool a little before serving.
3 - To make the maple glazed seeded nuts, add the nuts and seeds to a skillet set over medium heat. Toast the nuts until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Once the nuts are toasted remove from the heat and stir in the maple syrup, vanilla and a pinch of sea salt. Spoon the mixture out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Allow to cool and then store in an airtight container.
4 - To assemble, spoon the strawberries into the bottom of four small bowls or jars. Next add the ricotta cream and then add the nuts on top. Lastly, drizzle with more balsamic syrup. Grab a spoon!
For this and more great recipes please head on over to halfbakedharvest.com