Erica De Mane

Strawberries, Elizabeth Wilson, 2010.

Recipe: Strawberries with White Wine, Vanilla, Basil, and Orange Flower Syrup

Strawberries are my favorite fruit. I find it amazing that I can say a particular fruit is my absolute favorite, since in my opinion all fruits are unique and delicious, but the strawberry, with its aroma, taste, its crimson color, feels custom made for me. Just about everything I love about life is embodied in a ripe strawberry (except possibly some of life’s alluring darker aspects). Its beauty inspires me, but ultimately I find I don’t, culinarily speaking, do much with it. I prefer strawberries raw. Local ones, the ones I’m finding now at the Greenmarket, are best that way, and organic ones are worth seeking out. I don’t want to contribute to the bad deeds of the mega California strawberry growers who pump the soil with an excess of chemicals instead of rotating their fields.

When I’m not eating strawberries nudo, I like to hull them, pile them in a big bowl, and then make a syrup, usually with some kind of wine as its base. I pour it over the berries right before serving. It’s a nice way to do something to them without doing much. I chill the syrup before dousing them so they stay perfectly uncooked.

I’ve played with different flavorings for my syrups. Red, white, and rosé wines all reduce nicely with sugar to become glossy and thick, with an attractive  acidic edge. Vanilla is an especially nice addition because it’s not intrusive the way, say, cinnamon might be. Mint is a good thing to add at the end, but lately I’ve found I like basil much better.

I look for small strawberries and leave them whole. In the spring and even throughout the summer you may find very tiny ones at your farmers’ market that go by the name of Tristar. They’re a cultivated variety bred from wild stock, and they’re  generally quite sweet , with the subtle perfume that wild strawberries tend to have. They’re a special treat in this recipe, but any local strawberry, as long as it’s juicy and ripe, will be excellent.

Strawberries with White Wine, Vanilla, Basil, and Orange Flower Syrup

(Serves 4 or 5)

½ bottle dry, non-oaky white wine
⅔ cup sugar
½ a moist vanilla bean, split lengthwise
½ teaspoon orange flower water
2 long strips orange peel
2 pints small strawberries, hulled but left whole
A handful of small basil leaves, left whole (or larger ones ripped in two)

Place the wine, sugar, vanilla bean, orange flower water, and orange peel in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down a touch, and let the mixture bubble, uncovered, until reduced by about half (which should leave about a cup or so of liquid). Let cool completely. When cooled it should have the consistency of a loose syrup.

When you’re ready to serve, put the strawberries in a serving bowl, add the basil leaves, and pour the wine syrup over the berries, giving them a gentle stir. Spoon the strawberries, with some of their syrup, into wine or parfait glasses.