Showing posts with label strawberries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label strawberries. Show all posts
Today is Canada Day in Canada, or what used to be called Dominion Day! All over the country people will be gathering together to celebrate our country's birthday! There will be BBQ's, Picnics, fireworks, and much celebration.
This Strawberry Pretzel Salad is the perfect dessert to serve for such an occasion! In a few days it will also be the 4th of July which is the American Independence Day celebrations and they will be celebrated in much the same way!
In many communities which border both countries, the two holidays will be combined into one slap bang celebration! In any case living in two such beautiful countries is a cause for celebration any time! We truly are blessed and the flags will be flying!
As I said Strawberry Pretzel Salad Recipe is the perfect dessert to serve. Not only is it delicious, but it can be made well ahead of time. This recipe I am sharing with you today has been adapted from one I found on Spaceships & Laser Beams.
The original recipe served 12 people. I have downsized it to serve only 6, which is still plenty big in my opinion. When I get together with my family there are usually only four of us!
I also adapted it to use all natural ingredients. The original recipe used Cool Whip which is a frozen whipped dessert topping that you can buy here in Canada. It is made from petroleum by products, and that doesn't sit well with me. I would rather use real whipped cream.
Holidays aside, this is the perfect recipe for this time of year. It is strawberry season and the local berries are coming in fast and furious. I wait all year for strawberry season. I have made it a habit not to indulge at any other time of year.
Strawberries out of season are always lackluster in my opinion. They just don't taste right. Their flavor is pale and anemic in comparison to in-season berries. There is just no comparison. This means that, living in a Northern Temperate climate, I only eat fresh strawberries in June and July! It was the same in the UK.
I don't know why this is called a Salad. Its obviously not a salad. Its a dessert, and a most delicious one at that. If you know the answer to this question, please enlighten me!
Its actually one of those retro desserts, like Watergate Salad, that goes way back. Salad or dessert, it matters not. What only matters is the taste and this one is delicious!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD
Very simple ingredients. There is nothing complicated here. There are three levels/layers to this simple and tasty summertime dessert.
For the base:
- 1 3/4 cups (210g) crushed mini pretzel twists
- 6 TBS (85g) butter, melted
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
For the filling:
- 6 ounces (170g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
For the topping:
- 2 cups (400g) fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
- 1 (4 serving size) strawberry fruit jello (jelly)
- 1 cup (240ml) boiling water
- 1 cup (240ml) cold water
I find the easiest way to crush the pretzel twists is to pop them into a zip lock baggie and then give them a good bash the the side of a rolling pin. You could use a food processor as well, but I like my base to have a bit more texture.
In the UK you can use the Hartley jelly mix. Strawberry flavor.
If you are watching your sugars, by all means use a sugar free jello mix. There will still be sugar in the base and filling, but you will have cut your sugar down by a third, which is something at least.
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD
It is really quite an easy make. It might seem long, but that is only because you need to let each layer set up a bit before you add the next, and the baked base must be completely cold before you add the other layers.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch square baking tin.
Crush your pretzels and mix together with the sugar and melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of the pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
Whip the cream cheese together with the sugar and vanilla until smooth and well amalgamated. Whip the cream until stiff. Fold into the cream cheese mixture thoroughly and then spread on top of the cooled pretzel crust. Place in the refrigerator to chill for half an hour.
Mix the jello powder with the boiling water, stirring to dissolve completely. Stir in the cold water. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes. Fold in the strawberries and pour this mixture carefully over the cream cheese filling in the pan.
Return to the refrigerator and leave to chill for at least two hours, or until the strawberry layer is firmly set. Cut into squares to serve.
This is the perfect summer dessert! Not only does it embrace the colors of our Canadian flag, but it is cool and simple to make. When you add delicious on top of that, its just the best!
It is the perfect combo mix of crunchy, salty, sweet, creamy and fruity! Dessert really doesn't get much better than this. I do so love refrigerator desserts like this one!
Here are some other Refrigerator Desserts that you might also enjoy. Keeping the heat out of the kitchen is the best!
EASY LEMON REFRIGERATOR DESSERT - This is a tasty dessert you can adapt to your own tastes. Shortbread biscuits/cookies are soaked layered in a tin and then topped with a lush creamy lemon filling. Its then refrigerated until everything sets up. Cut into squares it goes down a real treat with your favorite dessert toppings. Whipped cream, toffee sauce, chocolate sauce, etc. We like it topped with strawberry jam!
