Strawberries are nature’s approach of welcoming us again to a different bountiful season of planting and harvesting. They’re like slightly reward — an amuse bouche, if you’ll — to thank us for our endurance throughout a protracted and barren winter.

And as is so usually the case at many tremendous eating places, the amuse bouche seems to be the very best a part of the meal.

Impressed by the little pink nuggets of culinary gold, I got down to make six recipes during which strawberries had been the star. They embrace an hors d’oeuvre and a salad dressing, a baked good, and two drinks (one boozy, one not) and a dessert.

Ordinarily, I’d save the dessert for final, however I need to inform you about it first as a result of I’m so enthusiastic about it. It’s a restaurant-quality dish (not surprisingly, it was created by a restaurant chef) and it’ll go away you the toast of your loved ones, buddies, and friends. It’s that good.

It’s additionally a bit of labor, to be trustworthy. However every a part of the dish is straightforward to make, and you are able to do most of it the day earlier than. After which, when you’re able to serve it, all you have got left is to whip up a easy sauce. After which flambée it.

Strawberry Flambée Over Lemon Ricotta-Crammed Crêpes is the type of dessert that will provide you with a lifelong repute as an distinctive prepare dinner. And all it’s a must to do is grasp three easy elements.

First, you make the crepes, that are only a skinny batter (flour, milk, eggs, melted butter) cooked briefly on a sizzling pan. Subsequent, you stir collectively a filling for the crepes (ricotta cheese, sugar, vanilla, and the zest of a lemon, and an orange).

Lastly, you make a sauce by heating collectively strawberries, sugar, orange juice, butter, and Grand Marnier. When the alcohol is sizzling, mild a match to it and watch the flames dance in delight. It must be spectacular, however within the model I made the flames had been slightly exhausting to see.

It doesn’t matter. The style was superb.

For those who want your strawberry dishes to be quick and straightforward, I like to recommend utilizing the fruit to make drinks. Hardly something on earth is extra refreshing.

Strawberry agua fresca is only a sweetened strawberry-flavored water, and it’s pleasant. It doesn’t take lengthy to make, however you do should let it sit for a couple of hours.

If you recognize it will be sizzling later within the day, or the subsequent day, I can’t consider something extra cooling. It’s the type of drink that can make you need to mow the grass within the sizzling solar simply so you may come inside and drink a tall glass of it.

If an grownup beverage is extra your model, nothing is extra summery than a frozen strawberry daiquiri.

You simply want rum, in fact, and strawberries, plus an extra-sweet easy syrup (it takes maybe two minutes to make) and a major splash of lime juice to convey simply the correct slap of tart citrus to the candy drink. Add a handful of ice cubes, throw all of it within the blender and you’ll have a calmly boozy slushie to recollect.

I’ve a selfmade salad dressing that I like, however it will be a waste of the season within the spring and early summer time to not make a dressing with strawberries.

The one I made was vibrant and filled with the flavour of strawberries. Together with the berries and olive oil — and salt and pepper, in fact — it solely requires the sweet-tart mixture of honey and apple cider vinegar.

The dressing tastes recent and pure, and it’s a very good approach to make use of strawberries which might be just a bit overripe. Better of all, it comes collectively in a matter of minutes.

You in all probability already understand how properly strawberries pair with balsamic vinegar; generally I simply combine the 2 and serve it over vanilla ice cream for an unexpectedly elegant dessert. However additionally they may be mixed for a notable hors d’oeuvre, particularly when paired with creamy goat cheese and deliciously crisp charred bread.

The key to Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta is that the balsamic vinegar is cooked till it’s lowered by about half, which makes it additional good as a result of it’s syrupy and intense in taste.

The lowered vinegar is combined with diced strawberries and spooned on prime of tangy goat cheese, which has been unfold on skinny slices of grilled or broiled French or Italian bread. I used a grill pan for mine; it’s a skillet with raised strains that mimic the impact of a grill when cooking on a range.

A light-weight sprinkling of recent thyme leaves is all of the bruschetta must tie the flavors collectively.

