Recipe: Strawberry Citrus Salad

The latest issue of Bon Appetit magazine has a ton of great recipes in it, and this Strawberry Citrus Salad caught my eye and I just had to try it. It…is…AMAZING.

Talk about simple food being the best: this recipe has only 4 ingredients and it is packed with flavor. I think this would be pretty good over ice cream too…but I’m just sayin. Plus – it’s a super healthy salad.

Strawberry Citrus Salad
from Bon Appetit May 2009

Makes: enough for a small gathering (8-10 servings or so)
Time: 15 minutes prep + 30 minutes to marinade

Ingredients
2 packages strawberries, washed, cored and quartered
3 large navel oranges, segmented and cut into large chunks
3 T fresh chopped mint
1 T brown sugar

Combine everything together in a bowl, and let it sit for about 30 minutes to marinate and get mascerated goodness. I enjoy this salad by itself or as a simple dessert. In fact, it’s really good after a plate of fried eggs and turkey bacon.

This is a perfect side dish to Garlicky Green Turkey Burgers and Chili Lime Grilled Corn on the Cob for a complete quick and easy grilling meal.

Recipe: Fig and Raspberry Galette

At our last book club meeting for Petal Pushers (which I didn’t read after hearing is was just so-so), we had brunch at one of the women’s houses. I brought dessert this time. Again, it was another episode of “I have so much <blank> from my CSA…what can I make with it?”

I found some inspiration from epicurious.com for their Fig and Raspberry Galette recipe, but I didn’t want to make the crust (short on time and poor reviews) so I ran over to the store and purchased some frozen puff pastry.

I have to leave for book club in an hour. And I had just bought frozen puff pastry. I had no idea what I was doing, but I figured I make something work. Turns out…the how-to-thaw-frozen-puff-pastry on the back of the package works! WHY have I never tried this before? Essentially lay it out on the counter for 40 minutes.

I also didn’t want to make one giant galette, so instead I pulled out my Donna Hay cookbook (remembering seeing a galette recipe in there) and worked some magic into individual servings…

Fig and Raspberry Galette
serves: 12
time: 1 hour 30 min (includes puff pastry thawing time…exclude 40 minutes if it’s already thawed)

Ingredients
1 pound fresh ripe figs (about 10), sliced
4 T sugar, divided
3/4 cup fresh raspberries
1 large egg yolk beaten to blen with 1 t water (for glaze)
1 sheet puff pastry

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice figs and place in a bowl with 2T sugar. Toss together and let sit. Toss raspberries in another bowl with remaining 1 T sugar.

Roll out puff pastry to approximately 14 x 10 inches. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 12 even rectangles. Place on a jelly roll pan evenly spread out.

Put 4 slices of figs on each of the puff pastry pieces, leaving about 1/2 – 1 inch edge. Top with raspberries. Using a pastry brush (or your finger if you don’t have a pastry brush), brush the edges of the puff pastry. Sprinkle the remaining 1 T sugar on the edges.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the puff pastry is browned and the filling is bubbling.

ALTERNATIVE: I haven’t tried this, but I think soaking the raspberries in balsamic vinegar and honey instead of the sugar would give this some depth of flavor. Try soaking raspberries in 1 T balsamic vinegar and 1/2 T honey.

Grilled Chile Pineapple

This is another recipe from the weekend menu for the Creative Retreat.

Grilled Chile Pineapple
serves 8

1 whole pineapple, peeled, cored, and sliced lengthwise into long sticks
1 T chili powder
1 T cayenne powder

Preheat grill to medium high.

Prepare pineapple by mixing the chili powder and cayenne together then rub onto pineapple. Grill for about 8-10 minutes, turning halfway through.

Peach Brown Betty

This is another recipe from the menu for the Creative Retreat. It’s easily doubled, just put in a 9 x 13 pan.

Peach Brown Betty
recipe from Simple Suppers, Moosewood Collective
serves 6-8

4 cups sliced peaches
1/4 cup butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk or cream
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 loaf, or about 8 ounces, crusty bread, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (slightly stale Italian, French, cinnamon or challah are good choices)

Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a two-quart baking dish. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add peaches and cook, stirring, until peaches are hot and beginning to give off juice. Remove from heat.

Beat egg in a large bowl, and then mix in milk, vanilla cinnamon and half of the brown sugar. Add the bread cubes and mix well. Stir in peaches with their juice and melted butter. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake uncovered about 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Note: A cup of fresh or frozen blueberries may be added with the peaches.

Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake

I wanted to do strawberry shortcake, but chow.com came out with this recipe as we were planning the menu. so to make things easier, we purchased pre-made angel food cake rectangles and sliced those in half. it worked beautifully and tasted wonderful. This is another recipe from the weekend menu for the Creative Retreat.

Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake
serves: 10-12

For the cake:
2 prepackaged angel food cakes (the rectangle ones work really well)

For the berries:
2 pints strawberries, rinsed and hulled (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1/2 medium lemon)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

For the filling:
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream

For the frosting:
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 cups heavy cream

Directions

For the berries:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium nonreactive mixing bowl and toss to thoroughly coat strawberries. Let macerate at room temperature at least 20 minutes before using.
2. Strain macerated berries and reserve syrup separately.

For the filling:

1. Combine mascarpone cheese and heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the frosting:

1. Place the cleaned bowl of the stand mixer and the whip attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes. Combine vanilla extract, sugar, and heavy cream in the chilled bowl and whip at medium speed until medium peaks form, about 2 minutes.
2. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least one hour. (The frosting can be prepared up to 12 hours ahead.)

To assemble:

1. Using a long serrated knife, slice each of the cakes in half lengthwise (so you can fill the middle). Place cake rounds on a clean, dry surface and, using a pastry brush, brush 1/2 of the reserved strawberry syrup on the cut side of the first cake round; repeat on the cut side of the second cake round.
2. Evenly spread 1/4 of the mascarpone filling over the cut side of the bottom cake layer. Arrange strawberries standing upright, stem end down, over the mascarpone layer and trim as necessary to create an even layer. Cover berries with the remaining filling, being sure to fill in any empty space.
3. Place second cake layer over mascarpone and strawberries, cut side down, pressing gently to secure it. Using an offset spatula or a long, thin spatula, spread 3/4 cup of the frosting in a thin layer over the top and sides of the cake. Return remaining frosting and cake to the refrigerator until frosting on cake is set, about 15 minutes.
4. Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides of the cake. Let sit in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before serving.