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| STRAWBERRY
RECIPE IDEAS |
FOOD
& COOKING ARTICLE |
 Have
you had any Fragarias and Cream this year? Wimbledon
would not be Wimbledon without Fragarias and Cream.
It is always amazing the bizarre information you pick
up when looking to write an introduction for a particular
food. The strawberry is no exception. As you may have
guessed a Fragaria is a strawberry, or to be more precise
the garden strawberry, otherwise the Fragaria ×
ananassa, a hybrid species cultivated worldwide for
its fruit, the common strawberry.
Strawberries are not true berries and the fleshy and
edible part of the fruit is known as a receptacle .
. . but enough of the technical information! If you
are really interested there is plenty of well written
information about strawberries, going into a lot more
detail, than we need to enjoy eating them.
One of the problems of growing strawberries commercially
used to be the short growing season, making them a luxury.
Over the years new varieties have been developed by
horticulturists.
One such variety is a British strawberry called Sweet
Eve. Developed specifically for the British climate
it thrives in the varied weather conditions of the UK
making it sweeter with a better flavour when ripe.
Around 15 million punnets of the berries will be grown
and eaten between June and October this year alone.
Sweet Eve is the result of a twenty-five year breeding
program developed by master berry breeder Peter Vinson.
It is an everbearer variety, meaning each plant produces
fruit again and again from June to October. Everbearers
are not as dependent on daylight as other varieties,
making them ideally suited to the UK climate. Because
Sweet Eve has been bred in UK it is more suited to the
UK climate than other varieties that have been bred
overseas.
Below is a collection of simple serving suggestions
to truly make the most of that taste of summer and the
strawberry.
Strawberry recipe ideas:
ROASTED
SWEET EVE STRAWBERRY VANILLA JAM WITH YOGHURT
 This
is a very simple, but delicious way of making quick
jam, without all the stirring and waiting that traditional
jam making involves. The roasting brings out the natural
flavours of the strawberries, and also gives the jam
a wonderful caramel flavour. One of the best ways of
sterilising the jam jars is to wash them in the hottest
setting in the dishwasher, then place them in a hot
oven for about half an hour. Served with lashings of
greek Yoghurt, this recipe is the ultimate sweet treat.
Ingredients
3 kg ripe Sweet Eve strawberries
2 vanilla seed pods
2.5 kg caster sugar
400g of plain Greek yoghurt
3 tbsp granola
Method
- Preheat
the oven to 200°C.
- Hull
the strawberries and place them in a large pyrex heatproof
dish or a non-stick roasting tin.
- Slice
through the vanilla pods lengthways, and open the
pods.
- With
the back of a knife, remove the vanilla seeds, and
mix the seeds into the caster sugar. (Place the
empty vanilla pods into a jar of sugar, and the aroma
will scent the sugar, for cake baking.)
- Place
the vanilla sugar in a separate pyrex dish or non-stick
roasting tin.
- Place
both the sugar and the strawberries, which are on
separate dishes or tins, in the oven, and roast for
30 minutes. The strawberries will start to go soft,
and the sugar will be hot.
- Combine
the hot sugar and the soft strawberries. The heat
of the sugar will make the strawberries melt into
a gooey, sweet jam.
- Fill
the sterilised jam jars with the strawberry jam, and
cover the jam with a small disc of greaseproof or
wax paper.
- Then
close the jars tightly, and label with the name of
the jam and the date.
- You
can store the jam in a cool, dark place, and it should
keep for a good 6 months.
- Serve
the jam spooned over Greek yoghurt in small serving
bowls with a sprinkling of granola and chopped strawberries.
Makes
approximately 5 kg of jam (10 x 500g jam jars)
www.pinkladyapples.co.uk
SWEET
EVE STRAWBERRIES DIPPED IN MELTED CHOCOLATE AND TOASTED
PISTACHIO NUTS
 Strawberries,
melted chocolate and toasted pistachio nuts form a flavour
combination made in heaven. The most important tip is
to buy really good quality dark chocolate with at least
70% cacao bean solids, in order to get the full rich
flavour and aroma of the cacao bean.
Ingredients
500g ripe Sweet Eve strawberries
100g icing sugar for sifting
250g dark 70% cacao solid chocolate
100g raw shelled pistachio nuts
200ml whipping cream
50g caster sugar
Method
- Place
them in a bowl and sift the icing sugar over them.
- Mix
well, and set the bowl aside, cling filmed.
