TUSCAN STRAWBERRY SALAD

In the kitchen, as in life, “elegance” is about allowing the elements to shine through.  This simple desert salad is a perfect springtime treat + my acupuncturist, Dr Li, says that strawberries “moisten” your joints and ligaments (this is the Chinese medicine way of saying: keeps you young).  After my treatment I went straight to the market to buy strawberries - and they were locally grown, organic and amazing.  I have a very unique Balsamic vinegar that I brought back with me from Italy and the Herbs de Provence have been begging for use. [NOTE: Herbs de Provence is a dry herb mixture of oregano, basil and lavender.]

Because strawberries tend to be sandy, soak them in cool water.  I chop off the green heads and half them (or if they’re really big, I’ll quarter them) – this is the hardest part of the dish, so don’t fret.  I usually throw out the cuttings right into my garden where they’ll help make the soil richer.

Next, into the waiting bowl, I’ll toss in ¼ - ½ cup of vanilla sugar (see details below), 1 tablespoon of Herbs de Provence (if you don’t have them, substitute or mix with dry oregano and dry basil), a ¼ teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg, and finally, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.  Because it’s only a flavoring agent on my 2 pints of strawberries, it doesn’t have to be the $16/bottle gourmet kind (in the photo); even the simple store brand kind will add a delightful freshness to this dish. 

Stir this with a wooden spoon and allow to sit for ½ an hour (the cooking term for this is “macerate”) – the strawberries will release their juices, the fruit salad will become fragrant and sweet. 

See how it glistens – the combination of the balsamic vinegar with the sugar brings out the best in the strawberries.  Spoon it into a dish of low-fat vanilla yogurt, or sin a little, and top off some gelato with it.  This is a perfect ending to an everyday baked chicken dinner – and it will also make any meal end on a high note.

This simple Tuscan fruit salad is a journey you can share - from my kitchen to your table.

Vanilla sugar: Vanilla beans are expensive.  I usually use them if I’m making a rice pudding, or a panna cotta.  Their flavor is far superior to any extract on the shelf.  You slice them in half, scrape out the tiny seeds and put them into the scalding milk, then take them out.  At this point, don't throw them out - they’re still perfectly useful and incredibly fragrant.  Allow them to dry and stick them inside your sugar container – viola – each spoonful of sugar will now have a touch of vanilla essence on it.  This trick will make your coffee that much richer (this means it will need even less sugar = less calories), and all your deserts will also have another level of depth.  Enjoy.