Strawberries in Hibiscus and Vanilla Soup
I know the photo above looks pretty ordinary. Sliced strawberries in a little bit of water, sprinkled with pepper (that is not pepper, by the way- they are vanilla seeds). Well, it isn’t ordinary. It is simple, but not ordinary. The ingredients in this dish each stand on their own, while also accentuating the other subtle flavors. You can eat this soup just like that, or you can ladle it over good vanilla ice cream and pour a half shot of rum on top. Whichever you choose, make sure you eat it slowly. Savor each bite. It is that good.
This is an Alain Passard recipe that has been adapted by Pim Techamuanvivit.
Dried hibiscus flowers- found at any Latin American or Jamaican markets, or online
Hibiscus and vanilla syrup
Use the best vanilla ice cream
- 2 cups (500 ml) Water
- 3/4 cup (150 g) Sugar
- 1 Vanilla Pod, or 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup (25 g) Dry Hibiscus Flowers
- 2 pints (500 g) Strawberries, hulled and quartered
- Good Caribbean Rum (optional)
- Place the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise with a knife. Using a small spoon, scrape the pod from one end to the other to remove the tiny black seeds.
- Add the seeds and the vanilla pod halves (or the vanilla extract if using) to the water and sugar mixture.
- Then add the dry hibiscus flowers and stir well. Let the syrup macerate with the vanilla and hibiscus until it cools down completely.
- Place the strawberries in a bowl large enough to contain them and the syrup. Cover the top with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Once the hibiscus syrup has cooled down completely, strain it into another bowl. Discard the hibiscus flowers and vanilla pod halves, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to cool in the fridge.
- One hour before serving, pour the hibiscus and vanilla syrup over the strawberries and mix gently. Cover with plastic wrap and return to the fridge until serving. Don't let the berries soak longer than an hour or they will start to break down.
- Serve the berries by themselves or over two scoops of vanilla ice cream. Then pour a half shot of rum over top if you are so inclined.
