Roast strawberries to get the most out of them

I don’t need a calendar to tell me summer is almost here. As a lifelong Northwesterner, I have always marked the beginning of summer with the start of strawberry season. Little green pints of scarlet, seed-freckled berries appear just after the first whiffs of charcoal smoke but before the sharp smell of cold sprinkler water on sun-soaked pavement.

Strawberries are an essential component of summer. There are as many ways to enjoy strawberries as there are days in the summer — probably more. My favorite is straight off the vine on a hot day. Midday sun bakes the water out of the berries concentrating their juices turning them nearly to syrup. Sun-baked strawberries have an in-your-face strawberry flavor that’s absent in less stressed cool-morning berries.

I highly recommend visiting a strawberry field and picking the berries yourself. It is a bit of an effort to get down in the dust and harvest the fruit, but worth it to taste the hot caramelized juice at its source. If you are focused on picking it is easy to bring home boxes of berries to eat, freeze or turn into jam or pastries.

Roasting strawberries mimics the hot sun baking them on the vine. The cooking process evaporates most of the water naturally present in the fruit leaving behind that same caramelized concentrated strawberry flavor but in morsels perfect for folding into baked goodies such as cookies, pancakes or strawberry scones. If you’re lucky you’ll be rewarded with glossy puddles of strawberry juice that dry into a sort of fruit leather.

After everything cools, I set the roasted strawberries aside and nibble on these stained glass candies as quiet as a mouse so I don’t have to share with the kids.

While developing this recipe I learned a fun fact about scones. Once they have been cut into their little wedges, just prior to baking, scones can be frozen. This was music to my ears. Recently I was preparing scones along with several other breakfast treats for a baby shower brunch. When the day of the brunch arrived, I baked them from frozen and they were as light and pillowy as if I had made them from scratch that very morning.

Give roasting strawberries a try. Swirl them into your yogurt or use them in baked goods. The sticky sweetness is like getting a sneak preview of the summer’s sun-drenched coming attractions.

Roasted strawberries

2 pounds of fresh strawberries washed and dried, stems removed, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

Lay the berries in a single layer on two parchment or silicone baking mat lined cookie sheets. Do not crowd the berries or they will steam rather than roast.

Bake the berries at 325 degrees for 30 to ­45 minutes. I prefer a lower temperature for a longer time to really concentrate the flavor of the berries. The berries will shrivel, reducing in size by up to 3/4 and the edges will dry out. Most of the liquid will leak out of the berries and puddle up around them. (Once the berries have cooled you can peel up the juice and enjoy it as a faux fruit leather.)

Allow the berries to cool then scoop the roasted strawberries into a sealed container and refrigerate until you are ready to use. The chilled roasted strawberries should keep for a couple of days.

Prep time: 20 minutes. Cook time: 45 minutes.

Makes 1 cup of berries.

Roasted strawberry buttermilk scones

3 1/2 cups flour (suggested: 1½ cups whole wheat &2 cups all purpose)

1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons raw sugar (may substitute white sugar)

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (cut into small cubes)

1 cup roasted strawberries (see previous recipe)

1 1/4 cups low fat buttermilk

Soft and flaky scones studded with roasted strawberries. Just sweet enough to satisfy a morning pastry craving. These are best enjoyed within a few hours of baking. The entire batch is perfect for a brunch or large group. The prepared scones may also be frozen and baked a few at a time.

Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl: use a fork to combine the flour, sugar, zest, baking powder, and salt.

Use a fork, pastry cutter, or your fingers to blend the cold butter into the flour mixture until the butter is reduced to little pebbles and the flour looks like moist sand.

Use a fork to fold the roasted strawberries into the flour so the strawberries are evenly distributed.

Add the buttermilk to the flour in small portions. Begin with 1/2 cup and drizzle the remaining milk in a few tablespoons at a time — you may not need all of the liquid. Fold the buttermilk into the flour until the flour becomes a dough that just holds together. Use a fork or your hands to create the dough.

Turn the dough onto a clean floured surface. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Form the portions into balls and gently pat into 1/2 inch thick circles. Cut each circle into 8 wedges and arrange the wedges onto the prepared baking sheets leaving about an inch between each scone. If you desire, sprinkle the tops with a tops with a pinch of sugar.

Bake the scones in the hot oven for approximately 15 minutes. When fully baked the outsides should be firm and slightly golden with a soft flaky interior.

Freezing the prepared dough: Scones are best when eaten within a few hours of baking. To make these in advance follow the recipe up to arranging the scones on the prepared cookie sheets.

Instead of baking, place the pans into the freezer for 4 or more hours. Then place the frozen scones into a double layer of zip top bags. ­Be sure to squeeze all the air out of the bag when sealing.

All wrapped up the scones can be stored in the freezer for several weeks. When you are ready to bake your scones, place the frozen pastries onto lined baking sheets and bake, from frozen, as directed above plus 3­5 additional minutes. They should come out as light and fluffy as if you had just prepared the dough.

Optional: Additional coarse sugar to sprinkle on the tops prior to baking.

Prep time: 20 minutes. Cook time: 15 minutes.

Makes 24 petite scones.