Strawberries offer up a summer tastebud delight

Some foods make you thirsty. Not the case with strawberries. The tart, juicy and sweet fruit excites the salivary glands, quenching thirst and hunger. But put those red berries in a pie or shortcake and you’ll be wanting something to wash them down.

“One of the tricks when you’re trying to pair a drink with something is to find a beverage that has a similar level of sweetness to the food, and a similar level of acidity, or tartness,” says Ted Allen, Food Network host and cookbook author.

Allen suggests adding elegance to your strawberry experience – whether you nosh them on their own, dip them in chocolate or use them as part of a dessert – by sipping sparkling wine.

Champagne, Allen says, has long been a traditional accompaniment to berries. For the best match, Allen suggests picking a “demi-sec” Champagne, which is sweeter than the more common “brut,” which is dry.

“Also, a very nice pairing is with the slightly sweet Italian sparkling wine, prosecco, or with still wines like pinot gris or gewurztraminer from the Alsace region of France,” he says.

If you’re not looking to impress or don’t want alcohol, Allen suggests going with a glass of milk. Berries and cream are a truly wonderful pairing.

You also could play off the strawberries by making a vanilla smoothie (milk and ice cream or vanilla yogurt work nicely) and adding a few strawberries and a touch of honey.

Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie with Fresh Strawberries

From Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson’s “Rustic Fruit Desserts,” (Ten Speed Press, 2009)

For the filling:

1 pie crust, baked in a deep 9-inch pie pan, cooled

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 1/2 pounds rhubarb, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 4 cups or 1 pound prepped)

For the custard:

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

To serve:

2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, rub the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the rhubarb and toss until evenly coated.

Spoon the rhubarb mixture into the baked pie crust. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, then remove the pie from the oven and set aside to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, make the custard. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium to beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Stir in the vanilla and salt, then pour the custard into the pie and spread it evenly and smoothly over the rhubarb.

Return the pie to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the custard puffs up around the edges but is still slightly wobbly at the center. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

Just before serving, heap the strawberries over the pie and dust with powdered sugar. Alternatively, the berries can be served alongside individual slices of pie.

The pie can be made a day in advance. If so, refrigerate it and top with the strawberries just before serving. Covered with plastic wrap, leftovers can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days.

Yield: 10 servings

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 307 calories, 18 grams fat (10 grams saturated, 54 percent fat calories), 5 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrate, 77 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 225 milligrams sodium.