Last week, I was shopping at my local Amish produce market and I bought a whole flat of strawberries. Don’t ask me why. I don’t know what came over me! They just looked so ripe and juicy and…red. The next thing I knew they were sitting in my shopping cart and I was plunking down some serious cash. I couldn’t help myself! Sigh. On the drive home, I began to have buyer’s remorse. A flat is about eight quarts of berries. That’s close to twelve pounds! What the heck was I going to do with twelve pounds of strawberries?!?!
The first thing I did was pick out the ripest, prettiest berries for us to snack on “au naturel”. That was kind of hard because most of them were very ripe and pretty, and one can only eat so many strawberries before exploding. I cleaned and hulled a bunch more, put them in freezer bags and slipped them in the freezer for those sad times when fresh strawberries are not available. The next thing I did was make some good old Southern-style strawberry shortcake. Even after all that, I still had almost four quarts left. I thought about making jam and canning it like I did with my scrumptious apple butter, but honestly, I just didn’t have the time – or enough empty jars – to do it. So, I did the next best thing. I roasted them – low and slow – in my oven.
Roasting fresh strawberries is a great way to use them up when you have a big surplus, especially when they’re getting past their prime. Slow roasting them really concentrates their flavor and enhances their sweetness. The roasted berries can be used in a wide variety of other recipes, both savory and sweet. We used them as a topping for yogurt, ice cream, cheesecake and tapioca pudding, as well as an accompaniment to some roasted chicken and in a salad. I didn’t do it this time, but the next time I roast strawberries, I’ll definitely bake them into some muffins or a quick bread too.
Here are some of them dressing up a bowl of homemade tapioca pudding. I wish I’d gotten a shot of them paired with the cheesecake I made the other day, but it was gobbled down so fast that I didn’t have a chance!
My method for roasting these strawberries couldn’t have been simpler. All I did was rinse and hull them, toss them with sugar, balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper and pop them in a 250 F. oven for an hour or so. For my lack of trouble, I was rewarded with a gorgeous, ruby red compote bursting with intense strawberry flavor. The pepper added a subtle kick of spice and the balsamic contributed just enough acid to pull it all together.
Another nice thing about this recipe was that while the berries were soft and tender, they held their shape very nicely and still looked like strawberries. Of course, you could certainly puree them and even strain them to make a coulis, but I really liked them just the way they were.
Thanks to this experiment gone right, I’ll never be afraid to load up on strawberries at the market again. In fact, I ‘m really looking forward to applying a few different tweaks to the recipe. Next time, I plan to add some fresh thyme and a splash of rosewater for a little Mediterranean twist. If any of you try it this way before I do, let me know how it goes.
Slow Roasted Strawberries
Ingredients:
2 quarts fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar, depending on how naturally sweet your berries are
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cracked black pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 F.
Lay berries on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper. Drizzle with balsamic. Toss berries to coat.
Bake for at least one hour, until strawberries are very soft and their juices have thickened.
Remove from oven and cool. Use as a topping for ice cream, yogurt or pudding or as an add-in for muffins, cakes or cookies.
Enjoy!
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Filed Under: Cooking, Fruits, Recipes, Sauces, Salsas and Salad Dressings
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On February 03, 2011 at 1:05pm, Rosa said...
Mmmhhh, that sounds lovely! I love the flavor of cooked strawberries.
Cheers,
Rosa
On February 03, 2011 at 1:06pm, The Food Hunter said...
What a great way to use up strawberries. They look so good on top of that pudding.
On February 03, 2011 at 1:09pm, Lael Hazan @educatedpalate said...
We went to a U-pick farm and our eyes were bigger than our bellies. I believe I still have some in the fridge that are about to…. you know. I like the idea of roasting them.
On February 03, 2011 at 1:10pm, Lys ~ Cooking In Stilettos said...
Susan - what a fabulous idea! I never really know what to do with Strawberries when they get to that point where they aren’t as gorgeous and before they sprout “fur”. Strawberries here in Philly go so bad so quickly
Love this and I will be trying this with some Jersey strawberries this season.
