May is here — are you craving strawberries, or did you start strawberry season early this year, and are you already getting bored with them? Did you try any of last week's savory strawberry dishes, or did you scrunch up your nose and decide to hold off until I got to desserts?
Well, here they are, three sweet ways to use strawberries so you can enjoy them in new ways before they start molding in your refrigerator. Be vigilant — check those strawberries daily and make sure they're dry when you put them in the refrigerator. Some people say putting them in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid before they are washed or cut helps prolong their shelf life even longer.
Now, for how to use the strawberries. First up, I have a pretty simple recipe for a strawberry soda float. The strawberries are boiled in sugar water to make a strawberry syrup, which you must then cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours, so plan ahead, then you pour some club soda in a glass (with ice if you prefer), add the syrup to turn it magnificently and naturally pink, then top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I like that it's simple, old-fashioned, and yet probably totally new to today's youth.
Next up, a chocolate strawberry slab pie. This one takes a couple of steps, but I thought it was pretty unique. Slab pie pretty much means that you make a pie crust but then skip the step of transferring it to a pie plate, and instead leave it flat with just a bit of folded edge along the rim. You prebake the crust, then add strawberry jam, then make a chocolate meringue that goes on top of that, cook it a bit longer, then let it cool for 45 minutes before adding the final fresh strawberries and optional pine nuts and chocolate shavings to make it a show stopper. None of these steps is very hard, but added up together, it's going to take a little more time than a simple strawberry pie.
And finally, a strawberry crepe cake. This is another easy one, technique-wise, but the assembly may take some time. The recipe is for homemade crepes, which you layer with homemade whipped cream and very thinly sliced strawberries. This would be an amazing birthday dish for someone with a May birthday.
Enjoy!
Strawberry soda float
16 ounces cold club soda
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
For the strawberry syrup:
12 fresh strawberries (rinsed, hulled, and cut into ¼-inch cubes)
5 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
To make the strawberry syrup: Three hours ahead, in a medium pot over medium heat, add strawberries, sugar and water. Bring to a boil and reduce to medium-low heat. Cook until the strawberries are soften, about a few minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Once cooled, transfer to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Keep in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
In two tall glasses, place half of the syrup in each cup. Pour 8 ounces of club soda into each cup. Mix with a spoon. Top each drink with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Serve immediately.
Note: if you have crushed ice, you can add some too. Ice cream will go on top of ice.
Source: themissinglokness.com
Chocolate strawberry slab pie
For the pie crust:
1 cup of all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon of salt
7 tablespoons of chilled butter
3 tablespoons of ice water
For the filling:
6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 egg whites at room temperature
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar
¼ cup of granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup of chopped pecans
1 cup of sliced strawberries (use more or less to suit you)
¼ cup of strawberry jam
Handful of toasted pine nuts (optional)
Chocolate shavings and sea salt to garnish if desired
Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and sprinkle them over the flour. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs and the largest pieces are the size of peas. Add the ice water and blend with a fork until the dough is just moist enough to hold together when pressed.
Gather the dough into a ball and knead it just enough to hold it together. Pat the dough into a small oval shape and cover it with some plastic wrap and refrigerate for about a half an hour.
Place the rack in your oven to the lower third position in the oven and preheat it to 400 degrees. When you are ready to make the pie, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it measures roughly a 9- by 14-inch oval. Carefully fold it in half. You may have to use your bench scraper or palette knife to gently loosen the dough from your surface. Place the dough on a baking pan lined with a piece of parchment paper. Loosely fold and roll the edges to form a rimmed crust. Bake the crust for roughly 12 minutes, or until it is very lightly golden brown.
Remove it from the oven and immediately spread ¼ of a cup of strawberry jam on top. Cover the entire crust to the edges with the jam.
Melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water until it is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool for a bit.
Slip the whisk attachment onto your electric mixer. Whip the egg whites, vanilla and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add the granulated sugar and then the pinch of salt. Continue to whip until the egg whites are stiff but not dry. Fold in the chocolate and pecans and spread this over the strawberry jam layer on your crust.
Continue to bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the chocolate seems dry and slightly cracked at the edges, watching closely from 10 minutes on. Remove from the oven. Let set for a good 45 minutes to 1 hour after you've removed it from the oven. Top it with sliced, fresh strawberries and a handful of pine nuts, if desired. Garnish it with shavings of chocolate.
Source: www.asaladforallseasons.com
Strawberry Crepe Cake
For the crepe batter:
2 eggs
1 2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons butter melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
For the filling:
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 pound strawberries
Heat the milk until just warm. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and sugar.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and add about 1/3 of the milk. Whisk to combine. Add the flour in 1/3-1/2 at a time, whisking to fully incorporate. When batter is mostly smooth, add the rest of the milk, and mix. Add the melted butter and vanilla, and whisk to combine. Strain the batter through a mesh sieve into another bowl, to remove lumps. Allow to set in fridge for about half an hour.
Whip the cream with the sugar until medium stiff peaks form. Slice the strawberries as thin and evenly as you can, or use a mandolin to slice them. You may want to leave a few strawberries, for garnish, as you may not need the entire pound for the layers (depending on how many layers you make).
Heat a nonstick skillet to medium heat. Pour about 3 tablespoons of batter and swirl around until you have a thin circle. Wait a minute or two until you are able to flip. When cooked through, remove from pan and place on a plate. Repeat with remaining batter. Have a couple of plates out, so you don't stack the hot crepes right on top of each other. Once they are cooled a bit, you can layer them.
To assemble: On the first crepe, spread a thin layer of whipped cream and a layer of strawberries. Place another crepe on top and repeat until you get to the final layer. Before setting the final crepe on top, cover the last strawberries with another thin layer of whipped cream. This is to keep the strawberries from showing through the top layer. Garnish cake with whipped cream and strawberries, if desired.
Source: www.contemplatingsweets.com
