Fresh Strawberry Cocktail

June 16, 2021

Chef Lonny’s Virtual Black Box Challenge #3

As summer approaches, it is the best time of year to get good strawberries from California, and local strawberries are on their way! This simple Strawberry cocktail uses simple ingredients, but delivers complex flavours, perfect for a morning or afternoon treat in the sun.

Ingredients

Fresh, ripe, strawberries
Ground pepper
Sugar
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Orange juice

This is a dish that is best prepared 1-2 hours before serving.

Hull strawberries, taking as little of the flesh away as possible, (even if its not red).\
Place in bowl and soak in hot water, (as hot as your tap will allow).
Let soak for 1 minute, pour off water then a quick rinse under running hot water.
Slice strawberries about a quarter inch thick, or thicker if you prefer.
Place in bowl and sprinkle with a touch of finely ground black pepper.
Sprinkle liberally with sugar, (granular is what I prefer).
A small splash of balsamic vinegar, (regular, not reduced).
2-3 splashes of orange juice, see pictures for amount of liquid in bowl, (less is best, having a slightly thick sauce is the goal).

The trick is, to enhance the strawberries, not overpower the, with to much of any ingredient.

(season the strawberries, do not flavour the strawberries).

For fun, try pushing your creative skills and carve a strawberry rose as a garnish

This is amazing served with plain whipped cream or my favourite, on Häagen-Dazs

Vanilla Bean ice cream.

Bon Appetite,

Chef Lonny

Chef Lonny’s Virtual Black Box Challenge

Strawberry Cocktail

Enter to win a FREE NIGHT STAY.

Recreate this recipe with your own unique twist, and share on Instagram or Facebook using #GrizzlyRecipe and tag us @bearandbisoninn.

A winner will be chosen the first week of this recipe release, so get cooking!

Chef Lonny’s NEXT Black Box Challenges will be released in our newsletter, subscribe to never miss a chance to win!

Congratulations to Anita Hessman, who won a free night stay with us for her epic recreation of our last challenge, Lonny’s Watermelon Feta Salad.

I relied heavily on reviews while planning for my micro destination wedding so I wanted to leave a detailed review for other brides looking. The Bear & Bison was perfect. Lonny & his team made the planning process stress free. We had a 20 person micro wedding & rented the entire Inn for the weekend (10 bedrooms). The place is exactly the vibe for the Rockies – log cabin style with a view of the mountains. Our guests could not stop talking about the food – they even made accommodations for our 10 year old cousin who loved her pancakes instead of the “adult” breakfasts.

I cannot speak enough about the staff. Brooke, Annette, and Barbara continuously checked on us to ensure we had everything we needed. We didn’t need to bring any decorations as they set up everything perfectly from their inventory. I was so stressed about the rain (it didn’t end up raining) but the girls were fully prepared with options for umbrellas or setting up inside which I cannot thank enough. Everyone loved the bartender Landon – he talked to all the guests and made everyone feel like his family. From our bonfire welcome night, to the wedding day itself, to the goodbye breakfast, the staff made sure every event went perfectly.

This was our dream wedding. I cannot thank the staff enough for making the weekend so special for us. We will definitely be back for an anniversary. A few notes for future brides -ask the staff which rooms don’t have separate showers when planning for elderly or disabled guests -Put bath salts as favors for your guests since all the rooms have beautiful tubs -do the bonfire package plus bar the night before the wedding – it was easier to organize than planning a trip to another bar, plus people can go to bed when they want.

Canmore's Best Bed & Breakfast
and Wedding Venue