Strawberry meals forever

27 November 2014 - 02:16 By Andrea Burgener
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Andrea Burgener
Andrea Burgener
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You are almost sick of them, and the season (extended by modern technology) isn't even nearing an end.

Ripe for overload

When you're g*tvol of strawberries and cream, here are three ways to deploy the fruit which may banish taste bud ennui.

First up: Strawberries in Aperol and vermouth. Aperol is Campari's less bitter, lightweight cousin, and it's a brilliant foil to the tart sweetness of the fruit. This is the right way to end a big summer lunch. Use small glasses (wine or modest tumbler), and into each throw some ice, a shot of vermouth and two of Aperol. Add halved strawberries to the top, and lastly an orange wedge.

Second: Strawberry salad. Yes, I know, fruit in salad can go painfully wrong, but sometimes it works. Green papaya and Waldorf salad are both perfection. A third fruity one that works - somewhat inelegant but a sort of classic on late 1990s fusion menus - is equal amounts of sliced strawberries and avocado, scattered with blue cheese and drizzled with a sweet balsamic dressing. Use a bought balsamic syrup or balsamic and honey, and mix with mild olive oil. Season with coarse salt and black pepper.

Third: Strawberry trifle. Okay, it's more like a relative of the trifle. It doesn't feature horrible globs of jelly, nor is there custard. It's easy and heavenly. Measurements are vague - the ratio of ingredients (berries, mascarpone, Swiss roll) is roughly 1:1:1. Sprinkle halved strawberries with caster sugar and leave to get soft and release juices for a few hours. Put thin slices of swiss roll into shallow dish. Pour the berry juices over the cake, then a layer of mascarpone, then a layer of berries. Repeat and you're done. Leave in the fridge for a few more hours (crucial). Before serving, grate lemon rind over the top.

Lipid watch

It seems the only way a lipid gets attention these days is if it is the canola oil shining up Kim Kardashian's butt. Other than that, we're not interested enough. The vast research around good and bad fats is simply wasted. It never trickles down, and we keep getting lied to.

I hold in my hand Pick n Pay's "Diet & Diabetes" brochure. I could poke holes in many areas of it, but what really gets to me is what they include under "healthy fats". Olives, seeds, avo, all fine. But reduced-oil salad cream? Low-fat tub margarine? It seems bizarre that there are real-life nutritionists who still promote the toxic sludge that is margarine. As for olive oil and canola oil being given as equal options, this is just ignorant. Want something more useful? I suggest you search online for the writings of Mary Enig and Sally Falon - two biochemists who'll give you the right answer.

  • Andrea Burgener is the author of the cookbook 'Lampedusa Pie' and chef at The Leopard restaurant
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