About this time last year, Chicagoan Christopher Koetke was making weekly runs to northern Indiana for strawberries. Some people know that good strawberries are worth a little mileage. Strawberries usually appear in our stores from really far away, imported from
another coast or another country so that they can be marketed year-round. But many consumers have lost their sense of the true flavor of the fruit.
“You know what a strawberry really tastes like if you’ve gone strawberry picking,”says Koetke, director of the culinary program at Kendall College culinary school. “You put them in the warm car and on the drive back the whole car starts filling up with that aroma. When you eat them, they have a deep, really sweet strawberry taste.”
As with so many food products, most strawberries are bred less for taste than for sturdiness and uniformity. Picture perfect, perhaps, but not the best way to create that summertime specialty: soft strawberries spooned over a buttery shortcake biscuit. For that, you have to stick closer to home.
When Koetke was chef at Chicago’s Les Nomades restaurant last year, he didn’t mind driving to Wanatah, Ind., to buy baskets of heirloom berries for his dessert menu. He got them from Russell Guse, a 15-year-old with a sweet patch of land of his own on the family farm. Guse grows fat, red strawberries called Earliglow that you won’t find in the average supermarket.
What Guse grows on three-quarters of an acre, and what other local strawberry farmers produce in the summer, is an easy sell: good strawberries, deep in color and true in flavor.
Picked just ripe, hand-cultivated berries have a slightly irregular shape, a lot of juice and a softness that lets the strawberry crush in your fingers if you don’t get it into your mouth fast enough.
More than 80 percent of the strawberries sold in this country come from California; Florida is another big producer. But getting the fruit from out of state adds up to a week between picking and eating. And strawberries usually are picked just before ripeness so that they won’t spoil during shipping. What we end up with often is tough, flavorless fruit with a woody white center.
“Strawberries are very perishable, and you can’t hold them very long,”says Mary Manning, manager of Tom’s Farm Market and Greenhouse in Huntley, near Crystal Lake. Tom’s has grown Earliglows but prefers a firmer variety called Jewel, which they sell to Shaw’s Crab House to use in its annual strawberry festival.
It’s more difficult to find good local berries because, for many Illinois farmers, strawberries are a “hobby crop,”says Patrick Hogan of the state’s Department of Agriculture. “They grow a relatively small amount compared with corn and other crops.”
For Guse, his 2,500-plant strawberry field is “a little place for me to get away, to be on my own”on a farm that’s raising sweet corn, tomatoes, lettuce and peppers, Angus cattle and horses. Still, the berry enterprise, which he inherited 2 years ago from a neighbor, is “a 24-hour job.”The work comes from weeding the plants (which first show life as white blossoms whose petals fall off as the berry grows) and watching for frost. An alarm goes off in the night if it gets too cold, alerting Guse to get up and run warm water over the plants.
“One night I forgot to set the relief valve on the sprinkler system and blew all the sprinkler heads off,”he says. “I aged about 10 years that night.”
The best way to savor the season is by looking for strawberries from farmers markets, or under signs designating local growers at the supermarket, or from U-pick farms. (Consumers can obtain the “Illinois Food Guide,”a list of pick-your-own places, by calling the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Marketing and Promotion at 217-782-6675.)
Because of the recent warm weather, the harvest is doing well and even coming in a little early, ready for picking in mid-June.
“The berries should be completely red,”Koetke says. “When picked at an optimal state of ripeness, there is an intense strawberry flavor component with a fair amount of sugar in them.”
A good strawberry also has some acidity that works well when paired with other sugary fruits. Blueberries and peaches, which follow later in the summer, are excellent fruit bowl companions for strawberries, while vanilla ice cream and whipped cream smooth out the berry’s slight tang. The balance of sweet and sharp also makes strawberries a natural partner for the sourness of rhubarb, and with goat cheese in a savory dish.
