Strawberries and Cream Bread

This is one of my favorite quick breads. Tender  and full of the sweet taste of fresh strawberries.  The batter will be very thick- don’t worry- it is supposed to be that way. When it cooks the juices from the fresh berries keeps it moist. I always end up making a double batch.One to eat fresh and one to give as a gift or freeze.

Strawberries and Cream Bread

1 ¾ c. flour

½ t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

½ t. each  cinnamon and nutmeg

½ c. butter, at room temperature

¾ c. sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

 ½ c. sour cream, room temperature

1 t. vanilla

1 c, fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped*

¾ c. chopped nuts, optiional

Grease an 8×4 inch loaf pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. Set aside. In small bowl beat butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat 1 minute. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until just moistened. Fold in strawberries and nuts and place batter in prepared pan. Bake 60-65 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. Makes 1 loaf. Freezes well.

*  frozen berries are not recommended in this bread.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

When strawberries are in season its a sure bet I’ll be making a pie with some of them. I use a lightly sweetened crust recipe, but feel free to use your favorite crust, or even a store bought one. It always makes a great impression.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Crust:

2 T. unsalted butter, room temp

4 T. shortening- you can use all butter, if you prefer, or even lard

2 T. sugar

1/4 t. salt

 pinch of baking powder

1 1/4 c. flour

2 T. milk

1/2 t. lemon juice

Cream together butter, shortening, sugar, salt, baking powder and 1/2 c. of the flour. Continue to add flour in small amounts, creaming each time and adding alternately with the liquid ingredients. Wrap and chill dough at least 4 hours or up to a week. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before rolling out. Roll out on lightly floured to fit 8 or 9-inch pie pan. Place in pan, trim off excess and flute edge. Chill 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 425-degrees. Line crust with foil and weigh down with pie weights, dry beans or rice. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.  

Filling:

1 qt. berries, washed and hulled

1 c. sugar

2 T. cornstarch

1/4 c. water

1 T. butter

3 oz. cream cheese

Whipped cream, optional

Set aside 20-25 berries to remain whole. Crush remaining berries and combine with sugar in small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and add to berry mixture cooking until thickened and clear, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Place mixture in strainer and press through at least 1 cup of glaze. Set aside. Combine cream cheese with the berry mixture that did not go through the strainer and spread over bottom of prepared crust. Dip berries in glaze and place whole berries, point side up, in crust. Drizzle over the remaining glaze and chill. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust

Dip berries in glaze

Place berries on cream cheese mixture

Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

It’s a bit of a stretch to call pineapples “white” but there aren’t a lot of white fruits out there. Bananas don’t hold  up well in fruit salad although green grapes could also be used. For that matter blueberries are more purple in color. But with all sorts of cookouts on the horizon fruit salad is always a good side dish to have around. It also can be a light dessert. This one takes a only few minutes to put together and will keep for several days. 

 Red, White and Blue Fruit Salad

1 large pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into cubes

1 qt. strawberries, washed and hulled

2 pts. blueberries, washed

Toss all together and chill about 1 hour before serving. Makes 8-10 servings.

Blueberry Ice Cream

I have been promising to post this recipe for a few days now. Once I remembered to put the bowl for the ice cream machine in the freezer the odds got better. Whipped up a batch this morning. Super creamy and good. Note: If you are lactose intolerant you can use almond, rice or coconut milk in this recipe. Also feel free to add flavorings. I added some vanilla extract to mine. While it is easier to make with an ice cream maker- you don’t have to have one for this recipe. Enjoy!!

Blueberry Ice Cream

3 c. blueberries

1 c. sugar

1/4 c. water

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 c. heavy whipping cream

1 c. half and half

Combine berries with sugar and water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Puree mixture and stir in lemon juice. Refrigerate until completely cool. Stir in the whipping cream and half and half and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Makes 6 cups.

Note: If you don’t have an ice cream maker, freeze in shallow trays and thaw a little before whipping with a hand mixer. Better if you re-freeze and whip again later.

Fresh Blueberry Jam

It’s that time of year again. Berries are starting to show up at local markets. I enjoy eating them fresh by the handful. I always put some fruit up to enjoy year round. I’ll dehydrate, freeze and bake with them. I also like to make jams, jellies and preserves. Today I made blueberry jam. Lots and lots of blueberry jam. It will make me think of summer some snowy days many months from now. It’s an easy recipe. Just 2 ingredients and some time. You can use other berries in this recipe- either alone or in combination with the blueberries.

