Lisa Hix is the Bay Area News Group's features editor overseeing Mercury News and East Bay Times coverage of restaurants, food and drink, as well as arts and entertainment. Previously, she was the copy chief at the San Francisco Standard and the arts and culture editor at Bay City News Foundation’s Local News Matters.
Ah, the joy of fresh strawberries on the Easter table. Plump and juicy, brimming with gentle acidity balanced with upfront sweetness, these berries bring joy from the moment they catch our eye.Feta-brined spatchcock chicken is cooked under a weight in this Egyptian recipe These ripe berries are alluringly red, uniformly speckled with dry, diminutive yellow seeds.
OK, there are white varieties, but that’s a different story. I prefer organic strawberries, which are smaller in size, but most often, they have the deepest color, the sweetest taste and the most fragrance. Enormous strawberries are sometimes a flavor disappointment, with hollow centers and a less appealing texture. Choose strawberries that are brightly colored, without mold or soft spots. Refrigerate . Before using them, wash briefly in cold water with the green leaves still in place. If removing leaves and stem , use the point of a small sharp knife or the end of a swivel-bladed vegetable peeler, or a strawberry huller.Strawberries With Balsamic Sauce, Angel Food Cake and Ice Cream is refreshing, Italian-style dessert. Toss ripe halved strawberries with a little balsamic vinegar spiked with judicious amounts of sugar and liqueur, and you have an easy-to-prepare, refreshing Italian-style dessert. Made from white Trebbiano grape juice and slowly barrel-aged in various woods over a period of years, balsamic vinegar has a subtle flavor and slight sweetness that goes beautifully with berries. For a little more oomph, add a splash of grenadine, orange liqueur or crème de cassis.1. In a medium bowl , combine balsamic vinegar, sugar and grenadine, orange liqueur or crème de cassis. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add berries and gently toss . Set aside. 2. Place a slice of cake in each individual bowl. Top with ice cream. Spoon berries and some juice on top. Garnish each with a fresh sprig of mint. This Old-Fashioned Strawberry Cake, from a recipe included in Alison Roman's cookbook "Sweet Enough," is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. I’ve made hundreds of fancy cakes in my day, and for the most part, they have been greeted with appreciation from my family. So, it is interesting that they adore this rustic, old-fashioned cake that isn’t a showstopper. The recipe is from Alison Roman’s cookbook “Sweet Enough.” Roman contends that the flavor haunts her, with its doughnut-like taste and texture. To me, it tastes like a strawberry shortcake. Whatever it resembles, it disappears at my house in under a day. Serve it with whipped cream or ice cream. And save a piece to enjoy for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee.1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line with parchment paper .3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle , beat the butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar and vanilla together on medium-high speed, periodically scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything incorporates, until mixture is pale, light, fluffy and creamy, about 5 minutes.5. Reduce mixer speed to low and carefully add half of the flour mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, beating just until no large lumps remain. 6. Using a spatula, gently fold in half of the strawberries and transfer batter to the prepared cake pan. Scatter remaining strawberries on top of batter and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake until cake is puffed, deeply golden brown and pulling away from the sides, 45 to 50 minutes. It should spring back slightly when pressed in the center and appear fully baked where the strawberries meet the cake.I cut out the parchment paper to fit the bottom of the cake pan; therefore, to remove it from the pan, I let the cake sit for 10 minutes on a cooling rack, then ran a knife around the edge of the cake and inverted it on another cooling rack. I removed the parchment and quickly inverted it on a serving plate. Easy.Jacques Pepin features Glazed Strawberries in his cookbook, "Sweet Simplicity: Jacques Pepin's Fruit Desserts." Jacques Pepin features these scrumptious and easy-to-prepare glazed strawberries in his book “Sweet Simplicity: Jacques Pepin’s Fruit Desserts.” They look beautiful using stemmed berries . Because I prefer organic strawberries, they are most often on the smaller side and are rarely sold with stems; look for berries with healthy green leaves that can be used as “handles.” To keep the glaze in place, they need to be served cold, straight from the fridge. 12 large chilled strawberries with stems or about 15 smaller chilled strawberries with bright green leaves2. Place jelly in a small saucepan and warm it over low heat until it has melted and is smooth, stirring occasionally. Put the cold plate next to the stove. Holding the berries by their stems or green leaves, dip them in jelly to coat them. Scrape the berries gently against the rim of the pan to remove excess jelly and place on the cold plate. Refrigerate them until serving time. 1. Place white chocolate in a medium, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high power in 30-second intervals until melted, stirring between each. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or using a handheld electric mixer, add melted white chocolate and mascarpone. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. 2. Allow mixture to soften to piping consistency. Transfer mixture to piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Set aside. 3. Cut an X in each strawberry starting from the pointed end and stopping before you reach the bottom of the berry and the leaves. Using your fingers, lightly separate sections of each strawberry and pipe the mascarpone mixture into the strawberry. 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