Strawberries

Who doesn't remember the erotic scene in the film 9 1/2 Weeks with Mickey Rourke feeding Kim Basinger strawberries.

These red fruits, which originally come from the Alps, have always seduced all the senses. The Romans were the first to enjoy them, for them strawberries were a divine food, reserved only for the upper classes.

Spring always begins with these fruits, traditionally they are also the sweetest of the season - especially when they are made into delicious desserts. Three-star chef Carme Ruscalleda, for example, remembers her childhood, when the best strawberries from the Catalan Maresme of San José were the preferred dessert for Sunday lunches until mid-June, prepared very simply, with just sugar and a dash of lemon or orange juice.

Strawberries harmonise perfectly with a little vinegar or Moscatel, and the classic combination with whipped cream is irresistible. But apart from jams, marmalades and cakes, they are also great in the pan, fried in a little butter and seasoned with pepper and salt. And to top it all off, you can flambé them with vodka.

As a rule, however, strawberries are prepared in the traditional way. Only innovative chefs come up with new recipes and recommend, for example, trying the classic tomato bread 'pan y tomate' with strawberries - drizzled with a dash of the best olive oil and a few grains of sea salt.

But whether traditional or modern, the most romantic way to serve these tempting fruits is in a bowl, accompanied by a sparkling glass of cava.

Strawberries in any form

■ Ice cream - Strawberry ice cream is a classic, whether creamy or as sorbet. A special touch is added to the sorbet by using herbal teas or a Chinese tea with rose petals.

■ Jams and jellies - Strawberry jam is reminiscent of childhood, but you could also add strawberry blossoms and strawberry leaves to a jelly. For such preparations, however, you should only use really ripe fruit and not heat it for too long, otherwise it will lose its colour and flavour.

■ Fragolino - wine flavoured with strawberries is produced in the area around Trieste and Venice. Fragolino is the name of the low-alcohol, refreshing sparkling wine similar to Lambrusco.

■ Liqueur - In Central Europe, cherry brandy or cherry liqueur are typical. Strawberries can also be made into spirits, which are then similar to apple schnapps. Unfortunately, the strawberry aroma is quickly lost in the distilled drink. It would be better, for example, to cover a sponge cake in strawberry juice - with or without the addition of alcohol.

Whether large 'fresones' or smaller 'fresas' - strawberries have a short shelf life and react very sensitively to pressure. Therefore, avoid long transport routes and storage and buy strawberries from your own region, and only as many as you wish to consume within two days - you should not keep them in the refrigerator longer than that.

When shopping, use your sense of smell. Ripe fruits exude an intense fragrance. Select smaller uniform bright red specimens. Green leaves without yellow edges signal freshness.

Beware of packaged strawberries! You will often find mouldy or mushy berries at the bottom of the trays.

At home, unpack them immediately and store them spread out in a shallow bowl in the least cold part of the refrigerator. Strawberries should only be washed shortly before use. As they are with stem, dip them in cold water in a colander, do not expose them to the hard stream of water from the tap. Then simply pat them dry.

Now the fruits can be cleaned and processed. Sugar is also added just before eating so that the strawberries do not lose too much juice and become unappealing.

Strawberries are also an effective remedy against all kinds of diseases. They are called red aspirin because of their anti-inflammatory properties. Strawberries have more vitamin C than most other fruits. And with their high potassium content, they have a diuretic effect, and their dietary fibres keep the digestion going, so they are also an effective remedy to help shift some winter fat.

Crêpes with strawberry filling Ingredients for 4 people: 500 g strawberries, 250 g cream quark (queso fresco), 5 tbsp sugar;

Dough: 125 g flour, 2 eggs, 1/4 l milk, butter, salt, fat for frying, icing sugar for sprinkling.

Wash the strawberries, remove the stalk and leaves. Cut one third into quarters, purée the rest in a blender. Mix fruit puree with quark, sugar and quartered berries.

Mix flour, whole eggs and milk well. Add two tablespoons of melted butter and a pinch of salt. Heat fat in a medium frying pan and bake four even crêpes, one after the other. Keep warm.

Place one crêpe on each plate, top with a quarter of the strawberry mixture, roll up like a cone. Serve immediately dusted with icing sugar.

Strawberry-rhubarb compote with semolina dumplings

To make a large quantity: 1 kg of rhubarb (ruibarbo), strawberries to taste (fresas or fresones), 1 bottle of red wine (vino tinto), 1 tablespoon of potato flour, sugar (azúcar) to taste, cinnamon (canela), cloves (clavos de especia), lemon zest (ralladura de limón), star anise (estrella de anís) if desired. Bring red wine to the boil with sugar and spices, just like mulled wine. Add the peeled, finely chopped rhubarb and cook until it is still a little crunchy. Remove and place in a bowl.

Mix the potato flour with a little water first and then add to the boiling liquid to thicken it. If it is still too sour, add more sugar, pour over the rhubarb to infuse.

Add sugared strawberries to the compote just before serving.

For the semolina dumplings: 250 g semolina (sémola), 3/4 l milk (leche), 2 eggs (huevos), 30 g butter (mantequilla). Bring the milk and butter to the boil in a pot, sprinkle in the semolina, stir with a whisk. Then stir constantly with a wooden spoon so that the semolina does not lump or burn. After about five to ten minutes, the semolina dumpling will detach from the pot like choux pastry.

Let it cool a little, then add a little salt and the eggs. Form small dumplings and put them into boiling water with a little sugar for ten or twelve minutes. When they rise, let them stand for a short time.

Arrange the semolina dumplings on plates. Brown the melted butter and breadcrumbs, sprinkle with icing sugar and place the strawberry-rhubarb compote on top.

Strawberry cake with madeleines

1 kg strawberries (fresas or fresones), 650 g madeleines (magdalenas), 100 g sugar, 85 g strawberry-flavoured jelly (gelatina de fresa), 1/2 l cream (nata para montar).

Boil a syrup from six tablespoons of sugar and two glasses of water (about 1/2 l) in 20 minutes. Slice the madeleines twice.

Wash 650 grams of the strawberries, clean, chop and puree in a blender. Pour into a bowl. Whip the cream with sugar to taste until firm. Add to the strawberry puree.

Line a glass bowl with madeleine slices (perhaps put some red strawberry puree at the bottom), drizzle each slice with a little sugar syrup. Cover with the strawberry cream.

Follow with a second layer of madeleleines with syrup and strawberries, and then another third layer.

Clean and wash the remaining 400 grams of strawberries and cut them in half. Spread them in a circle on the last layer of strawberry cream.

Cook the strawberry jelly according to the instructions on the packet. When it has cooled down a little, pour it over the strawberries. Now place the 'strawberry cake' in the refrigerator for two hours and then it's ready to serve.