REFRIGERATOR FUDGE CAKE - A vanilla cake base is poked with holes creating little tunnels for the homemade chocolate fudge filling (which is poured over top of the baked cake) to ooze into, creating little divots of fudge filling throughout. Topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings this always goes down a real treat! I don't know anyone who doesn't love this!
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Yield: 6
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 HourInactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 3 H & 15 M
This is a small batch recipe for everyone's favorite summertime dessert. What you have here is a pretzel crust, a lush creamy filling and a fresh strawberry jelly topping. What's not to love!
Ingredients
For the base:
- 1 3/4 cups (210g) crushed mini pretzel twists
- 6 TBS (85g) butter, melted
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
For the filling:
- 6 ounces (170g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
For the topping:
- 2 cups (400g) fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
- 1 (4 serving size) strawberry fruit jello (jelly)
- 1 cup (240ml) boiling water
- 1 cup (240ml) cold water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch square baking tin.
- Crush your pretzels and mix together with the sugar and melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
- Whip the cream cheese together with the sugar and vanilla until smooth and well amalgamated. Whip the cream until stiff. Fold into the cream cheese mixture thoroughly and then spread on top of the cooled pretzel crust. Place in the refrigerator to chill for half an hour.
- Mix the jello powder with the boiling water, stirring to dissolve completely. Stir in the cold water. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes. Fold in the strawberries and pour this mixture carefully over the cream cheese filling in the pan.
- Return to the refrigerator and leave to chill for at least two hours, or until the strawberry layer is firmly set.
- Cut into squares to serve.
All rights reserved The English Kitchen
I picked up some fresh local berries at our grocery store the other day and could not wait to get them home and so something with some of them. Of course I enjoyed a few fresh, but what I really wanted to do was to recreate this fabulous recipe I had seen on the New York Times cooking page earlier in the week.
It looked fabulous, unpretentious and simple, and then there was the name. Strawberry Spoon Cake. What doesn't sound delicious about that? A strawberry spoon cake recipe just needed to be added to my repertoire of seasonal strawberry recipes!
Strawberry season is something I spend all year waiting for. I refuse to buy and eat fresh berries out of season. Not only are they usually lackluster in flavor, but I abhor the carbon foot print behind them getting to us.
I love strawberries, but nothing on earth tastes better than a locally grown and sourced berry, fresh and in season. When I lived in the UK we grew our own berries in the back garden. They were so delicious! I do think (sorry Canada) that British strawberries are the best tasting strawberries in the world. (It had to be said!)
On a delicious side note I read an article recently which claimed to have a method of keeping your fresh berries fresher for longer! I just had to try it. What you see here are berries that I bought on Friday and here today (Wednesday) they are still really fresh!
This method really works and it is very simple. I am going to do this all the time now! You can read that article here. My berries are still beautifully fresh and delicious.
Now back to the delicious strawberry recipe.
The original recipe was for four servings. I did not need four servings, and so I cut the recipe in half to make only two. It worked beautifully.
The cake part was soft, moist and delicious, the berries sweet and jammy. Perfect for spooning into bowls, ready to be served warm with some vanilla ice cream! It really is delicious!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE STRAWBERRY SPOON CAKE
Very simple every day baking ingredients, berries, and a (1 pint/2 cup) deepish baking dish.(I used a pie dish.) That's it!
- 1/4 cup (55g) butter melted, plus more to butter the dish
- 1/2 cup (75g) fresh washed and hulled berries (or the equivalent of frozen, thawed)
- 1/3 cup (75g) packed soft light brown sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (70g) plain all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- vanilla ice cream to serve
Always wash your berries BEFORE you hull them. Washing them afterwards an add water to them and wash out their sweet flavor which you don't want.
You can use frozen berries if you wish, but do thaw them first and drain them prior to mashing and mixing with the brown sugar.
If you are using cup measures, make sure you pack the brown sugar into the cup. It should hold the shape of the cup when dumped out. Much easier to divide in two that way as well, half for the batter and half for the berries.
Note: this is a small batch recipe which makes two servings. To make a full recipe check it out here.
This really is a delicious dessert! If you enjoy it even half as much as I did, then I will be happy! Quick and easy to make as well!
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Grease a small 2 cup (1 pint) baking dish with some butter and set aside.
Use a fork or your fingers to smash the berries to release all of the juices. Add half of the brown sugar and leave to macerate at room temperature while you make the cake batter.
