Strawberry Season!

One of the harbingers of Spring is the daffodill -- the other is that the grocery stores have amazing strawberries for sale -- those delightful packages of vitamin C that wear little green hats and decorate their outside with seeds.

Here is a dessert recipe that sounds so wrong, but tastes delicious!

Strawberries with Pepper and Balsamic Vinegar

1/3 C Balsamic vinegar

2 tsp sugar or agave nectar

1/2 tsp lemon juice

3 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced

1/4 C packed light brown sugar

freshly ground black pepper

Boil the vinegar, sugar (or agave nectar) and lemon juice. Simmer until reduced by half to approximately 3 tablespoons. (Takes about 3 minutes.) Transfer the syrup to small bowl and cool completely.

Lightly toss berries and brown sugar in a large bowl. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes to draw out the juices in the fruit. Pour vinegar syrup over. Add pepper and toss.

This makes a wonderful parfait layered with greek yoghurt, mascarpone or ricotta cheese sweetened with honey or agave nectar.

Enjoy!