If you live in the Chicago-area and have not been to Wholly Frijoles– GO. Now. Wholly Frijoles is a Mexican restaurant in an unlikely strip mall just outside of the city. “Why would I go to the suburbs for good Mexican food?”, was the question I asked my friend who first told me about it. Because it is totally charming and the food is excellent. I’ve liked everything I have ever eaten there. We once had a cold three-melon soup there that Bryan and I have been talking about for years. One of my favorite things they serve is a dessert—fresh sweet strawberries topped with whipped sour cream and cinnamon ice cream.
It is the perfect summer dessert, easy to put together, doesn’t require you to turn on the oven, and it so refreshing and wonderful. My version of the dessert eliminates the ice cream, mostly out of laziness. If you are feeling ambitious, go ahead and churn some cinnamon ice cream and impress your guests even more. Below is my version. Not really a recipe, more of a suggestion. Enjoy.
Strawberries with Sour Cream
Macerate a pint of sliced strawberries with a tablespoon or so of sugar for about 10 minutes.
In a large clean bowl, whip 1/2 cup of heavy cream with a 3/4 cup of sour cream and a few tablespoons of sugar. Spoon strawberries into a glass and top with a healthy scoop of whipped sour cream. Sprinkle with some cinnamon. Serve.
*** Adjust this as desired to serve the number of friends you have over or your appetite.
Jennifer says:
July 21st, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Sort of a strawberries romanoff – nothing better. Can’t wait to get to Wholly Frijoles!
Janet says:
July 21st, 2009 at 7:31 pm
Ooooh, this sounds amazing! My oldest daughter just moved just outside Chicago, so I’ll have to tell her about the restaurant!
BigSis says:
July 21st, 2009 at 7:57 pm
This is one of my favorite desserts. I love it with a sprinkle of raw/turbinado sugar. A dollop of Greek yogurt is equally good. Don’t skip the cinnamon though! Thanks for this great, easy summer dessert idea!
Valerie says:
July 21st, 2009 at 9:13 pm
strawberries with sour cream and brown sugar are divine also!
Gabrielaskitchen says:
July 21st, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Yum! Fresas con creama, so simple so delicious. Great blog (P.S. RE: you’re “about” I’m an Artist/ Art theory/practice academic (a wannabe at least) turned food blogger too, so as far as I’m concerned a dinner party is art, relational aesthetics anyone?)
Susan the shoppe owner says:
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:58 am
This dessert looks like perfection in a bowl. YUM. And adding sour cream to fruit has always been a winner in my book. Try it with gourmet canned pears!
Steph says:
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:51 am
Wholly Frijoles is one of my favorites! How come I didn’t know it was one of yours as well? Let’s go sometime, on a weekend at 5 p.m. to beat the crowds and appease Ames. Never had their desserts though and it seems its about time. XO!
Tim says:
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Yes, Steph, yes!
laura says:
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:30 pm
My grandfather used to make something similar (in that he used fruit & sour cream). It sounds terrible, but he would top a bowl of (canned) mandarin oranges with a hearty dollop of sour cream then sprinkle the whole thing with brown sugar. It is delicious – just the right balance of tangy & sweet!
Chelle says:
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:44 pm
Ive been eating my strawberries in a fashion similar to this for years! I take fresh strawberries and i have a bowl of sour cream and a bowl of brown sugar. I dip the strawberries in the sourcream and then in the brown sugar. Mmmmm! I also like to mix fresh strawberries with a balsamic vinegar reduction!
Andilynn says:
July 23rd, 2009 at 7:39 am
My mom had me try the strawberries, sour cream, and brown sugar the same way as Chelle described. I think it is delicious. I never thought of pairing cinnamon with strawberries before…I’ll have to give it a go!
Paula says:
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:29 pm
This was delicious!! My whole family loved it.
ingrid says:
July 23rd, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Mmmm, I’ve had fruit topped with sour cream and brown sugar. The brown sugar kinda melts into the sour cream. Even better if you use creme fraiche. :)
~ingrid
marné says:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Oh yum! Strawberries with cream and brown sugar is one of my favorite treats. Every now and then I’ll splurge and use creme fraiche, but I imagine the sour cream/heavy cream combination is just as good.
marné says:
July 23rd, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Ha ha, I just now read the previous comments, and I’m not so original with my brown sugar idea :o)
Ulla says:
July 25th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
that looks fab, and what a perfect way to compliment strawberrys:)
Dawn K. says:
July 27th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
I had never heard of this place until last week. I loved it and can’t wait to go back. The red snapper was fabulous and came with mashed potatoes AND rice! They served a jicama salad on the side and the guacamole was yum!
Kristal L. Rosebrook says:
January 23rd, 2010 at 6:59 am
Looks Great!