Red Kampot pepper is the one that surprises people. The berries stay on the vine until fully ripe, so what you get is pepper with a sweet, fruity side to it. Cooks in the know put it where you would never think to put pepper: on fruit, on vanilla ice cream, on dark chocolate.
This is the five-minute dessert we make when we want to convert someone. Strawberries, a little sugar, a squeeze of lemon, and freshly cracked red Kampot pepper. The pepper does what balsamic vinegar does in the classic Italian pairing, sharpening the berries and making them taste more like themselves, except it also adds a gentle warmth that lingers after the sweetness fades.
What you need
Serves 4. About 5 minutes of work, 30 minutes of waiting.
- 1 lb ripe strawberries, hulled and halved (quartered if large)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked red Kampot peppercorns, plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Small pinch of salt
- Vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream, to serve
Method
- Macerate. Toss the strawberries with the sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. The sugar pulls the juice out of the berries and builds a glossy ruby syrup in the bottom of the bowl.
- Crack the pepper. While the berries sit, crush the red peppercorns coarsely. The bottom of a skillet on a cutting board works well, or use a grinder on its coarsest setting. Coarse matters here. You want little bursts of pepper, not an even dusting of heat.
- Combine. Just before serving, fold the cracked pepper into the berries. Adding it late keeps the flavor bright.
- Serve over vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, spooning the syrup on top. Finish each bowl with one more small crack of red pepper.
Notes from our kitchen
- Why red and not black: black Kampot works here too, and the balsamic-and-black-pepper version is a classic for a reason. But red's ripened sweetness meets the fruit halfway. It tastes intentional instead of daring.
- Try it on: vanilla ice cream by itself, sliced peaches or mango, dark chocolate desserts, or a cheese board next to something creamy like brie.
- Off-season berries: maceration rescues mediocre strawberries. Give them an extra 15 minutes and a touch more sugar.
- Make ahead: the berries can macerate up to 4 hours refrigerated. Add the pepper only at serving time.
Storage
Best the day it's made. Leftover berries and syrup keep 2 days refrigerated and are excellent spooned over yogurt at breakfast.