Birmingham’s Frank Stitt takes inspiration from British and French traditions to make the most of the famous strawberry
Frank Stitt has a history with strawberries. “My mother’s family farmed strawberries commercially, and so that was a big part of my childhood,” the chef says. For about five or six weeks during the season, he sources strawberries for his Birmingham restaurants, Chez Fonfon and Bottega, from a farm just a few miles down the road from his grandparents’ old place in Cullman County. “Cullman County is somewhat renowned for their strawberries,” Stitt says. “It sits at a little higher elevation, and there’s a little bit more of a sandy soil. And so I think there was a sweet spot as far as the climate and the landscape.” The chef’s creativity with strawberries stretches from one end of the season to the other, spanning sweet and savory flavors and British and French traditions.
Get a Head Start
At Chez Fonfon, Stitt likes to lightly sear a paillard of tuna or other fresh fish on one side, then flip it and top it with cubes of just underripe strawberries, pickled onion, chile oil, and herbs. “It’s this wonderful appetizer with the tart, sweet contrast of the strawberry.”
Fool Me Twice
Strawberry fool is a British dessert that Stitt says is “a classic way of enjoying strawberries when they’re at their peak of deliciousness.” The berries are blended with sugar and lemonand served with whipped cream and fresh mint. “That flavor of the pureed strawberries with just the simplest additions is a really good way to highlight them.”
Pardon My French
At Chez Fonfon, where “we are especially fond of cru Beaujolais and the great café traditions” in the Beaujolais region of Burgundy, Stitt adds sliced strawberries to the last sips of Beaujolais in the glass, along with a drop of crème de cassis. “You stir all that with a spoon, so you get this winey flavor and a fascinating little part of French culture.”
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Fool
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Emily Havener
Emily Havener enjoys writing about food almost as much as she enjoys eating it. She has been food blogging and developing recipes since 2008, and her particular areas of expertise are finding creative ways to use leftovers and never making a recipe the same way twice. She’s always up for raw fish of any kind and a good gin cocktail or a glass of orange wine.