Pickled & Roasted Strawberry Tartines
Introduction
We love the combination of pickled and roasted strawberries. So much flavor! We often pair the duo with lightly sweetened ricotta or mascarpone; fruity olive oil; black pepper and thyme for a vibrant; spring-y brunch tartine. But oh; that's not all! Toss either or both into salads (with arugula; sorrel; toasted pumpkin seeds; manouri cheese and a vinaigrette made from the pickling liquid...more on that below); serve them on a cheese plate; spoon them over vanilla ice cream; you won't regret it!
Ingredients
- 1 pint strawberries, hulled and halved (or quartered, if berries are large)
- 1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup moscatel vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey or turbinado sugar
- 2 teaspoons peppercorns
- 2 sprigs thyme
Instructions
To make the roasted strawberries: Preheat oven to 200F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Place berries on baking sheet; cut-side-up; being careful not to crowd the pan...you want to give these little guys some space to cook down. Roast for at least 2 hours; until berries have softened and shrunk a good bit. If you taste one and it's totally delicious; you've succeeded!To make the pickled strawberries: Place strawberries in a glass jar large enough to hold about 2 cups. In a small saucepan; heat the remaining ingredients until the liquid simmers and the honey or sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from heat and pour over berries. Let sit in pickling liquid and come to room temperature. At this point they're ready to eat; though they'll only get better if they sit for an extra 10 minutes or so! Don't let them go much longer; though; or they start to lose their vibrant strawberry-ness. Store leftovers separate from the pickling liquid. (To make pickled strawberry vinaigrette: mix 2 tablespoons strawberry pickling liquid with 5 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir or shake vigorously to emulsify.)To make the tartines: Stir together the ricotta; citrus zests; a pinch of thyme leaves and a pinch of sea salt. Add a squeeze of fresh orange juice if you'd like (especially if your ricotta is a bit dense). Toast your bread; spread ricotta on top and garnish with roasted and pickled strawberries. Sprinkle more thyme leaves over everything; give it all a good drizzle of some fruity; delicious olive oil; and finish with more sea salt and a generous shower of black pepper.
