Ever tried roasting a strawberry?
If like me you hadn’t, imagine opening a jar of really expensive strawberry jam. Picture how the jam is studded with soft jewels of whole strawberries that explode in your mouth in a concentrated burst of sweet caramelised juice.
That flavour is exact same flavour you get from roasting them, minus the sugar.
To roast them, wash the strawberries if necessary before hulling them and pop in an oven for 15 – 20 minutes at 170/150 fan/gas 3/325. If they are still quite pert and haven’t collapsed in on themselves, switch the oven off & let them sit in the hot oven for another 5-10 minutes.
You’ll be left with a tray of squishy looking berries and a load of juice. Yum.
Pop in a jar and they’l last in the fridge for a few days. Try dolloping some onto rice pudding, granola, porridge, ice cream, cereal or adding to a smoothie. As for the griddle cakes, they’d traditionally be cooked over the embers of a fire but it’s raining here today and I’m not that dedicated to tradition. So I baked them on the hob in a cast iron pan. Three minutes either side on a medium hot heat will be enough to cook the dough right through, without burning the outside. It took me a while to find the right temperature, so it’s a good job I don’t mind slightly burnt food :)
Roast Strawberries on Hot Griddle Cakes
Ingredients
- 200 g plain flour
- 1 level tablepsoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- 50 g buter cubed
- 50 g lard/marg
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons currants
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 100 ml milk or water
- 1 egg
Instructions
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Mix the flour & salt together, and then rub in the butter.
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Add the rest of the ingredients and mix to a fairly stiff dough.
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Roll out to 5mm thick on a lightly dusted surface.
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Grease your griddle or heavy frying pan well and heat until a drop of water dropped onto the surface skips about before evaporating.
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Cook each griddle cake for around 3 minutes on each side and serve with the roast strawberries and juice, or a knob of butter and sprinkle of sugar. Delish.
I have to try roasting strawberries, it looks so good! Have you tried them with balsamic?
I haven’t, but I have heard of people putting the two together. It’s definitely on my gourmet bucket list!
Janie x
I love roasting strawberries (and freezing them (loads of them) to last all winter). I have tried roasting them with anything from vanilla to balsamic to cointreau….. All delicious! They look wonderful on your griddle cakes. They also work amazingly in flapjacks and other tray bakes and cakes! Making me hungry!!!!
Mmm, some great ideas there Kate. Thank you! I wish I had the foresight to freeze a load of strawberries, sadly they rarely make it as far as the kitchen ;)
Janie x