Vanilla Roasted Strawberries

1. Stage

Preheat the oven: Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425° F.

2. Stage

Prep the berries: Hull the strawberries (use a huller if you have one, or a paring knife if you don’t). To remove the stem and leaves from the berry using a paring knife, insert the tip of your paring knife as close to the stem as possible, and cut a narrow, shallow cone around it. Discard the stem. If the strawberries are large, halve or quarter them. You can leave smaller berries whole.

3. Stage

Combine strawberries with other ingredients: Put the strawberries in a 9x9-inch shallow, non-reactive baking dish (ceramic, enameled, or Pyrex are good choices). Add the sugar. Cut the vanilla bean in half vertically with a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds; add the seeds and the scraped-out vanilla bean to the berries. Toss to combine.

4. Stage

Roast the berries: Place the dish, uncovered, in the oven and bake for 30, stirring after 15 minutes, if you remember. The berries will collapse and lots of juice will rapidly bubble all around them.

5. Stage

Cool: Cool to room temperature; everything will thicken and become jammy as it cools.

6. Stage

Store: Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week. Leave the vanilla bean in there so the flavors both deepen and mellow as it all sits. Serve over cakes, ice cream, yogurt, or spoon into oatmeal.