I love spring and summer. Fresh berries, fresh herbs and sunshine. I do not love that my new herb garden is almost dead less than one week after I purchased it. I’m so sad! There is one basil plant in the middle that is still alive, thank goodness. Basil is my favorite!
I bought a 4 pound box of strawberries from Costco the other day so I’ve been eating a lot of strawberries. Mostly we just have them with whip cream, freshly whipped. No, not really, actually Cool Whip. Don’t judge me, we like it! Of course fresh homemade whipped cream would be better.
I’ve been seeing a lot of recipes combining basil and strawberries, so I thought I would give it a try in its simplest form.
I chopped up some basil, threw it in an (empty) baby food jar, poured in some sugar, gave it a shake and let it sit and hang out for a little while.
And then I dipped. And it was good. And I was hooked.
Strawberries with Basil Sugar (1-2 servings)
a Rachel’s Recipe original
2-3 basil leaves, washed and thoroughly dried
2-3 Tbsp of granulated sugar
small bowl or jar for mixing
strawberries for dipping
Finely chop basil and put into bowl or jar. Pour in sugar and mix. Let stand for one hour or so (it doesn’t really matter). Dip strawberries in sugar or sprinkle sugar over berries.
The first time I did this I cut the basil in long strips and picked it out, so the sugar had an extremely muted basil taste. The second time, I chopped it up more finely and ate it right along with the sugar. I preferred it using the second method. (The picture is a little of both–I picked out some and left some in).
Verdict: Love this! Strawberries with basil is my new favorite combination.
Husband’s take: He didn’t want to try it. He’s a Cool Whip kind of guy.
Changes I would make: None, other than chopping the basil finer as I already mentioned.
Difficulty: Easier than easy.
What is your favorite way to eat strawberries?
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
What a cool idea! I love the flavor of strawberries in salads, so I bet I would love this, too!
Beautiful Rachel! What a fabulous idea!
what a great idea! I've never put strawberries and basil together.. yuuum!
thanks for the blog love, girly!
Oh my goodness! I think you may have just introduced me to my new love. I adore rosemary and orange flavors in my baked goods and now I may have to not only try this scrumptious looking basil sugar but my mind is traveling a million miles an hour trying to come up with a pastry or cookie of some sort with this combo. Mmmmm….
Oooh Sweet and Crumby, can't wait to see what you come up with! You'll love this combo!
I need to try this! This sounds like a perfect summer snack!!!
i love my berries straight up, but this sounds extra special
What a wonderful idea! This sounds delicious. Your strawberries are gorgeous.
I like basil with almost anything, so I imagine this would be quite yummy!
I LOVE strawberries but never thought of them with basil…hmmm great idea!! I bought 2 boxes of strawberries friday and they were gone by saturday night! We couldn't get enough they were that good! Can't wait to get more!
oh my gosh- that basil sugar sounds delicious. I love basil- has to be one of my favorite herbs and adding it to strawberries- magic! Love your blog girl!XO
jessica
Oooo what a great way to make summer strawberries even Better!! Love your site, just found you through my friend Haley, at Girly Girl Cooks
All the best ~Megan
What a great idea for delicious seasonal strawberries!
This is such a great idea! I love these things together but have never thought of it like this! Yumm!!
growing up in Russia, we would mix sour cream and a bit of sugar and use that as a dip of fresh strawberries. I still do it!
I love strawberries….and where usually people would dip these into cream or sugar or chocolate fondue, I like them raw without any condiments:p
I used to "make" sugar-dipped strawbs all the time when I was younger. I totally forgot I used to do this until I JUST read your post. I love that you added basil to the mix. I'll have to do this, for old time's sake!
This is so interesting! i’ve never thought of using basil (or any herb) like that! We’re hosting an online seasonal potluck and June is strawberry month. If you’d like to link your recipe, we’d love to have you! http://bit.ly/eLlgG2
I actually used basil with strawberries all summer and everyone loved them! I usually just tossed them with basil, balsamic and some raw sugar! Delish!!! Another good fruit with basil is watermelon! You can use watermelon, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, and balsamic…..a tomato-less caprese salad so to speak! Enjoy….I’m so ready for summer food again!!!
Great ideas! I love basil—definitely looking forward to summer too!
We used to do strawberries dipped in sour cream and rolled in brown sugar when we were little. They were the best. These look pretty dang good too!