Father’s Day is just around the corner, so today we’re celebrating Dad with a special #SundaySupper event. Tempura Strawberries with Chocolate Orange Dipping Sugar is an updated take on my Dad’s favorite dessert.

My dad’s all time favorite dessert was strawberry shortcake. Sadly, Dad is no longer with us, but I still love making true strawberry shortcakes (with a biscuit, not cake). I considered making strawberry shortcake for today’s #SundaySupper, but wanted to share my new favorite strawberry recipe, Tempura Strawberries, with you instead.

I’ll say right off the bat that this was a really hard recipe to photograph. Admittedly, Tempura Strawberries are not nearly as pretty as bright-red, vine-ripened strawberries in all their natural glory. Although it’s not the most beautiful dish of all-time, please don’t let that stop you from giving it a go.

I have to give credit to my son and Cook’s Illustrated for this recipe. My son enjoys cooking and is a big fan of Cooks Illustrated. Whenever he’s going to make dinner he peruses the magazine and website to find something new to try. One day he decided to make the CI recipe for Shrimp Tempura. He tempura’d (is that a verb?) shrimp, calamari, pea pods and green beans. It was delicious. The coating was super crisp and thin, as it should be for a good tempura.

When he was done frying the stuff for dinner he had some batter left over. What to do? Well, tempura some fruit for dessert, of course! We had bananas in the house and also some strawberries we’d gotten in our farm share the day before. The bananas were good, but the strawberries were a-maz-ing! The berries don’t really cook in the coating, they just warm up and become super juicy. Have you ever eaten strawberries still warm from the sun? That’s what Tempura Strawberries taste like.

I’ve changed the batter for the coating a little bit from the original recipe. I use cake flour instead of a mixture of all purpose flour and corn starch. I also added a little sugar and salt to perk up the flavor of the coating just a bit. We serve Tempura Strawberries with chocolate orange dipping sugar, but they would be fabulous with ice cream too.

The Cook’s Illustrated tempura recipe has vodka in the batter along with seltzer water. Gluten, the protein that makes baked good stretchy and firm, is formed when flour and water are mixed. By replacing some of the water with vodka you’ll lessen the gluten formation and end up with a super light and crisp tempura coating. I always have a large bottle of cheap vodka around because I use it for painting food coloring onto decorated cakes. If you don’t have vodka available or don’t like to use alcohol you can use all seltzer instead.

 

 

Happy Father’s day to my husband (the world’s greatest dad) and all the other great dad’s out there.

Tempura Strawberries #SundaySupper

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 21 minutes

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Ingredients

Dipping Sugar

• Zest of 1/2 orange, grated
• 1/4 cup (2 oz, 60g) granulated sugar
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, grated

Strawberries

• 2 quarts vegetable oil
• 1 quart strawberries, use a damp paper towel to wipe clean
• 1 cup (4 oz, 120g) cake flour (or 3/4 all purpose plus 1/4 cup corn starch)
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, whisked (you only need 1/2, the the rest for egg wash or another use)
• 1/2 cup vodka (see note)
• 1/2 cup seltzer water

Instructions

Make Dipping Sugar

1. Combine the sugar, orange zest and grated chocolate in a small bowl
2. Toss with a fork to combine

Fry the strawberries

1. Heat the oil in a heavy pan
2. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine the ingredients
3. Combine the seltzer with the vodka, if using both
4. Pour the seltzer and vodka into the flour, mix until partially combined
5. Pour half the whisked egg into the batter and stir just until the ingredients are combined
6. When the oil reach 400°F dip the strawberries into the batter and gently lower into the oil
7. Work in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pan
8. Fry for just a minute until the coating is crisp and lightly browned
9. Drain on a rack set over a sheet pan
10. Serve while still hot with the dipping sugar

Notes

If you don't have vodka or don't like to use alcohol, use 1 cup of seltzer water instead of a 1/2 cup of each.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out these other fabulous recipes by the #SundaySupper tastemakers. Thanks so much to Sarah Bates of The Chef Next Door for hosting today’s event!!
Appetizers & Snacks:

• Best Popcorn Ever (with Nutritional Yeast!!) by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Easy Homemade Pretzel Recipe by April Golightly
• Nana’s Pimento Cheese by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Beverage:

• Bourbon Sweet Tea Cocktail by Cosmopolitan Cornbread

Breakfast:

• Dad’s Favorite Blueberry Pancakes by Family Around The Table
• Steak & Egg Breakfast Skillet by Caroline’s Cooking

Condiments & Sauces:

• Beerinara by What Smells So Good?
• Homemade Refrigerator Pickle Relish by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures

Desserts:

• Apple Crisp by Ninja Baker
• Banana Berry Bread by Desserts Required
• Blackberry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream by Simple and Savory
• Black Bourbon Walnut Brownies with Maple-Candied Bacon by The Crumby Cupcake
• Blueberry Ice Cream Cookie Bars by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Cherry Garcia Bars by Pies and Plots
• Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes by Crazed Mom Lifestyle & Recipes
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Coconut Cream Pie by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Tempura Strawberries by Baking Sense
• German Chocolate Brownie Pie by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Graham Cracker Chocolate Chunk No-Churn Ice Cream by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Grilled Fruit Kabobs with Fresh Whipped Cream by Helpful Homemade
• Peach Crumble Bars by The Finer Cookie
• Personal Banana Cream Pie by Food Lust People Love
• Strawberry Rhubarb Pie by The Chef Next Door
• Maizena Tamal by Basic N Delicious
• Mom’s Carrot Cake by Jennifer Cooks

Main Dishes:

• Bacon Patty Melts by Cookin’ Mimi
• BBQ Salmon Salad with Avocado Ranch Dressing by PancakeWarriors
• Beef Shepherd’s Pie Casserole by Cooking Chat
• Buffalo Chicken Tacos by Palatable Pastime
• Carolina-Style BBQ Burger by The Redhead Baker
• Coffee-Rubbed Prime Rib Roast by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Fried Chicken by Tramplingrose
• Grilled Chicken and Beef Stir Fry by The Freshman Cook
• Grilled Filet Mignon with Zip Sauce by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Italian Sausage and Peppers by Monica’s Table
• Moroccan Preserved Lemon Chicken Tagine by Curious Cuisiniere
• Philly Style Slow Roasted Pork Sandwich with Broccoli Rabe and Provolone by The Hungry Goddess
• Sharp Cheddar and Crispy Onion Burgers with Horseradish Sauce by A Mind Full Mom
• Skillet Spaghetti and Meatballs by From Gate to Plate
• Spicy Fish Tacos with Garlic-Chive Aioli by Wholistic Woman
• Turkey Chorizo Burgers with Guacamole by Books n’ Cooks
• Vegetarian “Philly Cheesesteak” by Take A Bite Out of Boca
• Walnut Cauliflower Zucchini Boats by Beauty and the Beets

Side Dishes:

• Chipotle Lime Cole Slaw by Dizzy Busy and Hungry
• The Ultimate BLT Pasta Salad by Cooking with Carlee

Plus What Dad Really Wants for Father’s Day from Sunday Supper Movement

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement