May 26, 2008 | Condiments, Desserts, Fruit

I hope you’ll excuse my infrequent posting to the blog. We’re are in the final stages of selling our house, packing, and getting ready to move in June. I promise more frequent posts including lots of info on my new kitchen!

In the meantime, it’s strawberry season, and you can’t get ‘em any sweeter until you can grow your own this summer.
Here are some of my favorite ways to use strawberries:

• Toss a large bowl of sliced berries with a little balsamic vinegar and brown sugar (about 1 T of each for every 4 cups of berries). Allow them to sit and macerate which will release the juices and meld the flavors. Eat alone, over vanilla ice cream, or pound cake. You can also add any of your other favorite fresh berries whole, like raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries.
• Top a traditional Belgium waffle (they let the batter sit for hours to get the light and airy texture) with slice strawberries and whipped cream).
• Simmer equal parts sliced strawberries with diced rhubarb (also in season) and a little sugar to make a compote. Serve over sliced pork tenderloin, ice cream, or shortcake.
• Dip whole strawberries in chocolate ganache (made of equal parts semisweet or bittersweet chocolate and cream – heat the cream just to below boiling, remove from heat, and stir in the chocolate until melted), refrigerate just until the chocolate sets, then enjoy.