Sasha's Kitchen: Strawberry Rhubarb Mini Pies

I made these delicious strawberry rhubarb mini pies a couple of weeks ago, just in the height of late spring strawberry and rhubarb season.  They're really a cross between a pie and a cupcake, and they were made in cupcake molds.  These were a delicious recipe from Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts cookbook, which adds some orange zing to a traditional spring strawberry rhubarb pie.  They're just perfect in this bite size manifestation - just enough pie to savor the flavors of fresh strawberry season.  I love the combination of strawberry and rhubarb and I haven't been able to get enough of the two this spring, after making six jars of strawberry rhubarb jam.

Strawberry Rhubarb Mini Pies
(adapted from Martha Stewart)
Crust
3 cups all purpose flour
3 T granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening
1 1/2 sticks of cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 T ice water
2 large eggs for egg wash
fine sanding sugar for sprinkling

Filling
12 oz (about two cups) fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into a tiny dice
5 stalks rhubarb, trimmed and cut into a tiny dice
1 T finely grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp orange extract (instead of grand marnier, which the original recipe called for 1/4 cup)
1 cup granulated sugar (original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups)

First, make the crust.  Pulse the flour, sugar, salt, vegetable shortening and butter to a coarse meal in your stand mixer.  Add the ice water, one tablespoon at a time and pulse until dough just comes together.  Flatten into two discs and chill for one hour.

Combine the ingredients for the filling and allow to sit.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Take out two silicone muffin tin trays and line with paper muffin liners.  Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick and cut out 24 rounds using a 3 1/2 inch round cutter or the top of a glass.  Press the circles into the cups.  Reroll scraps and cut out four small straps for the top of each mini pie using a knife or pastry wheel cutter.  Refrigerate shells and straps until firm, about 30 minutes.

Strain the liquid from the fruit mixture and place about 2 T in each cup.  Top with woven lattice using the straps and pinch to seal.  Use the eggs to coat with an egg wash using a pastry brush and sprinkle on the sanding sugar.  Trim away any excess dough.  Chill for another 30 minutes or until firm.  Bake until golden brown at 350 for about 60-70 minutes.

Sasha's Kitchen: Strawberry Rhubarb Mini Pies

Sasha's Kitchen: Strawberry Rhubarb Jam & Challah French Toast

I made this delicious jam and preserved six jars using the boiling water method.  This was my first jam of the season and was a huge success for my second time making jam overall.  I just love the combination of strawberry and rhubarb this time of year, so I couldn't resist making some strawberry rhubarb jam.  Yum! My jam cam out perfectly using the Pomona's Universal Pectin recipe on their website and the instructions for preserving in Sherri Brooks Vinton's book Put Em up.  I took her class on preserving last year at the Brooklyn Kitchen. My jam had a little bit of fruit float, which isn't a big deal but a place to improve.  To correct for that, I should crush the fruit a little better next time, which may mean using a potato masher instead of my own hands!  At any rate, I have enjoyed using this delicious jam, both jazzing up some goat cheese on crackers as an appetizer and with challah french toast.  It's the best jam to start the canning season!  Please note, I multiplied the original recipe by 1.5 to make six conventional sized jam jars rather than four. Also, the recipe from Pomona's gives a sugar range, so what I used is below.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
3 cups rhubarb, cooked and crushed
3 cups crushed strawberries
1 1/3 cups of sugar
3 T lemon juice
3 tsp calcium water
3 1/4 tsp pectin

Combine the sugar and the pectin in a small bowl and set aside.  Heat the jars (minus the lids) in a large pot covered with two inches of water.  They just have to be hot, not reaching a boil.  You are not truing to sterilize at this point. Add some rhubarb (cut up) to a little water an cook until soft.  Then (after cooking!) measure three cups of rhubarb.  Mash two pints of strawberries using your hands or a potato masher and then measure three cups of the mashed strawberries.  Transfer the fruit to a large, reactive saucepan and slowly bring to a boil over low heat, stirring frequently.  Stir in the calcium water and lemon juice.  Then slowly add the sugar-pectin mixture.  Slowly return to a boil and heat to ensure the mixture is heated thoroughly.  Then turn off heat and allow to rest for five minutes.  Skim off any foam.

