A classic strawberry salad condensed into one lush stuffed strawberry. Large balsamic-marinated strawberries filled with a blue cheese blend, crisp baby spinach and topped with toasted walnuts. Balsamic enhances the stuffed strawberry while blue cheese adds depth to create a balanced bite with a Pinot Noir.
A Berry Good Idea
This idea sprang from seeing so many dessert focused stuffed strawberries, and I thought why couldn’t we make it savory instead? I have always been fond of strawberry spinach salads – or incorporating fruit into leaf salads in general. A few items bring a spectrum of flavors together.
Wine Pairing
Original Pairing: Duck Pond Pinot Noir General Pairing: Pinot Noir, Chianti, or light bodied wines Menu Overview
Specialty Ingredients
Cream Cheese
I like to use whipped cream cheese as it is one less step I have to do. The consistency is easy to mix and pipe.
Blue Cheese
You are only using a bit, so be careful on the strength, as this can easily become overwhelming. You want just enough flavor to tell it’s there, but that you can taste the strawberry as well.
Balsamic Vinegar
Go ahead and splurge on this one, as it is an upfront element to the dish. I use a sweeter, thicker balsamic to marinade. In fact, I finish it off with a glaze as it sets better and is less runny for plating. You can you either for either step really. It should taste good on its own.
Equipment
Paring knives
Small flexible pairing knives for precision when carving out the centers. For stuffed strawberries, you will need to carefully carve (no hullers).
Pastry Bag or Plastic Food Storage Bag
Use a bag for filling (rather than spooning) it in. A pastry bag where you can change out tips works well if it clogs. But I often use plastic bags as I won’t get upset if I have to snip more off if they clog or move to a new one quickly.
Planning the Dish
Fresh fruit once prepped can start to degrade quickly. You can make the filling eariler, and stir or warm up a bit for piping. Give yourself time to clean and prep the strawberries. Cut off the point to make a flat end, make sure it stands well balanced prior to filling. If you do make them several hours in advance of serving, keep them refrigerated.
Timing
Days + ahead: Prep nuts (toasting, chopping) if not already prep.
Day before: Create filling, it is quick. Can also be made during marinade time.
Early day of: Clean and prep strawberries.
2+ hours serve: Marinade strawberries up to one hour
1+ hour serve: Stuff, pipe filling and garnish strawberies. If yoiu are more than 20 min to serve, keep refrigerated.
Plating Tips
The bold red and green colors look great on a tray. If you prepped well, these should be able to stand upright on a tray. If you are moving them from a prep area to a tray, you may want to use tongs.
For an individual stuffed strawberry, a balsamic glaze can be used to decorate the plate (dots, squiggles, spirals). Squeeze bottles with small tips provide precision dispensing.
Pairing Alterations
Cheese Filling
T he base of the filling can be any soft, spreadable cheeses. If you are going to use one with a stronger flavor, such as goat cheese, I would nix the blue cheese. Perhaps add in some herb flavors instead (or buy the pre-flavored spreads).
Shades of Blue
You can certainly dial up or down the blue cheese element in this dish. My word of warning is not to overpower the strawberry or the wine.
Nut Options
Toasted walnuts add depth and a nice crunch to the dish. Other nuts to complement could be pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts. Toast to bring out the flavor, but I’m not keen on them being candied. But you could give it a try and see. That’s part of the fun.
You could also nix the nuts. To add crunch, you could try some fried wonton strips (those other things you can add to salads for crunch). A crouton would just look silly.
