I don’t need an excuse to eat strawberries. But trying different combinations with it are always delightful. So as is the norm in the culinary world, certain foods really do pair exceptionally- e.g. apple and cinnamon, orange and dark chocolate, etc etc. Adding to the list is strawberry and balsamic. Marinate the strawberries in balsamic before adding it to salads, ice cream, tarts, shortcake! It does wonders, with minimal effort. My all time favourite method of consuming these ruby delights are making them into the thickest thick-shake possible, like my mum does for me every strawberry season. It’s so amazingly thick that it’s IMPOSSIBLE to get it through a straw. She puts a cup of hulled strawberries and a half cup of milk into the freezer about an hour before making the shake. She then whizzes them up in the mixer with sugar, as required. The result is an extremely rich and textured shake- you know you’ve got the right consistency if after pouring it into a glass and using a spoon to tap the bottom of the glass through the shake, you get a dull hollow tap. This is my soul food. Soul Shake.
Last year I discovered the love interest between strawberries and balsamic and made sure that anyone and everyone who ventured into my house had been served a portion of sliced strawberries, marinated in sugar and balsamic, topped with a scoop of fresh vanilla ice cream and some dark chocolate shavings.
Last evening I decided that my sugar craving needs to be in check after the reckless consumption all through the holiday! So I made this amazingly light and delicious shortcake with strawberry and whipped cream. Go on then, make it. It’s ridiculously easy, looks amazingly professional and takes all of 15 minutes! There’s simply no reason not to. It helps that I found this recipe of a DIET recipe list. Now there really is NO reason not to!!
Shortcake (serves 6)
Ingredients:1. 1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
2. 1 tsp baking powder
3. 2 tbsp granulated sugar
4. 3 tbsp unsalted butter
5. ½ cup zero fat milk
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 220*c. Grease a cake pan (I used a rectangular one as pictured) and flour it.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and sugar in a bowl and mix. Add the cubes of butter and mix until they turns as coarse meal (you may have to use your hands for thus)
3. Make a well in the mixture and pour in the milk, stirring gently with a fork for a minute or two- no need to over mix.
4. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake of 15-17 minutes or until risen and golden brown. This cake will not rise too much to do not be alarmed. Nor will it take on much colour.
5. Remove from the pan after letting it rest for a few minutes on a cooling rack and slice the biscuit as desired.
Strawberry Balsamic and Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
1. 15 strawberries, washed hulled and halved
2. 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
3. 2 tbs granulated/castor sugar
4. 1 cup whipping cream (I used non dairy and fat free)
Method:
1. Place the strawberries in a bowl and add in the balsamic and the sugar. Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator.
2. Placing the cream in a bowl over another bowl with an ice bath to prevent the cream from separating. Whip with a hand mixer for a few minutes till soft peaks form. Place in the freezer to avoid sweating.
Grand Finale
1. Once the shortcakes have cooled, arrange few strawberries and whipping cream on top, drizzle with cocoa powder for added oomph and dig in!
Feedback:
1. Even the most discerning palates that regularly consume my cooking absolutely loved this one.
2. Suggestions I received for alternative pairings was: strawberry and cinnamon. Has anyone ever tried that combination??
3. This can easily be made in advance and just kept in an airtight container for 3-4 days. After which it can get a bit suspect so be careful!
4. Traditional strawberry shortcake has bits of strawberry in the batter that gets baked. This is a more deconstructed and well- more appealing method on the eye for the traditional version!
