Roasted Strawberries with Orange Scented Mascarpone Cream

Mascarpone is an Italian triple cream cheese that is buttery, rich, soft and silky. It is so versatile and can be used in sweet and savory dishes.

Photography by Robert Demetrius

To roast the strawberries, you will need:

12 large strawberries

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

For the orange scented mascarpone cream:

4 ounces mascarpone

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon orange zest

1/3 cup of orange juice from Navel oranges

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Fresh Strawberries

Rinse the strawberries and drain. I used a paper towel to pat them gently to remove some of the excess water. Now, cut off the stems, this will allow you to place the strawberries cut side down on the parchment paper so they stand up when placed in the oven, without rolling around on the side.

Strawberries Rubbed with Dark Brown Sugar

I gently rubbed 1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar on the strawberries and since they were still a bit of moist, it allowed the dark brown sugar to remain on the strawberries without falling off. It’s just the right amount of added sweetness that the strawberries will need. The dark brown sugar will also give it a deep rich flavor.

Pre-heat the oven to 500° Fahrenheit.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the strawberries, rubbed with dark brown sugar on the sheet. Don’t place them too close to each other, as you don’t want them to steam, being so close together.

Roasted Strawberries

Let them roast for 6 ½ minutes. They will still be firm, the dark sugar will be melted and they may have released just a bit of juice. Transfer the strawberries immediately to a plate and let them cool. It’s best to keep them on a plate, as they will release some more juice and that will be beautiful to use in the dessert once plated.

Mascarpone with Orange Zest

In a small bowl, mix 4 ounces mascarpone, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon
orange zest, 1/3 cup of orange juice and ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, until smooth. Let it rest for a while in the fridge so that the orange zest and juice really infuses into the mascarpone cream. When you take it back out, mix it again so it’s a smooth cream. You will certainly taste the orange. Divine.

To plate, put a dollop of the orange scented mascarpone cream in a bowl, then place 4 strawberries on top of the cream. Then drizzle a bit more of the cream around the strawberries and a bit of the strawberry juice that is on the plate with the strawberries.