Bite Of Minnesota: Strawberry Goat Cheese Squares

Last week I roasted rhubarb, strawberries and figs and used it all week as a yogurt topping. The rhubarb was found at a local market but the strawberries and figs were from the grocery store, likely from California. Little did I know that our strawberry season was right around the corner and if I had just waited a week, I'd be neck deep in local strawberries.

On Sunday morning I made a mad dash for Lorence's Berry Farm in Northfield and picked 16 pounds of strawberries just before a storm came through. The fields had plenty of berries to pick and they were large, juicy, and delicious: perfect for eating on the spot. While most of my picked berries will go into the freezer for later use, I keep a few fresh pints for fun desserts, like these Roasted Strawberry Goat Cheese Squares from The Kitchn.

They were super easy to make and while I could have used my roasted fruit mix from last week as the topping, I stuck to the recipe and had excellent results. The only thing I changed was to reduce the roasting time from 40 minutes to 20 minutes in an effort to keep the strawberries from turning into mush.

Most strawberry farms will be open for picking this weekend and will continue into the 4th of July weekend. I've stuck to Lorence's over the years because it's easy to get to and I know what to expect. However, there are plenty of other farms that can be found on this Pick Your Own website. Happy picking!