No, I haven’t lost my mind.

This is the final part of my strawberry project, and I saved the best for last. Bacon is the new “it” food; companies and chefs are pairing it with everything from ice cream to chocolate. So it’s got to go with strawberries, right?

Well, I set off today to find out. I tried several techniques, from wrapping fresh strawberries in prosciutto to stuffing strawberries with chocolate chips and wrapping them in a cooked piece of bacon. The prosciutto was a definite no, but I knew I was on to something with the bacon. It just needed one adjustment…

The oven! Again, I tried a few techniques, including broiling the bacon-wrapped berries, but I really only ended up filling my house with smoke. Finally, I stuffed three berries with chevre, three with chocolate chips, and three with nothing, wrapped them each in a strip of low sodium bacon, and roasted them in a 450F oven for roughly 10 minutes — 7 on one side, 3 on the other.

They were all wonderful, but I liked the chevre-filled ones the best. They were even better drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar. Okay, so maybe I also drizzled a tad of chocolate sauce on the plate. But I swear it was just for the visual effects.

Ohhh, but it was good.

Now, normally I wouldn’t eat nine pieces of bacon unless I was serving these little piggies as an appetizer to guests. Instead, I might do something like this and eat three or four pieces with a salad for lunch or dinner:

The good thing about strawberries is that you can eat them plain, use them in baking, or eat them any of the various ways I’ve been testing out. And bacon is sliced, so you can use just a few pieces at a time. I honestly have never tried freezing bacon, but I don’t see why you couldn’t if you used a freezer bag. Either way, paired with a salad, this makes a great lunch or dinner and a perfect appetizer for friends. Plus, they’re so easy!

Recipe: Berries in a blanket
Serves one

4 fresh strawberries, washed and capped (stem removed)
4 strips reduced sodium or turkey bacon
1 tsp chevre, divided into 1/4 tsps (optional)
1 tsp aged balsamic vinegar (optional)

Preheat oven to 450F. If you’re going to use the chevre, make a shallow slit in the side of each strawberry, just big enough to fit a 1/4 tsp of the soft cheese. Filling the strawberries from the side instead of the top helps keep the cheese from melting out while roasting.

Wrap each berry horizontally (to cover the chevre and hold it in) with one strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on a baking sheet and put in the oven for about 7 minutes. Check after 5, and if the bacon is browned, turn each piece with tongs. Roast for another 2 — 3 minutes until all sides of the bacon are cooked and brown.

Remove from the oven and immediately place each piece on a plate covered with two layers of paper towels to drain the grease. Cool slightly, then plate and drizzle with the 1 tsp of aged balsamic vinegar. Enjoy with a salad or as a snack.

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.

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Strawberries are one of those amazing fruits you can eat just about a million different ways. From sweet whipped cream to tangy balsamic vinegar to spicy freshly ground black pepper, it seems that just about anything enhances their flavor in a new and exciting way.

Starting today, I’m embarking on a project to test several of the various ways to eat strawberries. Today’s parings are traditional cream with raw sugar and the more eclectic age balsamic vinegar.

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Photo by Julia Boyle

I wait all year for strawberry season. So much so that I meticulously plan out my jam-eating throughout the year so the frozen jars last until I pick again. And the time has finally come; as long as the rain stops for a few hours tomorrow, I’ll have my hands in the strawberry patch. In preparation, I’ve been browsing the blogosphere for other jam posts. Here are a few of my favorites:

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I know I may seem obsessed with coconut and lime lately, but that’s only because of how lovely it tastes. Here is a scaled down recipe for scones. I flavored them coconut-lime, but you can substitute any flavoring, really. The recipe makes four scones instead of the usual 12. The photos only have three, though, because I ate one

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 stick cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 tsp coconut extract
1 tsp lime zest
2 Tbsp butter, separated into four equal pieces

Preheat oven to 425F. Place the four equal pieces of butter into each of four triangles in a separated iron skillet.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt with a fork or whisk. Add the 1/2 stick of cold butter pieces and work them into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or your finger tips, tossing and rubbing the butter pieces until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Some pieces will be pea-sized, but that’s okay.

Pour in the coconut milk, coconut extract, and lime zest. Toss with the fork until the ingredients are just moistened. Gather the dough together and, adding just a handful more of flour, knead it together in the bowl briefly just until the ingredients mixed and come together.

Heat the skillet on medium until the butter melts, but be careful not to burn/brown it. As soon as it has melted, ppoon dough evenly into the four triangles of the hot iron skillet. Place the skillet carefully into the preheated oven using oven mits. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops are cracked and golden.

Remove skillet from oven, and let scones cool for 10 minutes in the skillet. Using a knife to separate the edges from the skillet, turn the skillet over to remove scones from the skillet onto a cooling rack. Best when served warm.