Friday Recipes: Strawberries

Ahh strawberry season! Those wonderfully sweet, dark red, gorgeously plump berries. Can you tell I love strawberries? There's a strawberry farm about 20 minutes from our house. They farm 100 acres from which you can go, take a basket, and pick fresh strawberries right from the plants. At the end of August you can pick fresh raspberries and pumpkins in the fall. Strawberry picking starts mid-June, so I am anxiously awaiting the opening. That's what got me searching for strawberry recipes. Here are a few for you to enjoy!

Here are some tips from Thompson Strawberry Farm

• Store berries in the coolest part of your home (refrigerator, basement, garage, floor, etc.)
  
• Do not remove hulls before washing
  
• Do not rinse off berries until you are ready to use them
  
• Grade your berries - use ripest ones first
  

~ Amanda


Strawberry Salsa

2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint leaves
2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1 pint strawberries, hulled and chopped
1/4 cup diced pineapple
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

Combine oil, lime juice, vinegar, mint, cilantro, jalapeno, pepper and salt in medium bowl. Toss in strawberries, pineapple and onion. Serve over grilled chicken or pork. Makes 2 1/2 cups.


Strawberry Blast

1 ripe banana
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup milk
1/2 cup fresh strawberries

Cover and blend until thick and smooth. Makes 2 servings.


Strawberry Pancake

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in each of two 9 inch pie plates in oven. Beat eggs with milk, flour, sugar and vanilla.Remove pie plates and pour half of batter into each plate; scatter with berries. Bake 20 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Makes 4 servings.


Strawberry Salad

4 cups torn salad greens
1 cup watercress
1 cup sliced, hulled strawberries
1/2 half of a small red onion, thinly sliced
Poppy seed Dressing (homemade or bought)
Edible flowers such as nasturtiums or chive blossoms

In a salad bowl, place greens, watercress, strawberries onion. Top with dressing and toss to coat. Garnish with edible flowers. Chive blossoms and nasturtiums are peppery in taste. If they are not available to you, fresh mint can be used for garnish. Caution: Be sure that all herbs and blossoms are free of pesticides.


Honey Lime Fruit Bowl

3 cups honeydew melon balls
4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and left whole
3/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 cup flaked, toasted coconut

In a large bowl, combine melon balls and strawberries; refrigerate. In small bowl, combine honey and lime juice; blend. Just before serving, pour over fruit and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with coconut. To toast coconut: Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes or until golden brown. Spread on a cookie sheet. 12-16 servings.


Strawberry Squares

1 cup flour
1/2 cup crushed pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 cups sliced, hulled fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

For crust, in a bowl combine flour, nuts and brown sugar. Add melted butter. Toss to combine. Spread in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Spread 2/3 of the crust mixture in a 13x9x2 pan. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat 1/2 cup of the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Beat mixture well. In another bowl, beat the remaining 1 cup whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into the strawberry mixture. Transfer to prepared pan. Top with remaining crust mixture. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 9-12 servings. Garnish with additional berries if you wish.


Strawberry Jam

2 c Sugar
2 c Strawberries

Use large firm berries. Wash and hull the strawberries; then measure. Place a layer of berries in a kettle, then a layer of sugar until all ingredients are used. Let stand over night or until the sugar dissolves. Place on fire, bring to a boil and cook about 10 minutes. Pour into a bowl and let stand until the next day; then fill sterilized jelly glasses and seal.


Strawberry Freezer Jam

1 -1/2 pints fresh strawberries (may use frozen, let thaw and drain)
1 box Sure-Jell pectin
4 c. sugar
3/4 c. water

Rinse and hull strawberries, drain. Chop strawberries into small chunks and place in large bowl. Mash fruit with potato masher. Do not puree as jam is meant to have small chunks of fruit in it. Add 4 cups sugar to strawberries and mix well. Let set for 10 minutes.

Stir 1 box Sure-Jell fruit pectin and 3/4 cup water into small pan. Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir mixture for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Stir pectin mixture into strawberries until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour strawberry mixture into clean plastic containers and cover tightly with lids. Let set at room temperature for 24 hours. After 24 hours, refrigerate . Can be stored in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks and in freezer for up to one year. Just thaw jam in refrigerator to use.

These are just wonderful with fresh jam!


