Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I have a fondness for good ice cream that was acquired late in life. It was not something I had regularly as a child. It had nothing to do with money. The freezer compartments of old refrigerators were small cubical affairs designed to make ice cubes and hold very little else. Options for ice cream lovers were limited. A very few had ice cream freezers and could make their own. Most families, however, would send their fastest runner to the deli to pick up a pint that was brought home to be sliced and shared by all. Half gallons of ice cream weren't generally available until the 1950's when larger refrigerators made their storage possible. Among the group who relied on runners, Neapolitan was, by far, the most popular flavor because of its three cream appeal. Some of us were even more fortunate and could count on the Good Humor man to supplement the deli runs. He came through our neighborhood three times a week and, urchins that we were, a neighborhood watch was formed to spot him and spread the word he was on his way. Only Santa Claus was treated with more reverence and affection than the Good Humor man. Allowances rarely covered the cost of ice cream, but Popsicles were only a dime and you could tell who had what flavor by the color of the mustache around their lips. I know that in later years he became persona non grata, but for those of us who stood ready at the curb with pennies in our hands, his chimes were a symphony. As the ice cream man fades into history so, too, does Gourmet magazine. This lovely recipe is a reminder of why so many of us regret its passing. Here's how Gourmet's strawberry cheesecake ice cream is made.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Gourmet magazine

Ingredients:
1 pint (12-oz.) strawberries, hulled and coarsely chopped
1 package (8-oz.) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1) Combine strawberries, cream cheese, sugar, milk, lemon juice and salt in a blender jar. Puree just until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in cream. Chill until very cold.
2) Freeze mixture in ice cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze to harden. Yield: 1 quart.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Fresh Mint Ice Cream - One Perfect Bite
Ice Cream Crunch Cake - One Perfect Bite
Sweet Corn Ice Cream - One Perfect Bite
VVanilla Ice Cream - David Lebovitz
Bailey's Ice Cream with Chocolate Shavings - The Pioneer Woman
Raspberry Semifreddo - Chocolate Shavings
Coconut Ice Cream - Baking Bites

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Strawberry Salsa

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We had a lovely dinner last evening. Bob grilled steaks that had been rubbed with Southwestern-style seasonings and I garnished them with a strawberry salsa that was served in a small Haas avocado half. This salsa is one of my favorite summer condiments. The recipe for it appeared in Gourmet magazine over a decade ago and everyone who has tasted it really loves it. While it's a wonderful garnish, it is also great served in quantity with warm corn tortilla chips for scooping. This is one of those rare strawberry dishes that is better made with ripe but unmistakably firm berries. Field berries exude too much liquid and lack the firmness required to scoop the salsa from the bowl. While you won't hear me say it often, the berries in the supermarket are perfect for this dish. The salsa requires five ingredients and can be prepared in about 30 minutes. It can be made several hours before you plan to serve it, but the berries will begin to break down in they sit too much longer than that. I've kept the heat in the recipe at a moderate level, but if you like a fiery salsa simply add more chilies. Here's the recipe.

Strawberry Salsa...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Gourmet magazine

Ingredients:
2 fresh jalapeño chilies, finely chopped
2 cups finely chopped strawberries
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
Combine chilies, strawberries, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Mix gently to combine. Salsa can be made several hours before serving and chilled. Yield: 3 cups.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Watermelon, Black Bean and Corn Salsa - One Perfect Bite
Blueberry Salsa - One Perfect Bite
Mango Salsa with Red Bell Pepper - Kalyn's Kitchen
Fresh Tomatilla Salsa - Pinch My Salt
Salsa Verde - Half Assed Kitchen
Pomegranate Salsa - Family Style Food

Strawberry Cake a la Martha Stewart - Blue Monday

A touch of small town Americana for Blue Monday.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I hope you've had the opportunity to visit the beautiful and informative blog, NJ Epicurean. Several days ago, Jen, its creator, featured a strawberry cake that was originally developed by Martha Stewart. Martha's recipe and reviews of it can be found here. Strawberry yields are still high in our community, and abundant and inexpensive berries gave me the incentive I needed to try this very simple cake. We've just finished dessert and I'm happy to report the recipe produces a great snack cake. It can be quickly assembled and works well as a stand-in for strawberry short cake. The only drawback, if there is one, is that cake is very sweet and may be off-putting to those who favor European-style cakes and pastries. The cake is best served warm with a dollop of cream or a scoop of ice cream. Everyone who has reviewed the recipe also reports it is slow to stale. If properly wrapped, it will keep for several days in or out of the refrigerator. The cake takes about 10 minutes to make and that ease of assembly puts it squarely into my recipe files. I hope you will try this. Here's the recipe.

