Last weekend I had the opportunity to pick my own strawberries and I took full, unbridled advantage of the situation. A short tractor ride brought me (and my mother-in-law and her fiance) to three acres of southern Pennsylvania strawberry fields prolifically populated by plump, ripe strawberries, heavy on their stems and prime for the picking. I was beside myself with unanticipated excitement, utterly overwhelmed by the countless fat, juicy, warm-from-the sun berries. I harvested far too many of them, unable to stop myself or to even stand up for longer than a second before swooping back down to snatch up another perfect specimen or mutated giant (which I seemed to be partial to and was eager to show off to Zach as soon as I had the chance, beaming with pride at their eccentric beauty like the ringleader of a circus freak-show). I harvested until my fingers were stained and my crate was heavy; far, far too many strawberries for a household of two to reasonably be able to consume in a timely manner. So, in order to get the most out of these fruits and not be wasteful, I decided the only reasonable thing to do (other than making my traditional strawberry cobbler) in order to quickly use up a large number of strawberries would be to drown them in rum and lavish them with homemade whipped cream. The results were unbelievably spectacular, the combination of the frozen slush of the daiquiri and the smooth, mellow creaminess of the whipped cream were a textural and flavorful pairing like nothing else. A splash of peach schnapps is added as well, which, while it may not be a staple to the traditional daiquiri (but are we really making traditional daiquiris here?), delivers a subtle, fruity complexity that enhances the fresh strawberry flavoring. This drink leaves your palate lacking nothing.
Whether you have the opportunity to pick your own strawberries from a field or from a grocery store shelf, these daiquiris are sure to be delightfully unique and unquestionably superior to any other daiquiri you may have tasted. Be warned, though, they are bossy in their beauty and unrivaled deliciousness and demand to be served in the sun, by poolside or beachfront or someplace otherwise tropical and relaxed.
Need More Ways to Use Up Strawberries? Try these:
Strawberry Cake Strawberry shortcake Strawberry cream cheese pie Copycat Strawberry pop tarts
