If you love strawberries, then you know that nothing
compares in texture or flavor
to a red, ripe succulent strawberry!
Some Strawberry Fact:
-
Strawberries were originally called "Strewberries".
They were called this due to the way the berries seem
to be just strewn about the leaves of the plant. -
Eight strawberries provide 140 percent of the
recommended daily intake of Vitamin C. -
Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the spring.
-
One cup of strawberries has just 55 calories.
-
The strawberry is the only fruit with the seeds
(on average, 200) on the outside of the fruit. -
Strawberries are grown in every state in the
United States and every province of Canada.
~*~
Strawberry Blossoms
12 large, fresh strawberries, rinsed
1 - 3 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tbsp sour cream
Remove stems from strawberries to form a flat base. Place berries
on cutting
surface, pointed end facing up. With a sharp knife,
carefully slice each berry in
half vertically to within a 1/4 inch
of base. Cut each half into three wedges to
form 6 petals. (Don't
slice through the base.) Pull petals apart slightly.
In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar
and sour cream; beat
until light and fluffy. With a pastry bag
and star tip or small spoon, fill strawberries
with cream
cheese mixture.
Note: A zipper sandwich bag can be used instead of
a pastry bag by filling with
cream cheese mixture and squeezing
out excess air before sealing. Carefully cut
one corner off of
the bottom
of the bag.
Variation: Use strawberry flavored cream cheese for
added sweetness.
~*~
Strawberry Leather
3 cups fresh strawberries *
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
Place strawberries in a blender and process until smooth. Measure
2 cups of
strawberry puree. Stir in lemon juice and corn syrup.
Line a 15x10 inch jellyroll
pan with heavy-duty plastic wrap and
tape plastic wrap to the pan at the corners.
Pour strawberry mixture
in prepared pan and spread thin, leaving 1 inch on all
sides. You
can adjust this to fit your dehydrator or another pan, be sure
it is spread
thin on the pan. Dry in an oven at 150 or a dehydrator
for 7-8 hours or until surface
is no longer sticky. Remove leather
from pan while still warm and roll up jellyroll
fashion. Cut into
logs and wrap in plastic wrap. Make five 2 inch logs
* Any other fruit may be used in place of the strawberries.
Recipe courtesy of Tawra Kellam of Not Just Beans http://www.notjustbeans.com
~*~
Layered Strawberry Cake
1 cup half & half
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
dash salt
2-8 oz pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 pint whipping cream
red food coloring (if desired)
1 pint of fresh strawberries, cleaned and sliced
Heat half & half in a saucepan until boiling, add butter and
set aside. In a bowl
blend sugar, vanilla and eggs, beat at high
speed until mixture is very light and
fluffy. In another bowl,
mix flour, baking powder and salt, add egg mixture, then
add half & half
mixture, mixing well after each addition. Pour batter into a well
greased and floured springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55
to 60 minutes,
or until toothpick inserted into center of cake
comes out clean. Cool slightly and
remove from pan. Let cool completely
then cut cake into three even layers. Brush
away any loose crumbs.
Whip the cream cheese until very smooth, beat in the
powdered sugar
and whipping cream, until mixture is creamy and fluffy. You may
add a few drops of food coloring if desired to tint frosting. Spread
frosting between
each layer, place sliced strawberries on each
layer. Then spread remaining frosting
on top and sides of assembled
cake. Garnish with strawberries on top and on sides.
~*~
Strawberries 'n' Cream Pizza
1-1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine, cold and sliced
1 cup chopped pecans
3 chocolate toffee candy bars
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 qt. fresh strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise
Frozen whipped cream topping, thawed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, butter,
and nuts;
mix until blended. Press mixture on bottom of 12-inch
pizza pan. Bake
10 minutes. Immediately sprinkle hot crust with
toffee, distributing evenly over
crust. Set aside to cool. Combine
cream cheese and powdered sugar; beat
until blended
and smooth. Spread evenly over cooled crust to within 1/2-inch
of crust edge. Arrange strawberries, cut-side down, in circular
rows over
cheese mixture. Decorate top of pizza with whipped cream.
Sprinkle with
crushed pecans if desired. Makes 8-12 servings.
~*~
Strawberry Squares
1 cup flour
1/2 cup crushed pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 cups sliced, hulled fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
For crust, in a bowl combine flour, nuts and brown sugar. Add
melted butter.
Toss to combine. Spread in a shallow baking pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20
minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally.
Spread 2/3 of the crust mixture in a
13x9x2 pan. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat 1/2 cup of the whipping cream until soft
peaks form.
Add the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Beat mixture
well. In another bowl,
beat the remaining 1 cup whipping cream
until stiff peaks form. Fold into the
strawberry mixture. Transfer
to prepared pan. Top with remaining crust mixture.
Cover and freeze
for at least 6 hours. Let stand at room temperature
for 15
minutes before serving.
Makes 9-12 servings.
Garnish with additional berries if you wish.
~*~
Strawberry Salad
4 cups torn salad greens
1 cup watercress
1 cup sliced, hulled strawberries
1/2 half of a small red onion, thinly sliced
Poppy seed Dressing (homemade or bought)
Edible flowers such as nasturtiums or chive blossoms
In a salad bowl, place greens, watercress, strawberries onion.
Top with dressing
and toss to coat. Garnish with edible flowers.
Chive blossoms and nasturtiums are
peppery in taste. If they are
not available to you, fresh mint can be used for garnish.
Caution: Be sure that all herbs and blossoms are free
of pesticides.
~*~
Strawberry Salsa
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint leaves
2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1 pint strawberries, hulled and chopped
1/4 cup diced pineapple
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
Combine oil, lime juice, vinegar, mint, cilantro, jalapeno, pepper
and salt in
medium bowl. Toss in strawberries, pineapple and onion.
Serve over grilled
chicken or pork.
Makes 2 1/2 cups.
~*~
Strawberry Muffins
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup skim milk, *see note
1/3 cup margarine, melted
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 egg white, lightly beaten
vegetable cooking spray
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
*note: add 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice to the milk, let sit
for 5 minutes.
Or substitute nonfat buttermilk.
Combine flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl, and stir
well. Add fresh
strawberries; stir well, and make a well in center
of mixture. Combine buttermilk
and next 4 ingredients; stir well.
Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
Divide batter evenly among 18 muffin cups coated with cooking
spray; sprinkle
1-1/2 tbsp sugar evenly over muffins. Bake at 350
for 25 minutes or until toothpick
inserted in center comes out
clean. Remove from pans immediately; let cool on a wire
rack.
18 servings.
Cindy Sanchez is the owner and editor of PracticalKitchen.com
http://www.practicalkitchen.com "Cooking Made Easy!"
