Balsamic and Parmesan Strawberry Bites

www.californiastrawberries.com
  • 18 bites
  • Preparation
    30 Minutes
  • Total
    30 Minutes

Dress to impress. Transform an already beautiful strawberry into an extraordinarily delicious work of art with flavourful filling topped by fascinator-like parmesan crisp.

Ingredients

    • 18-20
      medium sized California Strawberries
    • 1/2 cup
      (125 ml) softened cream cheese
    • 1/2 cup
      (125 ml) ricotta cheese
    • 1/2 cup
      (125 ml) fresh grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1 tbsp
      (15 ml) aged balsamic vinegar
    • 1 tsp
      (5 ml) finely chopped thyme
    • 1/2 tsp
      (2.5 ml) cracked black pepper

  • Parmesan Thyme Crisp:

    • 1/2 cup
      (125 ml) fresh grated Parmesan cheese
    • 2 tbsp
      (30 ml) fresh thyme leaves
    • Black pepper to taste

Instructions

    1. To prepare the strawberries, trim the leafy stem end from a strawberry and stand up on cut end. Starting at the tip of the strawberry, make two cuts in a cross pattern 2/3 of the way down. Gently open up the four strawberry sections wide enough to fit a large star piping tip. Repeat with remaining strawberries.
    2. For Parmesan Thyme Crisp, preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). On a parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle Parmesan in an even 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick layer. Top with thyme leaves and cracked black pepper. Bake in centre rack for 3-4 minutes until light golden. Set aside to cool.
    3. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, ricotta, grated Parmesan, balsamic vinegar, thyme and pepper. Scrape mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe about 1 ½ tbsp (22.5 ml) into each strawberry. Gently break Parmesan Thyme Crisp into small pieces and top each strawberry to garnish.
Notes

Tip: Cheese filling can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept refrigerated in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 bite | Calories: 60kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4.5g | Saturated Fat: 2.5g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 100mg | Fibre: 0g | Sugar: 0g

Note: 1 bite is 1/18th recipe and assumed all Parmesan Thyme Crisps used up.