It’s strawberry season—the first ones are already appearing in the market. It’s time to revisit a classic of French cuisine: Strawberries Romanoff with Cardenal Mendoza Angelus.
The Romanovs were an important Russian noble family, from which many Russian tsars emerged, including Ivan the Terrible and Tsar Alexander I.
Like other Kaisers and Queens of the era, Alexander was also enamored with French cuisine, to the point of appointing a renowned chef to his court. Marie-Antoine Carême served at the Tsar’s court in 1818. This recipe likely dates back to that time, hence its name, “Romanoff Strawberries.”
In any case, Antoine Careme did not serve the Tsar for very long, as the latter was very frugal and had a very small budget for cooking. Perhaps that is why “Romanov Strawberries” are so simple: the strawberries are simply marinated in orange liqueur and served with whipped cream.
Careme also cooked for Napoleon, for the Austrian Emperor Franz, for the Queen of England, and for the Rothschilds. But it was the recipe from the Tsar’s court that stood the test of time, perhaps because of its simplicity. Today, it remains an exquisite treat.
Ingredients
- 1 orange
Production
- Place the strawberries (whole or halved) in the strained orange juice and Angelus orange liqueur and let them sit for 3 hours.
