Balsamic Strawberries

My sister in law, Laurie gets the credit for this one. She worked very hard to reverse engineer the key ingredients and technique to one of my favorite deserts. It is served at one of our favorite places “Piatti” in Danville. On the menu it is known as “Balsamico Gelato”. It’s a scoop of coffee ice cream topped with Balsamic Strawberries. At first this sounds wrong, but it is a great summer time desert.

The key here is taking your time, and starting out light on the vinegar and adjusting it over time.

3 1/2 cups sliced hulled strawberries (about 16 ounces) 1/4 cup sugar1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Toss all ingredients in glass bowl. Let stand at room temperature until juices form, about an hour then refrigerate. During the hour you may need to adjust the amount of vinegar so that the berries are just tart.

A few minutes before serving add a few twists of the pepper mill and stir. Serve over Hagan Das Coffee Ice Cream.