You never forget your first real taste

June 27, 2022 by
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When I was growing up, I rarely ate any strawberries or even anything strawberry-flavored. My mother detested strawberries, so they didn’t make an appearance in our house very often. Generally speaking, I was fine with that because supermarket strawberries – the only kind I had access to in my tiny town – are, frankly, terrible. Fast forward 20-odd years and a cross-country move when I accompanied a friend on a trip to a local strawberry farm, where the fruits were deep red through and through, soft, and filled with flavor. This was the first time I truly tasted a strawberry and I instantly began to make up for lost time, finding as many uses as I could for these tantalizing treats.

strawberries in a colander

Now I plan a trip to the local pick-your-own berry farm at least once per year, filling my basket with crimson beauties and dreaming of the jams, pies, and other delicious items I will prepare. Being the overly optimistic person that I am, I always end up with far more berries than I have time to use before they go bad (which isn’t very long when they are plucked at the peak of ripeness). Then I heed Southern Living’s advice and freeze a passel of berries for later use in strawberries, mixed drinks, and other recipes. In the meantime, of course, I head to the EYB Library to search for new and interesting ways to use these delicious morsels. There are dozens of books dedicated to strawberries, and loads of recipes featuring the fruit, including the Member favorites below. What is your go-to strawberry recipe?

Category: Antipasto

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5 Comments

  • lean1  on  June 28, 2022

    strawberry muffins from Cooking light magazine 1990’s.
    Low fat quick and delicious.

  • anya_sf  on  June 28, 2022

    I try new strawberry recipes every year, but some favorites are The Artful Baker’s strawberry ice cream, Bravetart’s strawberry frozen yogurt (both are better than that Serious Eats recipe), that SK cake, Joanne Chang’s strawberries and cream chiffon cake, Ina Garten’s strawberry country cake, Nicole Rucker’s provencal-style cheesecake, Chetna Makan’s peach and strawberry Swiss roll. I’m still looking for the perfect strawberry-rhubarb crisp and strawberry shortcake, although I have found several good recipes. I also want to find the perfect fresh strawberry pie recipe.

  • averythingcooks  on  June 28, 2022

    Another vote for Barefoot Contessa’s Strawberry Country Cake – it has made several appearances at my table and it has also travelled well to share with others in their homes.

  • lkgrover  on  June 28, 2022

    I like the Strawberry and ricotta tart from Rustic Fruit Desserts.

    My mom grew strawberries in the garden, so I always had fresh ones. One of the many things I didn’t appreciate the value of until adulthood!

  • SerenaYLee  on  July 16, 2022

    I don’t cook or bake with a lot of strawberries, but I very recently got a chance to make the Strawberry Carousel cake from Alice Medrich’s ‘Cocolat’ cookbook from the 1980s, and it is now one of my all time favorite cake recipes – delish!

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