The best strawberries I have ever eaten are local Washington state strawberries! Sweet, juicy, red through and through and indescribably delicious! I have to say, I think they rival the strawberries of Italy. Really, they are that good.! Of course, the best way to eat them is fresh – think strawberry shortcake, added to your morning cereal, over yogurt, on salads, drizzled with Balsamic vinegar, over ice-cream, on top of cheesecake or simply by the handful! You have to eat them quickly because they do not have a long shelf life. On the other hand, the season is short, so I like to buy them by the flat. As the season comes to a close, one of my favorite ways to preserve them is to very, very slow-roast them. The water escapes slowly without steaming the berries and the sweetness becomes incredibly concentrated. They keep in the refrigerator for quite some time. We particularly enjoy them on crostini with goat cheese or pate or as a filling for individual tarts.
Slow Roasted Strawberries
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh ripe strawberries
- ½ cup sugar (more or less depending on the sweetness of the berries)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 250°. Do not use convection setting.
- Rinse and hull the berries. Leave very small ones whole and quarter or halve the others so they are about the same size for even cooking.
- Toss the berries with the sugar and spread in an even layer in a non-reactive baking pan.
- Roast slowly, uncovered, for 2 hours or more. Shake occasionally but do not stir. If they start to look dry on top, gently flip them over with a wide spatula.
- They are done when their juices have reduced to a syrup, but not darkened into caramel. The berries should be jammy but not dry.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.