Using the boiling water method of preserving, ladle into half pint jars that have been prepared, leaving a quarter inch of headspace.  Release any trapped air and lightly place caps on jars.  Process for 10 minutes (once the water reaches a hard boil, set timer for 10 minutes).  Allow to stay in water for five minutes before removing.  Then allow to cool at room temperature.  Will stay good for one year!

To make the french toast, follow the recipe below.  This jam is amazing on the french toast.

Sasha's Challah French Toast
1 small-ish Challah
5 eggs
1 1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
butter or canola oil for cooking

Whisk together the eggs, milk cinnamon and vanilla.  Slice the challah into thick slices.  Heat a large pan with either butter or canola oil.  Quickly dip the challah to soak up the batter, and then cook in the pan until nicely browned.  Serve immediately with strawberry rhubarb jam.

Sasha's Kitchen: Strawberry Rhubarb Jam & Challah French Toast

Sasha's Kitchen: Tea Party Strawberry Sodapop Cupcakes with Poprocks for Ovarian Cancer Research

Breast cancer and ovarian cancer are both causes dear to my heart. In fact, my beloved mother is a breast cancer survivor. So, when Foodbuzz and Kelly Confidential announced that they would be donating money to ovarian cancer research for each entry in Top Nine Tea Party Takeover on Foodbuzz, that gave me even more incentive to create the perfect cupcake recipe for a tea party. Kelly Confidential is a great organization that is sponsoring Electrolux and Kelly Ripa's virtual tea party for a truly important and cause - sponsoring ovarian cancer research. If you enter the tea party promotion on Kelly Confidential's website, they will donate $1 for each entry to this terrific cause.

These cupcakes are, of course, pink, both because they are tea party inspired, and as a tribute to women everywhere who are fighting ovarian and breast cancer. What could be cuter and better for a tea party than strawberry sodapop (or even strawberry champagne) cupcakes with crackling strawberry poprocks on the top, my all time favorite candy? I absolutely love everything about tea parties - they just bring out the feminine little girl cuteness in life. That's probably why Manhattan's Alice's Tea Cup - a tea party restaurants, is one of my favorite tea party spots.

Nothing is better for a tea party than these pretty pink cupcakes. They are fabulously strawberry flavored, and are the perfect match for a cup of tea with milk and honey for your next all-girl gathering. Perhaps you'd also like them alongside my Alice In Wonderland cupcakes for the ultimate tea party?

Oh, and what could be more perfect for a tea party than these cupcakes - mini strawberry sodapop cupcakes with poprocks! I was sure to keep enough batter to make a tray and a half of these too!

So, go PINK for your next tea party, pink for ovarian cancer research to put an end to this deadly disease.

Sasha's Strawberry Sodapop Cupcakes with Poprocks
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup seltzer with strawberry syrup (or Champagne with strawberry syrup)
1 stick of butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup fresh strawberry puree

Sasha's Strawberry Poprocks Frosting
1 stick of butter
4 oz cream cheese
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 T strawberry syrup
3 T seltzer or Champagne

To make the cupcakes, beat the butter and sugar for three minutes on medium speed in your mixer, until smooth. Beat in the eggs and the seltzer, which you can make strawberry flavored with Hershey's Strawberry Syrup. Alternatively, if you prefer to go all out for your tea party, replace the seltzer with Champagne - by all means! Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Alternatively beat in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, until combined. Then add in the strawberry puree, which you should make from fresh strawberries.  Fill your full size and mini cupcakes trays with the batter- I filled one one and a half mini trays and a dozen regular size cupcakes. The large cupcakes bake for about 35 minutes at 350, the minis take closer to 20 minutes or so. They are done when a toothpick comes out clean, before they start to brown.

For the frosting, in your mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and confectioner's sugar until smooth and frosting like. Combine 3 T of seltzer and 1 T of strawberry syrup and beat that in as well.  Using a fluted tip, pipe the frosting onto each cupcake (or mini cupcake) using a frosting bag. Top with plenty of cracking poprocks and serve with delicious organic teas. Party time!

