Strawberry Salsa

This time last year: Sugar Snap Peas in Brown Butter

I hope you're as lucky as I am.  I mean, I hope that all of you have a friend, at least one friend, that you can count on and love and who thinks you're wonderful even if you say things that are in poor taste sometimes.  Also, for me, it helps if that dear friend loves food as much as you do!   Last week at my friend Sarah's cottage birthday party, I knew that we'd eat some great food and have some great laughs, the kind that can only come when you're re-telling the same story you've told for just about twenty years, and have maybe drunk a few mojitos.  I brought along some strawberry salsa....


Strawberry Salsa

1 pint Local Strawberries
1 medium Tomato
1/2 C. diced Onion
2 T. Chopped Cilantro
1 T. Chopped Mint
1 t. Sugar
1/2 t. Salt
1 t. Hot Sauce, or to taste

Dice the strawberries and tomatoes and combine with the rest of the ingredients.  The mint is really lovely, but could be left out if you can't find any (not a problem for anyone who's ever planted it.)

 Desperation Baked Tortilla Chips

We're short of snack food on purpose right now and it just wasn't going so well.  I remembered I had some corn tortillas in my freezer and made these.  Guess what?  They didn't suck AT ALL.  I'm going to be making these often.

6 Corn Tortillas
2 t. Canola Oil
1/2 t. Salt
1/2 t. Ground Cumin



Preheat the oven to 350.  Stack the tortillas and cut into sixths.  Transfer to a large bowl and drizzle the oil over.  Toss, then sprinkle on the salt and cumin.  Toss again and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes (chips will crisp as they cool).

Cilantro Avocado Dip with Yogurt

Can I convince you to try another guacamole recipe?  This one is so yummy!  "Some of the best guac I've ever had" says Sean Peori.

1 ripe Avocado
1/2 clove Garlic
1/2 t. Salt
1/2 C. Yogurt
2 T. Cilantro
1/4 C. minced Onion


Mash the avocado in a medium bowl.  Mince the garlic with the salt and add to the bowl.  Stir in the remaining ingredients and dig in.  This will keep quite well for a couple days with plastic wrap pressed right to its surface (the only sure way to prevent browning).

Strawberry Summer: Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

 This time last year: Steamed Lobster: A How-To Guide

My nephew Kieran and I have just returned from picking strawberries.  In fact, this year, I have picked strawberries three times, a chore I would not usually look forward to!  That's because I've finally discovered a lovely U-Pick just down the road.  I might have gone there sooner, but it's not set up like your typical berry farm.  First, you can't see the strawberry plants from the road.  Second, there's a sign outside the farmhouse, but until you work up the nerve to knock on the door, there's no one in sight.

Gatehill Farm is on a quiet dirt road on the North Mountain.  It's an old shingled farmhouse with a collection of outbuildings and it truly feels like you've stepped back in time when you pull into the driveway. Smoke curls out of the chimney, even in July.

 Gatehill Farm doesn't use chemical sprays, yet their berries are magnificent.  Some of the strawberries were the size of apples, and still they were amazingly sweet and delicious!  Another bonus of this U-Pick is that it's always cooler on the Mountain, so picking is a lot more pleasant than in the Valley.

Some of my haul this week went to the Cafe, where we decided that since everyone is just about sick of Strawberry Shortcake, we would do something a little different.  And so we made:

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake serves 12

These scones are adapted from EveryDay with Rachael Ray (hey, a good recipe is a good recipe).

2 C. Flour
1/2 C. Cocoa Powder (we use Just Us!)
1/3 C. Sugar
2 t. Baking Powder
3/4 t. Baking Soda
1/8 t. Salt
1 C. Butter, cut into pieces
1 C. Chocolate Chips
3/4 C. Milk
1 T. Vinegar
1 Egg
6T. Sugar, divided
2 Quarts Local Strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 C. Whipping Cream
1/2 t. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 400° and butter a baking sheet.  In a food processor, combine flour, cocoa, 1/3 C. sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the butter pieces and pulse until coarse crumbs form.  Place mixture in a large bowl and add the chocolate chips.  Mix the egg, milk and vinegar in a small bowl, then add to the flour mix and stir just until the dough comes together.  Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a 6 inch round, and place on the baking sheet.  Using a sharp knife dipped in water, cut each into 6 equal wedges, leaving them in place.  Sprinkle with two tablespoons sugar, then bake for 20-25 minutes, until firm in the centre.  Let cool, then break apart into wedges.
Combine the strawberries with two tablespoons sugar.  Whip the cream until soft peaks form, then add the remaining two tablespoons sugar and vanilla.  Split the scones in half and layer with the strawberries and cream.  The proper order is scone-berries-cream-scone-cream-berries in case you're unsure!

Strawberry Rhubarb Shortpancakes

 Here's a quick idea for you: instead of time-consuming, heat-up-the-whole-kitchen biscuit baking, thrill your family with strawberry shortpancakes for breakfast! Just make up your favourite pancakes and top with lightly sweetened strawberries and whipped cream.  Or, if you still have rhubarb, make this simple and delicious strawberry-rhubarb sauce!

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

1/2 C. water
1/4 C. Sugar
1 C. chopped Rhubarb
2 C. Strawberries, quartered



 Heat water and sugar in a medium saucepan over high heat until mixture boils.  Add rhubarb and cook for 2-3 minutes, until tender.  Remove from the heat and stir in the strawberries. 

