Great time to have a jam

STRAWBERRY jam is the ultimate classic for making use of excess strawberries, and Alejandro Cancino says you can’t get better than homemade.

“It’s always great if you do it yourself – it has a different taste,” he said

He uses 60 per cent fruit to 40 per cent sugar and lets it reduce down in a saucepan for 30-40 minutes until the berries break down and it reaches a texture you like. To create jam with more wow factor, he recommends slicing the strawberries instead of dicing them.

The jam can then be used for everything from spreading on toast to filling doughnuts, topping jam drops or spreading over cakes. Or for something completely different, Matt Golinski suggests making a savoury strawberry chilli jam inspired by the flavours of Thailand.

He fries out ginger, lemongrass and chilli in a pan before adding diced strawberries, palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice and cooking for 10-15 minutes until it has jam consistency. He said it’s great served with Thai crab cakes or fish dishes.

SMOOTHIE THE WAY

If you can’t get through all your strawberries fast enough, the berries are ideal to freeze and then use in smoothies later.

Cancino’s favourite combo is strawberries and watermelon blended with ice and mint, but he also loves strawberries, banana and coconut water served over ice cubes.

While for Golinski it’s all about mixing them with whole milk, yoghurt, honey and protein powder.

PIZZA THE ACTION

While strawberries can go a little mushy and lose their colour if roasted for a long time, a quick cook on a sweet pizza is a great way to create a dessert with a difference.

Golinski recommends either buying or making your own base and then grabbing two punnets of strawberries and mushing them on top before a little sprinkle of caster sugar.

“It’s really simple and it’s a good way to use up lots of strawberries,” he says.