In these spring months when we are already tired of consuming pears, apples and oranges, and when cherries, apricots or loquats have not yet arrived, strawberries become the queens of the fruit stores. Low in calories, high in vitamins and antioxidants, it is a delight to eat them fresh, although they also do very well when macerated, and they are the basis of classic sweet preparations when combined with ingredients such as chocolate or cream. Strawberries are as fragile and original as they are beautiful and tasty. Their intense red, conical heart shape and sweetness have made them a symbol of gastronomic glamour. Who doesn't remember the scene in which Richard Gere offers his 'pretty wife', Julia Roberts, strawberries and champagne?
Appearing on the big screen does not prevent, especially at this time, strawberries from being an everyday pleasure suitable for all palates. You just have to know how to treat them. Do you know what is the ideal way to preserve them? Do you distinguish the wild strawberry from the strawberry? Are you afraid to cook savory dishes with them? Can you make a strawberry cake? And what about your love affair with vinegar and orange juice?
These are the 14 mistakes you make when buying, processing and even eating spring strawberries.
What do we usually buy, strawberries or strawberries? To understand it you need a little botanical history. Since Roman times, Europe has been known to have had its own native strawberries (Fragaria vesca), which we now know as wild, explains food guru Harold McGee. But most of the current varieties (Fragaria Ananassa), large and red, are derived from two ancestors, North America and Chile, which took root well in the old continent, and from which hybrids and mutations arose.
Vicenç Escandell, owner and third generation of the fruit marketer located in Mercabarna, Frutas Escandell, tells us that they are many and diverse (more or less hollow, with an elongated or rounded conical shape...) and that today researchers are working to achieve new variants. more perfected, that remain ripe for longer without spoiling. The expert indicates that what we buy mostly in stores is strawberries - quite large and with golden outer seeds -, although we also usually call strawberries strawberries.
On the other hand, there are wild strawberries, even if they are cultivated, which are delicate and bittersweet. “They must be sold the same day they are caught and are even packaged in the same field because they are so fragile.” There is limited and seasonal production (for example in Barcelona's Maresme) and they are quite expensive.
The size does not define the quality of the strawberry or strawberry that we find in stores, although as a general rule the larger ones tend to be more watery and tasteless. “In Spain we always want a big horse, whether it walks or not,” smiles Escandell, who exports thousands of strawberries daily to many countries from Mercabarna, and notes that in France and England they like smaller strawberries for a cultural reason, since they are accustomed to eating them like this because in their territory they are born in summer and small.
It is not strange that the size is variable, because we are talking about a plant that depends on the season and the weather. “They all have moments, even each of their branches can be different from the neighbor.”
Wild or forest strawberries are much smaller, very fragile and also very fragrant, tasty and even have a cinephilous point. They are the image of childhood in Ingmar Bergman's classic, Wild Strawberries.
It is difficult at first glance to tell if a strawberry is going to turn out good. For Vicenç Escandell, the main problem is that we seek perfection in form and that is not always synonymous with higher quality. For example, if the banana or vine peach has some spots, that tells us that it is at the optimal ripening point.
The same does not happen with the strawberry, since if it is stained it means it has some disease, but "if it arrives a little marked or a little flat due to contact with others, people no longer choose it, and that is precisely the proof of "They are ripe and therefore sweeter and softer." If they are still green they will not be as tasty.
Other clear signs of ripening are that the white part is not large, that it gives off a fragrant aroma and that the red color is intense and bright.
Strawberry plants are easy to grow and are widespread throughout the world, from sub-arctic Finland to tropical Ecuador. If we choose local strawberries we are much more likely to eat them at the optimal point of ripeness, something that is not easy to achieve. Strawberries are a fragile fruit that stops ripening once it has been cut. They may redden a little but they do not improve their sweetness.
If the strawberries are picked too ripe and have a long journey ahead of them, they will not reach the consumer well. Escandell says that those collected today in Huelva (where most of those consumed in Spain come from) will be in wholesale markets such as Mercabarna tomorrow morning. Something that does not happen with strawberries from Morocco, "which enter Europe as if they were a community country but take two or three days longer."