On February 03, 2011 at 2:14pm, Lori @ RecipeGirl said...
Delicious! I did something slightly similar once. Love the balsamic aspect of it.
On February 03, 2011 at 2:20pm, Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. said...
Sounds and looks fantastic
On February 03, 2011 at 2:37pm, Mmmm For the Love of Food said...
Roasting strawberries. I never would have thought. They look amazing and sound delicious. I might try them in oats with greek yoghurt and sliced almonds for breakfast, Yum!
At least they were a great looking impulse purchase, your photos are lovely!
On February 03, 2011 at 5:21pm, Susan said...
Sounds heavenly!
On February 03, 2011 at 2:47pm, Priyanka said...
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On February 03, 2011 at 5:21pm, Susan said...
Thanks! Will do.
On February 03, 2011 at 3:43pm, Emily said...
I’m confused. First of all, where are you getting strawberries that look like that in February? And how is it from an Amish market? All the Amish places I know are in Pennsylvania and Ohio and are currently buried under a foot of snow.
On February 03, 2011 at 5:28pm, Susan said...
Well first of all, I live in Florida and it’s strawberry season here. I live about 90 miles from Plant City, the “Winter Strawberry Capital of the World”.
And, second of all, there is a large and long-established Amish community in the city I live in called Pinecraft. Many of our Amish residents spend the winter here and the summers in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. The rest live here year round and run numerous Amish markets, restaurants and furniture stores. I wrote about it once before here: https://stickygooeycreamychewy.com/2011/01/25/bubble-bubble-toil-and-trouble-homemade-apple-butter-recipe/
On February 04, 2011 at 12:08pm, Emily said...
Wow. Lucky you. I’m obsessed with strawberries and am very jealous of your winter harvest. I wasn’t aware that some Amish fly south for the winter (I’m originally from Lancaster, PA so I grew up around the Amish and we always loved buying from their stores or roadside stands). Thanks for the info. Great blog.
On February 03, 2011 at 3:56pm, Jess Wakasugi said...
I’ve never roasted strawberries before but your pictures alone have convinved me to try this out! Oh yum
And this warm concoction sounds SO good seeing as it’s currently single digits where I’m living. Thanks for the idea!
On February 03, 2011 at 5:28pm, Susan said...
Thanks, Jess. Enjoy!
On February 03, 2011 at 7:33pm, Jen said...
This looks amazing! I am planning on making cheesecake sometime next week for a party and I think this would be the perfect topping! Thanks for the idea!
On February 03, 2011 at 9:53pm, Suze said...
My first thought was, “Oh NO! That beautiful, blanket-stitched linen napkin is ruined!!”
My second thought was, “Geez, I gotta remember to search for this recipe come June…”
On February 03, 2011 at 10:15pm, Susan said...
Don’t worry! I treated the napkin with stain remover as soon as I got the shot and the stain is completely gone.
On February 03, 2011 at 10:12pm, kirsten said...
brilliant idea, never would have thought of it, thanks for sharing!
On February 04, 2011 at 12:12am, Hannah at FleurDeLicious said...
what a fantastic idea! i’m thinking they might be good with some basil and mint as well. i’m bookmarking this to use this spring and summer…anytime i go to a u-pick farm i always end up with way more fruit than i know what to do with!!
On February 04, 2011 at 2:45am, Susan said...
I love this idea of roasting the berries, but I’m not crazy about balsamic vinegar. Do you think lemon juice would produce enough acid to use instead?
On February 04, 2011 at 5:32am, Paul Jennette said...
Love that you bought a whole flat in February!! The strawberries around here haven’t been that great lately-so I haven’t had one in awhile. Sigh. The use of the balsamic vinegar sounds interesting, now to go and see if I can find some good strawberries!
On February 04, 2011 at 3:51pm, bellini said...
I just roasted some strawberries the other day for a recipe becasue in the winter strawberries shopped from far away are like little bullets and not as sweet and tasty as they should be. I would definitely make them again.
On February 04, 2011 at 8:03pm, MaryBeth said...
I have seen this done many times but have never tried it myself, it really does look delish. I could so see putting it on top of many things.
