Strawberry Galette

I spy some green outside my door! The past week has brought warmer temperatures (finally!) and the first buds of spring popped up seemingly overnight. Hooray! Spring has finally sprung!

The first taste of warmer weather makes me excited for what's to come. I can't wait to rock my dresses again. I live for days I can throw open the doors and windows and let the breeze blow in. I long for evenings spent on the patio, book in hand, surrounded by green leaves and the beginning bursts of colorful flowers. (Until they inevitably succumb to the negligence of my black thumb...) I yearn for dinners on the grill and big bowls full of ripe, juicy, sweet berries. Oh, sweet delicious summer fruit, how I’ve missed you in the cold winter months.

Strawberries are by far one of my favorite fruits. I generally eat them sliced up and sprinkled with an ungodly amount of sugar. Lately, however, I’ve been enjoying them with just a drizzle of honey to enhance their natural sweetness. A bit healthier and a lot cleaner than my usual snack, and every bit as delicious.

And it makes the perfect base for a simple, rustic, no fuss dessert.

Think of a galette as pie for people who are scared of pie crust. No messing with pie plates or double crusts or crimping. Just roll the crust out flat and relatively round, throw some fruit in the middle and fold it up. No need for perfection here. It’s as easy as… pie. Or rather, pie’s calm, laid back brother.

The honey bumps up the strawberries’ natural sweetness, while balsamic vinegar adds a subtle layer of extra flavor. Wrapped in a flaky crust and drizzled with a little extra honey, it’s a heavenly way to welcome in spring.

Strawberry Peach Jam

I seem to be living a very eco-hippie life right now. Not really by choice either. My 16-year old car has recently taken to overheating to the point of smoke pouring from under the hood, and with my very limited (non-existent) budget, she’s been sidelined in the parking lot in favor of taking the bus to and from work every day. Yay public transit. And then there’s my washer. My free, hand-me-down, probably older than I am washer I acquired from a lady at work who was moving and couldn’t take it with her. After what I assume was a long and productive life, it’s finally given up. It doesn’t spin anymore, so there’s no real washing going on. With no way to get my clothes to a laundromat (because I’m NOT taking them on the bus), I’m hand washing my clothes in a bucket. Luckily my free, hand-me-down dryer from yet another coworker is still going strong, so the neighbors don’t have to see my unmentionables hanging out on my back patio to dry.

So I figure, while I’m embracing this forced hippie life, why not dive in even further. Let's take up canning! Because obviously, I needed a new hobby. (Right.) Now trust me, I had no interest in canning. At all. The thought had never even crossed my mind. But then I made my own barbecue sauce. And then Boyfriend raved so much about it, he wanted to give some to his brother and coworker for them to try.

It’s one thing to make a batch and put it in my fridge to use. I have a very high tolerance for expiration dates (I mean, those are really just suggestions, right? As long as it smells fine..), and if I make myself sick, well it’s my own fault for being stupid. And it's fine to give it to Boyfriend who used it on nearly everything almost immediately. It’s a completely different thing to give it to someone else who may or may not use it in a timely manner. And I don’t want to kill anyone with spoiled food. So I started Googling how to can homemade barbecue sauce. And found out just how easy it really is. Boiling water, a big pot, and some Mason jars. That’s really about all you need. Obviously there’s a bit more to it than that, but if you’ve got those, you’re nearly ready to can!

After my first BBQ attempt, I was hooked. I wanted to can everything in sight! With my aversion of all things veggie, the next obvious step was to make jam. Lots of jam. Blackberry, strawberry, cherry.. Jam, jam, jam! And it’s all so easy! I may never, ever buy jam at the store again. At this very moment, I have 4 different types of hanging out in my pantry. Which is perfect, since I'm living on a PB&J budget with my hippie ways.

Making and canning jam isn’t as scary as it seems. I went from thinking about canning, to reading books about canning, to actually canning my own jam in the course of an afternoon. 1 afternoon! The next morning I had toast and jam for breakfast. My own jam. That I made. Jam that spread just like Smuckers. And tasted just as good! If I can figure it out in my tiny little kitchen (and win a 1st place Blue Ribbon at the Ohio State Fair for my first attempt at Cherry Jam!), I have all the faith that you can too.

