F*R*E*S*H STRAWBERRIES
Although available in markets all year, it’s almost time for the local field crops of this early warn weather fruit to be harvested. If you live near a DIY picking site, you know what a fun job that can be for kids. They are so proud of their haul and want to be part of its presentation to the rest of the family-at least for the first time.
As with all things concerning children, safety becomes a factor in deciding how to prepare the strawberries for that first meal. Add to that, if you were the adult out picking the berries with the kids, after sorting and cleaning the fruit, you probably don’t want to delve into an involved dish either. Finally, with produce fresher than that in any market, it’s a shame to subject it to a recipe which detracts from the freshness, and that includes cooking them.
I’ve written lots of posts on strawberry desserts for spring, but this is different. This post addresses ways to serve fresh berries raw, with a minimum of handling. These recipes highlight freshness, are low energy, safe for children to participate and absolutely delicious. In other words; Winners!
But first you have to sort the berries. Choose the best ones to use fresh first. Place them, unhulled, in a bowl of cold water, and spread the rest in as large and flat a container as will fit in your fridge, a sheet or roasting pan, separating the layers with wax paper. They will stay fresh for about 3 days. Strawberries don’t freeze well raw. The ice crystals which form from the water in their juice dilutes it, then quickly drains during thawing, leaving a pulpy mass. However, they do well cleaned, hulled, sliced and cooked in compote or made into jam. See recipes below.
Swish the berries you selected to use in the water and air dry on paper towels. Chill but don’t hull until just before serving, unless marinating them. Then follow the directions in each recipe for handling them. Children can wash and dry the berries, be taught to hull them with a fingernail, help with placement and garnishing. Knife and cooking tasks can be assigned age appropriately.
I have many posts on spring desserts, most of which contain berry recipes. Some of the more recent ones are April 9, 2020 April 1, 2021 June 16, 2022 and for puff pastry May 24, 2012 .For additional suggestions go to the site Archives or scan the Home age panorama.
RECIPES: Before printing the actual desserts, I am giving these 3 recipes. The first is for an all-purpose frosting -filling which is a favorite of mine because it’s less sweet. The second is for equally multi-purpose strawberry compote and the third is for a modernized, easier temperature stable, longer lasting solution for the excess berries you picked
1).Easy Cream Cheese Frosting, Filling or Topping : Yield about 2 cups*
(1) 8 oz. tub non-dairy whipped topping
(1) 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
Flavoring extract optional
Beat the cheese and topping together until smooth. Optionally add flavoring to taste. Spread with a cake spatula.
2).Fresh Strawberry Compote: Servings 4- From-
https://midwestfoodieblog.com/super-simple-strawberry-compote/
1 lb. strawberries
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon zest- optional
Add berries, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a medium sauce pan. Stir to combine and cook over vanilla ice cream, waffles or as suggested in recipes above.
Store in airtight containers. Lasts 1 week in refrigerator and several months in freezer.
3).6 Minute Preserves: Yields 5-6 cups preserves- A simple colonial recipe that still works
6 cups strawberries- hulled
6 cups sugar
4-6 Tbs. lemon juice
Wash the berries by placing in a colander and dunking up and down in a large pot of water. Do not let water run over the berries. Place the colander in a large container and cover with boiling water and let stand 1 min. then drain well. This allows the berries to absorb the sugar. Place the berries in a 6-8 quart kettle with half the sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a rolling boil, one that can’t be stirred down and cook 3 min. Remove pot and skim. Add the rest of the sugar, repeat the process. Remove from the heat and allow to stand overnight, occasionally pushing the berries down into the syrup. If the growing season was rainy, or the syrup seems too thin, boil again for 1-2 min. When completely cool, seal in sterilized jars or paraffin covered jelly jars. Keeps for months in a cupboard.
NOTE: This can also be used as a compote or sauce.
DESSERTS
Strawberries Romanoff: Serves 6-8 A traditional, elegant dessert, but so easy it seems like cheating.
2 pts. Ripe strawberries
2 cups + 2 Tbs. sugar
1/3cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau
Peel of 1 orange- with no pith attached, in thin 1 inch long strips
¾ cup heavy cream
Wash, hull and dry the berries; place in a bowl with 2 cups sugar, orange peel and liqueur. Stir gently and refrigerate for several hours. Whip the cream with the 2 Tbs. sugar and chill. Serve berries in individual dessert dishes and pass the cream on the side.
Berry Napoleons: Serves 4-6
1 sheet puff pastry – rolled out to 9 x 12 inches
1 pint fresh berries of choice
1 ½ cup heavy cream or 2 cups whipped topping, or ice cream
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the dough into (12) 3 x 3 inch squares. Bake on the paper in a preheated 400deg oven for 15 min. or until golden. Cool and store air-tight if not to be used at once.
TO SERVE: Whip cream if using. Lay a square of pastry on a plate, place a portion of the cream then berries on top. Place the next piece of pastry on an angle on top. If serving 6, garnish with powdered sugar. If serving 4, repeat layers, placing the top piece of pastry at another angle, garnish with powdered sugar
Angel Nests: Serves 6-8
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs. flour
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla or almond flavoring.
2 drops of white or cider vinegar
Beat the egg whites into peaks, adding the vinegar to temper them half way through, then the
flour and the cornstarch, finally the sugar in 3 parts while beating until stiff glossy peaks form. Draw an 8 or 9 inch circle on parchment or waxed paper. Put the paper on a cookie sheet and fill
the circle, with the beaten whites, using the back of a fork to indent the center and raise the sides to form a nest. Bake at 250 deg. for 60 min. Leave in oven for 30 min. then cool on a wire rack and store airtight. To serve, fill the center with fresh berries.