Sasha's Kitchen: Tea Party Strawberry Sodapop Cupcakes with Poprocks for Ovarian Cancer Research

Amasea's Kitchen in Sun Valley: What do you think?

So I've started my canning for the year, and thus far have made only spicy dill pickles and hot sweet mustard pickles (I'll post about those soon).

I'm waiting for some additional bulk produce to show up on Idaho's Bounty, and in the meantime I bought 12 pounds of strawberries from Costco yesterday. I'm not certain what I want to make with them, but I know I don't want to make some boring old strawberry jam. Not that strawberry jam isn't delicious, but I have lots of jam in the cupboard already, and want to be more creative.

There are some great onions around, and I've been thinking -- strawberry-onion compote/marmalade? Possibly with some hot peppers in?

A quick perusal of the internet didn't come up with any recipes for that kind of thing, so I could be onto something not often done before. Which could mean it's a great idea, or a very bad idea.

What do you all think?

Amasea's Kitchen in Sun Valley: What do you think?

Sasha's Kitchen: Strawberry Apple Crumble

Strawberries are in high season now and are one of my favorite spring and summer fruits.  I love making pies, but you would never put strawberry in a pie.  However, a strawberry crisp or crumble is just perfect.  Other fruits will go in a crumble perfectly as well, such as raspberries or blueberries.  My initial plan was to make a strawberry rhubarb crumble after I had an amazing one for dessert at Blue Water Grill in Manhattan.  However, I could not find rhubarb for sale at any of the grocery stores and organic markets I went to here in Brooklyn.  I'd love to know where to find it, but everyone kept telling me that they don't keep rhubarb in stock because it doesn't sell.  So I decided to go with apples, which I thought would absorb the flavors and juices of the strawberries nicely. I used fresh seasonal strawberries, which are of course, the key to this recipe.

Sasha's Strawberry Apple Crumble
1 lb fresh strawberries
2 large Pink Lady apples
2/3 of a cup granulated sugar
1 T lemon juice
1 stick of butter, melted
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats

To prepare the filling, peel and chop the apples and remove the tops from the strawberries before cutting each in half. Combine the apples and strawberries with the granulated sugar and lemon juice.  Mix well and put the mixture in a prepared pie dish that you have sprayed with Pam, or something similar so it does not stick.

Next, create the crumble for the top.  This actually does not require a mixer and is very simple.  In a bowl, add the flour, melted butter, rolled oats and brown sugar.  Mix well using a fork until it combines into a crumble-like mixture.  Cover the top of the pie filling with the crumble.  Bake for 45 minutes in an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees.

My husband absolutely loved this dish.  It's such a classic presentation of the freshest fruit of the spring and we both really enjoyed it.  It's also very easy to make - easy as well, pie.

Sasha's Kitchen: Strawberry Apple Crumble

Sasha's Kitchen: Belgian Waffles With Strawberries

Belgian waffles are one of my all-time favorite decadent brunch entrees, and with either powdered sugar or chocolate, can also be a perfect dessert.  I love using my waffle maker to make fresh waffles and I have tried a number of varieties over the last few years, some with greater success than others (not such a fan of buckwheat waffles, I must admit).  A few weeks ago, I decided to make Belgian waffles as the main course for our weekend brunch guests.  These waffles were a huge hit - our guests absolutely loved them and everyone finished the entire large waffle (in addition to a salad and cupcakes).   The leftover waffles tasted just perfect later that evening for dinner as well!  Thus, unlike politicians, this type of waffle is consistently a great brunch entree, but also a terrific dessert.

I love the way the waffle iron gives the waffles their distinctive pattern and shape.  Belgian Waffles are generally prepared with yeast leavened butter.  They are usually lighter, thicker and crispier than other waffle varieties.  My Belgian waffles were made with fluffy egg whites, using the same technique used to prepare a souffle.  Thus, they are especially light and fluffy.  Most traditional Belgian waffles have rectangular sides. (Mine don't since I just used my conventional waffle maker for the recipe).  Belgian waffles can be topped with confectioner's sugar (the traditional Belgian way), or with whipped cream, fruit and maple syrup.