 

I wish I could go into all the details and specifics of the canning process for you, but honestly, I don’t really know them all. Which is why I haven’t progressed much past jam. (And because of that whole veggie aversion thing.) I will say that it’s very important to know the difference between water bath processing and pressure canning, and which you should use for your creations. Water bath processing is simply boiling the jars in water for a period of time. This method of processing is fine for fruit based products, such as jam, because the majority of fruit is high in acidity, which bacteria generally don’t like to hang out in. Boiling the jars will kill off what bacteria might still be hanging around. Pressure canning requires special equipment that uses pressure (obviously) to heat the jars to a temperature higher than boiling. Unlike fruit, veggies are generally low in acidity, which makes them perfect playgrounds for all kinds of yuckies that can make you sick. To kill the bacteria and prevent spoilage, you need heat that’s well above temperatures that boiling alone can reach, which is where the pressure canner comes in. There’s a bit more to canning than that, so I definitely recommend doing a little research before diving headfirst into it.

If you’re into the book reading thing, I highly recommend Canning & Preserving with Ashley English. This is the one I read nearly cover to cover before I started. It’s easy to read and understand, especially that science-y part about the pH levels (high vs low acidity). And of the 6 books I got from the library on canning, this is the one I liked the most. There’s also the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, which is written by the experts of all things canning, so you know they know what they’re talking about. If you’re more into the web surfing thing, check out the Ball website for quick reference on the basics of canning, as well as tons of recipes to get you started. So what are you waiting for? Go forth and jam!

Strawberry Fro-Yo Throwdown

I’ve perused a good share of ice cream cookbooks in my time. I even own a couple. There are some I like more than others, but there’s one single book I continually come back to time and time again. And I know I’m not alone in thinking this book is one of the top choices for ice cream making. I’ve used The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz for several recipes so far (Vanilla Bean, Peanut Butter, Cheesecake, "Hot" Chocolate), and all of them have come out great. I didn’t think I’d really find anything better out there—that is, until the owner of my absolute favorite ice cream shop, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, came out with her very own cookbook. Watch out David Lebovitz. You may have just been bumped from the top.

For those of you who aren’t from around the Central Ohio area, Jeni’s is a local favorite. Voted time and time again by local magazines and newspapers as the best ice cream in town (as well as ranking up there in the country by some national publications too!), everyone knows Jeni’s is the place to go. So I can’t even begin to describe how excited I was to know that with a new cookbook, I’d be able to make my favorite Jeni’s ice creams at home whenever I wanted! But how would it stack up to my current favorite ice cream bible? I’d just have to my own little ice cream throwdown to find out!

There weren’t many recipes that were exactly the same in both books, so I decided to adapt a recipe slightly from each book to create the same flavor. The beauty of the Jeni’s book is that the overwhelming majority of the recipes are made the exact same way every time, allowing for easy adaptation of flavors. I used the Frozen Yogurt base to create a Fro-Yo version of the Roasted Strawberries and Buttermilk recipe (minus the buttermilk) to pair up against DL’s Strawberry Frozen Yogurt, which I used roasted strawberries in as well. So how’d each contender in the throwdown fair?

First challenge: Preparation. The clear winner in this challenge is Lebovitz. It’s another “throw it all in a blender” simple kind of recipe. It’s very quick to put together, and doesn’t require a lot of prepwork. The most work that went into it was roasting the strawberries in the oven, which isn’t even in the original recipe. The Jeni’s recipe? It requires some planning ahead because you have to drain the yogurt overnight to get rid of a lot of the liquid. And it seems to use a lot of dishes. With DL, I used maybe 4 or 5 bowls and utensils total. Jeni’s left me with an entire sink full.

Next: Flavor. This one is honestly a toss-up. DL has a much bolder strawberry flavor than Jeni’s, but Jeni’s holds her own using subtlety as her strength. The strawberry flavor might be light, but it’s balanced perfectly with the slight tang of the combination of yogurt and cream cheese, Jeni’s secret ingredient. I really can’t call a clear winner in this round.

Finally: Texture. Hands down, Jeni’s got this one. It’s not even a contest between the two. While it adds to the prepwork of the recipe, draining the yogurt is actually a very important step. More liquid means more ice. Lebovitz’s recipe ends up a very icy, almost grainy texture, while Jeni’s is so smooth and creamy, it’s almost like silk on your tongue.

The big winner of the throwdown? I gotta give it to Jeni’s. There’s a reason why she has 8 shops in central Ohio, 1 in northern Ohio, has recently opened 2 in Nashville, and sells in retail stores in NYC. This stuff is the real deal. Easy prep is great and all, but no one cares how easy or hard it is to put together if the finished product isn’t blow-your-mind spectacular. And most of Jeni’s stuff is. But don’t worry The Perfect Scoop. You’ve still got a place on my shelf. I just might not be pulling you out quite as often as I was.

Tomorrow we're bringing Ice Cream week to a close with one of my favorite flavors! And maybe a little something special for you too. Be sure to stop by!