Strawberry Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved
2 tablespoons pearl sugar

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate.
2) Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.
3) Place butter and 1 cup sugar in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, orange zest and vanilla and almond extracts.
4) Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle pearl sugar over all.
5) Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days. Yield: 8 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Strawberry Glace Tart - One Perfect Bite
Strawberry Yogurt Pie - One Perfect Bite
Strawberry Panna Cotta - One Perfect Bite
Strawberry Frozen Yogurt - Simply Recipes
Strawberry Preserves - Los Angeles Times
White Zin-ful Strawberry Cooler - Poor Girl Eats Well

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday

Strawberry Bread Pudding - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I know it's summer, and I know that 2010 has been declared The Year of the Pastry Chef. I'm okay with all that. It's not my intent to buck culinary trends, or the calendar for that matter. I know that sensible people don't make bread pudding in July and I suspect that most pastry chefs and food snobs feel this homely dish is not worthy of their attention. They're dead wrong. The Marquess de Queensbury Rules of the Kitchen clearly state that any dish, however homely, can be made at any time of year. The only condition attached to its execution is that the dish must be delicious. A stale loaf of bread and a glut of fresh field strawberries were my inspiration. My muse led me to a site called The Daily Loaf - The CL Cookbook where I found a recipe for strawberry bread pudding. I made a few minor changes to the recipe, put it in the oven and 40 minutes later had a wonderful dessert. The original recipe uses a caramel sauce for garnish. I thought that to be at odds with the strawberries, so I served ours with French vanilla ice cream. I really loved this and will use frozen berries to make it in the winter as well. I hope you'll try this simple dessert. It is wonderful. Here's the recipe.

Strawberry Bread Pudding...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by the Daily Loaf

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces crusty stale bread, torn or cut in bite-size pieces
2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) strawberries, sliced

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 x-2-inch pan. Set aside.
2) Combine eggs, milk, sugar (white and brown, vanilla extract, spices and salt in a small bowl. Whisk until blended.
3) Place bread pieces into a large bowl. Pour milk mixture over bread and toss to combine. Let sit for 15 minutes to allow milk to be absorbed into bread.
4) Fold in strawberries and pour mixture into baking dish.
5) Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until raised and puffy. Insert a toothpick into center and if it comes out fairly clean, it’s done. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar

Directions:
1) Put butter in a small pan or sauce pan over medium heat and let it melt.
2) Add brown sugar and stir until it’s combined. Lower heat. Stirring constantly, let sauce slightly simmer until sugar is completely dissolved and it is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve drizzled over warm bread pudding.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Cranberry Bread Pudding - One Perfect Bite
Chocolate Bread Pudding - One Perfect Bite
Chocolate Bread Pudding - Beyond Salmon
Bread Pudding - Simply Recipes
Summer Pudding - David Lebovitz
Bread Pudding with Kahlua Sauce - Ravenous Couple
Nutella Bread Pudding - Su Good Sweets

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Swedish Strawberry Cream Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This lovely sponge cake is popular throughout Scandinavia. I learned to make the Swedish version of the cake , called Jordgubbbstårta, the summer of my twelfth birthday. Traditionally, this cake was made for special occasions such as birthdays or national holidays. In summer months the cake was filled with heavy cream and fresh berries. Winter versions were, of course, filled with fruit preserves. While it is simple to make, the cake requires a lot of beating and I suspect that's why it was so seldom made. Although electric mixers became available to homemakers in the early 1930's, they were expensive and few families could afford them. All that changed in 1952 when Sunbeam began to market an affordable hand held electric mixer. That, coincidentally, is the year I first made this cake. Independence Day was a communal holiday in our neighborhood and Mrs. P was responsible for the desserts. She decided to substitute the usual shortcake with her lovely Swedish sponge. She had already made one cake when she asked if I would like to make the second. I was thrilled to pieces and under her watchful eye began to make the second. Now, there is a Tom Sawyer aspect to this tale. I suspect I was given the task because it took so long, even with the electric mixer, to beat the eggs. With her hands free, Mrs. P went on to mix a batch of brownies and the dough for oatmeal cookies, while I carefully held the mixer and watched and waited for the eggs to thicken. They eventually did and the tale ends well. My cake was a triumph. To prevent unnecessary worry, you should know that the cake layers will not dome as they bake. I've also found that the cake is vastly improved if the layers are lightly brushed with orange liqueur or dark rum. The berries I used were super-ripe and packed with flavor, but they tinted the cream pink. If you want a cake with a pure white visage use less ripe berries. The cake will hold nicely for a day or two, but it really wilts as day three approaches. This is a lovely dessert, and if you're looking for a strawberry dessert to replace shortcake, you might want to give this a try. Here's the recipe.