Blueberry Jam

9 c. crushed fruit

6 c. sugar

Pick over berries getting any stems. rinse , drain and crush. Place berries and sugar in a large saucepan and heat slowly until sugar had melted. Bring up heat and cook over high heat, stirring often. Stir more as mixture thickens. It will take 20-30 minutes to get to the gel stage. To check for gel stage dip a metal spoon in blueberry mixture and hold it up sideways. Allow mixture to drip off and when two drops come together to form one larger drop- you are at gel stage. Ladle hot jam into clean, hot jelly jars. Fill to within 1/4 inch of the top. Wipe rims and place on lids prepared according to directions on box. Screw lids comfortably tight. Place jars in boiling water bath with water at least 1-2 inches over the tops of the jars. Cover pot and start timing when water returns to the boil. Process 15 minutes. Remove jars to towel, cutting board or cooling rack in a draft-free location. Check seals once jars are cooled. Makes 8-10 jelly jars.

Zucchini and Cheese Tartlets

Since zucchini are so prolific there never seem to be enough recipes for them. I like this one as an appetizer. You can bake up a big batch, bake and then freeze some for whenever you need them.

Zucchini and Cheese Tartlets

1 recipe of pie crust dough, enough for 2 pies, home made or store bought

1 medium zucchini shredded, about 1 1/2 cups

1 T. flour

1 c. shredded cheese- any kind you like. I like cheddar.

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 c. minced onion

1 t. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

hot pepper sauce to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut out circles of dough. Place dough circles in mini muffin pans. Press them in gently being careful not to tear them. Repeat with remaining dough and re-roll scraps. You’ll end up with about 3 dozen in all. If you don’t have enough pans, keep the extra dough circles under a towel or plastic wrap so they don’t dry out until you are ready to use them. In mixing bowl combine zucchini and toss in the flour. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Adjust seasonings to your taste. Place a rounded teaspoonful of zucchini mixture into each of the tartlet shells in the prepared pans. Don’t over fill. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on top. They will puff up while baking but flatten when cooling. Can be served hot, warm or at room temperature. Makes about 3 dozen.

Zucchini  and Cheese Tartlets

Can be frozen. To reheat take straight from the freezer and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven and bake for about 20 minutes, but check after 15 minutes.

Blueberry Syrup on Waffles

Blueberry syrup is one of life’s perfect joys. Sweet and full of the flavor of fresh blueberries it is the perfect topping for waffles, pancakes and French toast. It’s easy to make and while it keeps for weeks it is probably not going to last that long. 

Blueberry Syrup

4 c. blueberries

1 c. water

1 1/2 c. sugar

In saucepan heat berries and water to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Crush berries with a potato masher as they cook. Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer and press to extract all the juices. Return to pan and add sugar. Boil 2 minutes and strain mixture again. Cool, then refrigerate. Keeps a couple of weeks. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

fresh lavender

I love lavender. I love the color, the fragrance and the flavor. I just came in from harvesting lavender in my yard and it made me think of the ways I cook with it.  I’ve posted my recipe for lavender shortbread before and I admit to adding lavender to sweet dishes more often than savory ones. But I do love the taste with meat dishes, too. Lavender is one of the ingredients in Herbs De Provence. I thought I would make some and share my recipe with you. Try rubbing it on lamb before roasting or grilling. You can also make a marinade with Herbes de Provence and a little sherry and oil and add chicken breasts or pork chops and leave in the fridge for several hours or overnight before cooking. Really a wonderful way to make even an ordinary dish a little special.

Herbes de Provence

1 T. thyme

1 T. rosemary

1 T. savory

2 t. basil

1 t. lavender

2 bay leaves

Blend fresh or dried herbs until bay leaves are powdered. Rub this mixture on lamb, pork, beef, poultry, or fish. If using fresh herbs, make small amounts and freeze what is unused.

Roasted Chicken with Judi’s Herb/Spice Rub

With more outdoor cooking I thought I’d share a recipe for a rub I made the other day. I used it on a chicken I was roasting but the flavors would go well on pork, lamb, duck and even on veggies. I actually want to use it next on grilled eggplant and mushrooms. I hope you will try it.

Judi’s Herb/Spice Rub

Rub roasted chicken with sweet potato fries and salad