Pump Up The Jam
The strawberry-vanilla jam with black pepper, that is. You can cook a one-jar batch in a large skillet. No special equipment is needed.
Ingredients:
1 pound strawberries, washed, hulled, and thinly sliced
1 cup sugar
1 whole vanilla bean
2 tablespoons lemon juice
zest of one lemon
fresh ground pepper
1. Split the vanilla bean down the middle with a small knife and scrape out the paste inside.
2. In a 12-inch skillet (or a wide-bottom Dutch oven), combine the paste with the berries, sugar, juice, and zest. Stir well.
3. Bring to a full boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and add three twists of pepper.
4. Maintain a low simmer until the temperature of the jam reads 220 degrees on a kitchen thermometer, which should take 10–20 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and carefully scrape any foam from the top of the mixture. Add more pepper to taste.
6. If you prefer smoother jam, use a potato masher to break up chunks.
7. Transfer jam to a pint-size (16-ounce) jar.
Get Yourself Into A Pretty Pickle
Pickled strawberries are an unexpected addition to enliven your go-to charcuterie board. They can also be served as a kicky side dish, dropped into salad dressing, or spooned over ice cream. Just use your imagination.
Ingredients:
1 pound strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced in half (quartered if large)
1 cup champagne vinegar
½ cup water
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1. Put strawberries in a quart (32-ounce) jar.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat only until the salt and sugar dissolve.
3. Pour the heated brine into the jar.
4. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving.
Take A Dry Run
Dehydrated strawberries are the secret meal-prep weapon you didn’t know you needed. Flakes can be added to granola, stirred into yogurt or cottage cheese, sprinkled over salads, mixed into cream cheese for your Sunday morning bagel, or used as you would any dried fruit.
Ingredients:
1 pound strawberries, washed, hulled, and thinly sliced
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the slices on the baking sheets.
3. Bake three to four hours, rotating the pans every hour, until the slices pull away easily from the parchment paper.
Just Chill
Freezing strawberries seals in their nutrition and flavor. Year-long smoothies, anyone?
Ingredients:
1 pound strawberries, washed, hulled, and thinly sliced
1. Lay slices individually on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Put the baking sheet in the freezer until slices are frozen solid, at least 90 minutes. This step is critical to avoid a big icy clump to wrestle with later.
3. Quickly transfer slices to an airtight storage bag or container for long-term freezing.
