This is the kind of dessert you serve on a June evening, windows wide open, when it’s still warm and you have zero desire to turn on the oven. No cooking. No complicated cleanup. Just a salad bowl and a good knife.
Ingredients :
- The strawberries — Get the ripest ones you can find — not necessarily the prettiest, but those that actually smell like something. A strawberry without fragrance is a failed strawberry. In May or June, Gariguettes or Ciflorettes are perfect. Out of season, pass it by: this dessert is worthless with soft imported strawberries in plastic wrap.
- Pink pralines — These are almonds coated in pink-tinted cooked sugar, a specialty from Lyon. You can find them in gourmet shops, organic stores, or online. If you can’t find them, lightly caramelized slivered almonds will do in a pinch — the pink color disappears, but the crunch remains.
- Lime zest — Not the juice — just the zest. The juice would make the strawberries acidic and turn their color. The zest, however, brings a fragrance that is both tropical and slightly bitter, lifting the whole dessert without you knowing exactly why. Grate it over the strawberries at the very last second.
- Basil or mint — Not both together — that’s just confusing. Finely chiffonade your chosen herb just before serving, otherwise the leaves turn black and it looks sloppy. Two tablespoons are enough; no need to make it a bouquet garni.
