Erica De Mane

Recipe: Strawberries with Blood Orange Syrup and Mint

Okay, hold that pose. Right now I’m finding decent blood oranges and strawberries in my markets at the same time, a coming together of winter and spring. Neither is local in New York, of course, but I’m so happy to have them. And at a fleeting moment like this, you’ve just got to combine them, right? When will your next chance be? Maybe never?

The strawberries come from Florida, the blood oranges from California. So what? The oranges are especially bloody, too, deep red, some almost burgundy, extremely beautiful, my favorite colors. Caravaggio reds.

Strawberries with Blood Orange Syrup and Mint

(Serves 2 or 3)

The juice from 4 or 5 fresh blood oranges
About 2 tablespoons sugar
A few drops of high quality balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Cointreau liqueur
1 pint strawberries, the sweetest ones you can find (smell them—if they smell like strawberries, they’ll probably be good)
A few large sprigs of fresh mint

Pour the blood orange juice into a small pot, and add the sugar, the vinegar (no more than a few drops), and the Cointreau, and bring it all to a boil. Let bubble for about a minute, and then turn off the heat. Have a taste; you should get a good balance between sweet and tart. If not, balance it out. Strain the sauce into a small bowl, and let it cool completely. It should then be the consistency of a very light syrup.

Hull the strawberries, but keep them whole, unless they’re humongous, in which case you might want to cut them in half lengthwise.  Place them in a pretty serving bowl, and pour on the blood orange syrup. Garnish with mint sprigs. Serve right away.