In her book “A Feast of Fruits,”author Elizabeth Riely writes that the common strawberry we eat now has a juicy past. It seems an 18th Century French spy on a mission to Chile smuggled a South American breed back into France. It was bred in the garden of Louis XV at Versailles, and crossed with a Virginia strawberry brought by English colonists. Whew!
“The resulting strawberry astonished the king with its increased flavor, size and fertility, just as its descendants delight us,”Riely writes.
If the time seems ripe to indulge in good berries, you’re in luck. Locally grown berries should be plentiful in supermarkets in the next few weeks, and they have been hand-picked for restaurant menus all over town, including strawberry cobblers at the Four Seasons Hotel and a classic chocolate cake roll filled with whipped cream and strawberries at Cafe Matou.
At home, chill out with a cold strawberry soup dotted with poundcake croutons or a cool slice of fresh strawberry tart, plump with pastry cream. The savory side of strawberries is apparent in a salad dressed with berries and goat cheese, or in a glaze that works for chicken or fish.
Pick your favorite recipe and then, try to pick local strawberries at the market. You’ll find happiness in your own back yard.
HANDLING FRESH STRAWBERRIES
– Choosing: At a U-Pick farm or supermarket, choose berries that are red up to their stems-they don’t ripen once picked. Handle them gently because they bruise easily. Grasp the stem of the strawberry between the forefinger and the thumbnail and pull with a twisting motion. Carefully place strawberries into a container. Refrigerate them as soon as possible after picking.
– Storage: Do not wash berries until ready to use. Refrigerate, with caps attached, up to about three days. Keep strawberries in ventilated baskets or boxes so they can breathe.
– Freezing: Slice unwashed berries and place individually on a baking sheet in the freezer; when frozen, pack them into an airtight container and return to freezer.
– Serving: Allow the berries to come to slightly cool or room temperature once pulled from the refrigerator. Berries that are too cold don’t have much fragrance. When ready to serve, rinse gently with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels.
– Nutrition: Six ounces (almost 1 cup) fresh strawberries contain 50 calories; are very good sources of vitamin C, potassium and folic acid.
CELEBRATING THE STRAWBERRY
– The annual Strawberry Festival is June 26 to 28 in suburban Long Grove. Strawberry-flavored dishes will be sold at restaurants and shops. Tastings and cooking demonstrations will be held too. Admission is free; call 847-634-0888 for information.
– Shaw’s Crab House holds its annual strawberry festival with daily dessert specials offered through early July at its Chicago and Deerfield locations.
STRAWBERRY TART WITH PASTRY CREAM
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Chilling time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
Pastry cream is an egg- and flour-based custard, found in eclairs, napoleons and cream puffs. This was developed in the Tribune test kitchen.
Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup each: sugar, chopped almonds
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon each: salt, vanilla extract
1 large egg white, slightly beaten
Cream:
2 1/2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Topping:
1 pint strawberries, hulled
1. For crust, combine flour, sugar, almonds, butter, whole egg, salt and vanilla in large bowl. Stir together until well blended. Press onto bottom and up sides of greased 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom; chill 30 minutes.
2. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush crust with beaten egg white. Bake crust until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove to wire rack; cool completely.
3. For cream, heat milk and vanilla bean over medium heat in medium saucepan until just simmering, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 30 minutes. Remove vanilla bean; scrape seeds from bean into milk. Discard bean.
4. Stir together yolks, sugar, cornstarch and flour in medium bowl. Heat milk back to boil over medium heat. Whisk about 1 cup of the milk into yolk mixture; pour back into pan. Cook until large bubbles break surface. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Pour custard into cooled tart shell. Place wax paper directly onto custard surface. Chill until set, about 3 hours. Arrange strawberries on top of custard.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 290 Fat ………… 13 g Saturated fat .. 5 g
% calories from fat .. 39 Cholesterol .. 145 mg Sodium …… 165 mg
Carbohydrates …… 39 g Protein ……… 7 g Fiber …….. 1.9 g
STRAWBERRY-GOAT CHEESE SALAD
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
The peppery flavor of arugula combined with the sweetness of strawberries and tang of goat cheese create a marvelous combination. Serve for lunch or dinner with crusty bread. Developed in the Tribune test kitchen.
