Strawberry recipes

I want to do strawberry recipes for my erotic writers' newsletter. I usually do three per column. So far, I'm thinking of a sort of crepes suzette thingy with strawberries. Also, I thought I'd layer crumbled Bordeaux cookies, macerated strawberries, and whipped cream in wine glasses. Should I pour something over that? A liqueur or champagne?

I can't think of something for the third recipe. I guess I could do strawberry shortcake. Does anyone have any other ideas?

These should be easy recipes. My audience is probably people who think they can buy the whipped topping in a tub. (I won't go there :scared:, but I like to keep things simple.) If I need a crust, I'd like to limit it to crushed graham crackers or something similar.

I'll give you credit for any recipes. I don't take copyrighted recipes because I wouldn't want stealing my stuff. I know I can get away with it, but still...

I know you guys can come up with something. :)

The "recipe" is forgiving. Slice up some strawberries. Crush up some coconut macaroons. Whip some cream. Find a few ounces of some appropriate booze, such as cointreau or brandy. Fold it all together. Put into a pretty bowl and chill for a couple of hours.

I wonder if Triple Sec would work. I bought some of that for the suzette. I also have some rum.

but when I had a bumper crop to give away and people got sick of 'em, I made a coating out of butter, dark chocolate and bourbon.

Those puppies just FLEW out of the box at work that night.

Offhand, I can't think of a more erotic combination than strawberries, chocolate and booze--with or without crepes.

That's a great idea.

Very British... sort of an afternoon indulgence

a biscuit or scone with (in this case) strawberry jam topped with clotted cream (in this case real whipped cream)

Don't you find that any time you eat with your hands you find it a more sensual experience?

I'm not familiar with the term cream tea.

from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_tea

A Cream tea, Devonshire tea or Cornish cream tea<1> is tea taken with a combination of scones, clotted cream, and jam.

Cream teas are offered for sale in tea rooms throughout England (especially the South West) and rest of the Commonwealth, or wherever someone wants to give an impression of British influence.

In the United States it is promoted as a typically English afternoon snack.

That would have a real panache for a bunch of romance readers. They wouldn't have real scones, but a sweetened biscuit (homemade, of course) would work, along with whipped cream. Or maybe I can find an easy way to make creme fraiche.

I layer thinly sliced Sara Lee Pound cake (the frozen kind) with layers of Cool Whip mixed with Ricotta Cheese, Prepared Vanilla pudding and fresh strawberries mixed with a defrosted can of frozen sweetened strawberries. (Yes you need to mix the fresh with the canned). In the height of the summer I add layers of Peaches or Nectarines.

If you are a purest you can use whipped cream instead of the cool whip, make the pound cake from scratch and macerate your fresh strawberries in a simple syrup before putting this together. But then you should probably make the pudding from scratch using freshly scraped vanilla bean.

(Pardon my snark--please...I just don't have time to do everything from scratch and I really do admire the folks who do. :hug:)

I'm not so much a purist that I'd make the pound cake. Sara Lee is plenty good enough. I also do whipped cream from the can. That's just cream. I'd definitely macerate the strawberries. IMHO, supermarket strawberries require sugar. Combining with frozen is a good idea, though.

I don't eat it anymore now that I stay away from the wheat...But it use to be a staple in my freezer. It was great to just pop it out and slice it really thin and use in ice box cakes. You don't know how many dinner parties that I served it with ganache, whipped cream and raspberries. I've also done it with Lemon Curd and whipped cream. Combining the whipped cream with Ricotta makes a canolli cream which gives the end product a beautiful luscious texture and some additional heft.

Strawberry Meringues

3/4 cup very thinly sliced strawberries
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4-1/2 tsp vanilla extract (to taste)
A few drops red food coloring (optional)

Preheat oven to its lowest setting (usually 200 or so).
Lay the strawberries in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat. Dry in oven, checking every 10 minutes, until the strawberries are nearly dry. (This could take 30-60 minutes.) Try not to let them brown. As they cool, they'll dry further.

Grind the strawberries in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle. Aim for mostly powdered, but it's OK if there's some texture. Mix them with the sugar, lemon, and cardamom.

Make meringues the usual way--very clean bowl, preferably use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the whites up a bit, add the cream of tartar, whip the whites until they hold stiff peaks, then add the sugar mixture gradually, until the whites are stiff but not dry. Add the vanilla and coloring (I found I needed it for psychological reasons--the mix just looked weird without it).

Pipe or spoon or dish the meringues onto a baking sheet (again lined with parchment or silpat). I make mine about the size of a golf ball.

Put the meringues into the 200 degree oven, for about 90 minutes (rotate the sheet back-to-front a few times). Turn the oven off, and let the meringues dry overnight.

Makes a bunch.

Can I steal this verbatim and use it? If you'd like to be credited, let me know.

No credit to me necessary. I should note that the idea for drying and grinding strawberries came from one of my favorite pastry blogs, Tartelette:

http://tartelette.blogspot.com/2009/05/recipe-powdered-strawberry-macarons.html

She makes macarons, which are basically meringues with almonds, which I don't keep on hand. I decided to adapt it to a straight meringue.

The texture ended up a little different from the usual uniform meringue, due to the unevenness of the lemon zest and strawberry powder. But they were still way cool.

slice a pound of strawberries and whip a pint of cream. While whipping the cream, add:

1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp instant coffee powder
1 small pinch Cayenne

Stir the berries into the cream. Other available berries can be added to the mix-- blueberries and blackberries make a nice color and taste contrast. Dropping some mini chocolate chips, or plopping a big ol' Hershey's Kiss on top would be a nice touch. Chocolate shavings would be really nice, but probably not what they want to deal with.

all amounts are variable, according to taste.

This could be spooned over cakes, brownies, or crushed cookies and a dripping of coffee or chocolate liqeur would go well with it.

If they want it REALLY simple, canned whipped cream or (gasp!) "whipped topping" could be used instead of dragging out the seldom-used mixer.