Ingredients

The following ingredients have 9 Servings
  • 1 angel food cake (sliced into 8 to 10 pieces)
  • Fresh basil for serving (optional)
  • 2 pounds strawberries (hulled and quartered)
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar (A good balsamic makes all the difference, people.)
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • ¼-½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper (This totally depends on how much you like pepper.)
  • ¾ cup mascarpone cheese
  • ¾ cup chilled heavy whipping cream
  • 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (optional)

Instruction

  • Start by prepping your berries. Place the strawberries in a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, balsamic, a tiny pinch of sea salt, and fresh ground pepper and gently stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to macerate.
  • Meanwhile, place all the ingredients for the whipped mascarpone in a mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer on low speed just until thickened and smooth. (This should only take a couple minutes, max.) Be really careful not to over-beat this, peeps. You want it to be silky, not grainy. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Pre-heat a clean grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the sliced angel food cake and cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute on each side, just until solid grill marks appear.
  • Transfer the grilled angel food cake to plates and top each slice with plenty of balsamic strawberries and a generous dollop of mascarpone. Feel free to get a little extra fresh ground pepper involved.