Jean-François Plante's recipe

Servings 4 • Prep time 10 min • Cook time 5 min • Rest time 1 hr.

Ingredients:  

A dozen large, ripe strawberries, washed and hulled

1 unpeeled Lebanese cucumber, finely diced

125 ml (½ cup) Tawny port

6 fresh mint leaves, chopped

2 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

2 tsp. mixed peppercorns, freshly cracked

1 tbsp. honey or maple syrup (Érablement bon)

A few small whole fresh mint leaves (for garnish)

Ground pepper Instructions:  1. In Place all ingredients (except whole mint leaf garnish and ground pepper) in a bowl. Gently toss to coat strawberries and cucumber without damaging them. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour, gently stirring twice.

2. Strain over a bowl to save marinade. Set strawberries and cucumber aside at room temperature.

3. Pour marinade into a small heavy saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium-low heat. Cook until reduced by half and syrupy. Remove from heat and let cool. 4. Thinly slice strawberries lengthwise and arrange on a serving plate, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with diced cucumber. Drizzle with syrup to taste and garnish with a few mint leaves. Season with pepper and serve.