Synonymous with the joys of summer, the fresh taste of fine filtered milk and sweet seasonal strawberries bring out the best in each other when combined. From recipes brimming with freshness to comforting desserts, the possibilities of this pairing are many and offer something to please every palate. Discover how these two ingredients are enjoyed around the world.
England: shortcake
Originally from England, strawberry shortcake is a fresh, just-sweet-enough dessert that has a way of winning over crowds on hot evenings. “Short” doesn’t refer to the cake’s small size, but rather to the fact that fat was added to the flour to make it a “short dough,” giving the mixture a more crumbly and tender texture – a far cry from today’s version! The first documented recipe comes from The good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin (London, 1588), an anonymously penned cookbook dating back to the Elizabethan period, and evolved upon its arrival in the Americas around 1850. This rendition incorporated milk to make a much lighter, softer dough. Even though the version with whipped cream and angel food cake didn’t appear in Quebec until a century later, shortcake remains synonymous with summer, freshness and the pleasures of the table.
France: flognarde
Flognarde, reminiscent of flan, is a cousin of clafoutis, a French dessert made with black cherries. Milk is the key ingredient in this cake, whose batter, similar to that used to make crepes, coats the strawberries. This traditional dessert, which can be served hot or warm, was devised to be affordable to make and delicious to eat, despite the simple ingredients used. The name “flognarde” comes from a Romance language of the Limousin region, and means “soft” or “downy” in reference to its smooth texture.
South Korea: strawberry milk
South Korea’s love affair with flavoured milk dates back to the 1970s, when the government encouraged citizens to drink more milk. At the time, milk was not widely consumed, so the company Binggrae seized the occasion by putting banana-flavoured milk on the market. In doing so, they unwittingly created a new flagship product in South Korea’s food culture. Banana is still a popular flavour, but today it’s strawberry that steals the show, chosen for the subtle sweetness it lends to milk. The result of this pairing is a refreshing, healthy and delicious beverage, perfect for hot summer days by the pool!