- Break
the chocolate into small squares in a heatproof bowl,
and place the bowl over simmering, hot water that
is in a saucepan over a low heat. The steam from the
hot water will rise, and gently melt the chocolate.
The water must not boil so hard so that it directly
bubbles up to touch the bottom of the bowl containing
the chocolate.
- When
the chocolate is all melted, take the saucepan and
bowl off the heat, and set aside to cool gently.
- Using
a dry, non-stick frying pan, toast the pistachio nuts
very carefully. Keep turning them, so that they do
not catch and burn. When they are golden brown, and
their aroma is filling the air, remove from the heat.
- When
the nuts have cooled, chop them into small pieces.
Set aside.
- Whip
the cream until it forms soft peaks with caster sugar.
- Spoon
the cream into a serving bowl.
- Prick
the bottom end of a strawberry with a cocktail stick,
dip the strawberry into the melted chocolate, and
then roll it into the chopped, toasted pistacchio
nuts.
- Lay
each finished strawberry on a serving platter, with
the cocktail stick, so that the chocolate can reset.
- Serve
the strawberries with the whipped cream, for dipping
into.
Serves
4
SWEET EVE STRAWBERRIES MACERATED WITH APPLE JUICE HONEY
AND MINT
 Macerating
just means leaving the fruit to marinate, and the flavours
used here, apple, mint and honey, complement the sweet
and tangy flavours of Sweet Eve strawberries perfectly.
If you leave the strawberries marinating for a good
hour, the tanginess of the apple, the sweetness of the
honey and the minty fragrance will infuse to create
a mouth-watering combination.
Ingredients
500g of ripe Sweet Eve strawberries
250ml of cloudy apple juice
75ml of runny honey
A handful of fresh mint leaves, from the garden
Method
- Slice
them in half lengthways and place them in a roomy
bowl.
- In
a small jug, pour the apple juice and the runny honey
and mix well.
- Tear
the mint leaves into small pieces and mix them into
the liquid.
- Pour
the marinade over the strawberries and mix well but
gently, making sure that you do not damage them.
- Clingfilm
the bowl and set aside, covered with cling film, somewhere
cool, but not the fridge, for one hour.
- After
an hour, remove the cling film, and give the strawberries
another mix, to ensure they are all covered with the
marinade.
- Serve
into individual bowls.
Serves
4
SWEET EVE STRAWBERRIES WITH PINK LADY APPLE SORBET
 On
a hot summer’s day, this is the perfect dessert
recipe. The sweet tanginess of Pink Lady apples makes
a wonderful sorbet flavour, and the strawberries bring
fragrance and softness to the icy texture. If you want
to add a splash of pinkness to the sorbet grenadine
is the perfect cordial and can be found in any good
supermarket or delicatessen.
Ingredients
500g Sweet Eve strawberries
6 Pink Lady® apples
Zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
4 tbsp of grenadine cordial
50ml elderflower cordial
100g caster sugar
4 sprigs of mint for decoration
Method
- Hull
the Sweet Eve strawberries and slice them into small
pieces.
- Set
half aside in a cling filmed bowl for decoration.
- Peel,
core and thinly slice the Pink Lady® apples, and
place them in a blender with the rest of the strawberries
lemon zest and juice, Grenadine cordial, Elderflower
cordial and sugar.
-
Puree until the mixture is completely smooth.
- Place
the strawberry and apple puree in a clean Tupperware
container, smooth it with a fork till it is completely
level and then close with a plastic lid.
- Freeze
the puree for half an hour.
- Then
whisk it through with a fork, and re-level it.
- Freeze
again till quite solid, but of spooning consistency.
- Place
a generous spoonful of strawberry and apple sorbet
in a serving dish, and top it with the chopped strawberries.
Serves
4
SWEET EVE STRAWBERRY AND VANILLA BROWN SUGAR TOASTED
BRIOCHE SANDWICH
 If
you are after a really sumptuous breakfast or brunch
treat, then look no further. The rich buttery flavour
of brioche is used to sandwich ripe strawberries and
vanilla infused sugar. The perfect summer morning sandwich
and so much prettier than bacon and eggs!
Ingredients
8 slices of brioche bread
400g ripe Sweet Eve strawberries
Unsalted butter for spreading
100g soft brown cane sugar
1 heaped tsp of vanilla bean paste
Method
- Pre-heat
the oven to 180°C.
- Cover
a roasting tray with aluminium foil, and place the
eight slices of toast on the tray.
- Toast
until golden brown, roughly 3 minutes each side. The
brioche bread will go quite crispy.
- Set
aside for a few minutes to cool down slightly.