Swedish Strawberry and Cream Cake - Jordgubbstårta...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 cup (4 to 5 large) eggs, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Orange liqueur or rum for brushing cake layers
Filling
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 quart hulled strawberries, sliced

Directions:
1) Grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottom of pans with wax or parchment paper. Grease paper and flour pans. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) Place eggs in bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat until frothy. With mixer at high speed, slowly add granulated sugar and beat until mixture is very, very thick and pale. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined.
3) Sift flour and baking powder into another bowl or onto wax paper. With mixer set to low speed, slowly add flour to egg mixture, beating just until blended.
4) Spread batter into pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake bounces back when touched. Do not over bake. Remove cake layers from oven and cool.
5) To prepare filling, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla and continue beating until cream is stiff. Refrigerate. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Toscatarta - One Perfect Bite
Swedish Coffee Ring - One Perfect Bite
Linzer Cookies - One Perfect Bite
Swedish Visiting Cake - Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy
Swedish Princess Cake -Foodaholics
Swedish Meringue Cake - Epicurious

Frozen Strawberry Souffle

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The recipe for this light and airy creation comes from Wolfgang Puck, who learned how to make frozen souffles while working at Maxim's in Paris. This bears no resemblance to a baked souffle, and the recipe is easy enough that new cooks can successfully prepare the dish. The souffle is made with beaten egg whites and whipped cream. They are folded into a fruit base and frozen, without special equipment, to make a dessert that has a light, smooth consistency that is more like a frozen mousse than ice cream. We have very young children in our family, so, to avoid any chance of salmonella, we use pasteurized eggs in all dishes where eggs are not cooked. While they are beaten with a hot sugar syrup, in a process that is very similar to that used in making an Italian meringue, I don't think the eggs, as processed in this recipe, ever get hot enough to kill salmonella, should it be present. So, I've joined the "better safe than sorry" school of egg handling. I hope you will too. While the souffle is very easy to make and uses only five ingredients, it is an elegant and impressive dessert that is suitable for guests as well as family. This is a terrific recipe that also has instructions for making a lovely fruit syrup to spoon over the souffle. Any of the "cane" fruits can be used to make this dessert. It should be made the day before you need it , and the souffle should be transferred to the refrigerator about an hour before you plan to serve it. I know that those of you who try this won't be disappointed. Here's how it's made.

Frozen Strawberry Souffle...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Wolfgang Puck

Ingredients:
1-1/2 quarts ripe strawberries, hulled + 4 strawberries for garnish
2 pasteurized egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Optional: Grand Marnier or kirsch, for the sauce

Directions:
1) Set aside berries used for garnish. Place remainder of berries in bowl of a food processor. Process until pureed. Transfer to a storage bowl, cover, and refrigerate until well chilled.
2) When berries are chilled, place egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat with a hand-held electric mixer until they form soft peaks that droop when tested. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue beating until egg whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Set aside.
3) Place remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar and 3 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves, and then continue cooking just until mixture starts to bubble and begins to thicken.
4) While continuing to beat egg whites, slowly pour hot syrup into egg whites. Continue beating until whites have cooled.
5) Using a rubber spatula, gently fold 1-1/2 to 2 cups of the strawberry puree into egg whites; reserve rest of puree in refrigerator for a sauce. Then, fold whipped cream into egg white mixture until thoroughly incorporated. Taste mixture and, if necessary, sprinkle in a little more sugar to taste.
6) Pour mixture into a 5- or 6-cup souffle dish. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.
7) Before serving, transfer frozen souffle to refrigerator to soften slightly. Meanwhile, pour remaining strawberry puree through a fine-meshed sieve into another bowl. Add a little sugar and a splash of Grand Marnier or kirsch to taste.
8) Scoop souffle into individual serving dishes. Spoon sauce around each serving and garnish with a whole berry. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Cold Lime Souffle - One Perfect Bite
Frozen Lemon Souffle - The English Kitchen
Iced Lime Souffles with Poppyseeds - La Tartine Gourmande
Deep Frozen Orange Souffles - Whisk
Frozen Coffee Liqueur Souffle - Five Star Foodie Culinary Adventures
Frozen Anisette Souffle - Foodista
Souffle Glace aux Framboise - Cookie Madness