Strawberry Scones

I’m not a morning person. I don’t do well getting up before the crack of noon. I get home from work at nearly midnight, and usually don’t get to bed until at least 1am or later. Which means I sleep until at least 10am every day. But today? I was willingly up at 4am. The only thing that could get me up that early? Watching a real life fairy tale.

As part of a generation raised on a steady diet of fairy tales and Disney Princesses, the idea of a Royal Wedding fascinates me. How many little girls around the world have dreamed about finding Prince Charming and becoming a princess? How many not so little girls still try to emulate the ideal for their own special days? For those of us 30 years and under, this is our first real experience with a true Royal Wedding. Not just one we’ve seen in an animated movie. I think for a lot of people, Kate represents the little part of us that dreamed about what it would be like. Except she actually gets to live it.

The wedding itself didn’t disappoint. What can I say about it that hasn’t or won’t be said a billion times over? The dress—classic and stately—was beautiful. But come on. Kate could wear a garbage bag and still look elegant. (Although I won’t lie. Elaborate and a bit more over the top would have been okay in my book too.) The setting was GORGEOUS. Westminster Abbey just solidifies my love of Gothic architecture. The ceremony was lovely and the music was fantastic. (How much do you think it would cost to hire the choir of cherub faced little boys to follow me around singing all day?) And all the hats? Well, the British sure do accessorize. All of it was fantastic and so worth getting up well before dawn for.

To celebrate the Royal event, I made scones! Tender scones bursting with fresh strawberries and a hint of lemon, they’re the perfect toast to the newlyweds. They’re not too sweet, for those scone purists, but I might add a touch more sugar to it next time. Or at least sweeten the strawberries beforehand. I finally got to use the trick I saw in the America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book-- pressing the dough into a cake pan before turning it out onto a floured counter, making it much easier to shape and cut the scones! I think I’ll spend the day munching these and talking with a fake British accent. Now if only I liked tea and knew what the heck clotted cream was, I could feel like royalty myself. Cheers!

Red White and Blue Shortcakes

Growing up, and still to this day, my mom always made Strawberry Shortcakes with those prepackaged store-bought cakes. You know—the ones they stack right next to the display of strawberries. Those unnaturally golden sponges so laden with preservatives they could survive a nuclear holocaust. Essentially Twinkies without the cream filling. Well, these shortcakes here aren’t my mom’s Strawberry Shortcakes. These are the real thing. The way a Strawberry Shortcake should be. A baking powder biscuit, tangy with buttermilk, sweetened with a little bit of sugar, and laced with a bright pop of lemon zest throughout. It’s the perfect vessel to soak up all the delicious sweet juice of the berry mixture. It practically screams light summertime dessert. (Light in essence. Not necessarily in calories.)

Strawberry Cream Cake

I’ll make this short and sweet. Let’s just say the sunshine outside is making it impossible for me to sit still today, so I’ll get right to the point. This Strawberry Cream Cake? It should be called Strawberry Dream Cake. It’s amazing. And so easy! It may just be the perfect thing to grace your table for Easter dinner.

Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream
Adapted from Deliciously Golden
Makes 11 ½-cup servings

2 cups sliced strawberries
1 tablespoon sugar
2 ½ cups low-fat buttermilk½ cup strawberry puree
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest of 1 lemon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice

*Note: This actually made too much to fit into my ice cream maker, so next time, I might cut the buttermilk down to possibly 1 to 1 1/2 cups, and maybe add a bit more sweetened condensed milk (bring it up to a cup, maybe more) to give it a sweeter taste. (It was a bit too tangy for my liking.) I also didn't have a lemon to zest, so I did without, and just used bottled lemon juice.

1. Combine sliced berries and sugar in a small bowl and let sit, stirring occasionally until the sugar has begun to dissolve and the fruit is juicy.

2. Meanwhile, whisk buttermilk and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour into the canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. During the last 5 minutes of freezing, add the sliced berries. If necessary, place the ice cream in the freezer to firm up before serving.

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It's starting to feel more and more like summer. Everywhere you look things are vibrant and colorful, from green leaves to the splash of bright flowers being planted in gardens. The weather is getting warmer as the days get longer. Pools are filled and open, and soon the smell of suntan lotion will mingle with the aromas of fresh cut grass and barbecue in the air. It's summertime that always makes me yearn for a porch swing, a good book, and a tall glass of ice cold lemonade. It makes me nostalgic for childhood: playing baseball in the backyard, running carefree through the sprinklers, and riding my bike through the neighborhood. I love almost everything about summer. The only thing I can't stand--the heat. That's why you usually won't find me lounging around the pool. (And the fact that I fry like bacon in the sun, I hate swimming, and I don't want to subject innocent people to the sight of me in a bathing suit... but mostly the heat.) I'm usually the one hanging out in the shade, with my SPF 50 sunblock, enjoying the best part of summer--a great big bowl of ice cream.

