canarygirl.com

Hi everyone!  I’m back! :D  We had a great time in Fuerteventura,  and are now trying to readjust to normal every day living…not so easy after being pampered for a week. lol  My fruit vendor had the most luscious strawberries yesterday, and I couldn’t think of a better use for them than making ice-cream…they, of course, are delicious on their own, but ice cream in the summer…that’s just amazing.  My kids think so, too. hehe

 

Ingredients:

1 pound (400 grams) fresh strawberries, pureed
2 cups cream
4 tablespoons sugar

Preparation:

Mix together all ingredients and pour into your ice cream maker.
Freeze/churn for about 20 minutes (or according to manufacturer’s instructions).

Strawberries are at the their season’s peak…juicy, sweet…a sure sign that summer is on it’s way!  This salad can be a meal in itself…it’s got a little bit of everything…crunchy almonds, salty bacon, sweet juicy strawberries and just a hint of a bite from the red onions.  The bacon can easily be omitted to make this salad both vegetarian and gluten free.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 pound (200 grams) bacon, sliced and browned
2 tablespoons sugar (about)
3 tablespoons water (about)
lettuce greens (this time I used red leaf, but spinach or romaine work well, too)
10 large strawberries, washed and sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons poppy seeds
salt and freshly cracked pepper

Preparation:

Heat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
Spread almonds on parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle with sugar and spritz with water.
Toast almonds in oven until golden (about 10 minutes or so).
Remove and cool.
Meanwhile brown bacon and drain on paper towels.
Cool.
Toss together spinach, strawberries and onion.
Whisk together sugar, vinegar, olive oil, mayo, poppy seeds, salt and pepper.
Just before serving, drizzle salad with raspberry dressing and sprinkle with caramelized almonds and bacon.

Time for something decadent!  It was my sister-in-law Marta’s Birthday this week, and I got to make her birthday cake.  Having recently purchased a book dedicated exclusively to chocolate, the perfect opportunity to break it out presented itself…my sil *loves* chocolate. :)  The recipe took quite a bit of time and preparation, but holy heavenly chocolate experience….the cake is very light textured, the filling is fluffy and sweet, and the double chocolate dipped strawberries just gave it the perfect finishing touch.  You’ll need a scale for this recipe…the measurements in the book were all weight measurements, so I’ve converted them to ounces.  Sorry about that!  I’m adding the conversion links to my links until I have time to weigh and measure out the quantities in cups/spoons, etc…when I get that done, I’ll provide a link for easy converting, but for now…this is what we’ve got to work with.

Unfortunately, I cannot cut a level layer to save my life, so that top layer?  Kind of lame looking….way too thin towards the center….see that bottom layer all thick and luscious?  Yeah….half of that was supposed to be part of that top layer. LOL

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1/2 cup (120 grams) butter
1 1/2 ounces (40 grams) powdered sugar
6 eggs
6 ounces (170 grams) sugar
5 ounces (120 grams) dark chocolate
4 1/2 ounces (130 grams) flour
pinch of salt

For the filling:

8 ounces (200 grams) butter
6 ounces (150 grams) white chocolate
1 tablespoon espresso, cold
a little over 8 ounces (220 grams) powdered sugar
8 ounces (200 grams) heavy cream

For decoration:

fresh strawberries, washed and completely dried
melted white chocolate
melted milk chocolate

Preparation:

Make the cake the day before.

Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
Line a larger springform pan with parchment (bottom and sides), or grease and flour the pan.
Melt chocolate over a double boiler and allow to cool.
Using an electric mixer, blend butter, powdered sugar and salt until creamy.
While continuing to mix, add egg yolks one at a time, fully blending after each addition.
Incorporate melted chocolate until fully combined.
Beat egg whites and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.
Fold egg white mixture into chocolate mixture carefully, just until fully combined.
Sift flour into the batter, and fold in carefully just until fully combined.
Spread batter into prepared pan, leveling with a spatula.
Bake in preheated oven for approximately 50 minutes.
Wait 24 hours to remove from pan.

Prepare the strawberries:

Gently stir melted chocolates, to create a swirly mix, not fully combined.
Dip strawberries in chocolate and place on a wax paper lined plate.
Reserve any unused chocolate for decoration.
Place in refrigerator until ready for use.

Prepare filling:

Beat the softened butter with the powdered sugar until creamy.
Melt chocolate and incorporate into the butter mixture.
Add espresso and beat until combined.
Whip cream until soft peaks form.
Carefully add cream to chocolate mixture, folding in with a spatula, just until combined.

Assemble cake:

Cut cake into 4 equal layers (or 3 uneven ones, like I did LOL).
Frost layers with filling, then frost outside with remaining frosting.
Top with chocolate dipped strawberries, and drizzle with reserved chocolate (I put it in a plastic bag and snipped the corner off….make-shift pastry bag!)…..I also added chocolate dipped cookie “pearls” at the base of the cake. 

With temperatures rising, and strawberries coming into season, strawberry sorbet is a fabulous, light and cooling dessert.

Ingredients:

fruit of 2 lemons, (seeds and peel removed)
7-10 strawberries
3/4 cup sugar
4-5 cups ice

Preparation:

You’ll need a pretty powerful blender to achieve a smooth consistency.
First add fruit and sugar, and pulse to puree.
Add ice and pulse at first to break up larger chunks, then puree at full speed until smooth.
Store in freezer (allow to sit at room temperature 15 minutes before serving, to soften).

So I’ve been trying to watch my calorie intake after having gained a few pounds over the winter.  This is *not* an easy thing to do when everyone else in the house wants french fries, guacamole, brownies and other calorie ridden food every day of the week. :P  So…I’ve been cutting back, having vegetarian soup as an appetizer before each meal, plus a big salad and only a small portion of what I’ve made, or a variation of the meal prepared “light” for me.  This is one of those things that tastes every bit as rich and satisfying as a regular smoothie, yet is very diet friendly.  Easy too, so it’s convenient for my busy mornings trying to get 4 kids out the door in time for school.

Ingredients:

1 small container of fat free plain yogurt (4 1/2 ounce / 125 grams)
7-10 strawberries, rinsed and stemmed
1 ripe banana
a splash of vanilla extract
1/2 packet of Splenda (or other sugar substitute to taste)

Preparation:

Buzz everything up in the blender and serve.
Garnish with kiwi if desired.