Strawberry Tea Bread - Sweet Cheeks Winery

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We have in our community a winery with a most unusual name. Before that can be shared, I must describe, as best I can, the property on which the winery sits. The acreage is bisected by a service road that cuts through the two rounded hillsides on which the grapes are grown. A contingent of locals insisted the property resembled a well-rounded derriere and conspired to have the winery named Sweet Cheeks. It worked. Now this kind of nonsense can't be plucked from the ether. Every word of this is true. I swear. I'm going to resist jokes about "bottom lands" and instead send those of you who would like to know more about the winery or my veracity here. Now, it is perfectly logical to ask why I bothered to tell you about the winery at all. It's also reasonable to ask what it has to do with a strawberry tea bread. So, here's how we got from there to here. I had promised to bring four loaves of this bread to a meeting this morning. I was in such a rush to finish the breads that I misjudged the distance between oven racks and, as a result, the bottom loaves baked into the racks above them. Bob thought the crease that developed in the two bottom loaves was a lot funnier than was actually the case and dubbed my loaves Sweet Cheeks Strawberry Bread. Those who are fond of European tea breads that are less sweet than their American counterparts will love this bread. If you are accustomed to a really sweet strawberry bread, you might want to take a pass on this. I'll let you judge for yourselves. Here's the recipe.

Strawberry Tea Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped fresh strawberries
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted, divided use

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
2) In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix well.
3) Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Batter will be thick. Fold in strawberries and 1/2 cup nuts.
4) Scrape into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle top with reserved 1/4 cup walnuts. Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 loaf.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Lemon Poppyseed Bread - One Perfect Bite
Irish Soda Bread - One Perfect Bite
Sugar Crusted Viennese Nut Bread - One Perfect Bite

Strawberry Yogurt Pie (Mansikkapiiras) - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's been a while since we've had a real "peasant" style dessert. While local berries won't be in markets for another six to eight weeks, the strawberries that are available to us are passably good. Years ago, I regularly made a dessert from Finland that used thick yogurt and blueberries to make a light custard pie called Mustikkapiiras. The custard filling covered a layer of berries that was baked in a cookie crust. It was light and not too sweet. The recipe I used came from the Moosewood Restaurant. I must admit I've played with this one. The recipe, as written, produced a scant amount of custard, so I've doubled the ingredients to produce a thicker layer of filling that gives this homely dessert more eye appeal. While any type of berry can be used, it's especially nice with seedless blackberries or strawberries. When strawberries replace blueberries, the Mustikkapiiras becomes a Mansikkapiiras. Here's the recipe I've adapted from the Moosewood original.

Strawberry Yogurt Pie...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by a recipe from Sunday at the Moosewood

Ingredients:
Crust
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Custard (this portion of the recipe has been doubled)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups thick Greek-style plain yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Berries
2 cups sliced strawberries or other fresh berries

Directions:
1) To make crust: Butter and flour a 9-inch quiche pan with 1-1/2-inch sides. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add egg, and blend well. Combine flour and baking powder and sift into wet ingredients to form a soft dough. With flour dusted fingers, pat dough into bottom of prepared pan. Push dough up to cover sides of the pan. Refrigerate while making custard.
2) To make custard: Mix eggs, sugar, yogurt, lemon juice, vanilla extract, almond extract and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Beat until smooth. Place berries in bottom of pie shell. Pour in filling and smooth to coat berries. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes, until crust is browned and custard has set. Chill well before serving. Yield: 8 - 10 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Frozen Lemon Yogurt - One Perfect Bite
Yogurt Cheese Cake - One Perfect Bite
Raspberry Yogurt Parfait - One Perfect Bite

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.