My remaining dish is a baked good that’s truly low in energy. Wholesome Strawberry Oatmeal Bars are made with butter, brown sugar, and entire wheat flour — together with old school rolled oats and strawberries — and but they solely have about 100 energy apiece.

Till you add a vanilla glaze. The glaze is optionally available, however you’re going to need to add it. Yum.







Strawberry daiquiri

Strawberry daiquiri. (Hillary Levin/St. Louis Publish-Dispatch/TNS)




1 ounce wealthy easy syrup, see observe

¾ ounce (1½ tablespoons) lime juice, freshly squeezed

4 to five giant strawberries

Add the rum, easy syrup, lime juice, strawberries and 5 or 6 ice cubes to a blender and mix till clean. Serve in a margarita glass or wine goblet.

Word: To make wealthy easy syrup, mix ½ cup sugar and ¼ cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high warmth. Prepare dinner, stirring, till combination turns clear. Cool to room temperature earlier than utilizing. Retailer in a clear jar within the fridge.

Per serving: 171 energy; 1 g fats; no saturated fats; no ldl cholesterol; 1 g protein; 18 g carbohydrate; 14 g sugar; 2 g fiber; 2 mg sodium; 20 mg calcium.







Strawberry vinaigrette

Strawberry French dressing. (Hillary Levin/St. Louis Publish-Dispatch/TNS)




1 cup strawberries, stemmed and chopped

5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the chopped strawberries, honey, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a meals processor or blender and puree till very clean, about 2 minutes. Serve instantly or retailer within the fridge for as much as 2 days.

Recipe from Southern Residing.

Per serving: 104 energy; 9 g fats; 1 g saturated fats; 0 mg ldl cholesterol; lower than 1 g protein; 6 g carbohydrate; 5 g sugar; lower than 1 g fiber; 300 mg sodium; 5 mg calcium.







Strawberry agua fresca

Strawberry agua fresca. (Hillary Levin/St. Louis Publish-Dispatch/TNS)




4 cups strawberries, sliced

8 cups chilly water, divided

1 lime, lower into 10 rounds for garnish, optionally available

10 mint sprigs for garnish, optionally available

In a medium bowl, combine collectively sliced strawberries, sugar and 1 cup of the water. Cowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Pour strawberry combination right into a blender. Mix on excessive till clean. Pour this combination by a strainer set over a big mixing bowl. Discard the pulp and seeds.

Add the remaining 7 cups chilly water to the pureed strawberries, and blend properly. Serve instantly over ice or refrigerate for a number of hours to relax. Garnish with lime rounds or mint leaves.

Per serving: 207 energy; 1 g fats; no saturated fats; no ldl cholesterol; 1 g protein; 54 g carbohydrate; 47 g sugar; 3 g fiber; 3 mg sodium; 30 mg calcium.







trawberry oatmeal bars

Wholesome strawberry oatmeal bars. (Hillary Levin/St. Louis Publish-Dispatch/TNS)




HEALTHY STRAWBERRY OATMEAL BARS

1 cup old school rolled oats

¾ cup entire wheat flour or all-purpose flour

1/3 cup mild brown sugar

¼ teaspoon floor ginger

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 cups small-diced strawberries, divided

1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided

For the optionally available vanilla glaze:

½ cup powdered sugar, sifted

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon milk (any type)

Place a rack within the middle of your oven and preheat to 375 levels Fahrenheit. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper in order that the paper overhangs two sides like handles.

In a medium bowl, mix the oats, flour, brown sugar, ginger and salt. Pour within the melted butter and stir till it types clumps and the dry substances are evenly moistened. Put aside ½ cup of the crumble combination, then press the remaining into an excellent layer within the backside of the ready pan.

Scatter half of the strawberries over the crust. Sprinkle the cornstarch evenly excessive, then sprinkle on the lemon juice and ½ tablespoon of the granulated sugar. Scatter ½ tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly excessive; you’ll have some fruit exhibiting by.

Bake the bars for 35 to 40 minutes, till the fruit is bubbly and the crumb topping smells toasty and appears golden. Place the pan on a wire rack to chill utterly.

