‘Tis is the season of strawberries

We at Gourmet Gorilla are welcoming the warm weather and the bountiful fresh fruits and vegetables that arrive with summertime. A universal favorite among the GG team is strawberries… of course! Let me tell you, if you are a farmer’s market junkie like me, this is the best way to shop for some fresh strawberries and start a conversation with the vendors about where they are grown and how long the season will last. Of course, don’t forget to buy some extra boxes and consume them in various ways. And even if they start to get mushy and overripe sitting in your refrigerator, we can suggest some cool recipes before you make your way to the bin.
As Brad Leone, Bon Appetit’s Test Kitchen Manager rightly said, “Strawberries are like tomatoes for me; I’ll wait till they’re in season, then gorge myself like a brown bear before hibernation.” Amen to that!

Here are some easy recipes we’ve compiled as you make your way through the strawberry season:

Strawberry Eton Mess

Ingredients:
–    1 cup strawberries – half sliced, and half kept whole for assembling
–    1/3 cup sugar
–    1 1/2 cup heavy cream
–    1 box store bought meringues

This classic British dessert is easy to whip. When the party arrives – it wouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to assemble this!
–    Toss half of sliced berries with sugar in a medium heatproof bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set over a medium saucepan filled with 1″ of barely simmering water. Let sit until berries are soft and juices have accumulated in bowl, 25–30 minutes. Let cool, then toss in remaining sliced berries.
–    Whisk cream in a medium bowl to soft peaks. Layer cream, meringues, then strawberry mixture in four 8-oz. glasses. Chill 20 minutes. Top with whole strawberries to serve.
Link to the original recipe

Strawberry Arugula walnut Salad

Ingredients:
–    1 ½ cup fresh arugula
–    4 oz. cooked chicken breast. We recommend grilling and basting with honey Dijon mustard!
–    1 cup sliced strawberries
–    8 roasted walnuts
–    1 scallion, thinly sliced diagonal
–    Crushed red pepper flakes
Ps: This is a farmer’s market friendly recipe. Don’t forget to pick your favorite salad dressing for this recipe.

Arrange arugula, cooked chicken breast, sliced strawberries, scallions, and walnut in your salad bowl. Gently sprinkle red pepper flakes if you are feeling bold. We also recommend dried oregano or fresh basil if you have some in your pantry. Drizzle your dressing and you are good to go with this easy recipe.

Strawberry Lemonade

Ingredients:

–    1 can sparkling water
–    5 sliced strawberries
–    4-5 mint leaves
–    2 lime slices
–    Ice

When the sun is up and above, this could be your go-to drink! This one is a kid friendly recipe.
Put 4 sliced strawberries and mint leaves in a glass and crush them until the fruit is broken up and the   leaves are bruised. Add ice to glass. Pour sparkling water over ice. Add lime slices and the last of the strawberry slices to the drink. Garnish with fresh mint and a strawberry.

 Link to original recipe

Happy Berrying!

This week’s blog post is brought to you by Ritika Jagasia, Client Account Representative