400g strawberries
Syrup
zest of an orange
zest of a lemon
1/2 a vanilla pod
3 peppercorns
150g of sugar
1 litre of water
80g hibiscus flowers

In a heavy saucepan, bring the water and sugar to the boil. Add the orange and lemon zests, as well as the pepper and the vanilla. Let it boil until you get a syrup. Take off heat, add the hibiscus flowers, then return the pan to the heat and bring the mixture to the boil again. Allow to cool in the fridge.

Wash the strawberries remove the stalks and hull, then cut them into pieces and place in bowls. Pour the hibiscus syrup through a conical strainer, soaking the strawberries. Serve.

Alain Passard, 44, whose £100 a head Arpège restaurant in Paris's seventh arrondissement was awarded the Michelin guide's ultimate accolade in 1996, said he was concerned by 'the turn our food is taking' and would devote his menu to vegetables, with the odd bit of poultry, from this spring. There is still the odd meat dish on the menu, and the Guardian's Matthew Fort only saw fit to give the restaurant 15/20 on a recent visit. Find more recipes by Alain Passard at www.alain-passard.com.

Originally taken from 'Have the French lost their appetite?', Observer Food Monthly June 10 2001