- Esther Oertel
- Posted On
Mensam Mundum – World Table: Of strawberries and Mother’s Day
In medieval times strawberries were associated with love, so it’s appropriate that they arrive at local farmers’ markets close to Mother’s Day.
My heart skips a beat or two when I see their luscious red color in the stalls and – joy of all joys! – taste their sweetness.
Strawberries grown close to home – with their fresh, delicate flavor and burst of lush juiciness – are so unlike their supermarket counterparts that it’s worth a trip (or two or three) to the farmers’ market during the brief season that they’re available.
I have it on good authority that the season is now, so don’t hesitate!
Strawberries are actually not berries at all, at least not by botanists’ standards. True berries have their seeds on the inside (think blueberries or cranberries) and, as you know, strawberry seeds are on the outside.
The yellowish seeds covering the outside of the berry are considered individual fruits, with the sweet, fleshy part of the strawberry being the receptacle for the roughly 200 tiny fruits that cover it.
They’re members of the same family tree as the rose, another connection to Mother’s Day. In Italian strawberries are known as “fragola,” derived from the Latin word for fragrant.
Speaking of Mother’s Day, strawberries can be elevated in a variety of celebratory ways – dipped in chocolate, floated in champagne, skewered for a fruit bouquet, or incorporated whole in a centerpiece-worthy fresh strawberry pie.
Quite a few years ago (11, to be exact), I taught an early May cooking class where mothers and their young sons or daughters made one of these strawberry-themed items together.
The focus of the class was strawberry pie-making and the end result – glistening whole strawberries shining bright red in handmade crusts – was a testament to the beauty of this fruit.
The loveliness of these take-home masterpieces was eclipsed only by the joy I witnessed as family teams worked together to create them. (I have such a soft spot in my heart for parents and children cooking cooperatively!)
The strawberry pie recipe from this class is below so you can create your own maternal bonding experience, whatever the age of your mother or children.
In addition to being tasty and visually delightful, strawberries are surprisingly nutritious. Only eight medium-sized berries provide 140% of our daily requirement for Vitamin C. They contain high amounts of antioxidants, which account for their bright red color.
And they’re not just great in pies! As we all know, they’re wonderful eaten out of hand, sliced on cold cereal or yogurt, or tossed into fruit smoothies.
You can also serve them sliced on a sandwich with cream cheese and fresh mint, pair them with a nice balsamic vinegar and freshly ground black pepper, chop them and add to port wine to reduce for a sweet sauce, or toss them on a spinach salad (for which I’d recommend a poppy seed dressing or balsamic vinaigrette).
And now for some practical tips to keep your berry bounty fresh.
Strawberries should be stored in a cool, humid place; namely, your refrigerator with some special precautions. They’ll dry out without moisture but will go bad when sitting in too much dampness.
To store your strawberries, place them unwashed in a tightly covered plastic container or zipper sealed plastic bag with layers of paper towel between the berries. Make sure to remove any bruised or moldy berries first.
The sealed container provides a humid environment and protects them from the drying effects of the fridge, while the paper towel soaks up excess moisture.
I learned this method years ago from a strawberry grower at a farmers’ market and it hasn’t failed me yet!
If you’re not going to use your berries within a day or two, they should be frozen.
To do this, stem, wash and dry the berries. Line a baking tray with waxed or parchment paper and place the strawberries on it with some space between them. Cover with plastic wrap and pop the tray in the freezer till the strawberries are frozen solid, then store them in zipper sealed plastic bags.
Some folks roughly chop the berries and freeze in plastic tubs. That works well, too.
Frozen berries are fantastic in icy smoothies or pureed to make healthy popsicles for the kids. I like to make a fruity topping for pancakes or waffles by cooking frozen berries with a bit of water and sugar till it liquefies and then thickens into a syrupy consistency.
Whether or not they’re able to influence human love, tasty, healthy strawberries are well worth your affection! I hope you have a chance to enjoy them while the enjoying is good.
Fresh strawberry pie
Pastry crust:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
About 2 (or more) tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Combine the dry ingredients (through salt) in a bowl.
Cut the butter in using a pastry blender or two knives (even your fingers will do!) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
With a fork, stir in just enough lemon juice for the dough to form a mass.
Gather the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
When your dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Then sprinkle flour on a surface, like a cutting board or countertop.
Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the pie crust to an 11-inch circle and transfer it to a 9 inch pie plate.
Trim the dough so it has a 1-inch overhang. Fold the overhang back toward the inside and crimp the edge decoratively.
Prick the bottom and sides with a fork and line it with aluminum foil (shiny side down). Fill the pie plate with dried beans or pie weights.
Bake the pastry for 15 minutes or until fully baked.
Pie filling:
6 cups (about 3 pints) fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup water
Grated zest of ½ orange
Optional flavorings: fresh lemon juice to taste, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon vanilla
Optional for the bottom of the crust (to prevent sogginess):
3 oz. cream cheese mixed with 1 or 2 tablespoons milk OR
3 oz. melted chocolate
Wash and stem strawberries.
Crush enough berries to make 1 cup of puree and mix with water and orange zest in a pan.
Mix sugar and cornstarch together and mix with liquid ingredients in the pan.
Add fresh lemon juice and/or cinnamon (or not) to taste. If berries are overly tart, leave out lemon juice. If using vanilla, add at the end when removed from heat.
Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil, stirring, for one minute, then remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.
If using optional cream cheese mixture, spread on bottom of baked pastry crust. If using melted chocolate, spread on the bottom of the baked crust and allow chocolate to cool and harden.
While the mixture is cooling, cut tops off remaining strawberries and arrange cut side down in pastry crust.
Spoon cooked mixture over the berries, covering them and dispersing it evenly.
Refrigerate pie for several hours and garnish with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She grew up in a restaurant, where she began creating recipes from a young age. She’s taught culinary classes in a variety of venues in Lake County and previously wrote “The Veggie Girl” column for Lake County News. Most recently she’s taught culinary classes at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa. She lives in Middletown, California.