Peak-season strawberries of all sizes Kristy Mucci
When fresh local strawberries hit the farmers’ markets in late spring, we can’t get enough of their deep, juicy sweetness. A ripe strawberry is delicious all by itself, but we also adore them in all sorts of strawberry recipes, especially desserts and drinks. Sweet strawberries and rhubarb are lovely together—combine them with Greek yogurt, orange juice, and honey to make refreshing yogurt pops. Or use them in cheesecake topped with charred rhubarb compote and sliced strawberries.
But if you ask us, one of the best ways to eat strawberries is in a good, old-fashioned pie. Our version is pretty traditional, with orange juice and zest serving to offset the sweetness of the berries. Or you can’t go wrong with a simple tart that pairs strawberries with rich pastry cream in a buttery shell. For a great summer cocktail, turn to juicy strawberries, which can be muddled and shaken with citrus and bourbon or stirred into a gin and tonic.
Then there’s ice cream. Even with all the inventive flavors out there, we still love classic strawberry. From ice cream and shortcake to a bright, fruity cocktail and even a savory focaccia, these are our favorite strawberry recipes.
Pastry chef Anna Posey of Chicago’s Publican blackens rhubarb in a wood-fired oven for the cheesecake’s compote topping. A standard oven will also do the trick. Get the recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake »
Roasting strawberries over mellow, barely glowing embers turns them from bright red bulbs to plump crimson pillows of deeply sweet juice. Get the recipe for Grilled Strawberries »
This refreshing summer soup, adapted from La Guarida restaurant in Havana, is meant to be served lightly chilled. Olive oil, garlic, pink peppercorn, and smoky grilled shrimp round out the sweetness from the strawberries and watermelon. Add ¼ teaspoon of sugar if the fruit is more tart than sweet. Get the recipe for Strawberry, Watermelon, and Tomato Gazpacho »
Red wine is reduced with spices and bright citrus zest and then drizzled over fresh strawberries, ice cream, and grilled bread in this delicious, simple dessert. Get the recipe for Strawberries with Wine »
At New York’s Milk Bar, Christina Tosi makes this towering cake every spring, when sweet and tiny tristar strawberries are in season. This is by no means an everyday cake, but it’s worth the work that you’ll put in, and worthy of a special occasion. Get the recipe for Strawberry Lemon Cake »
Instead of coating his pâte de fruit with plain sugar, William Werner of San Francisco’s Craftsman and Wolves flavors Demerara sugar with Clément Créole Shrubb, a spiced liqueur made of aged and white Agricole rums and bitter orange peels. It adds a clean, bright flavor to the glittering topping. Get the recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Pâte de Fruit »
This German method of preserving fruit in rum is more a ratio than a recipe: two parts fruit to one part sugar, covered with rum by at least an inch, with fruit continually added as it comes into season. Use the best fruit you can get your hands on (at season’s peak) and allow for resting time (at least 2 months of aging at room temperature, though longer is better). Do it right and your crock never empties out; as the seasons progress, so do your additions of fruit, this year’s nectarines mingling with the whispers of decade-old grapes. Get the recipe for Rumtopf »
Few desserts are as pretty and as easy to make as a pavlova. For this one, we’ve combined the best elements of versions by Robyn Hedges and Pip Hoar, respectively, two New Zealand bakers featured in Dave Lieberman’s homage to the dessert, “Light Fantastic” (August/September 2009). The key to a successful pavlova is patience: allow the meringue to cool completely before transferring it to the plate or cake stand. You’ll prevent any crumbling that can occur when the process is rushed. Get the recipe for Pavlova »
A creamy peanut butter swirl suspended in strawberry- and jam-enriched ice cream turns the classic Smucker’s Goober–peanut butter and jelly, all in one jar–on its head. Get the recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream »
Fresh strawberries turn ordinary pancakes into something scrumptious; wild blueberries, or any other kind of berry, make an excellent substitute. Get the recipe for Strawberry Griddle Cakes »
“Bucks” are a family of drinks that consist of ginger beer plus a spirit and citrus—a category that includes this fruity refresher as well as the classic Moscow Mule. Get the recipe for Kentucky Buck »
A twist on the British classic, this summer cooler takes on spicy, herbal notes from Kaffir lime leaves, while strawberries lend sweet balance to the pleasingly bitter liqueur. Get the recipe for Strawberry Pimm’s Cup »
