Have you ever eaten a bowl of strawberries with sour cream and dark brown sugar on the side, for dipping? No? Well, you should try it, and soon.
We've mentioned this classic combo before (like in these strawberry-sour cream scones with brown sugar crumble and brown sugar cookies with cream cheese icing, topped with a strawberry) but we realized we've never shown you the original inspiration!
Some friends introduced us to this simple, easy, yet totally irresistible summer dessert. All you do is lay out a bowl of strawberries, a bowl of sour cream, and a ramekin of crumbly brown sugar. Dip each strawberry in the sour cream, then in the brown sugar. The tastes meld in this heavenly way, and the sour cream sort of melts the brown sugar into a creamy sauce on the strawberry.
It's a really wonderful summer dessert, and it's so easy. We do like to cut the strawberries in half lengthwise for smaller, easier bites — especially when the only strawberries available are the oversized mammoths from California. Just make sure the leaves are intact on each half, so your guests can easily pick up the strawberries and dip them.
Have you ever tried this? Do you love strawberries with sour cream and brown sugar the way we do?
Related: Feast On Strawberries: Salads, Sweets, Jams and More!
(Originally posted June 8, 2009)
(Images: Faith Durand)
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I shouldn't knock it until I've tried it, but this seems like sweet-tooth overkill to me. Is this best reserved for store-bought berries that are bred for size & color rather than taste?
Hmmm, I usually stir the brown sugar into the sour cream for fruit dip, I have never tried them separately, wouldn't it be terribly sweet?
This article reminds me of a column written over at the New York Times; http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/dining/03mini.html?ref=dining
about what to do with strawberries.
A friend of mine introduced me to this just this year. Amazingly good. Works reasonably well with fat free greek yogurt, although it's not quite as good.
For our Sunday sit-down brunch my mother would prepare straberries with a side of cream cheese (I blame her for my cream cheese addiction). One of our family's favorite treats. As a health concious adult I now opt for strawberries and cream-on-top plain yogurt. Yum!
It is indeed sweet, but not as sweet as you might think. The sour cream balances it, and not that much sugar actually sticks to the berry. Use dark brown sugar, too, for robust flavor. And yes, it's a good way to eat strawberries that aren't as tasty.
It's just one of these simple things that ends up being more than the sum of its parts.
When I was a kid I would smother strawberries in powdered sugar and then eat the leftover sugar with a spoon! This may be my new “grown-up” strawberry-sugar indulgence!
a very slight variation on this is my go-to dessert during strawberry season. i use creme fraiche instead of sour cream. also, if i can't find that hoity-toity brown sugar (i'm drawing a blank on the brand name right now... sorry! it comes in a 1 lb package and it's sorta square, if that helps) i use dark brown sugar. something about the extra molasses keeps the sweetness under control.
and to answer the first commenter, actually the riper and juicier the fruit, the better. i've done this with berries that were still warm from the field they were picked in, and the same color red all the way through and omg!
freshly picked strawberries creme fraiche great balsamic = the taste of summer. really, just riffing on a theme here...
I grew up eating strawberries dipped in sugar so I'm sure I would love this as well.
I often mix up sour cream and brown sugar as a topping for fruit but I've never dipped them in each separately. The sour cream gives a nice tang and balance to the sweetness of both the brown sugar and the fruit-so in my opinion, it is not overkill.
My mom and I used to do this all the time when I was younger. They are so tasty! Definitely greater than the sum of their parts.
Thanks for posting this, Faith!
I love plain yogurt mixed with vanilla and a bit of honey as a topping for fruit, and this sounds good too!
Did this exact recommendation for a party this evening. HUGE hit!
So I just gave this a go. AMAZING! Thank you so much! I had just bought a huge flat of strawberries from Costco, and they always seem to spoil before I ever get to them. I always mean well. I alone have finished half of them in one night. I love how the brown sugar actually adds a nice little crunch if you dip the strawberry in the sugar right before the bite. I had heard about people making it a dip and throwing in the brown sugar before, but this was so good. What a great summer dinner/dessert for tonight.
Same idea, but with oatmeal for breakfast: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/strawberry-oatmeal-breakfast
(Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast from Everyday Food, May/June 2003)
Try it with fresh pineapple. Heaven.
My grandmother used to serve this to my sister and me when we were little - everything would be laid out on a silver platter, and she had giant blackberries as well. It always seemed like the most extravagant treat to me, served like that. So delicious. I sort of forgot that I could easily just do this myself as an adult and relive the whole thing...
Yes, this is a fantastic combination. The "tang" of the sour cream does indeed balance out the sweetness of the sugar. I normally used light brown sugar if the berries are exceptionally sweet and dark brown if they're still a little underripe.
Oh, this is my favorite summer brunch side. Always just a touch of elegance. Delightful!
holy hell yes! one of my favorite Boston-area hangouts serves this as part of their dessert offerings. I feel so guilty eating that much sugar, but the sour cream (or creme fraiche in my case) really balances out the flavors.
A childhood friend's grandmother used to always serve this during summer... incredibly delicious!!
I've always combined sour cream with dark brown sugar to make a dip for the strawberries--never served the two separately. It's one of my favorite ways to serve strawberries--and couldn't be easier.
This is even better with creme fraiche. It's just one of those perfect combinations!
Like other commenters, my family used to eat this all the time in the summer. I haven't thought of it in years. It's funny how certain foods and flavors can make you feel nostalgic :)
We did this for a graduation party-- Big bowl with a mountain of strawberries, another with pillowy sour cream, the last one with mounds of brown sugar. Worked really well for serving a crowd. LOVE this.
it's great with sour cream and any old brown sugar, but as a few commenters have said, creme fraiche is better, and muscovado sugar elevates it to something divine.
and the riper and more perfect the berries, the better!
my grandma passed this down to my mom who then introduced me to this. i LOVE it and can not keep brown sugar, sour cream and strawberries in the house simultaneously. so good. recently discovered stirring a little unsweetened cocoa powder into the sour cream prior to brown sugar dipping makes it even better.
We used to do this all the time when I was growing up, except that we layered it in ramekins (strawberries on bottom, then sour cream, brown sugar on top and then stuck them under the broiler for a few minutes until the sugar was melted into a crunchy topping. Delicious.
Am eating this right now with locally grown strawberries purchased at my farmer's market yesterday... oh my gosh, this is FANTASTIC! My husband's not feeling it, but he's not really a sweets person. Thanks so much for sharing this!
First saw this idea in one of MaryJane Butters' books. I like to use Ideal sugar substitute brown sugar and Meijer brand fat-free sour cream. I mix them half and half for a diet-friendly alternative for this yummy snack. :)
OMG! I tried this because it sounded weird but it is AMAZING!! The sour cream and brown sugar balance each other out to create a heavenly cream for fruit!
My dad did this all the time for us growing up. It's also really great with grapes (red moreso than green).