Sherried Strawberries with Mascarpone! MMMM Good!!!

"Gather ye strawberries while ye may; eat them quickly--they won't last a day, jeweled kisses from Mother Earth, filling your mouth with sweet, wild juices as they burst!" ~Anonymous

Giant engineered strawberry; © cindylane

   One of my favorite summer desserts is Sherried Strawberries. Every time I've made them for a catered dinner, folks wrinkle up their noses at the idea of strawberries drowned in wine. Then they take a bite and a look of pleasured surprise flashes across their faces. 
   They think I am a genius for making it but what an easy dessert! It is something that looks very elegant scooped into parfait glasses or champagne flutes. 
   I love to watch Dear Sir eat them. He closes his eyes in ecstasy and moans about how good it is, looking sad when his spoon comes up empty at last.

British strawberry

   I have to say I haven't tasted Strawberries as good as those grown in Britain since I last raided the garden of a neighbor as a child. Unfortunately in the States, as with so many things, bigger is considered better and Strawberries are engineered to grow as huge as a two year old's fist; they are about as unpalatable. They are essentially huge, seedy bags of water.

   British Strawberries are small, ruby gems with a slightly wild, lovely sweet taste. They are amazing! So if you cannot get hold of British strawberries, try and find some really good organic ones. 

 Jaqueline's Sherried Strawberries with Mascarpone

Serves 4-6 
Ingredients:
1200 grams or two pints of fresh, ripe, small strawberries, cleaned, and sliced in half
one half cup of good Cream sherry (if you won't drink it, don't cook with it!)
1/4 th cup or 50 gr of Baker's sugar or extra fine white sugar
Two-250 gram containers of Mascarpone (Italian Cream cheese)
1/2 cup or 120 ml of real maple syrup
Directions:

• Place the cleaned, sliced strawberries into a container with a very tight fitted, sealed lid that will allow you to turn it upside down without leaking. 
• Whisk together the sherry and sugar until most of the sugar is dissolved in the liquor. Pour this over the strawberries and put the sealed lid on. Let the berries marinate no longer than one hour before serving! This is key--otherwise they become soft and mushy like frozen berries that have been thawed.
• While the berries marinate, whisk the maple syrup into the Marscarpone. 



strawberries marinating in sherry and sugar

• In parfait glasses or fluted champagne glasses, spoon half full of marinated berries with a tablespoon of the juices. Cover with a layer of sweetened Marscarpone. Fill the rest of the glass with berries. Top with a spooned or piped mound of Marscarpone. Dress with two strawberry halves, a sprig of mint, and drizzle with marinade. Serve immediately!