Welcome to our summer produce series. Every week until the end of August, we’re highlighting the most in-season fruit or veggie of the moment, as handpicked by the experts at Natoora. You can learn more about the company and how they work with farmers in our first piece of the series.

Strawberries are one of summer’s greatest joys. The farmers’ market comes alive with the fragrance of the red fruits, and you can simply follow your nose to find stands teeming with them. They’re obviously lovely on their own and absolutely shine at breakfast, in cocktails and, of course, as the star of summer desserts. In other words, strawberries are kind of perfect.

When I first started talking to Phoebe Creaghan, Natoora’s brand manager, it was in mid-May, and she wasn’t even sure if strawberries would be a viable opinion for week four produce. “These will start appearing soon but really need the time to max out on sugars so they will be at their peak,” she told me. Luckily, the strawberry crop came through, just in time for the last week of June. And I can attest to their ripeness — yesterday my friend brought over a perfect pint, and they were bright red, sweet and juicy.

Now that it’s officially the best time to buy strawberries, here’s a rundown of everything you need to know about them, courtesy of Natoora:

What to look for when shopping: Ripe, red berries — they will not ripen off the plant.

How to store them for maximum freshness: Changes in temperature will damage the fruit. Store unwashed in the fridge with cover, and keep handling to a minimum and keep flat (pressure will damage and/or bruise fruit). They can also be frozen.

How to use it: Enjoy as is, in savory and sweet dishes, and to make compotes and jams.

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The Recipe

A museum restaurant might be convenient, but you can’t always rely on them for having quality food. That’s certainly not the case at Verde, the stunning indoor-outdoor restaurant in Miami’s Pérez Art Museum. I’m particularly a fan of Chef Loris Navone’s ceviche and white cheddar-topped burger, but sweet breakfast stans would be remiss not to try the strawberry and mascarpone pancakes, a dish that’s only available during Saturday and Sunday brunch.

“We pride ourselves in crafting every dish from locally sourced and seasonal ingredients at Verde, and our strawberry and sweet mascarpone pancakes are no exception,” Navone says. “The fresh strawberry compote, herbs and lemon curd offer a vibrant burst of flavor in each fluffy bite, making it the perfect summer breakfast.”

Because this strawberry pancake recipe already has a few sub-recipes to tackle, we suggest buying the lemon curd for the sake of ease. But if you feel like making your own, by all means, go for it. Now get to your farmers’ market this week while this of-the-moment ingredient is still at its prime.

a stack of pancakes on a white plate with strawberry compote and sweet mascarpone — The strawberry and sweet mascarpone pancakes from Verde

Verde

Strawberry & Sweet Mascarpone Pancakes

Servings: 3

Ingredients

520 grams AP flour
325 grams sugar, divided
15.75 grams baking powder
20 grams baking soda
12.5 grams kosher salt
4 whole eggs
2 quarts buttermilk
350 grams mascarpone
212.5 grams heavy cream
125 grams powdered sugar
5 grams vanilla paste
1 gram salt
1,700 grams strawberries, washed and tops removed
85 grams Grand Marnier
2 grams salt
1 basil sprig
Lemon curd, for serving

Directions

For the pancake batter:
1. Mix the eggs with the buttermilk and whisk thoroughly.
2. Add flour, 100 grams sugar, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt to the wet mix, and whisk until incorporated (it doesn’t have to be smooth, you want it to stay chunky).
3. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to use.
4. When making the pancakes, portion 6 fluid oz. of batter into ring molds on a nonstick pan. Cook 95% on one side before removing the ring and flipping them to finish cooking.
For the whipped mascarpone:
1. Add heavy cream to a standing mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk until the mixture is a whipped cream consistency.
2. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, add the rest of the ingredients and whisk by hand until everything is perfectly combined. Chill until ready to use.
For the strawberry compote:
1. Cut the strawberries into quarters. Toss them in 225 grams of sugar and the Grand Marnier and let sit for an hour.
2. In a nonstick pan, cook on high heat until only a quarter of the liquid remains. Portion into a plastic container and add a sprig of basil. Chill until ready to serve.
To build the dish:
1. Place one pancake in the center of a plate and cover it with lemon curd, making sure it’s spread evenly over the pancake.
2. Add another pancake on top of this and cover with lemon curd. Add the last pancake and cover the top with strawberry compote.
3. With the help of a spoon, make a quenelle with the whipped mascarpone and place in the center of the pancake.
4. Dust everything with powdered sugar and serve.