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Fruit: Strawberries Romanoff

Source of Recipe

The Outlaw Cookbook


Recipe Introduction

Zemlyanika Po Romanovski/Fraises Romanoff ...Created by Antoine Careme for Czar Alexander I, this dish is probably more French than Russian, but it appears in the cookbooks of both countries. If possible, choose medium-size strawberries for this dish instead of the huge ones. If they are very big, you might consider cutting them into pieces.

List of Ingredients

1 quart strawberries, washed and hulled
juice of 2 oranges (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup Cointreau or other orange-based liqueur
1 1/2 cups heavv cream, chilled
1/4 cup sugar
Vanilla




Recipe

Put the strawberries in a bowl and add the orange juice and the Cointreau. Let them macerate for about an hour. Beat the cream in a cold bowl, gradually folding in the sugar and a few drops of vanilla.

Spoon the whipped cream over the strawberries and serve at once.

NOTE: You may have first experienced this dish as I did --with the berries stirred into a mixture of whipped cream and soft vanilla ice cream. So far as I can determine, this is strictly an American creation. But I don't think the Russians, with their passion for ice cream, would wholly disapprove. Prepare the same amount of strawberries and macerate them in orange juice and Cointreau as directed above. Let 1 pint vanilla ice cream soften just enough to be stirable. Whip 1 cup of chilled heavy cream in an ice-cold bowl until stiff, and fold it into the ice cream. Gently blend in the macerated strawberries and serve at once.

YIELD: 4 Servings