When the bars are cool, put together the glaze: In a medium bowl, briskly whisk collectively the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk till clean. Add extra milk if you need a thinner consistency. Utilizing the parchment-paper handles, raise the bars from the pan. Drizzle with glaze, slice and serve.

Per serving (together with glaze): 127 energy; 5 g fats; 3 g saturated fats; 12 mg ldl cholesterol; 2g protein; 20 g carbohydrate; 10 g sugar; 2 g fiber; 22 mg sodium; 14 mg calcium.







Strawberry goat cheese bruschetta

Strawberry goat cheese bruschetta. (Hillary Levin/St. Louis Publish-Dispatch/TNS)




STRAWBERRY GOAT CHEESE BRUSCHETTA

12 slices Italian or French bread

1 pound strawberries, washed and diced

2 teaspoons recent thyme leaves, plus extra for serving

1 cup goat cheese, room temperature

Warmth vinegar in a small skillet or saucepan over medium-low warmth. Simmer till lowered by about half, 8 to 10 minutes. Enable to chill to room temperature.

Put together a grill, grill pan or broiler for prime warmth. Brush bread slices with oil and put aside. Mix strawberries and thyme in a small bowl and put aside.

Grill or broil bread till browned, about 3 minutes per facet (about 1 minute per facet if broiled).

Unfold goat cheese on toasted bread. Add salt, pepper and lowered vinegar to the strawberry combination. Spoon over the goat cheese-topped bruschetta. Garnish with extra thyme.

Per serving: 348 energy; 12 g fats; 6 g saturated fats; 17 mg ldl cholesterol; 15 g protein; 45 g carbohydrate; 9 g sugar; 3 g fiber; 990 mg sodium; 99 mg calcium.

STRAWBERRY FLAMBÉE OVER LEMON RICOTTA-FILLED CREPES

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1½ cups all-purpose flour

Cooking spray (or slightly extra butter)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups strawberries, hulled

½ cup recent orange juice

For the crepes: Put the milk and eggs right into a blender and mix them totally for only a few seconds. With the blender working at low velocity, add the salt, melted butter, and flour, in that order, by the feed gap within the blender lid. Mix till clean. Refrigerate, coated, a minimum of half-hour and as much as 4 hours.

Warmth a 6-inch nonstick skillet over low warmth. Spray it with the cooking spray or grease with just a bit butter. Pour a few tablespoons of batter within the middle of the skillet and swirl the skillet round to make 1 skinny, even layer of batter. The objective is to not brown the crepe however to prepare dinner it simply sufficient to flip.

As soon as the crepe will get lacy across the edges and pulls away from the skillet, about 2 minutes, use a spatula to flip the crepe over. Prepare dinner the second facet for under about 30 seconds, or by no means. Switch the crepe to a big plate and repeat with the remaining batter. As soon as the crepes are cooked, they are often stacked and wrapped in plastic wrap for future use.

For the filling: Put the ricotta, citrus zests, vanilla and sugar right into a medium mixing bowl and stir till clean. The filling could also be coated in plastic and refrigerated as much as in the future earlier than serving.

Preheat oven to 200 levels. Lay a crepe out on a clear floor, cooked-side down. Put 2 tablespoons of the filling within the middle and clean it out with the again of a spoon. Fold the crepe in half after which half once more into 1 / 4. Repeat the filling and folding course of with the remaining crepes and filling. Set the folded crepes on a cookie sheet and hold heat within the oven.

For the sauce: Warmth a big sauté pan over excessive warmth till heat. Add the sugar and strawberries and prepare dinner till the sugar begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Add the orange juice and Grand Marnier. Utilizing a long-handled lighter, very rigorously ignite the alcohol within the pan (stand again, because the flames might shoot up). As soon as the flames die out, stir within the butter.

To serve, organize 3 crepes on every of 6 dessert plates and spoon some strawberry sauce over the crepes.

Word: This recipe makes 18 crepes in a 6-inch skillet. Utilizing a 10-inch skillet will lead to about 6 or 7 crepes. The method is identical, however use about Ï cup of batter for every crepe, and fill each with Ï cup of filling.

Recipe from “My New Orleans: The Cookbook” by John Besh.





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