On the other hand, the weather is also a factor that influences whether a strawberry from the same area may be very good this week and very bland the next. "The plant is very sensitive to cold and humidity, if it rains they don't come out as delicious."
Due to their thin skin and fragile structure, strawberries only last a few days. “If we like them a lot, it is better that we buy several times in a week than not many at once.” Vicenç Escandell is in favor of putting them in the refrigerator, and taking them out half an hour before consuming them because the cold makes them lose flavor. Eric Ortuño, owner of the L'Atelier pastry shop in Barcelona, prefers not to have them in the refrigerator, because strawberries do not benefit from changes in temperature. Even if you marinate it with vinegar, you cannot keep it in the refrigerator for more than 3-4 days.
You have to be careful and separate the strawberries in poor condition so that the rest do not rot due to contact. Even so, Iolanda Bustos, a chef specialized in botany, recommends not throwing them away if they are touched, and taking advantage of their healthy part to make strawberry vinegar.
Freezing strawberries does not favor them. Experts do not recommend it as a preservation method unless you have bought too many and decide to freeze them and then make some preparation with them such as a smoothie. Chloé Sucrée, in the vegan recipe book Biotiful Kids (Grijalbo), proposes a strawberry and cauliflower smoothie that is subtle and not too sweet, ideal for children.
If you have frozen the strawberries and want to eat them fresh, it will not be the same because “they will have lost all the water,” says Escandell.
On the other hand, strawberries can coexist perfectly with intense cold if we want to make ice cream. “In that case it is different, because we grind them and mix them with cream or a sorbet,” Eric Ortuño tells us. To achieve the creamy texture and correct freezing, we must not forget to add a high proportion of sugar and, above all, crush the strawberry well "to avoid large pieces remaining that harden in the freezer."
Strawberry popsicles are easy to make and very tasty. For 4 or 5 popsicles, Eric advises us to mix yogurt with 30 grams of sugar and 100 grams of crushed strawberries.
Cleaning the strawberries is the first step before processing them. We remove the stem and soak them in water, although it is not necessary to do this excessively. In fact, Vicenç Escandell assures that the pesticides used in Europe (which are not the same as in Morocco) are very mild, “almost inefficient”, and in addition each box of strawberries is very controlled. It is possible to follow the entire traceability line through the barcode.
After washing them with a little water, it is important to drain them well or dry them immediately with absorbent paper because humidity is very damaging to them. You should never store them wet because they soften, “unless they are in syrup or vinegar,” says Eric Ortuño.
Water in general does not mix with strawberries. As they already have enough water of their own, the pastry chef reminds us that it is not advisable to add more to sweet preparations.
A basic way to increase the intensity of the flavor of strawberries is to macerate them in a few drops of vinegar. Eric Ortuño advises us that it be balsamic to compensate for the acidity of the strawberries. “We can't go overboard with the amount because it would take on too much of the vinegar flavor. A little sugar is added, and after an hour of resting cold they release a fantastic juice.”
Iolanda Bustos ferments them with water, a little lemon juice, a little salt and oil to make a strawberry vinegar. She reserves it for three weeks.
Strawberries can also be macerated with orange juice, for example. Eric Ortuño recommends the Robuchon style: Cover the fruit well, with a few drops of orange blossom water. A few mint leaves on top can also go well. “You have to eat it quickly.” Escandell likes to cut the strawberries into small cubes, because they macerate and absorb liquids better.
Strawberries and cream are another classic, a combination that never fails. The main mistake is making a mistake with the cream. It must have a fat content of 35% and we must whip it “a little so that it is softer” and always do it cold, at a temperature of 3 degrees so that it rises well. It is also important to eat them right away to avoid them becoming watery. And if you want to add sugar, you should not add more than 9% of the amount of cream you are using.
If we want to make this dish more appetizing for children, Chloé Sucrée (Biotiful Kids) suggests creating clouds of organic cream or whipped coconut cream with a spoon, mixing them with the strawberries and sprinkling the result with chocolate.