Whisk the melted butter, remaining brown sugar, milk and salt together in a small bowl. Sift the flour and baking powder together and then add this to the wet ingredients, whisking together just until the batter is smooth. Spoon into the prepared baking tin and smooth the top over.
Spoon the crushed berries and all of their juices on top of the batter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave to cook for 3 to 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream for a real taste treat!
Notes
-If you like you can add a dash or freshly ground cardamom, nutmeg, ginger or cinnamon to the top prior to baking, or stir some into the batter prior to baking.
-I used a pint pie dish to bake mine in. It measured 4 inches wide and six inches long and had a depth of about 4 inches.
-If using frozen berries, defrost first.
This really is a delicious dessert cake, soft and spoonable. I do not think you could cut it into squares or slices to serve, but that only adds to the pleasure. It is very much like an upside down cobbler.
I can't see any reason why you couldn't substitute the strawberries with some other berry. Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or a combination would work nicely. I think you could even use crushed fresh peaches or plums with success.
This is a recipe you can really let your imagination fly on so long as you keep the quantities the same! I love recipes like this one that you really can adapt to what you have on hand creating your own unique deliciousness, making it truly your own!
Strawberry season is one of my favorite times of the year. If you enjoy strawberries also and using them to cook/bake with, you might also enjoy these delicious strawberry recipes!
PECAN SWIRL STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES - Pecan swirled biscuits split in two and then filled with a layer of crushed berries and whipped cream in between. You owe it to yourself to try this version of shortcake at least once during this strawberry season. Trust me on this! Different and delicious!!
STRAWBERRY CAKE PIE - This fabulous dessert is not really a pie because there is no crust and it's not really a cake because it doesn't rise like a cake, but it has a texture very similar to a cake. What it is is totally delicious! A real family favorite here baked in a pie dish.
Strawberry Spoon Cake
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
This no fuss, no muss summer cake is topped with a layer of jammy fresh berries. Soft and delicious gooey you will want to eat this one spooned warm into bowls with some cold vanilla ice cream on top.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (55g) butter melted, plus more to butter the dish
- 1/2 cup (75g) fresh washed and hulled berries (or the equivalent of frozen, thawed)
- 1/3 cup (75g) packed soft light brown sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (70g) plain all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- vanilla ice cream to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Grease a small 2 cup (1 pint) baking dish with some butter and set aside.
- Use a fork or your fingers to smash the berries to release all of the juices. Add half of the brown sugar and leave to macerate at room temperature while you make the cake batter.
- Whisk the melted butter, remaining brown sugar, milk and salt together in a small bowl. Sift the flour and baking powder together and then add this to the wet ingredients, whisking together just until the batter is smooth. Spoon into the prepared baking tin and smooth the top over.
- Spoon the crushed berries and all of their juices on top of the batter.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave to cook for 3 to 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream for a real taste treat!
Notes
If you like you can add a dash or freshly ground cardamom, nutmeg, ginger or cinnamon to the top prior to baking, or stir some into the batter prior to baking.
I used a pint pie dish to bake mine in. It measured 4 inches wide and six inches long and had a depth of about 4 inches.
If using frozen berries, defrost first.
All rights reserved The English Kitchen
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
Did you have a job picking local strawberries when you were a teenager? I am pretty sure that if you lived in a fairly rural location you probably did.
Local strawberry growers depended on teens hungry for extra money back in the day! I did it for a few weeks every summer for a couple of years. It was a back breaking labour spending the day crouched low to the ground and in hot sun.
You picked long and hard for a few dollars a day, but we were grateful for the work. The farmers would actually send a truck to pick you up and take you to the strawberry fields.
I wonder if teens still pick berries for money? Or do our farmers have to rely on immigrants. I don't know. You would have thought all that picking would have soured my taste for berries, but nope.
I adore strawberries above all other berries. I don't think there is a way I could ever not like them, and here in the UK we grow some of the best.
One thing we all really loved during strawberry season every year was when my mom would make us Strawberry shortcakes for dessert.
Mom's strawberry shortcake was the highlight of strawberry season! You can find that recipe here.
I remember one year we happened to be travelling in the states and we visited my mother's Uncle Arnold in Connecticut.
They had chickens in their garden which we delighted in being able to feed and we had a lovely dinner with them, complete with Strawberry Shortcake for dessert!
Strawberry shortcake during berry season is a Maritime/New England tradition!
