Strawberry Salad

Ingredients:

12ea. Medium size strawberries washed and stem removed
1ea. Lemon
4ea. Large Basil Leaves
1cup. Balsamic Vinegar
1cup. Sugar
2cups. Water
½cup. Toasted Salted Organic Peanuts

Directions:

In a sauce pot combine 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. Bring the mixture to a simmer under low heat. Once the mixture is combine remove from heat and cool for 30 minutes. Take the zest of the lemon and 3 basil leaves and add to the simple syrup. Add the strawberries to the pan. Place the entire the mixture in a plastic container and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Strain the strawberries from the syrup and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Place half the strawberry simple syrup on the stove. Add the balsamic vinegar and water to the point. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Remove from heat and cool. Place liquid in freezer until set.

To serve: Slice the strawberries and place them in a bowl. Roll the remaining basil leaves, like a cigar and slice them in to then ribbons. Place the basil across the strawberries. Remove the balsamic from the freezer. With a fork, scrape the sides of the bowl gathering all the balsamic ice. Place that around and atop the strawberries. Top the strawberries with the toasted peanut and serve the strawberry salad cold.

Notes:
Larger strawberries require more cooking time and have less concentrated strawberry flavor.
You can use the strawberry simple syrup as a base for a cocktail or mocktail.
The strawberries are good to use for 2 days.
You may also blend them in to a puree for strawberry soup.
You can add thyme or other herbs like lavender to the mixture as well for more herbaceous flavors.

Strawberry Comments: I’m not sure if there is a more luxurious fruit than a strawberry. Strawberries lend themselves as perfect suits for some of the world’s finest things. Who can resist strawberries and champagne, strawberries and chocolate and strawberries and very vanilla whipped cream?
We utilize dark balsamic vinegar as the match for strawberries as it brings out the sweet & herbaceous qualities. It also accentuates the sweetness of strawberries with dark tannins and caramel notes.
This is our second season for running the salad and it is vastly becoming a favorite of our guest. We usually serve it for lunch and dinner but somehow the salad is making a request for breakfast as an alternative to standard fruit plates. We certainly hope to serve the strawberry salad for seasons to come.

Chef Todd Richards