July 11, 2011

Summer-o-rama: Strawberries

Strawberries are here!  Summer is here! Aaaand... I'm officially a bad blogger. When the temp rises above 75 degrees, and the sun shines for more than two days in a row, I'm MIA from the online community. I'm still eating, cooking, and generally cavorting around town, but the incentive to write-up my good times is lower when the warmth and waves beckon. 


This month's Summer-o-rama theme is strawberries. And I've been strawberry picking, made strawberry jam, and have frozen several pints of berries. I fully intend to make this Pickled Strawberry Jam recipe from Christina Tsoi of the momofuku empire.

Any minute now... after I sail, bowl, have happy hour on the deck, meet friends for lawn sports, bike to Taco Trio, you get the idea. 


But if you've made a unique strawberry jam, let me know how it turn out? I am totally intrigued by adding vinegar to strawberries, especially the chocolate or espresso balsamic reductions from Vervacious

I especially appreciate this blurb from the bottom of the Pickled Strawberry Jam recipe:

"Serving suggestions: Spread the jam on toast, use it as a filling for crepes or cakes, or swirl it into sweet buns or coffeecake. Mix it with an equal amount of cream cheese to make a spread. Or it may be mixed with an equal amount of butter for spreading or baking, or for blending with confectioners’ sugar and a pinch of salt to make a frosting for cake or cinnamon buns." 

I always struggle to find uses for jam other than eating it on toast. Which is not a bad way to eat it, but I loved all these other creative ideas for use. 

Please visit Portland Food Map to see what other bloggers had to say about strawberries in our Summer-o-rama round up.