Strawberry Jam Turnovers

One 8-ounce package refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1/3 cup whipped cream cheese
1/4 cup strawberry preserves
1 egg white, beaten
confectioners' sugar

On cookie sheet, separate dough into 4 triangles; pinch seams closed. Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon confectioners' sugar. Spoon 1/4 of the cream cheese and 1/4 of the preserves in the center of each rectangle. Brush edges with egg white. Fold corners to center; press. Brush tops with egg white. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in preheated 375 degree oven. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Serves: 4

We loved this on pancakes! She never made enough and her friends loved it as gifts.


Strawberry Syrup

8 cup. strawberries, crushed
1/4 cup. lemon juice
3 cups. sugar
1 cup. corn syrup
Requires: 3 hot sterilized pint jars

Place strawberries in a 4 to 6 quart pot and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Pour berries into a damp jelly bag set over a bowl covered with a double thickness of cheesecloth. (To keep cheesecloth from slipping, fasten with clip clothespins to rim of bowl.) Let juice drip for at least 2 hours. There will be 3 to 4 cups of juice. Return juice to pot and combine with remaining ingredients. Stir constantly and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Boil 1 minute. Pour syrup into 3 hot sterilized pint jars, leaving 1" headspace. Wipe rim of jar with damp cloth. Attach lid. Process in water bath for 10 minutes. Recipe can be halved and refrigerated without processing, when used within a few weeks.

Grandma made her own "biscuit mix" for this recipe but I kinda re-wrote it for convince. I make my own mix and use it....but I shared that before. Grandma loved cardamom and to me this is the secret of this recipe. I love it!


Strawberry Cobbler

4 cup. sliced strawberries
1 tbsp. lemon juice
3/4-1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. corn starch
2 cups buttermilk biscuit mix
3 tablespoons butter melted
1/2 cup. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cardamon

Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, sugar and corn starch in saucepan. Heat and stir until boiling and thickened. Pour into an 8" square baking dish. Combine next 5 ingredients for dumpling batter, and drop by tablespoons onto strawberry mixture. Combine sugar and cardamon and sprinkle over top. Bake at given temperature about 25 minutes, or until dumplings are done. Serves six.


Country Cake With Strawberries And Whipped Cream

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan. In a medium bowl, sift the flour with the cornstarch, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the 3/4 cup of sugar and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the sour cream, the orange and lemon zests and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla and beat until blended. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until smooth.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 15 minutes before turning it out onto the rack to cool completely.

Beat the cream with the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla until soft peaks form.

Slice the cake in half horizontally. Spread most of the whipped cream over the cut side of the bottom cake half. Layer most of the sliced strawberries on top. Replace the top half of the cake and garnish with the remaining whipped cream and strawberries. make ahead The cake can be frozen for up to 1 month. Let it cool completely before wrapping in plastic and then foil. The assembled cake can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead.


Teatime Smoothie

1 cup cold strong Irish Breakfast or other black tea
1 cup frozen blueberries, raspberries or strawberries
1/2 cup apple juice or other 100% juice
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp. honey

In blender or food processor combine tea, blueberries, juice, yogurt and honey. Blend on high speed until smooth. Makes 2 servings.


Strawberry Iced Tea

1 pint fresh strawberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 cups boiling water
5 tea bags-green or black tea
1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 quart sparkling water, or seltzer
Ice

Clean and trim the strawberries. Place them in a bowl with the sugar-mix to coat and set aside. Steep the tea bags with the boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and cool. Stir the cooled tea into the strawberry mixture. Add the lemonade. Place in a large pitcher and chill. Before serving stir in the seltzer and pour over ice cubes in pretty glasses. Makes 12 servings.


Strawberry Lemonade

3 cups water
1-1/2 cups sugar
6 cups fresh (or frozen) strawberries
1 cup lemon juice

Heat water and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved; let cool then chill. Puree berries in blender or food processor; combine with water-sugar mixture. Add lemon juice. Serve over ice. Makes 6 to 8 servings.


And here's a bonus recipe from Thompson's!

Thompson Strawberry Bread

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup salad oil
1 tbsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup Quick Oats
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 cups crushed strawberries

Beat eggs and sugar, add oil and vanilla. Mix in flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Add strawberries and mix well. Pour into two greased and floured 4" X 8" bread loaf pans. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.

There are quite a few more strawberry recipes here on Heeman's and a ton more on Annie's Recipes and Alicia's Recipes