Yummy Strawberry Recipes
I was so excited for strawberry season this year, anxiously watching the Remlinger Farms Facebook page for opening day. When the day came, we drove out to the (very crowded) farm and told ourselves to not go overboard; we’d come back later in the month. And then it rained and rained, life happened, and we never made it back. So unfortunately, although I had intended on writing about strawberries and showing my pics weeks ago, that didn’t materialize. I did manage to make strawberry scones, and one batch of strawberry jam. Oh and maybe some ice cream bars and milkshakes and mocktails. Hopefully some of you still have access to strawberries either from a local farmer’s market or your own yard. The grocery store works too. Confession. I went to my freezer and dug out a bag of vacuum-sealed strawberries from last year and made what I call Strawberry Cookies & Cream Ice Cream. You know. Because we are having an unprecedented heatwave in the Pacific Northwest. And yes, I know that other parts of the US regularly have triple digit heat (I lived in Arizona for 17 years). But my and my husband’s stubborn streak said we don’t need no stinkin’ air conditioning when we moved to Washington. Ha! And if you must know, I had ice cream at 8am this morning. And again at 2pm. Read on for strawberry recipes and ideas.
Strawberry scones with whipped mascarpone
I love making scones and can’t believe that I’ve never made a strawberry variety. Pure coincidence, the morning I went to pick berries, my neighbor shared the Smitten Kitchen Strawberries and Cream Biscuits recipe, which is really a scone in my book. I was dreaming of warm strawberry scones with mascarpone (reminiscent of the warm donuts served with vanilla mascarpone at Tom Douglas’ Lola restaurant in Seattle). For some reason at the last minute, I decided to cut them into triangles. I’m still kicking myself because I wished I would have made them thicker and cut rounds. That way I could have sliced them open and spread mascarpone on them for strawberry breakfast shortcake! Next time. Still delicious with mascarpone on top, no matter the shape. And remember, if you make scones, to reheat put in oven on baking sheet at 400 degrees for about 3 minutes to crisp the outsides back up. No one wants a soggy scone.
Strawberry cookies & cream ice cream
I’ve also been anxious to break out my ice cream maker for the summer. One should make homemade ice cream weekly. It’s required if you have an ice cream maker, or an ice cream attachment for your KitchenAid like I do. I knew I wanted to make strawberry ice cream but also wanted to add some crunch. I just happened to have Golden Oreo Cookies in the pantry that I purchased in a weak moment. So thinking I was super original, I decided to add these cookies. (Since I’ve discovered that, sadly, I did not invent this combo.) For the ice cream, I used Zoë François' adaptation of David Lebovitz strawberry sour cream ice cream recipe from The Perfect Scoop. She used frozen strawberries, which worked for me! The secret ingredient is two tablespoons of vodka. No, you can’t taste it. The purpose is so that the ice cream doesn’t freeze as hard. Alcohol freezes at a lower temperature so it works and gives you scoopable scoops. I added the cookies in the last couple minutes of freezing/mixing time. It turned out super red and strawberry-y. Next time I’ll go for more of a pinkish color. But doesn’t she look pretty in my aqua baking tin ($4.99 Home Goods purchase)?
Strawberry creamsicles
Let’s face it. Ice cream in any shape is a good thing. On my first go around I made Strawberry Creamsicles, loosely following this recipe. I threw in a mix of whip cream and mascarpone, as well as some pulverized freeze-dried strawberries. So, probably why they came out redder than I intended! I need to work on getting just the right color with my strawberries. Note to self, don’t push the sticks in so far cause it makes hanging onto that short of a popsicle stick harder than one should have to work. I love to have homemade frozen treats on hand for a fun dessert to offer last-minute guests. (Not that I have that many last-minute guests, but one never knows.)
Beyond ice cream
So you may have sensed the ice cream/sweet treats theme with my strawberries. If you’re looking for something beyond dessert, I love this Balsamic Strawberry Pizza (which I’ve written about before) but didn’t have time to make this year. It may sound strange but trust me. It’s a flavor explosion. If you’re a fan of sweet and salty and spicy attacking your taste buds from every direction, then you must try it. And strawberries in a mixed green, spinach or arugula salad is always a good idea. I do wish strawberry season lasted longer. Local berries are sooo much sweeter and tastier than the big-name ones available year round in the store.
It’s now 8:30 pm as I finish this up and still 95 degrees outside. Inside temp downstairs is 89. So I figure it’s like 135 degrees upstairs.
Time for my third helping of ice cream.
