Strawberries with Balsamic

UPDATED: May 26, 2016

A post for Memorial Day Weekend and STRAWBERRY Season!

It's a recipe so easy and slightly different that your guests will think you are a culinary whiz. Or at least that's what I tell myself!

• Get the local strawberries while they are here. We have been fortunate this season to have some fantastic New Jersey strawberries that are not only gorgeous but taste like a strawberry should - juicy, sweet, plump and succulent. 
• You won't need much or any sugar to make a syrup, just a few tablespoons of a good, preferably aged balsamic vinegar. 
• Rinse, hull and slice the strawberries. 
•  Put them into a bowl and sprinkle 2-3 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar over the strawberries; toss to combine and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. 
•  If you don't have balsamic vinegar another alternative would be, Rum or Vodka with a bit of sugar sprinkled. Chambord, Gran Marnier or some other sweet liqueur, hold the sugar. 
•  Allow the strawberries to macerate (fruit macerates, savory foods marinate).  Serve the strawberries over lady fingers or a decent but low-fat cake. Don't use those little short-cake hockey pucks you find in the produce aisle. They have a chemical taste and feels like a dry sponge. 
• For whipped cream, Redi-whipped cream is pretty low-cal, not low fat, but you don't need a lot.
• Spoon some of the syrup over the cream, lady fingers and strawberries and enjoy. 
•  The whole thing takes about 10 minutes to make and about 20 minutes to macerate.