I bought a punnet of what will probably be some of the last local strawberries of summer and decided to try a recipe from Lorraine Pascale's book Fast, Fresh and Easy Food. There is no comparison between the delicious sweetness of seasonal strawberries and those that have accumulated air miles.
Strawberry and Cream Mini Cakes combine the sweetness of good quality strawberry jam (I used Bonne Maman) with whipped cream and the fresh strawberries. I did not sweeten the cream, as I felt that there was probably enough sugar without adding more and I also left out the sugar syrup and white chocolate drizzles, but if you want to go overboard with sweetness, then follow the original recipe.
Lorraine's book is full of inspirational and tasty recipe ideas. I have others bookmarked to try when I have more time to spend in the kitchen. All of her recipes are reliable, well-described and easy to follow. This book is a great addition to my kitchen library.
DELICIOUS! It's been a great summer for berries here. Our raspberry bushes have given us delights for almost two months now! I have lots in the freezer for later--a taste of summer in fall/winter. :o) Happy Days, Marie ((HUGS))
ReplyDeleteHello Marie!
ReplyDeleteThe funniest thing: I was watching that very episode of Fast, Fresh and Easy food just the other day! I saw those little cakes and thought that they looked scrummy. If I wasn't afflicted with weird dietary issues (I had my gallbladder removed on top of pre-existing metabolic problems, which means finding suitable things to eat is a nightmare!) I would whip some of these up in a heartbeat!
We bought a couple of punnets of strawberries at the farmers' market on Saturday and made some really yummy smoothies with a banana, a teaspoon of honey, a punnet of strawberries, some organic oats and a tablespoon of linseeds. It was like a glorious burst of summer in a glass. Definitely pick-me-up kind of food and such a pity that we can't grow them all-year-round here! But I am a definite believer that nature gives us what we need in each season.
I didn't know until I looked it up, but strawberries have a unique antioxidant, only found in strawberries and raspberries, called Sanguiin H-6 and also lots of flavonoids, all of which reduce cancer and modify our immune responses to bacteria and viruses. They are quite literally little wonders!
Back to Lorraine Pascale; I like her TV shows and I find her to be a no-fuss kind of cook, which is always a bonus. I am completely enamoured with America's Test Kitchen, still, as I find their more scientific approach to recipes quite different to most TV cooks and also reassuring.
Anyway, I have waffled enough. Best wishes to you. Fingers-crossed you'll be able to get in a few more strawberry punnets before the weather gets too bad! (though the smell of woodsmoke on the air tells me that autumn isn't far off - despite the BBC telling us we'll have 29ºC before the end of the week!)
Tash from vintagepretty.org
Stawberries are nearly over here too! The little cakes look delicious:)
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