Pan-Roasted Balsamic Strawberries make an exceptional and simple Strawberry Shortcake. Layer with your favorite cake, scone or biscuit and top with Balsamic Whipped Cream. Honestly, summer desserts can scarcely get any better than this!

Pan-Roasted Balsamic Strawberries, Strawberry-Shortcake

Berry Days

This past Wednesday was Berry Days at the Camas Farmer’s Market. While the beginning of July would often be the end of Strawberry Season in this area the sun has been so reluctant to show itself this year that our local berries are ripening weeks behind schedule. That means there was an abundance of local strawberries available this week alongside both golden and red raspberries.

Strawberries have been a favorite of mine as long as I can remember. My grandmother grew rows and rows of strawberries in her garden. Savoring handfuls of ripe berries, fresh-picked and still warm from the sun, was one of summer’s fondest pleasures. Those we didn’t eat in the garden Grandma would slice and sprinkle with sugar, releasing their sweet juice to soak into cake or smother ice cream. What we didn’t eat right away she froze for a time in mid-winter when sliced strawberries would be an unexpected treat.

The taste of my grandmother’s strawberries were far and beyond that of any berries I purchased from the produce section once I moved away from home. For years it seemed that all I could find was boxes of California grown strawberries. Once past my initial amazement at the size I understood the taste and texture left much to be desired. They were all about looks and even those barely penetrated the surface. They lacked the inner beauty and tender sweetness of the strawberries I had known as a girl. I practically gave up on strawberries for many years.

A Short Sweet Season

If there is a perfect place to rediscover strawberries it is the Pacific Northwest. The local berries in Oregon and Washington are as close to my grandma’s berries as you can get: tender and sweet with an intense blush of beautiful color that penetrates to the core. In fact these strawberries may be even better. Oregon strawberries are well known for their slow-ripened sweetness developed over the mild days and cool evenings of the Northwest’s spring and early summer. When they are ripe and ready to be picked they are strawberry perfection for a short sweet season.

The strawberries I brought home from the market this week were like that: wonderfully ripe, tender and sweet. Cleaned and sprinkled with just a little sugar they quickly produced a tart-sweet syrup that bathed each tender bite. We ate the first pint just that way.

Keeping It Simple

Plain and simple those strawberries were divine! In recent years, however, I have expanded my horizons and found some great recipes that highlight fresh seasonal berries. Early in strawberry season I love to serve a traditional Strawberry Shortcake made with freshly baked Buttermilk Scones and topped with cool cream. Later in the season I love an All-in-One Strawberry Shortcake, a recipe shared with me by a dear friend in Texas. And Angel Food Cake is a great partner to deliciously ripe strawberries, whether topping slices of cake with macerated berries or threading cubed leftover cake and whole strawberries on skewers for Strawberry Shortcake Kebabs.

Still, I prefer not to make things too complicated. When strawberries are fresh and at their seasonal best I think it is true that less is more. Keeping it simple can yield great results. And yet even within those boundaries there is space to discover something new.

This season my discovery involved heat, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar in a very simple variation on Strawberry Shortcake. I served it this last Wednesday evening when I had a couple of fresh Gibassier from Truly Scrumptious at the Camas Farmer’s Market. Luckily Kim made Gibassier again this week and with strawberries at their peak I did a repeat performance for this week’s supper. Honestly, as easy as it was, summer desserts can scarcely get any better than this!