Strawberries Romanoff

Strawberries Romanoff is a cool, creamy, lightly sweet, and wonderfully fruity dish that works as a light dessert or an elegant addition to brunch. This is a recipe that is very easy, yet looks very fancy.

I like serving Strawberries Romanoff as part of a brunch. They are a perfect ending to a beautiful, sophisticated brunch when served with dishes such as Creole Eggs Sardou, baked Bacon And Cheese Grits, and Barbecue Bloody Mary’s.

Strawberries Romanoff

I first had this amazing dish at La Madeline’s French Bakery and Cafe in Houston, Texas. Running late for a Monday morning client meeting at the cafe, I grabbed the first thing in front of me. Disinterest in the food was an understatement.

One bite in and I was hooked. It was so delicious, creamy, and slightly sweet. I became a bit obsessed and went back often. It got to the point that when I walked into the cafe, the guys behind the counter grabbed a tray and just put a dish of this deliciousness onto the tray for me. Needless to say that I was thrilled to find the recipe!

Reading the recipe that was in a local newspaper, I was surprised by the sour cream in the recipe. It does add a hint of tanginess, but is it really necessary? Well, I tried using vanilla Greek yogurt and it was a watery disaster that separated before I could devour the berries. I discovered that the sour cream helps to stabilize the heavy cream. No more separation. Brilliant.

Origins Of The Recipe

Strawberries Romanoff was first created by the famed chef, Auguste Escoffier at the Carlton Hotel in London, England. It was then recreated by con-man/restaurateur, “Prince” Michael Romanoff for his self-named restaurant.

This restaurant also claims to have given the world, Noodles Romanoff-a cream, and parmesan cheese noodle dish.

Michael Romanoff, besides claiming to be a Russian Prince, was also a bit of an eccentric. Rather than have his meals with family, friends or acquaintances, he was known to take his meals with his two dogs.

Personally, I don’t see how lunching with your furry friends makes one an eccentric. Taking meals with pups makes everything taste better.

There have been many versions of the Strawberries Romanoff recipe. The French used Curacao, whipped cream, orange juice, vanilla, and sugar. The Russians would make it with Cointreau, sugar, whipped cream, vanilla, and sour cream. But only the Americanized version used vanilla ice cream.

Substitutions

• Make the dish child-friendly by substituting orange juice for the Grand Marnier. You can omit the brandy in the whipped cream as well.
• No time to whip heavy cream? Swap in French Vanilla ice cream. Simply allow the ice cream to get very soft, almost to the point of melted and then stir in the sour cream.
• Switch the fruit. I think fresh sliced peaches would be wonderful with this cream sauce. Maybe add a bit of almond flavoring instead of the vanilla.

There have been many versions of the Strawberries Romanoff recipe. The French used Curacao, whipped cream, orange juice, vanilla, and sugar. The Russians would make it with Cointreau, sugar, whipped cream, vanilla, and sour cream. But only the Americanized version used vanilla ice cream.

More Brunch Recipes You May Like

• Almond Baked Oatmeal
• Breakfast Margarita Pizza
• Strawberry Shortcake Waffles
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
• Homemade Breakfast Sausage

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