Raspberry Balsamic Strawberries

Having a sweet tooth in winter is all well and good, harsh cold days and long nights allow for plenty of time baking up treats.  In summer who wants to be standing in front of the oven when it is roasting hot outside (yep - we broke into the double figures in Edinburgh today!)  In winter layers upon layers of clothes help to hide some of the excess pounds all the baking time has resulted in.  In summer there is only so much help a maxi dress can provide before I look like I'm wearing a tent!

So tonight's dessert needed to be sweet, quick and preferably healthy (kinda makes the first prerequisite null and void!).  There was a punnet of local strawberries in the fridge ... and a tub of 'light' ice cream in the freezer.  Strawberries and ice cream while summery wasn't very exciting.  Enter the bottle of Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar I picked up at last year's Good Food Show. 

I have never tried Balsamic Strawberries before but I have read numerous articles and blog posts who have all raved over the combination.  I figured that using Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar would go well with the strawberries so I set about looking for directions.  Who knew there were so many ways to make Balsamic Strawberries!  It seems the norm is to use them to complement Vanilla Pannacotta but I didn't have the time of the patience for that today, the ice cream in the freezer would have to do.  The Barefoot Contessa added pepper to her strawberries along with the balsamic ... again I have heard good reviews about this but I felt it was a step too far for my first venture to the wild side so I settled for this recipe;

Raspberry Balsamic Strawberries

400g strawberries, quartered
2 tbsp icing sugar

2 tbsp raspberry balsamic vinegar (ordinary works too)

Prepare the strawberries by dusting them lightly with icing sugar, then sprinkling on the vinegar. Toss lightly.

Serves 4

Waitrose Website

Wow!  I am a convert.  What a change the balsamic vinegar makes, the strawberries were so sweet and tasty and the vinegar flavour from the balsamic was pretty much non existent.  I gave Hubby a bowl without even telling him what it was and he happily gulped the taste experiment down, without even knowing his taste buds were on trial.  When I asked him what he thought the secret ingredient was his answer was 'Strawberries?'  and then he asked for a second helping.  Bless him!

Defo making these again and I will certainly be picking up another bottle of the Little Doone's Raspberry Balsamic when it is back in season for them.