Strawberries Romanoff (Alcohol Free)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
The classic combination of strawberries and cream gets a delicious lift with fresh orange juice and balsamic in this Romanoff style dessert
Author:
Serves: Makes 4 half cup servings
Ingredients
  • For the Strawberries:
  • 1 pound /455 g (or more! see Notes) fresh strawberries, rinsed and cut into small pieces
  • 3 Tbsp orange juice
  • 1 + ½ Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey (or sugar of choice)
  • For the Cream Topping:
  • 1 cup / 200 ml whipping cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp (or to taste) maple syrup or honey (or sugar of choice)
  • optional: mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
  1. Place prepared strawberries in a flat dish (I used a pie plate).
  2. Combine orange juice, balsamic and maple syrup in a small bowl and pour over berries, such that the liquid is well distributed.
  3. Cover plate and place in the fridge for 1 hour (and up to 4 hours). The berries will soften in the liquid (macerate) and take on the delicious flavors.
  4. About an hour before whipping the cream, place the bowl you're using in the freezer (this always seems to produce good results for me).
  5. Whip the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks are just begin to form (you'll notice lines forming across the cream as it gets thicker) - add the vanilla and maple syrup and whip for another minute or so, until desired consistency (the longer you whip, the stiffer the cream will become - so if you like a softer (droopy) cream, don't over-whip), You can keep your whipped cream covered in the fridge until you're ready to serve the berries (homemade whipped cream generally lasts well refrigerated for 2-3 days).
  6. When you're ready to serve, scoop the berries out of the dish and distribute among 4 serving bowls/glasses -- some of the liquid will get scooped up as you spoon out the berries and naturally gather at the bottom but I didn't top up the glasses with additional liquid from the pie plate (the berries are already well saturated and flavorful - up to you!).
  7. Top each bowl/glass with some whipped cream and fresh mint leaves if you like. Enjoy!
Notes
Serving Size & Glassware: this recipe will make about 2 cups of macerated berries (4 x half cup servings). I like to use transparent glass to show off the colorful berries (the dessert glasses used in photos hold 1 cup). If you'd like larger portions (or are serving more people) I would double the berries and the liquid. Larger portions also give you the option of serving in larger glassware like a wine glass or champagne flute which would be really pretty!
Dairy Free Option: if you'd like to try a homemade dairy free whipped cream, coconut cream is a yummy option. I do find it a little finicky (hit and miss) but this tutorial is quite thorough and offers troubleshooting steps if you'd like to give it a shot.
Recipe by Inspired Edibles at https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2019/05/strawberries-romanoff.html