Our illicit fling with spring

Strawberries make us do things.

Friends, we have berries on the brain. Straw-bearrrrr-ee. These three syllables and their ensuing perfume have us a bit obsessed, bordering on Nabokovian. There’s something about spring berries that’s just a little more Lolita than the standard supermarket pint. And we have a few recipes which also skirt that saccharine edge. Spicy stuff, but all very PG, we assure you.

Sweet Strawberry Salsa With Árbol Chiles

Here’s something you don’t see every day, from chef Roberto Santibañez’s book Truly Mexican: a salsa you eat for dessert. Sure, purists may cringe, but we suggest drizzling it over vanilla (or chocolate) ice cream— the tomatillos provide a lovely tang, and the chiles contribute just enough oomph. Ice cream will never be the same.

Real Southern Strawberry Shortcake

As defined by James Villas in The Glory of Southern Cooking: “Genuine Southern strawberry shortcake is and always has been made with only one style of bread: split and buttered baking powder biscuits. Nor do I know any respectable Southern cook who would destroy a strawberry shortcake with something so atrocious as Cool Whip.” He goes on, much to our delight!

Strawberry Risotto

From Sara Jenkins’s book Olives and Oranges this is a wonderful, deeply flavored dish that is not at all sweet. It is best made with fresh-picked local strawberries, as their flavor most closely resembles that of the little berries of the Roman countryside. Get the recipe.

Right there with you, Remy.
the Alta Editions Team

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