Winter Strawberry Dessert

Have you ever had an urge in the middle of winter for fresh strawberries? However when you go to the grocery store they either have no strawberries or they are absolutely tasteless and have more pucker than a lemon. I had a hankering for strawberries and all that was available were frozen. I decided to bring them up a notch by making a sauce where I balanced sweetness with a touch of balsamic vinegar. The result was an awesome strawberry topping that soaked in and enrobed my angle food cake. 

Ingredients

½ C Water
½ C Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla 
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Pinch Salt
1 lb Frozen Strawberries (defrost, drain, save liquid)
Whipped Cream (optional)

Cake Options (choose one)
• Biscuits
• Angle Food Cake
• Pound Cake
• Waffles

Defrost the strawberries, drain them and reserve the liquid. Place the strawberries in a large bowl.

Place the water and brown sugar in a sauce pan and bring up to a simmer, stirring frequently. Simmer until reduced by half and it has thickened to a syrup. Remove it from the heat and stir in the vanilla, balsamic, and the reserved strawberry juice.  Bring up to a simmer stirring constantly. After It has reached a simmer pour the sauce over the strawberries.

Spoon the strawberries and their sauce over slices of cake and top with some whipped cream. You can even include some vanilla ice cream.

Restaurant Review: Vics Ristorante Italiano Raleigh

$$ ★★★★☆

www.vicsitalianrestaurant.com/‎

Location: 331 Blake Street Downtown, Raleigh, NC 27601, (919) 829-7090

Vic’s, located in City Market next to Moore Square in Raleigh, surprised me with the quality and authenticity of its Italian food. It’s a family friendly, casual dinning restaurant that serves traditional Italian cuisine. The pasta and pizza were top notch with a tomato sauce that was rich with just the right level of spices. What really impressed me was the crab and spinach stuffed ravioli that were bursting with flavor with every bite. The pasta was al dente, the four cheese sauce was silky and savory and the Broccoli was crisp tender. The veal parmigiana just melted in your mouth. This is definitely a restaurant that I would go back to. 

For additional restaurant reviews and Italian-Fusion recipes go to www.italian-fusion.blogspot.com

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: ★★★★☆

Prices: $$

Atmosphere: colorfully

Service: eager to please

Recommended: Pizza, Ravioli

Open: Mon-Thurs (11 am-10 pm), Fri-Sat (11 am-11 pm), Sun Closed

Reservations: accepted

The dollar signs defined: $ Entrees average less than $10. $$ Entrees $11 to $16. $$$ Entrees $17 to $25. $$$$ Entrees more than $25.