Making Strawberries Romanoff
Should, upon placing an elegant little bowl like this in front of your dinner guest, he reply “I don’t like strawberries and cream” you shall grasp the nearest available pair of leather riding gloves and slap them with great force against his cheek bone. Villain! Do you not recognize strawberries Romanoff when you see them??? At that point you can challenge him to pistols at dawn if you like. It’s a judgement call.
I made mine in the Russian style with sour cream added to the sweetened whipped cream because, well, why not? I started of course with the best strawberries I could find. This is a half batch of two cups. I picked the smaller ones because I like the presentation of the uncut berries and the smaller they are the better the better the flavor balance you’ll have. I added the orange juice…
Sprinkled on the Grand Marnier which as I mentioned previously is a clover match to the curaçao that Carême would have used.
I gave that a stir and let it macerate in the fridge for on hour. You can chill them for up to three hours before they start getting a little too soft.
When I was ready to serve I whipped my chilled cream to just shy of soft peaks, then added the sugar and vanilla. I whipped a bit more to the soft peak stage.
Before I added the sour cream I stirred it a little to break up the gel and get it ready for folding.
I added it, then folded it in with three or four stokes of a broad spatula. Could I have whipped it in? Yes I could have, however I prefer folding a few times instead of thoroughly incorporating the sour cream because the former technique creates stripes of sour cream spread through the topping and some delicious variability spoonful to spoonful.
Had Czar Alexander I eaten this every day he would never have gotten so depressed, I’m sure of it.
I hate to break it to you, Joe.
But that’s just strawberries and cream :p
CfDU
And I shall meet YOU on the field of honor, thou moldy rogue!
– J
Yesh Joe. It’s just fancy version of strawberries and cream, plus a couple of weeks late! Wimbledon has just finished for another year 😀
Don’t make me call you out as well, Izzy. The dueling pistols I have shoot rubber bands that really smart. Unless you want to go home cryin’ with a severe case of pink belly, I’d watch my words.
– Joe
According to the rules of honor the person slapped would have the right to choose place and weapons. They would do this via a ‘second’ who would interface with the slappers second since the principals would not speak to each other after the challenge.
As for the strawberries, I have never used sour cream but have done mascarpone, I think it adds a richness that simple whipped cream does not deliver.
Silly me. It’s been so long since I killed a man in a gentlemanly fashion I scarcely know how to do it anymore!
Thanks for the refresher, Frankly!
– Joe
*Aaron Burr rolls over in his grave at the gaffe on dueling*
And Alexander Hamilton as well methinks!
– Joe
If you want a second I’d gladly stand for you. If I may I’d also suggest the format – balloons and blunderbusses. There was a similar encounter between a German and a Frenchman in the 1700s. The ascended to an agreed upon altitude & distance then fired blunderbuss rounds at each other.
That’s probably a safer way to duel than any I can think of. Imagine trying to hit anything with a blunderbuss while standing in a balloon basket! Could I use my British .303 instead?
But I appreciate the offer, Frankly. I may take you up on that one day. The comments get pretty hairy around here from time to time, especially when I talk about using cheap chocolate.
Thanks!
– Joe
Food fight; food fight!
There’s going to be strawberry all over the place — and that stuff stains!
– J
You all can fight to the death. I will hold the Strawberries Romanoff… you know… for safe keeping. Oh… and can you hand me the spoon too. 😀
Eva
Good plan! You do that while I give them the business end of my icing spatula.
Who’s first??
– Joe
Gorgeous – Strawberries Romanoff looks delicious – as I sit down here in the middle of winter with 90km/hour winds and rain – by any name strawberries and cream would be devine 🙂 I’m going to try adding sour cream to my whipped cream next time I make it – thanks for the tip .
I like to imagine the surprise of someone chatting at the table, glancing at the dish of unassuming strawberries and cream they’ve just been served, when they get around to tasting the first mouthful.
Those insane and brilliant guys at Chef Steps just recently suggested pulverizing freeze dried strawberries and adding them to the macerating strawberries for a more intense berry flavor.
Neat idea! Does it detract from the presentation at all do you think? That would be my only concern with that technique. Perfectly fresh, glistening strawberries are so pleasing to the eye…
– Joe