Strawberry, Basil and Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Drizzle

Memorial Day. No cookout. No Cape trip. My parents in Dorchester and Sean's parents in Southie and both sets of grandparents have not met Nora in person yet—she is seven weeks old and they have not held her—and this is the hardest part of this pandemic spring for me, harder than the logistics and the sleep debt and the isolation. The grandparents who would normally be here, holding her, learning her, building the connection—they are six feet away or a phone screen away and it's not the same and I know it won't be this way forever and I'm grateful it won't and it still costs something right now.

Sean grilled on the back porch—just us, burgers and corn, the private version of the holiday—and Liam sat on the steps and ate his burger with both hands and Nora was in the carrier against my chest and the afternoon was warm and blue and the harbor was visible from where I stood on the porch and it was enough. It's always enough if you decide it is and I'm deciding it is.

I made a strawberry shortcake with the first June strawberries—they're early this year or I'm impatient—and we ate it on the porch after dinner and Liam got cream on his nose and Nora looked at the sky from the carrier and I thought: they're going to know this porch. They're going to know the strawberry shortcake in May. These are the things they'll carry without knowing they're carrying them.

The shortcake was the centerpiece, but those first strawberries — too early and perfect anyway — deserved something that let them be exactly what they were. This Strawberry, Basil and Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Drizzle is what I reach for when the berries are so good they don’t need to be baked into anything, when the afternoon is warm enough that you want something cool and bright on the table, when you want a dish that feels like a small, deliberate celebration. It’s five minutes of work and it tastes like the porch in May.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp flaky sea salt
1/8 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 cups arugula or mixed greens (optional base)

Instructions

Make the balsamic drizzle. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine balsamic vinegar and honey. Stir and simmer for 3–5 minutes until slightly thickened and syrupy. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
Arrange the salad. If using greens, spread arugula or mixed greens across a serving platter or large shallow bowl. Layer sliced strawberries evenly over the top.
Add the toppings. Scatter torn basil leaves and crumbled goat cheese over the strawberries. Drizzle with olive oil.
Finish and serve. Drizzle the cooled balsamic reduction over the salad. Season with flaky sea salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Strawberry, Basil and Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Drizzle — The Shortcake That Started on the Porch