Super-Easy Balsamic Roasted Strawberry

By
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
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Updated on 09/29/21
Super-Easy Balsamic Roasted Strawberry

The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
51 Calories
0g Fat
12g Carbs
1g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 51
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 3mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 5%
Dietary Fiber 2g 5%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 44mg 222%
Calcium 14mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 125mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Strawberries are the quintessential fruit of a British summer. They can be found from Wimbledon to a cricket tea and on every table through the land. That being said, what do you do when they are getting just a touch past their best?

Roasting overripe strawberries with a little sugar and a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar makes for the best compote you can imagine. Never was there a simpler recipe than this one.

The dish comes oozing with huge flavors, stores well, and is versatile. The compote is utterly delicious on rich, good-quality vanilla ice cream, or for those with a less sweet tooth, poured over Greek yogurt. Use as a filling for tarts or cakes, and a layer of these roast strawberries in a Victoria sponge is sublime. The strawberries keep well in a jar in the fridge, so what's not to love?

The result from the brief marinating and then quick roasting is an intense strawberry flavor with a flash of acidity from the vinegar. If you want to up the flavors even further, then try a twist of black pepper before serving. 

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound strawberries, hulled

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons superfine sugar

  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

  • 2 cups vanilla ice cream, optional, for serving

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, optional, for serving

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Super-Easy Balsamic Roasted Strawberry ingredients

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  2. Preheat oven to 300 F. Put washed strawberries in roasting tray, making sure they are in 1 layer. Dust with sugar and then sprinkle with vinegar.

    Strawberries with sugar and vinegar in roasting pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  3. Roll strawberries around by tipping tray from side to side, making sure that all berries are covered.   

    Strawberries covered with the sugar and vinegar mixture in a roasting pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  4. Cover tray with a tea cloth and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

    Cover the tray with strawberries with a tea cloth

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  5. Put tray into center of oven and roast for 20 minutes. The strawberries will soften but keep their shape. The vinegar and sugar will start to caramelize; make sure, though, that it does not burn.

    Strawberries baked in a roasting pan

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  6. Take roasting tray from oven, leave to cool until cold. The syrup will thicken and become very tasty. Transfer strawberries to a jar and close. Store in fridge. They will keep for several weeks.

    Strawberry mixture in a jar

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

  7. Serve with vanilla ice cream, and a little sprinkling of black pepper, if desired.

    Super-Easy Balsamic Roasted Strawberry served with ice cream

    The Spruce / Preethi Venkatram

 

How to Use the Roast Balsamic Strawberries

  • Use the strawberries on ice cream, with yogurt, or as a tart filling, or anywhere suitable for soft, deliciously sweet strawberries.
  • Use a little black pepper when serving to lift what is already an incredible flavor. Perhaps not the best for children.
  • The roasted berries will not freeze well; the flavor will be ruined and the strawberries will go mushy when defrosted.