- Hull
the strawberries and then slice them in quarters.
- Place
in a bowl, add the vanilla bean paste and the sugar,
and then mix well.
- Take
four slices of toasted brioche, spread each thinly
with butter, then spoon some of the strawberry mixture
on top of each.
- Top
each with another slice of toasted brioche, to form
a sandwich.
- Serve
each toasted brioche sandwich on individual serving
plates, with a spoonful or two of extra strawberries
on the side.
Serves
4
SWEET EVE STRAWBERRY RIPPLE MASCARPONE CHEESE PARFAIT
 A
parfait or semifreddo is just a frozen pudding. It is
a very simple way of making a very delicious type of
ice-cream but without too much stirring, leaving the
cook ample time to focus on other preparations. Mascarpone
cream cheese, from the north of Italy, is a very good
ingredient to accompany strawberries. The crunchy Amaretti
biscuits and Amaretto liqueur in the recipe add a delicious
bitter almond flavour to cut through the creaminess
of the pudding. All ingredients can be found in a good
supermarket or delicatessen.
Ingredients
100g soft Amaretti biscuits
Splash of Amaretto liqueur
400. Sweet Eve strawberries
4 fresh free range eggs, separated
100g caster sugar
250g Mascarpone cream cheese
Method
- Carefully
line the base and the sides of a 1 litre plastic lunch
box, or plastic Tupperware container with cling film
that overlaps down the side.
- Crush
the soft Amaretti biscuits all over the base of the
lunch box, and drizzle some Amaretto liqueur over
them.
- Hull
the strawberries and crush them in a bowl, using a
fork.
- Spoon
half of the crushed strawberries all over the Amaretti
covered base of the lunch box.
- Using
an electric whisk, beat the egg yolks with the sugar,
until light and fluffy.
- In
a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form
soft peaks.
- Fold
the egg whites into the egg yolk and sugar mix, carefully
retaining the air inside the mix.
- In
a roomy bowl, whip the Mascarpone cream cheese until
it is softened, then fold the egg mix into the Mascarpone
cheese, a little at a time, until it is fully blended.
- Spoon
half the Mascarpone mix over the crushed strawberries
in the lunch box, and level the top with a spatula.
- Spoon
the remaining half of the crushed strawberries on
top of the Mascarpone cream, and then spoon the remaining
half of the Mascarpone cream on top, as the final
layer.
- Take
a metal skewer, and very gently insert it into the
mix, turning it around to create a “ripple”
effect of red and white.
- Bang
the Tupperware box gently on the work surface, to
evenly distribute the mix, and top with a few halved
strawberries to decorate.
-
Cover the parfait mix with the overlapping cling film.
- Freeze
the parfait overnight.
- Just
before serving place the open Tupperware box on the
table, and place an upturned serving plate on top
of it.
- Now
turn the Tupperware box upside down, gently, so that
the frozen parfait and the cling film slide down on
the serving plate.
- Remove
the cling film, turn the parfait over onto another
plate to right it, and slice the parfait into individual
portions.
Serves
6
SWEET EVE STRAWBERRY TAPAS
 This
is such a simple and easy way of serving fresh, ripe
seasonal strawberries at the end of a relaxed supper
party. Everyone can get stuck into their preferred flavour
combinations, and can taste each accompaniment. Ricotta
is an Italian whey cheese and can be found in most supermarkets.
Let the sweet and fragrant taste of Sweet Eve strawberries
speak for itself, or enhance it by dipping in this wonderful
array of spices and flavours.
Ingredients
500g fresh Sweet Eve strawberries
100g black pepper corns
100. red pepper corns
250g Ricotta cheese
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
100ml of aged traditional, balsamic vinegar from Modena
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
100g unrefined soft brown cane sugar
Method
- Hull
and clean the strawberries, removing the green stem
with a teaspoon.
- Slice
the strawberries in half, and place them in a serving
bowl on a tray.
- Prepare
5 more small bowls, all to be served on the same tray.
- Using
a pestle and mortar, lightly crush the black pepper
corns, and then place them in a small bowl, on the
same tray as the strawberries.
- Lightly
crush the red pepper corns, as above, and place them
in a separate bowl, again on the tray.
- Mix
the ricotta in another bowl with the ground cinnamon
- Pour
the balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.
- Place
the lemon zest in another bowl, and mix in the sugar.
- Serve
the prepared tray to your guests, and they can dip
each strawberry into the flavours alternatively.
Serves
4
www.sweetevestrawberry.co.uk
Published
03 June 2011
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