Dressing:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar or to taste
1/4 teaspoon each: salt, dry mustard
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 drops hot pepper sauce
Salad:
1 package (10 ounces) ready-to-use spinach, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
1 small bunch arugula, washed, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 pint (1 cup) hulled, sliced straw-berries
1 package (4 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, see note
3 green onions, sliced
1. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in small bowl or jar with tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Combine all salad ingredients in large serving bowl; toss with dressing to taste.
Note: To toast pine nuts, place in dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Transfer to plate to cool.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 285 Fat ………… 27 g Saturated fat .. 7 g
% calories from fat .. 84 Cholesterol … 15 mg Sodium …… 235 mg
Carbohydrates ……. 7 g Protein ……… 7 g Fiber …….. 2.5 g
COOL STRAWBERRY SOUP WITH POUNDCAKE CROUTONS
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 4 minutes
Chilling time: 1 hour
Yield: Six (1 cup) servings
Serve this dessert soup on a warm summer night. Developed in the Tribune test kitchen
2 pints (4 cups) strawberries, hulled, sliced
1 banana, sliced
3/4 cup each: half-and-half, sour cream
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons raspberry liqueur, such as Chambord
1/2 prepared poundcake, cut into 1-inch cubes
Mint sprigs
1. Combine strawberries, banana, half-and-half, sour cream, orange juice, sugar and raspberry liqueur in food processor fitted with metal blade or blender. Process or blend until smooth. Pour into medium bowl. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.
2. Heat broiler. Spread poundcake cubes in single layer on baking sheet. Broil until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn cubes over; broil until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Serve soup in dessert bowls or parfait glasses. Top each with poundcake croutons and sprig of mint.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 320 Fat ………… 16 g Saturated fat .. 9 g
% calories from fat .. 44 Cholesterol … 85 mg Sodium …… 145 mg
Carbohydrates …… 44 g Protein ……. 4.4 g Fiber …….. 3.2 g
ROAST CHICKEN WITH STRAWBERRY-ORANGE GLAZE
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Standing time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
This glaze also is excellent on pork and firm fish such as tuna and swordfish. Developed in the Tribune test kitchen.
2 cans (16 ounces each) low-sodium chicken broth
1 whole chicken, rinsed, patted dry, about 3 pounds
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 pint (1 cup) cup hulled, sliced strawberries
3/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons sugar or more to taste
2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons Cognac, optional
1. Heat broth to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until thickened and reduced to 1 cup, about 30 minutes. (This can be done the day before.)
2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken on rack inside roasting pan. Coat chicken with oil; season with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and pepper. Roast 30 minutes.
3. Add strawberries, orange juice and sugar to reduced broth. Cook, stirring often, until thickened and slightly syrupy, about 12 minutes. Strain sauce through fine mesh sieve or double thickness of cheesecloth into medium bowl. Push strawberries with back of spoon to extract juices and some of fruit. Pour back into saucepan. Heat to simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in cornstarch paste; cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add butter to sauce mixture; stir until melted. Stir in Cognac, if using, and remaining salt and pepper to taste. Divide into two small bowls, one to pass at the table, one for the chicken.
4. Remove chicken from oven; brush with glaze from one of the bowls. Return to oven; brush with glaze every 10 minutes until chicken is golden and internal temperature reads 170 degrees, about 35 more minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Pass reserved sauce at table.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 395 Fat ………… 25 g Saturated fat .. 9 g
% calories from fat .. 57 Cholesterol .. 115 mg Sodium …… 475 mg
Carbohydrates ……. 8 g Protein …….. 33 g Fiber …….. 0.7 g