This past weekend was Memorial Day Weekend: the unofficial start of summer. I think it's finally safe to put away my winter coat! (Although this is Ohio--a state known for her schizophrenic weather patterns. When an Ohioan says "wait five minutes, and it'll change," we're not joking.) To celebrate, I'm sure most of us fired up the grill. Boyfriend and I? We went to the Utica Ice Cream Festival about 40 minutes outside of town. Utica is home to the Velvet Ice Cream Factory. Mmm.. Both of us were off for the holiday, so we packed up, slathered on sunscreen, and hit the road for some tasty frozen treats! Honestly, other than the factory and a couple booths selling ice cream cones, a fantastic hot fudge sundae cake, and root beer floats, there really wasn't a lot of ice cream related things at the festival. But the whole festival/fair atmosphere, combined with the beautiful sunny day, screamed "SUMMER!" to me, so I was content. I was even inspired to present to you my first frozen dessert of the season! Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream!

I actually made this a few weeks ago, with what was left of my strawberries and strawberry puree from my Neapolitan Cupcakes, but I kept putting off writing about it. Between posts about Cupcake Camp and it's creations, and my IronCupcake: Earth entry, it kept getting pushed back. But finally! With summer so close at hand, it seems like the perfect time to share this incredibly easy treat! It took all of 35 minutes from start to finish to create this perfect refreshing snack--15 minutes of prep time, and 20 to churn! (And a good 8-10 minutes of that prep time was devoted to slicing strawberries and wrestling my ice cream maker off the top shelf. So really--5 minutes to put things together.)

It's really just a one bowl recipe. Whisk together buttermilk, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, lemon juice, and strawberry puree, and there you have it. Pour right into an ice cream maker, and you're on your way! Within the last 5 minutes of mixing, throw in your sliced strawberries, let it mix, and you're ready to serve! It'll still be sort of soft, so if you like your ice cream a little more frozen, or you're not serving it immediately, pack it into a bowl with a tight fitting lid and pop it into the freezer to firm up. I press plastic wrap right onto the top of the ice cream, so it doesn't get those nasty freezer burn ice crystals on top.

I fell in love with this flavor combination at a local ice cream shop. If you're anywhere near Columbus, you've GOT to try Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. It's amazing. I don't think I've ever tried a flavor that I didn't think was good. When I thought about how I was going to use up my leftover strawberries and puree from my cupcakes, the first thing I thought of was Jeni's Strawberry Buttermilk. I knew I probably couldn't find the actual recipe, but as long as I got the essence of it, I would be happy. I think this one did an alright job. My only complaint about this recipe was that it was too tangy from the buttermilk. It almost overpowered the strawberry flavor. It made too much to fit the whole batch into my ice cream maker at once, so I did half of it at a time. I'm glad I did, because after tasting the first batch, I was able to add more sweetened condensed milk to the 2nd batch to even out the flavors. That batch came out tasting really good!

This was so easy to make, and turned out to be really good! Not quite Jeni's, but then again, nothing ever will be. The standard is set too high. But it's definitely worth making. So if you find yourself in need of a cool, refreshing treat this summer, grab a bowl and come join me under the shade tree.

Neapolitan Cupcakes

Neapolitan Cupcakes
From How To Eat a Cupcake and Martha Stewart

Vanilla Cupcakes
Makes 12

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk

Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 12

Follow instructions for Vanilla Cupcakes below, but reduce flour to 1 1/4 cups, and add 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder. Whisk into dry ingredients.


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla, and mix until combined. On low speed, beat in half the flour mixture, followed by milk; end with remaining flour mixture. Mix just until incorporated (do not overmix).

3. Fill muffin cups with 3 tablespoons of each batter, side by side. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Strawberry Buttercream
Adapted from 125 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson
Makes enough to frost about 16 cupcakes

2 cups confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup strawberry puree
1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
Pinch of Salt
8-12 fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced, for decoration

1. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter until it is light and fluffy. Add strawberry puree, strawberry extract, and salt until well combined. Add sugar, a half cup at a time, and beat until frosting comes together and is light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes.

2. Spread or pipe frosting over cooled cupcakes. Top each with a sliced strawberry.

*Note: This only made enough to frost about 2/3 of my 2 dozen cupcakes. I had to make a batch and a half to frost them all.