* The Nests can also be made in single serving size and filled with sliced berries. Or simply cook the meringue in 6-8 inch circles and layer with sliced or whole berries and whipped cream or ice cream.
**To learn more uses for Meringues go to the post for May 16, 2019
Strawberry Pizza; Serves 14-16
7 cups fresh strawberries – washed and hulled
1 roll shortbread cookie dough
¾ cup apricot jelly + 3 Tbs. water
2 cans whipped cream
(1) 12 inch pizza tin
Roll out the cookie dough to fit the pizza tin, leaving a bit of an edge to fold over making a rim, if possible. Prick a few times with a fork, cover with waxed paper and pie weights (raw rice will do), and bake according to package directions. When cool, place the fruit decoratively over the top, slicing any large strawberries so they appear of even size. Melt the jelly in the water over low heat until it’s a smooth liquid. While still hot, spoon evenly over the fruit to give a glazed appearance. Chill well and serve with whipped cream topping.
Wonton Strawberry Cups: Serves 12
12 wonton wrappers
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup neutral flavor jelly (apple, apricot) or cheese frosting from recipe
3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced with 12 left whole or halved to top filling
Whipped cream and fresh mint, optional garnish
Brush one side of each wonton wrapper with butter. Place brown sugar in a shallow bowl; press buttered side of wontons into sugar to coat. Press wontons sugared side up into greased muffin cups. Bake at 325° for 7-9 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of cheese mixture* or jelly into each wonton cup. Top with strawberries. Garnish with whipped cream and mint if desired.
Strawberry Shortcake: This can be made using the cake rounds sold in supermarkets or with homemade biscuits from this recipe:
Biscuits: Yield 12
2 cups flour
1 cup milk
2 ½ Tbs. softened butter
4 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 Tbs. granulated sugar
Cinnamon
Mix first 5 ingredients well with a spoon. The dough will be moist and sticky. Drop by soup spoons onto a lightly greased baking sheet in 12 well separated mounds. Sprinkle top with granulated sugar and cinnamon. Bake in a preheated 400 deg. oven 15-17 min. until bottoms have tanned edges. Remove from pan with a spatula and allow to cool completely on a rack. Store covered.
Strawberry Filling: Allow 1>1 ½ cups berries per serving. If serving soon, reserve a few berries for decoration. Slice berries in a bowl, add enough sugar to sweeten and leave to marinate at room temperature until juices form syrup, then chill until serving. If making ahead, per 2 cups berries, combine berries with ½ cup apple juice, 3 Tbs. lime juice and just enough sugar to sweeten in a saucepan. Stir over to low heat just until berries soften, cool and chill until serving.
Easy Berry Angel Cake: Serves 4-8-12 depending on size of cake
This a quick, elegant answer to the problem of providing a nice dessert when there isn’t time to prepare one from scratch, and a tasty end to a meal anytime.
1 Angel Food cake – purchased or made from a mix—Pound cake will work as well.
1 recipe strawberry compote or shortcake filling (above recipe)
2 cups cheese and topping frosting*
Cut the cake into 3 layers using toothpicks, a ruler and a knife. Select, and put aside a few choice berries to use as garnish. Spread the cheese-topping mix on the three cake layers and spoon the compote or shortcake filling over, ending with a drizzle of compote on top then garnish with the reserved berries. Store chilled.
Crazy Cake with Strawberry Topping: Serves 6-8
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
3 Tbs. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
Sift dry ingredients into an ungreased 10”x2”cake pan. Make 3 deep indentations in the top of the mixture fill them with:
3 Tbs. oil
1 Tbs. vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
Pour over 1 cup coffee or water, mix well with a fork and bake in a preheated 350 deg. oven 35-40 min. Cool and top with cheese-topping mix* and strawberry compote or shortcake filling. Store chilled.
If you want to include fresh strawberries in a special occasion, this ice cream cake is a great project to make with children and have ready in the freezer. It can be made from any appropriate combination of cake and ice cream flavors and garnished with either the compote or the shortcake filling.
My Ice Cream Cake: **Serves 8-10- This cake can be made in many flavor and color combinations
(1) 2 1/2 quart freezer proof mold or large round, deep mixing bowl
2 Layer pans, or 1 sheet cake pan to bake the cake
1 box of cake mix, cooked according to directions, cooled and removed from the pan(s)
½ gal—Or 1.5 qt. container ice cream.
Bake the cake according to box directions, remove from pans and allow to cool, then break or cut into very large chunks. Soften ice cream to consistency of whipped topping. Rinse bowl or mold with water and shake out excess but do not dry. The film of water freezes and forms a protective coating on the container that makes it easier to unmold the finished dessert. Smear a dollop of softened ice cream over the bottom of the mold. If it has a decorative top be sure to fill it all in. Then smear a thin film of Ice cream over the insides of the mold and chill until set. Begin to fit chunks of the cake into the mold in layers, separating the layers of cake and the pieces of cake in the layers from each other and the sides of the mold with enough ice cream so that they don’t stick together or become exposed when the dessert is unmolded. Leave a thick enough layer of ice cream on the bottom of the mold to form a firm base when plated for serving. Freeze the mold for several hours or overnight. Remove from freezer and dip the mold in a larger bowl, or pan, of hot water, for the count of ten (10). Cover the bottom with a serving plate and invert to unmold. Serve at once or store in the freezer until needed.
Pass any appropriate toppings: whipped cream, wet nuts, sauce, fruit etc. on the side.