This Strawberry Shortcake Recipe I am sharing with you today differs a bit from the usual recipe in that rather than plain cream biscuits it uses a nut swirled biscuit!
I adapted this recipe from one I found on the Yankee Magazine site. The original recipe was for Pistachio Swirl Strawberry Shortcakes.
I didn't have pistachio nuts, but I did have plenty of pecans, so I used them in their place.
Just look at that lovely nut swirl in the biscuit! It adds a lovely touch and another level of flavour.
The biscuit dough itself is also a tad bit different. Cream biscuits but with some cornmeal (polenta) added for an extra bit of crispness!
They bake up nice and short and flaky!
Biscuits made with cream are simply lovely. Please be aware, I am not meaning biscuit in the British sense here! These are not cookies.
These are scone-like, North American Style Biscuits, and they are gorgeous!
We grow our own strawberries in our garden. They come in dribs and drabs, however, and I usually have to augment them with store bought berries if I am making something like this.
I am never able to pick enough at any one time.
Our berries are a lot smaller and sweeter than the store ones, but altogether they make for a pretty delicious combination!
The berries are only lightly sweetened.
When you have really good berries, you don't need to over sweeten them. The strawberry flavours shine through beautifully!
You can sweeten the whipped cream as well. I don't because I am a diabetic and I figure there is enough sweetness in the berries and those biscuits.
The British normally don't sweeten their cream anyways and I have gotten quite used to that.
At first I thought it was a bit strange, but I actually prefer it that way now!
Don't overwork your biscuit dough. The single greatest cause of tough biscuits is overworking the dough. Just stir everything together and then pat it out lightly to a rectangle.
The filling is very easy to make as well, but you will need a food processor or blender of some sort to blitz the nuts and sugar together to combine.
A bit of butter goes into the mix, and then you spread this filling onto the patted out biscuit dough. Roll it up, cut it into slices and bang!
You have nut swirls biscuits ready to bake into deliciousness!
Crisp, short and crumbly, perfect for this dessert . . .
cut in half once cold, and then layered with sliced berries and the whipped cream.
You owe it to yourself to try this version of shortcake at least once during this strawberry season. Trust me on this!
Pecan Swirl Strawberry Shortcakes
Yield: 8
A fresh spin on an old classic, with crisp cream biscuits swirled with a sweet pecan swirl, and filled with fresh ripe strawberries and whipped cream.
Ingredients:
For the biscuits:
- 140g plain flour (1 cup)
- 115g cornmeal (2/3 cup)
- 1 1/2 TBS granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 240ml double cream (1 cup heavy cream)
For the pecan swirl:
- 90g raw shelled and toasted pecan nuts (90g)
- 1 1/2 TBS granulated sugar
- 2 TBS butter, at room temperature
You will also need:
- 50g granulated sugar
- 2 pounds strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
- 300ml double cream (1 1/4 cups)
- 2 TBS icing sugar
- icing sugar to dust
Instructions:
- First make the biscuits. Preheat the oven to 190*C/376*F/ gas mark 5. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Set aside.
- Measure the flour, corn meal, sugar. baking powder, and salt and give it a good whisk to combine. Add the cream and stir it togehr with a spatula until you get a soft dough. Set aside.
- To make the filling, put the nuts into a small food processor with the sugar and pulse until finely ground combindwith some larger pieces. Add the butter and pulse again to combine.
- Pat the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 12 by 9 -inch rectangle with the long edge facing you. Spread the pecan filling over this to within 1 inch of the top edge, spreading it out evenly. Roll up tightly from the long edge like a jelly roll. Cut the roll into 8 equal slices. Place, evenly spaced and leaving plenty of room around them for expanding, on the prepared baking sheet. Press lightly to flatten just a tiny bit.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Scoop off onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely before proceeding.
- Mix your berries with the granulated sugar and let sit for about 10 minutes to macerate.
- Whip the cream together with the icing sugar until it forms soft peaks.
- To serve, carefully slice the biscuits in half through the centre. Place the bottoms onto serving plates. Top with a portion of berries, a dollop of whipped cream and the biscuit tops. Dust lightly with icing sugar and serve immediately.
What is your favourite way to enjoy Strawberries during the season?? I love a good strawberry pie and of course I could just sit and eat them out of hand.
I remember one time when we were visiting my in-laws when my children were growing up, they ate so many berries that my FIL told them that when we went to wake them in the morning there would be nothing but big fat strawberries laying in their beds! OH but that didn't half give them a thrill!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons