Roasted Balsamic Strawberries

Remember when I first told you how awesome strawberry and balsamic is together?  The strawberry cupcakes drizzled with a thick tangy-sweet balsamic glaze.  Let's just say I'm slightly obsessed with this flavor pairing.  This weekend, during the grand re-opening sale at my local grocery store they were selling 2 pounds of strawberries for 3 bucks a pop so I grabbed one too many.  Gorgeously plump and bright red, I couldn't let them go to waste due to my inability to say no to cheap fruit.

Recently, I had seen a few recipes for roasted strawberries here and there on the internets and thought I can do that!  So I hulled up my strawberries, preheated the oven, and got to roasting!  Just a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (good stuff, please) and olive oil, a drizzle of agave nectar, and a pinch of salt gives the most incredible depth to the roasted strawberries.

I took the finished product and used it in a quick crostini topped with fresh mozzarella, roasted berries, and a chiffonade of basil.  It was bright and simple and to die for!  But that's not all, tomorrow I will be showing you the most incredible buttermilk cake complete with the roasted strawberries!

Roasted Balsamic Strawberries
2 pounds of strawberries, hulled
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Start by hulling up your berries with a small paring knife.  If your berries are ginormous like mine were, trim them down a bit to get even pieces.  Place on a baking sheet lined with foil.

Toss in the vinegar, oil, agave nectar and salt.  Roast for 35-45 minutes and stir every 10-15 minutes or so.

The final result will be syrupy roasted berries with a delectable tang from the balsamic vinegar.  Top a toasted crostini with a little mozzarella, a generous heap of the roasted strawberries, and the basil.  Enjoy!