It’s day two of my strawberry project. I’m back from the International Food Styling and Photography Conference at Boston University, and I’m itching to try some of the photography tips I learned over the weekend. Not only that, but I’m excited to experiment with new flavors and representations of food.

Today I dipped strawberries in honeyed whipped cream; lemon, mint, and basil; and freshly ground black pepper. All are terrific snacks, and the first two make lovely desserts. Best of all, they’re so simple; they make eating more enjoyable and less of a task. So take a seat on your patio, balcony, or porch with one of these sweet summer treats.

The recipes really are to your taste so don’t take the measurements to heart. Add more or less until it tastes good to you. Just remember: you can always add more, but you can’t take it away.

Photos by Julia Boyle

Strawberries and honeyed whipped cream

Whip 1/4 cup of heavy cream, drizzling about 1 Tbsp of honey into the mixing bowl as it whips. When the cream forms soft peaks, turn the mixer off and fold the whipped cream over once or twice. Enjoy with fresh, whole strawberries.

Cut strawberries with basil, lemon, and mint

Wash and cut 1 cup of strawberries. In a medium bowl, sprinkle them with 1 1/2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice. Add 2 mint leaves, minced; 2 basil leaves, minced; and lemon zest from half a lemon. Toss to combine. Enjoy!

Strawberries and pepper

Using a pepper grinder, sprinkle your strawberry with freshly ground pepper. This also goes well with a little balsamic vinegar.

Next up: strawberries with white wine and strawberries with chevre (soft goat cheese). I may also try strawberries with bacon or prosciutto. This next post may have to wait until next week since I’m heading out of town Friday and have to actually get work done on the newspaper this week. I promise it’ll be worth the wait, though!