Mamamontezz's Mental Rumpus Room

A twist on Strawberry Preserves...

Ever find yourself in someone's home, and you want to cook something nice as a thank-you for their hospitality? You rummage through the refrigerator or the cabinets looking for something to strike your fancy, something you can work with.

Well, I threw together something this weekend during one of those spur of the moment kitchen raids that turned out especially good: a different take on strawberry preserves.

Take a quart of ripe strawberries, cleaned and stemmed with the little spongy core removed. Slice the berries lengthwise into strips about a quarter inch thick.

Pour the berries into a heavy, stainless steel saucepan with about an eighth of a cup of white zinfandel or another sweet wine. I used Arbor Mist Strawberry Zinn. Turn the burner on to a med/low setting.

As the berries and wine begin to heat, sprinkle 4 or 5 heaping teaspoons of sugar over the berries. Over that sprinkle a quarter to a half teaspoon of cinnamon. Stir this together well. Add about an eighth teaspoon of vanilla and stir again. To cut the sweet just a tiny bit, you can add the tiniest of pinches of salt at this point too. I'm talking a literal baby-pinch of salt.

Let the berries slowly come to a simmer and cook them, stirring every few minutes, until the berries are done and the juices have begun to thicken slightly. Turn off the burner, give them one good stir, and let them sit and finish as the burner cools.

Pour this goodness into a serving bowl and cool it in the refrigerator until ready to spread over hot biscuits, dollop over ice cream, or blend with ice and rum with a splash of Sprite.

Want to make it even better? Toss a half pint of raspberries in there with those strawberries. Blackberries would be good, too. Adjust the sugar accordingly.

Posted by Mamamontezz at June 7, 2005 06:49 PM