You Should Be Adding Black Pepper To Strawberries. Here's Why
From shortcakes and blondies to icebox cakes and baked crisps, there are a wide variety of delectable desserts that showcase the fresh taste of strawberries. It's a popular summertime fruit, and quite versatile in savory recipes (Clean Plates suggests gazpachos and focaccia recipes to highlight strawberries).
Known for their bright and sweet flavor notes, strawberries can also be prepared and cooked in several creative ways, such as pickling (per Food Republic), roasting, and heating them in a corn syrup and sugar mixture to make candied strawberries, as written by Food Network. But as any home cook knows, such methods of preparation would be nothing without adding a dash of seasoning, as it helps to bring out a fruit's sweetness and natural flavors. Such seasonings could be salt, cinnamon, or cardamom, among several others, per Fit Meal Ideas, but can you guess which common, everyday seasoning pairs impressively well with these juicy fruits?
Flecks of peppery notes
Jennifer Yee, a pastry chef at New York City's Lafayette Grand Cafe & Bakery, loves adding black pepper to summery fruit dishes, as it "pairs well with acidic fruits" and "brings out their sweetness while giving them the mildest punch of spice." She recommends grinding fresh black pepper over berries topped with vanilla sugar or tossing them in with strawberries coated in balsamic vinegar.
Food Hacks by Wonder How To states that black pepper makes a simple strawberry taste like candy with a little bit of peppery spice. It's not overpowering unless you overload a dish with too much black pepper, serving to decrease the fruit's tartness. This helps to bring out a strawberry's hidden flavor notes, rather than only tasting "sweet," as most people would describe it.
So next time you're looking to elevate a simple strawberry cobbler or a spoon cake, be sure to reach for some fresh black pepper in your spice cabinet.