Every so often I visit Frances Maye’s blog. She’s the author of a bunch of books on Tuscany and Italian life, and when I check our her site, I get a taste of la dolce vita. When I checked today, I saw that she was cruising around the Mediterranean, giving onboard talks on Italian life to about 100 people. What a life! Not only does she spend half her year in a villa in Tuscany, she gets hired to give a few talks on a cruise, probably being paid handsomely for her time and effort. Actually, I love her writing style, which draws you into the scenes she so wonderfully describes. I also greatly respect her ability to reinvent herself at middle age into a travel guru. She’s over twenty years into it now, and still going strong.
Now, here in Maryland, it’s almost 90 degrees and 90% humidity. I work up a sweat by just opening the back door. Hot and sticky doesn’t begin to describe it, but maybe tomorrow will be a bit cooler. One can only hope.
It’s strawberry picking time here, so in honor of Frances Mayes, I’m going to give you one of the easiest recipes I know for delicious strawberries. I know it may sound strange, but the key ingredient is basalmic vinegar.
Basically, take a pint of ripe strawberries, cut them in half, and throw them in a bowl. Add three tablespoons of a good quality basalmic vinegar to the berries, and toss to coat. Put in refrigerator to cool, at least one hour. I like to bring them to room temperature before serving, as this intensifies the flavor.
I’m not a chemist, but I’ve been told that there’s a chemical reaction that takes place between the strawberries and the vinegar. The berries come out super sweet, and you hardly taste the vinegar. You won’t need to add any sugar unless the berries are not quite ready. Just try it!
I always serve these berries with a nice biscotti cookie. A dark chocolate one with almonds is in the photo, and you can pick them up just about anywhere. This makes a nice, easy, and light dessert, and goes great with a good cup of coffee. Enjoy.