I wish I had a picture, but we celebrated my cousin Melyssa's birthday with Strawberry-Rhubarb Sangria.  Just pour 1/4 cup of the strawberry rhubarb sauce over ice in a wine glass and carefully add equal parts club soda and Prosecco (or any sparkling wine) to fill.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch Cheesecake

Just as the first really hot days hit the Valley, so winds down the rhubarb. It sends up tall white flowers that quickly turn into brown seed pods. Meanwhile, the main season strawberries are just about hitting full peak. That little window in early to mid June is the Strawberry Rhubarb Season. Strawberries make rhubarb less puckery, rhubarb makes strawberry more intense, and the whole combination is rich and complex and just plain cussing delicious.
My mom and I just polished off an entire amazing quart in the time it took to drive from the stand into town. I have heard that strawberries naturally whiten teeth, but mine were pretty red. I wouldn't recommend using them as rouge or lipstick either, although my skin does have a refreshed and invigorated feeling.
Well, the word around here is that next week, folks picking strawberries will be making more per hour than I ever hope to. For many kids around here, picking strawberries is a lucrative first job. I did it, too. For one morning. My entire picking career netted me $15, which I don't even remember collecting. Strawberry picking involves bending down and picking fast. It's a buggy, sweaty, back-breaking kind of job, the kind I don't much go for.
I'll be in the kitchen making this Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch Cheesecake.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch Cheesecake Serves up to 12

Crust:
3/4 C. flour
1/2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. oats
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/3 C. butter
Using your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients until well combined. Reserve 1 cup crumbs in a separate bowl. Press remaining into a 9 or 10 inch springform pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Pretty Pink Filling:
4 C. Rhubarb, sliced
1 1/2 C. Strawberries, sliced
3/4 C. sugar
Bring to a boil in a wide pan and cook until juices have evaporated and mixture is the consistency of chunky jam.

Cheesecake Part:
1 lb. cream cheese
1 C. sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla
3 eggs
2 C. sour cream
1 T. cornstarch
Combine in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour over crust into pan. Place rhubarb filling by spoonfuls on top. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350, until center barely jiggles when pan is gently shaken. Cool and then refrigerate overnight.

Strawberries

I will admit it.  I've been known to buy strawberries in the winter.  I've even convinced myself that they taste good.  But they don't. 
Not compared to the lightly sugared local strawberries I ate last night on a pillowy little vanilla cupcake with whipped cream.  Not compared to the quart of strawberries I ate in the car on the way home to make the strawberry shortcake.  I love driving up the mountain from Morse's in Somerset, doling out one perfect berry at a time to the little strawberry lovers in the backseat.  By the time we get home, there are stems and stains everywhere, and we really don't care.  It helps that my car just reached the 300,000 kilometer milestone and that we live on a road so dusty that no one who lives there bothers to wash their vehicle.  Right about this week, strawberries will be everywhere in the Valley.  They will be lined up for sale from the back of pickup trucks and farmstands. They will be available, cheap, for those willing to spend the morning at one of the great U-Picks. But they may not be in your local grocery store.  All last season, our store had California berries for sale.  Wahhhhhhh.
I suggest totally pigging out on strawberries while they're at their best because frozen or imported just ain't the same. I love seeing the hand lettered posters advertising a "Strawberry Supper" at local church halls.  I imagined that it would be all-you-can-eat strawberry shortcake when I was little, but have since learned that a more sensible meal usually precedes the dessert.  That doesn't mean that I won't be making a meal out of it at home, though!  At the Cafe, we'll be offering them in fresh salads, in a beautiful little Strawberry Cream Pie, and in Strawberry Shortcake. 

Vanilla Cupcakes for Shortcake
Usually I make biscuits or scones for shortcake, but these are easy and delicious! 
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 C. oil
1/2 C. water
1 1/4 C. flour (go ahead and use whole wheat if you like!)
1/4 t. salt
1 1/8 t. baking powder
1 t. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Beat sugar and eggs, than add remaining ingredients and beat for 1 minute. Evenly divide between 12 muffin cups. Bake about 15 minutes, until skewer inserted in middle comes out clean.
Split each cupcake in half and top with lightly sugared sliced strawberries (how many is completely your call) and a little whipped cream. Repeat the layers, lick the spoon and serve!


Strawberry Cream Pie
Once you've eaten your fill of strawberry shortcake, try this. It's a little more complicated, but it's worth it. It's inspired by a recipe from the now-defunct Gourmet magazine.

1 baked graham crust in a pie pan
2 lb strawberries, hulled
1/3 cup sugar (use Just Us!)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 C. whipping cream, lightly whipped

Select 20 large strawberries as close to same size as possible and set aside. Cut remaining berries into 1/4-inch dice and toss with sugar and lemon juice. Let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Drain berries in a sieve set into a large glass measuring cup. Add enough water to measure 2 cups. Transfer liquid to a medium saucepan and reserve berries.
Sprinkle gelatin over strawberry liquid and let soften 1 minute. Bring to a bare simmer, stirring until gelatin has dissolved. Add diced berries, then transfer to a metal bowl set into an ice bath and stir frequently until mixture begins to mound, 20 to 30 minutes. Fold in the whipped cream.
Spoon 1/2 cup filling into piecrust and arrange reserved whole berries, stem ends down, on filling. Spoon remaining filling over and between berries. Chill pie until filling is set, at least 4 hours.