Hum of the June sun
Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 10:37PM 
I won't keep you long because there are strawberries to be eaten and the clock is already tick-tock ticking.
I'll begin with credit where credit is due. What we have here is a recipe from Jamie Oliver, and it's a winner. You take strawberries, lop of their tops so that they're hulled neatly and stand on end like a berried mountain range. You slice a few knobs of stem ginger and pop them in the dish, along with some of their syrup. Then squish out the seeds of a plump vanilla bean over the fruit and toss in the pod after. Last, there's a slosh of Pimm's (No. 1), the gin-based liqueur synonymous with British summer.
I'll stop here for a moment, because the mention of Pimm's makes me weak in the knees. I first came to know it over the summer job that took me through high school. I worked for a theatre company, plays not movies, and each season there was an event that had Pimm's Cup as its signature drink. I can't think of Pimm's without thinking of those wickedly-hot days - the heavy scent of gin, cucumbers and lemon, miles of glasses lined up in rows, full of ice and looking like the most refreshing drink that there ever was.
No. 1 is sunshine and hot shoulders, and the best of those years.
Anyway, back to today, and back to that dish of berries. Tucked under the hottest broiler you can muster, their attentive peaks get lazy in the heat, slouching down and slumping over. They'll be warmed through but not cooked, only enough that the strawberries turn juicy and plush. The preserved ginger has the assertive heat and deep-bellied hum of the June sun, while the suggestion of citrus brought by the Pimm's rings all the high notes.
It's up and down and all around like a roller coaster at the fair. Which is to say, these might be the strawberries to end all strawberries.
I used local fruit, the kind that for 11 months of the year you convince yourself you've imagined in an fit of idealized fancy. And then, blessed be, it is summer and here they are. Fruit ruby to its centre, fragrant in a way that reminds of roses and honey jumbled up together. They are beautiful, yes, but in their irregularity. Nubbled, bumpy - one in our punnet bore a distinct resemblance to a miniature turban squash.
They're strawberries out of Enid Blyton. Rustic and brave - and left whole they have more oomph than is usually attributed to cooked fruit. Good enough that I may have been stingy in my dinner portion one evening, just to leave that much more room for dessert.
But that's just between you and me.
Now, don't dally, off you go while the strawberries are around. See you soon.
Grilled Strawberries with Pimm's and Vanilla Ice Cream
The strawberries are served with softened ice cream, and make sure yours is soft as you want it to further melt into the juices at the bottom of the dish - its texture should match that of the fruit. On top of that is some mashed cookie rubble, and like the crust to a fruit pie it gives foundation to the softness of berry and cream. Finally some mint, which in coincidence always grew beside the strawberries in my childhood garden. Its flavour rubs off unto the berries and seeps into the ice cream very nicely.
Stem ginger in syrup is young, tender ginger that has been peeled then preserved in a sugar syrup.
Recipe, via jamieoliver.com
Notes:
jamie oliver, strawberry, summer, sweet 
Reader Comments (44)
I wrote this recipe down when I saw Jamie share it on his show and had every intention of making it but just never did! Thank you thank you for reminding me to try it again. Yours looks fabulous!
What a perfect summer treat!
Oh my!!! This is looks heavenly. Must try this asap :) Your blog is so lovely!
Just like the person above, I lusted after this when Jamie made it, and then promptly forgot all about it until now. But yours is so stunning (and I love your writing and photography so much; it's charming and romantic without being roll-your-eyes twee or self-indulgent, like I find a couple of other blogs to be) that I've resolved to buy some strawberries asap and make this for my housemates before we all go our separate ways for the summer. So simple, but, mmmm.
Oh wow - how lovely. I also have many memories of Pimms - I'd never thought of using it in cooking.
wow, and wow. I mean, look at these!! I want a grill and some of this right now. Such lovely picture too, Tara!
Fabulous summer dessert. I have a fridge full of strawberries right now, perfect timing!
That looks so good. I love grilled strawberries :D
hi tara - this is lovely. strawbery and pimm's no.1 to me is both the epitome of english summer, and together they must be even better! love ginger, too. i'm not a huge fan of cooked strawberries, so the idea of quickly grilling the berries would be perfect for me. thanks for sharing!
I'm so excited for local strawberries I can hardly see straight! I saw the first batch at our market this past weekend, but they still aren't out in abundance yet. The good side of that, is I've seen plenty of great berry recipes from others who do have their local fruit out and about, so i've been stockpiling! can't wait to try this simple gorgeous dessert!
so true- Pimm's makes me weak at the knees too! TGIF!
Tara, can I come over and have dessert at your house? This looks so good.
Tara, that is one incredibly simple but punch packing dish! Love it! so envious that you found local strawberries.. I get my first farm basket next week.. hoping and praying there are berries in it!!!
I love Jamie Oliver and all that he stands for. In this day and age of celebrity chefs hawking everything you can think of, he's such a refreshing change in that he's really trying to do something with meaning and substance.
P.S. I, too, am hooked on Pimm's Cups. In the summer, especially, it can't be beat. ;)
Mmmmm! These are some of my favorite ingredients :)
I so need to make this!
Truly fabulous recipe to brighten the day.
Rustic and brave and Enid Blyton strawberries -- this image might stick with me for something like forever.
Tara the strawberries look gorgeous! Nothing better than Pimms in the summer heat with some crushed ice & fresh mint. I some times even serve something similiar with creme fraiche. I totally agree how adding pimms gives it a new twist.
Pimmmmmmm's!
It will be our signature summer drink this year. I was introduced just last year and it seems to be coming up in conversation a lot lately. Must buy. Must drink.
Annie and Indigo, I was the same way, and took my sweet time trying it out. Don't wait any longer - trust me.
Thank you Jen and Yumi!
Just like the person above, I lusted after this when Jamie made it, and then promptly forgot all about it until now. But yours is so stunning (and I love your writing and photography so much; it's charming and romantic without being roll-your-eyes twee or self-indulgent, like I find a couple of other blogs to be) that I've resolved to buy some strawberries asap and make this for my housemates before we all go our separate ways for the summer. So simple, but, mmmm.
I hope you give it a try, Emma!
Thank you Olga, the touch of heat really brings out the berries sweetness but doesn't cook them through. So summery.
Glad you think so, Maria! You too, Joy.
I heartily agree, chika. Cooked strawberries can be so flabby, I believe it a shame to do that. I was worried, I'll admit, but put my faith in Mr. Oliver. He didn't let me down.
Our berries were early, heather - hope yours arrive soon!
Happy weekend, Anna!
Anytime, Hannah!
Asha, I have my fingers crossed for you.
Agreed, on both counts, Carolyn! I truly respect the work he's doing - his efforts are deeply inspiring. And yes, Pimm's is delicious.
Glad to hear it, adrienne!
I hope you do, Ash.
Thank you, nisrine.
You're truly kind, molly.
Maunika, creme fraiche sounds brilliant! Is that on your site?
Jason, you really, really must.
What a great looking dessert. How i love strawberries!
Magda
Precious post and photos, Tara. I adore your excitement of summer's fleeting bounty. I'm sipping green tea and nibbling on strawberry slices as I read this post. Doubly divine!
This photo takes my breath away. Waiting, waiting for the strawberries to appear around here. We're almost there, I think, despite our unusually rainy (even for Seattle!) spring.
This as heavenly as your writing sounds. Summer is right there, all over this page which is lovely since we are in the midst of our annual June gloom. Thanks for the vision of warmth!