Festival of Strawberries

Strawberry Galette

What do you do when it’s peak strawberry season and you splurge on two whole flats?  Hold a festival of strawberries of course!

I think it’s funny that reciprocate was Merriam-Webster’s word of the day yesterday.  It was about 4 years ago that I asked Amberie on our first date.  Of course I took an interest in her, but by our third date I wasn’t sure if the feeling was mutual. My thoughts at the time went something like this: Did she say yes to our dates just to be nice?  Does she want to go on another date, or is she sending me a subtle hint to get lost?

It’s hard for us guys to read you girls, and sometimes we need a subtle hint to indicate that you’re interested in another date.  Well, Amberie made cupcakes one night after that third date and invited me over to try them.  That was a good way to reciprocate—I assumed that she wanted to marry me, and now we’re coming up on the second anniversary of our wedding.

And, fortunately, Amberie is still developing her talent for making deserts and sharing them with the people she cares about.  Last Saturday we picked up our two flats of strawberries* and Amberie set about preparing a strawberry galette, strawberry pie, strawberry cake, strawberry salad, strawberry muffins, and strawberry-peach soda.

I washed strawberries, and watched Amberie design this delectable desert celebration.  But here’s how you can hold your own festival of strawberries.

* The strawberries were from a local field in Chino, picked fresh that morning.

Strawberry Cake

Strawberry Cake

This recipe is from Martha Stewart and can be found at:

http://www.marthastewart.com/336020/strawberry-cake

• Yield Makes one 10-inch cake

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.
2. Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.
3. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.
4. Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days.

Peach and Strawberry Soda

Peach and Strawberry Soda

Giada De Laurentiis came up with this idea and it can be found at:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/peach-and-strawberry-soda-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup (6 ounces) frozen and thawed peaches (preferably with no sugar added) or 2 fresh peaches, peeled and pitted
• 1 cup (6 ounces) frozen (preferably with no sugar added) and thawed or fresh strawberries
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from1/2 large lemon)
• 1 cup sparkling water
• Ice

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes.

In a blender, combine the cooled syrup, peaches, strawberries, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Blend until smooth. Add the sparkling water and pour into an ice-filled pitcher.

Strawberry Galette with Meyer Lemon Curd in Rosemary Crust

Strawberry Galette

Amberie found this recipe on this blog called “Dishing Up Delights”

http://dishingupdelights.blogspot.com/2009/03/strawberry-galette-with-meyer-lemon.html
The recipe on the blog calls for thyme, but Amberie substituted Rosemary and it tasted great.

Strawberry and Lemon Curd Galette in Thyme Crust
(By Esi)

1 thyme pate brisee (recipe follows)
Lemon curd
Strawberries, sliced 1/4 inch thick (I used almost a pint, may vary depending on the size of the strawberries)
1 tablespoon honey
1-2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or water for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the strawberries, cornstarch, honey, and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside.

Roll out the crust to about 1/4 inch thick and about 8 inches in diameter. Top with a few tablespoons of lemon curd. Placed the strawberries on top of the curd in an even layer, leaving a one inch ring around. Fold the edges of dough over the strawberries. Brush the dough with the egg wash and bake for 20-25 minutes until the crust is browned and the center is bubbling.

Thyme Pate Brisee
(By Esi)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 stick butter
2-4 tablespoons ice water

Mix the flour, salt, and thyme in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to one hour.

Strawberry Salad

Strawberry Salad

This one is kind of self explanatory – even for me.  The recommendation that I’ve heard is that a balsamic vinaigrette dressing helps to bring out the flavors.

Strawberry Pie

Strawberry Pie

 

Amberie found this recipe in the following magazine:

Cooking Light Magazine, April 2000. Page: 196.

Crust:
50 reduced-calorie vanilla wafers
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
Cooking spray

Filling:
2 cups ripe strawberries
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 cups small ripe strawberries
1/2 cup frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping,
thawed and divided

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. To prepare crust, place wafers in a food processor, and process until finely ground. Add butter, 2 tablespoons sugar, and orange rind, and pulse 10 times or just until wafers are moist. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes; cool on a wire rack.

3. To prepare filling, mash 2 cups strawberries with a potato masher. Combine mashed strawberries and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Press the strawberry mixture through a sieve into a bowl, and reserve 1 cup strawberry liquid (add enough water to measure 1 cup, if necessary). Discard pulp.

4. Combine 2/3 cup sugar and cornstarch in a pan; add strawberry liquid, stirring well with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.

5. Arrange a layer of small strawberries, stem sides down, in the crust. Spoon about one-third of sauce over the strawberries. Arrange the remaining strawberries on top, and spoon the remaining sauce over the strawberries. Chill for at least 3 hours. Serve with whipped topping. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge and 1 tablespoon whipped topping).

 

 

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