Strawberry Delight

In these last few weeks of summer, my sights have been set on cooking with as many seasonal fruits as possible. I happen to love the versatility of strawberries, and they're readily available right now. I wanted to dress up a tasty buttermilk pound cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Well, that's all fine-and-dandy, but I've made dozens of those. I needed to step it up a notch, so I figured basil (also abundant right now) and a balsamic dressing would do the trick! Here's the recipe, followed by some of my strawberry favorites (sorry, they're not edible, but just as sweet.)

Pound Cake with Basil & Balsamic Strawberries

POUND CAKE
serves about 16
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups butter, softened (3 sticks)
2 1/2 cups sugar 
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup buttermilk 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In an electric stand mixer, beat the butter  and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until just blended. 
2. Add flour to the butter mixture alternatively with buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour. Add the vanilla and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Pour the batter into a greased and lightly floured 10-inch tube pan or two loaf pans. 
3. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely and serve with Strawberries and fresh whipped cream. 

BASIL AND BALSAMIC STRAWBERRIES
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1.5 pounds strawberries, rinsed and sliced
10 large basil leaves, julienned 

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine vinegar and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in pepper and cool completely. 

2. In a large bowl, mix strawberries, basil and balsamic dressing. Serve with pound cake and fresh whipped cream. 

1. Strawberry Piñata 

2. Strawberry Letterpress Cards 

3. 60-Minute Strawberry Kitchen Timer 

4. Ceramic Strawberry Basket

"Peaches Come in a Can..."

On a recent visit to one of the nicer restaurants in Westchester, I ordered the "fresh" blueberry & peach crisp. "Fabulous!" I thought. How can they go wrong with such a deliciously simple dessert? When my crisp arrived at the table, I immediately noticed that my peaches were not fresh as advertised. They were canned and rubbery. Why used canned peaches when they are finally in season and available! So today I am going to post how incredibly easy it is to make a crisp. This is possibly one of the best dessert options when you want something quick, easy and seasonal. It's also one of the few desserts that is perfect for every season. In the Fall you can make a traditional apple crisp. In Winter, a hearty cranberry & pear crisp. Spring boasts strawberries and rhubarb, and since it is Summer, today I will make a blueberry & peach crisp (without canned peaches). This crisp recipe will serve 10-12 people. 

INGREDIENTS
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup slivered almonds
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter (chilled and cubed)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt

Filling
4 ripe peaches
1 pint of blueberries
1/4 cup cornstarch 

DIRECTIONS
In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, sugars, oats, almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt and cubed butter. (Wash your hands and prepare to get messy!) Use your hands to incorporate all the ingredients until you have a coarse crumble. You can also get the same result if you own a food processor. 

Peel and slice peaches into a large bowl.

Add blueberries and mix in cornstarch. Butter any baking dish that fits your fancy. I chose a pie dish, but a loaf pan, or even 10 small ramekins could work. 

Pour blueberry/peach mix into buttered dish and top with crumble. Bake for an hour at 325 degrees, or until the filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Serve warm and even top it with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream! 

Easy as pie crisp! 

I couldn't help but take a snapshot of all the beautiful packaging for my baking ingredients. Perhaps it's because many of these companies haven't "modernized" their historic labels, but there is some really beautiful packaging out there in the baking aisle. And if you really need to see some beautiful label graphics, check out Jamie Oliver's new Pantry Collection at Williams Sonoma, The Jme Pantry Collection.