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When I started thinking about recipes for Cupcake Camp, I was stumped. This wasn't just about me wanting to bake on a whim like I usually do. This involved planning and testing for perfect execution. The French Toast and Bacon Cupcake idea came rather quickly, so right away I had one of my two flavors down. What could I do for the other? Since I was taking myself completely out of my comfort zone with the bacon, I wanted something simple, yet unique for my other flavor. Something that I could just throw together and not have to really think about, so I could put all of my concentration into my over-the-top flavor. But not too simple, to the point of being boring and amateur. I was taking these to give to real bakers and cupcake lovers. I wanted to be taken seriously. I kicked around ideas with Boyfriend, but nothing stuck. I asked around on Twitter. Got a few really good ideas for things to make later, but nothing struck me as the one. So I asked around at work. As one of my coworkers was headed up the escalator, he shouted "Neapolitan!" Neapolitan? Hmm. Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry. Simple flavors. Good combination. Safe, yet unique. This could work. I think I've got my flavor! Now to figure out how to put it together..

Searching the web for the perfect combination of Strawberry, Chocolate, and Vanilla, I came across a recipe for Neapolitan Cupcakes on How to Eat a Cupcake. I love this blog! I think she's awesome, and I'm totally ready to live vicariously through her as she works on opening her own bakery. And her recipe for Neapolitans? From Martha Stewart. This has to be the best recipe EVER! I made sure to bookmark it and continued my search. I wanted to do a layered cupcake rather than a split because they were possibly going to cut the cupcakes at the Camp, as small as quarters. That meant possibly leaving out a whole flavor! So I set my sights on the best recipes of each flavor I could find. I decided to try to be ambitious and do a triple layered cupcake. It would be so pretty!

With recipes in hand, I set out for my first test. I was going to do a layer of chocolate across the bottom, vanilla in the middle, and strawberry on top! I crossed my fingers as they went into the oven. First attempt = the most spectacular baking fail I've ever had. The middle vanilla layer was now the top layer. The top strawberry layer had sunken into the middle, and was a disgusting brownish pink color. When I finally bit into it to taste test it--HORRIBLE! The strawberry layer wasn't even cooked, and the whole thing was completely inedible. So much for Round 1. Maybe three layers is too many. Maybe I'll just stick with 2.

Round 2 didn't go a whole lot better. The bottom layer, again, baked up over my top layer. I wasn't getting that beautiful, perfect division I was longing for. Maybe I'd just give up and try the split after all. Round 3: Trying for the split, and trying out a new recipe. What I did taste of the Round 2 mess was dry and crumbly. I wanted a soft, moist cake, so Round 3 was tested with a recipe using sour cream for both the Vanilla and the Chocolate flavors. Crossing my fingers again. And again--fail. The batters were too soft, and flavors bled into each other. This was supposed to be my safe, thoughtless flavor so I could concentrate on Bacon! The Bacon test went perfectly, and here I am, 3 Neapolitan tries later, and still not even close to something worth showing off to anyone but the trash can. I needed a thick batter that would hold up, in the split format for the perfect look.

So here I am. Back to the very first recipe I found when searching for Neapolitans: How to Eat a Cupcake's Martha recipe. And Round 4? Came out exactly how I wanted. Why did I not try this recipe first? How could I have possibly ignored both HTEAC and Martha?? I'm so ashamed. But at least I had my recipe finally. I decided to throw together a Strawberry Buttercream really quickly just to taste the combination together. I adapted the Maple Buttercream I was using for my Bacon Cupcakes, adding strawberry puree and extract instead of the maple flavoring.. and whaddya know? It's pretty good! Score! Got my frosting on the first try at least! My simple, thoughtless, throw-together recipe was finally in order, weeks later.

I baked my cupcakes the night before the Camp (they came out perfectly!) and frosted the morning of. I sliced up fresh strawberries to go on top, and packed them up to head off to the event. Time to put my baking to the test, and hand them over to the cupcake loving masses. Everyone there seemed to enjoy them! By the end of the event, they had vanished, so I'm assuming that's a good thing. Looking at the pictures from other attendees of the Camp on Flickr, I noticed a few of the to-go boxes had 1 or more Neapolitans in it, so I'm feeling pretty confident that at least a couple people liked them! Yay!

I've learned my lesson. If you find a recipe you think is the best recipe in the world, try that one first. Don't just save it and forget about it, because more than likely, that is the best recipe in the world. Could have saved myself weeks of trouble.. And entire boxes of butter. Well now that I know, I'll totally be making these again!

See how the rest of Cupcake Camp went, and check out the French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes!