Strawberry Orgy
Volume 49, Issue 5
By Michael Safdiah

Just yesterday, my favorite farm stand on Lakeland Avenue in Sayville was creaking under the weight of a shipment of freshly picked strawberries from 'out east'. Their perfume is impossible to describe. Of course I nicked one, well actually a few. I was in heaven again. It's a once a year crop that grows in this area and that [because of their fragility,] has no chance of ever making it to the markets in places even as close as New York City. They are truly a local phenomenon. The big red Driscolls, which grow in Watsonville, California, the strawberry capital of the world, look great, but since they need to travel and still look pretty, they are bred to be bulletproof. Cute but dumb. I'm proud of our local berries, even with their short season. I wait all year for them to appear, and when they do, I have my own orgy, eating them every which way. Don't just sit there. Go out and buy a mess of them if you still can. Buy more than you think you can use; you'll end up freezing them and enjoying them all through summer. You'll never think of a strawberry again without dreaming of these beauties.

When my restaurant was open, the one item we were unable to get in the local markets, and for which no substitute existed, were those berries, so I hauled them from Long Island to the city. They garnished desserts such as New York lemon cheesecake, and angel food cake, made soups, were chocolate dipped as after dinner favors, and daiquiris we served at the bar. The favorite dessert was the strawberry fool, easy on the cream.

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB FOOL:

Poach inch-long pieces of rhubarb in sugar syrup ‘till tender, and chill. Pour the rhubarb and syrup over fresh cut berries. Allow to stand for half an hour. In a tall glass alternate layers of a whipped cream/sour cream mixture with the drained chilled fruit. Whip a cup of heavy cream, add 1/4 cup sour cream, and stir.

STRAWBERRY SALAD

DRESSING

Take equal amounts of honey, oil, and lemon juice around 1/3 cup each, add a scant teaspoon of mustard, a big pinch of salt, kosher, of course, half a teaspoon of paprika, and a few grindings of pepper and four medium strawberries, stems removed. Whiz up in the blender, and pour over a salad of soft summer lettuces, with croutons, and cut up pieces of strawberries.

STRAWBERRY SOUP

As with all soup recipes, measurements are always governed by your own feelings on any given day. It's your soup. Here's one possible example: I use equal amounts of red wine, white wine, say a cup of each, and two cups of chicken broth (the canned is excellent) a pinch of cinnamon or a stick, half an envelope of gelatin soaked in 1/2 cup cold water, a bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, (if you don't have fresh then skip it,)fresh ground pepper, a quarter teaspoon of freshly grated ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of orange zest, big pinch salt, sugar to taste, you don't want it too sweet, and some finely diced rhubarb. Simmer five minutes, till the sugar dissolves. Inhale deeply. Add the juice of half a lemon and a pint of fresh chopped strawberries, and return to almost a boil. Remember to remove the bay leaf. Chill the soup at once. Correct the seasoning. Serve chilled with a dollop of sour whipped cream: Whip a half pint of heavy cream, and a teaspoon of sugar and when it's nearly stiff, fold in four ounces of sour cream.

STRAWBERRY SAUCE

Process fresh berries with a teaspoon of sugar. My sister uses honey. You can decide to leave the berries as a very smooth puree, or with pieces, to preserve some texture. Use it over fresh strawberries, pound cake, angel food cake, or merengue shells. Stir it into a container of plain yogurt for a treat that's far superior to the one that comes with the fruit.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Measure this one

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp. baking powder

2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 stick cold butter

3/4 cup milk

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsps light brown sugar

3 cups sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 425°. Combine the first five ingredients together in bowl. Use a pastry cutter. Mix well. Add butter and combine until mixture looks like bits the size of small peas. Add milk, mixing in with fork. Don't over-mix. Use your hands to make dough ball. The dough should remain soft. Set aside for an hour in the fridge. Place dough on floured surface and gently press into a flat circle, about seven to eight inches around. Cut into eight wedges. Place them onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a rack.

Beat sugar into the sour cream. Beat whipping cream until stiff and then combine with sour cream mixture. Slice open the cooled shortcake wedges. Dollop the cream mixture onto the bottoms until you have used about 80 percent of the mixture – it's supposed to look slightly mussed up. Top with lots of sliced strawberries. Place the shortcake tops on each wedge. Place a small dollop and strawberry on top of each.

FRESH SUGARED BERRIES - FOR THE FREEZER

These 'out east' beauties are so great tasting. I sugar and freeze them. The flavor is preserved by sugaring and freezing. Wash and slice the berries into large pieces and sprinkle generously with sugar. Press the berries to slightly crush some of them to extract some of their juice. Leave them in the fridge a few hours. This is the preparation I use every year. This freezes perfectly and is excellent for topping anything I need strawberries for all summer long. You can do the same thing to raspberries and blueberries, and even combine them in one container. It blows my guests away.