Strawberry season snuck up early on us and we have challenged ourselves to enjoy as many fresh strawberry recipes as possible during this short and especially sweet time of year.
Home grown strawberries need no embellishment. Picked and eaten right from the vine they are a gourmet treat. But, around here, we like to mix it up.
We celebrated a weekend birthday with fresh strawberry tallcake featuring a chocolate chip angel food cake we bought at an Amish bakery, a load of fresh strawberries, and sweet vanilla cream Molly whipped up for the occasion.
Last night we had the berry best salad you will ever eat. While I chopped up some leftover grilled chicken and tossed it with romaine lettuce, fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, feta cheese and ground almonds, Vinnie went to work with his Magic Bullet, a small blender/food processor that has changed his life.
A connoisseur of homemade salad dressing, Vinnie put together a garlic lime dressing that dressed our humble little salad to perfection.
We’ll keep you posted throughout our strawberry festival. Meanwhile, here are two treats to get you started.
Fresh Strawberry Tallcake
Angel Food Cake (We bought one. The strawberries are the real stars of this show)
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Chill a glass bowl. Pour in the heavy cream. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and whip until the cream forms soft peaks.
Wash, hull and half a pint of strawberries . Fill the center of the angel food cake with strawberries and mound them on top of the cake. Add a generous amount of whipped cream to the top of the strawberries.
Slice and serve. You can add strawberries and/or whipped cream to the plates as needed.
The Berry Best Salad You Will Ever Eat
One head Romaine lettuce washed and chopped
1/2 cup blueberries
1/3 cup raspberries
1/2 cup home-grown strawberries, washed, hulled and cut in half
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup ground almonds (We’ll use chopped or whole next time we make this. But, someone loves his Magic Bullet and we let him go to town.)
1 sliced grilled chicken breast
Toss these ingredients with Vinnie’s Garlic Lime Dressing
Vinnie’s Garlic Lime Dressing
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
Juice from 2 limes (About 1/3 cup juice)
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup diced onions
1/2 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
Add all ingredients to a blender, food processor or, if you’re lucky, the Magic Bullet. Blend and toss over your salad ingredients. Store leftover dressing in a covered container for up to a week.
