One of the tastiest and most elegant strawberry recipes you can make at home is Strawberries Romanoff.

This famous dish can be credited in part to two chefs, Chef Marie Antoine Careme who plied his trade in France just as the French revolution was coming to an end and a predecessor, Auguste Escoffier, the father of classical French cooking. Both were world famous CULINARY ROCK STARS well before the Food Network!

Another traditional ingredient is sour cream, which adds a pleasant acidity and balances the sweet flavor of the cream and berries. The last, most-common adaptation is American, using softened vanilla ice cream as part of the base with the whipped cream.

Despite the whipping cream, sugar and alcohol, Strawberries Romanoff was always intended to be a “light” dessert.

Let me show you how easy it is to make the recipe combining some of the old and the new. This recipe will feed 2.

Strawberries Romanoff: Serves 2 to 3

2 Cups                     Strawberries, hulled & cut in half

2 TBSP                    Orange Liquor, (Grand Marnier)

1/2 Cup                    GOOD Vanilla Ice Cream

1 Cup                       Heavy Whipping Cream

2 TBSP                    Granulated Sugar

1 tsp                        Pure Vanilla

2 TBSP                    Sour Cream

1. Place trimmed strawberries in a medium mixing bowl and add orange liquor. Allow to marinate 15 minutes.
2. Soften ice cream to a pudding like consistency. Do not melt.
3. Whip cream with sugar and vanilla into a medium stiff peak.
4. Stir sour cream to soften.
5. Fold all ingredients together and serve in a chilled glass.
6. Optional garnishments:

• Mint Sprig
• Sponge Cake, Angel Food Cake, Pound Cake
• Crisp Meringue Shells
• Crepes

That’s IT! Simple, elegant and delicious – JUST the way it was intended to be.

However you choose to prepare this classic dessert, you know you can count on Nino’s to have THE best strawberries in town.

How?

First, we’re downtown Detroit at the Produce Terminal and Eastern Market, 6 days a week, at 4:30 am to see and taste the berries we bring into Nino’s every morning on our trucks.

Second, we then hand select and hand pack every berry from each flat into individual quarts of their own, this, to ensure you get to enjoy every berry you buy.