Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar

I got reminded recently of when I made this earlier in the year, when we cooked Risotto with Bacon and Mushrooms and Braised Shallots in Tuna Sauce for our friends in Sydney. I thought it would be the perfect accompaniment to my first homemade Orange and Cardamom Ice-Cream. I ran out of castor sugar earlier today, so I used raw sugar, which still worked fine.

1 punnet strawberries, hulled
1 tablespoon castor (superfine) sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 200 deg C (400 deg F). If the strawberries are on the large size, cut them in half. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

Tear off a large piece of aluminium foil - it will need to be about 40cm (16 in) in length. Fold the foil in half and make a 2cm (3/4 in) fold along each side, but not at the top (aim for an envelope shape).

Place the strawberry mixture inside the foil parcel, and make a fold along the top to secure. Place the parcel in the oven and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let the parcel sit, unopened for a few minutes.

Serve at the table. The aroma that's released when the parcel is opened is really something special. Arrange the warm strawberries in martini or wine glasses, accompanied by a generous dollop of creme fraiche or custard.