On February 04, 2011 at 10:37pm, Jenn @LeftoverQueen said...
Absolutely delicious Susan!
On February 04, 2011 at 11:33pm, Sally, Australia. said...
Fantastic idea. Its summer here & strawberries are meant to be in their prime. Sadly we have had lots of wet weather followed by VERY hot spells so the stawberries are needing some help! Keep up the great ideas Susan xx
On February 05, 2011 at 8:27pm, Jennifer @ Loving Bytes said...
Fabulous idea! I can’t wait to try it, but in the North East, the pickings are slim for strawberries. I think I might try it using frozen strawberries for now and see how it comes out. Might not be able to wait until spring when they are fresh!
On February 06, 2011 at 7:12am, Lindsey @ Gingerbread Bagels said...
Wow I would have never of thought of roasting strawberries! They sound soo good and are just gorgeous. I love how you roasted them in balsamic vinegar. I love strawberries with balsamic but roasting them in it is an incredible idea! I’m definitely going to be trying this.
On February 07, 2011 at 10:48pm, Tessa said...
I’ve heard of mixing them with balsamic vinegar, but I never would have thought of this! Yum!
On February 09, 2011 at 10:22am, Heather said...
Those strawberries look awesome. I am totally bookmarking this for when strawberries come into season where I live.
On February 09, 2011 at 10:18pm, Dina said...
they look delicious!
On February 23, 2011 at 3:56pm, Dee said...
Interesting! Never heard of roasting strawberries. My family is french moroccan and I can remember my grandmother marinating strawberries in red wine with sugar and then topping with homemade whipped cream. This was about 40 years ago. It was so good and still is.
On March 14, 2011 at 6:11pm, Pat Pothier said...
O.K., I did it. Not once but three times. The last time was a whole flat of strawberries. My husband is in love with them. I have been giving my customers your info, and they all say ROASTED STRAWBERRIES?
We live in fl. as well, and truthfully, I don’t think the berries are as good this year. Just not as sweet. So roasting them has been a wonderful way to go. Thank you ever so much!
On March 16, 2011 at 3:02am, Mayajo said...
mouthwatering, this really rocks! my favorite fruit!
On March 27, 2011 at 3:42pm, Anne said...
I just pick 3 flats yesterday in Plant City and after giving away a good portion of my bounty I am going to make this for a potluck at work tomorrow!
On April 10, 2011 at 11:47pm, Sue said...
Gosh - my husband and I are addicted to these!! Thanks for sharing the recipe. BTW, I used some of the juice to make a Roasted Strawberry Martini - yum!!
On April 23, 2011 at 9:02pm, Maria said...
Oh. My. God. I’m in love with these. I found this today, ran out to the local stand to buy strawberries, and immediately popped them into the oven. Who knew roasting strawberries was an option, first of all, but so darn delicious, too?! Thank you!!! Don’t know if I’ll get around to trying it with anything else because I keep popping these babies into my mouth.
On June 19, 2011 at 8:20pm, Maria said...
I tried these in a sorbet and it is delicious!!!
On September 01, 2011 at 10:29pm, avillager said...
I had a muffin with roasted strawberries, pepper and thyme - it was amazing. Sweet and savory with a kick. I got it at a chi chi restaurant in the East Village and they will NOT give out the recipe. If you could work something up for this, it would be wonderful!
On October 09, 2011 at 8:12pm, AJ said...
Just wanted to say this recipe was perfect! I shouldn’t complain but I my CSA weekly share had me overrun with strawberries and I was running out of ideas. This worked out great and I included some fresh figs and fresh basil. Sweetened it with brown sugar which gave it a little more caramel flavoring plus used lemon juice instead of balsamic vinegar. So yummy! Stuck it in the freezer to bring out when what we call winter in San Diego has me craving that wonderful strawberry taste. Thanks for the recipe!!!
On June 25, 2012 at 12:16pm, Judi Hendricks said...
I love this! I made strawberry ice cream with these. So, so good!
On July 31, 2012 at 9:15pm, Nicole said...
How long do you think this would last in the fridge?
On October 11, 2014 at 4:48pm, domain said...
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