And if the cream does not suit us, Iolanda Bustos advises “replacing it with oil, which will provide the creamy component and will be very delicious.” A little sugar and some basil leaves complete the dessert.
To make a strawberry mouse, Eric Ortuño uses whipped cream and a meringue with egg white to make it smoother. We cannot forget the gelatin, and keep in mind that, depending on the amount we add, the result will be more or less curdled.
If we are going to make a cake with strawberries, it will be a big mistake to include this fruit in the whipped dough because when the time comes to bake it in the oven, the strawberries will let go of all their water and it will not be well done. Blueberries and raspberries accept this cooking well, but strawberries do not. “The cake does not finish cooking well, the dough is left soft and watery,” says Ortuño.
That is why it is advisable to limit ourselves to putting the strawberries on top of the cake as decoration. Of course, very fresh and hard so that they are presentable.
On the other hand, if we make a strawberry jam, we heat them without any problem with sugar (700 grams per kilo), and let them cook until the jam takes on the right texture: "We check it by putting a drop on a plate." Then we add lemon juice to intensify the color and serve as a natural preservative.
To make chocolate-covered strawberries, one of the symbols of gastronomic sophistication, it is very important that the fruit has not been previously frozen. It must be fresh and very firm for the result to be perfect. It is a preparation as simple as it is, but pay attention to the chocolate. Eric Ortuño explains to us that we should not heat it excessively. “In the movie Chocolat, Juliette Binoche said, very accurately, that it doesn't have to be hot or cold for it to shine and be crispy,” he recalls.
For the chocolate to harden well, cover the strawberries and leave them in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. We can use white, dark or milk chocolate.
Strawberries can also be eaten with melted chocolate, dipping them as if they were churros.
Strawberries are a fruit that we naturally associate with desserts, but that does not mean that they do not also work well in the savory world, especially in cold cooking. Iolanda Bustos, who is in love with the Charlotte variety, recommends them in gazpachos, various smoothies and salads (with ingredients such as green asparagus, shrimp, pineapples, blueberries, nuts, avocados, cheeses...). The flower cook likes to make a chutney (sweet and sour Indian jam) with vinegar, a dish that is like a very rich pickle.
We can also include strawberries in cold creams, in a tartar or even make an aperitif cocktail. In the Strawberries recipe book (Senttia collection) a summery strawberry and cucumber cocktail appears, which blends the fruit and vegetables with a little mint and combines it with a light and cold syrup. It also gives us another idea: combining hummus with a mini strawberry salad, with pistachio and cucumber, seasoned with oil, vinegar and pink pepper, and topped with basil.
Large strawberries can come into contact with fire to make preparations such as jam or custard, but Iolanda Bustos does not recommend using them in hot soups “because they have too much water and we should preserve them beforehand. "It's not worth it to us." Furthermore, when cooked cold, “they preserve their flavor much better.”
If we talk about wild strawberries, the cook - who is looking forward to them appearing in her environment in a few weeks - warns us that we will not be able to treat them culinaryally. “They are so delicate that they should be eaten fresh, not trying to make anything complex,” she points out. Eric Ortuño corroborates this: “In addition to being fragile, when you heat them, they become bitter.”
Bustos adds that it is not worth using them even to make a simple ice cream because “we would need a lot of them,” he says. And they are not cheap.
That strawberries are now the queens of the fruit shop does not mean that we do not have some all year round, and that there are even times when they can be tastier – not cheaper – than in March, April and May. When? In the months of December and January. And because? Well, because in the cold, strawberries ripen more slowly for a longer time and become larger fruits, with firmer skin and an even sweeter flavor than the spring ones. “In winter, from the moment the flower emerges until we harvest the fruit, it can take 50 days, but in spring, as it is warmer, the same cycle can take 15 days,” explains Vicenç Escandell.
In more northern countries, where there are lower temperatures, strawberries are born in summer and are not as big as here.
On the peninsula, the plant produces more strawberries in spring than in the rest of the year. They come to us mainly from Huelva. In summer, production moves to cold areas, at a thousand meters above sea level, in Segovia and Ávila. “They continue to sell, but less, because they have a lot of competition with the other summer fruits.”