Making these waffles made me crave Belgian food in a big way - everything from steak frites to Belgian fries to Belgian mussels is making my mouth water at the moment.  I definitely need a foodie trip to Europe this summer - that's a hint to my husband that we have a lot of work to do on our trip planning for that summer vacation I've been waiting patiently for!

Belgian Waffles With Strawberries (recipe adapted from this recipe from the Food Network)
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 egg whites
4 egg yolks (you will need to separate the eggs)
2 T sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 T unsalted butter, melted
2 cups milk (I used lowfat organic milk from Stonyfield Farms)
1/4 tsp cream or tartar
PAM
pint of fresh strawberries
whipped cream
fresh Vermont or Quebec maple syrup

Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.  This recipe makes 8 large waffles in a conventionally sized waffle iron, but the leftovers actually hold up decently for a day or two.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  In a second bowl, beat together the egg yolks and the sugar until the mixture is pale yellow in color.  Don't forget to save the egg whites in a bowl for later in the recipe.  Add the vanilla, melted butter and milk, and whisk to combine.

Add the flour and mix until just combined - don't overbeat!  Next, use your KitchenAid Stand Mixer (or a handheld mixer, if you do not have a stand mixer) to beat the egg whites until fluffy and they form stiff peaks.  You should add about 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar to beat the egg whites and beat for at least 3 minutes on the highest speed.  They egg whites are done when they are fluffy and foamy, just like as if you were making a souffle.

Using a spatula, gently fold in the egg whites into the batter, again, just like with a souffle.  Be gentle and just fold in the whites, rather than stirring.  Prepare the waffles in your iron following the manufacturer's instructions.  I served them with fresh strawberries and a bit of whipped cream.  They also taste great with high quality maple syrup, but this is less traditional.

To make Eric's Belgian-inspired Mussels Risotto, click here.

Sasha's Kitchen: Belgian Waffles With Strawberries

Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto - Road Trip to Niagara

A few weekends ago I was lucky enough to take a trip to Niagara with fellow blogger Sasha, her mother, her mother's friend and our dear friends Shannon, Lisa and Lisa's husband Jeff. Lisa, Shannon, Jeff and I drove down on the Friday night and stayed at the lovely Hilton Doubletree in Niagara Falls. The next morning we drove to meet Sasha and her party at Inniskillin. You can read about Sasha's impressions of Inniskillin in her article.

After Inniskillin, we headed to Lailey where the wonderful Derek Barnett guided us through his beloved winery. Derek's passion for winemaking was clear to us from the very beginning. His enthusiasm and verve were evident the whole afternoon!

Derek and I really bonded over our mutual passion for local, sustainable eating and drinking; as well as our passion for Ontario wines and pairing them with food. For those of you unfamiliar with Canadian wine, there is a reason why; most of it never sees its way out of the country or into a Canadian liquor store! Lailey is a small winery that sells most of its wine out the door; only a few varieties (such as the VQA Pinot Noir) ever see the inside of an LCBO liquor store, and the bottles that do can only be found in the Vintages section as production at these boutique vineyards is so small, the price can become high for retail. Lailey specifically trains their vines to curtail and control growth, which also makes it expensive for them to grow the grapes.

After our tour, we got down to some serious tasting. Derek first brought out two Chardonnays for us to try; the 2008 Brickyard and the 2008 Canadian Oak. I absolutely did not realize how different the soil can make in the taste of wine, but it was clearly demonstrated to us at Lailey! Though grown in the same year, the Brickyard grapes were grown in red clay soil and the Canadian Oak grown just a few dozen metres away in looser, more aerated soil. Most of our party preferred the citrus notes of the Canadian Oak, however I and a few others preferred the smoothness and textures to the Brickyard. Derek is determined not to sacrifice flavour for alcohol or sugar content; either of which can overwhelm delicate flavours; especially in whites.

Our next tasting was a revelation to me. Derek brought out two Pinot Noirs for us to compare; again from the same year but different soil. The 2008 Pinot (which is usually the Lailey wine most likely to be found at the liquor store) was ruby red in colour and quite lovely and jammy; a wonderful wine all around thoroughly enjoyed by our party.
My revelation came with the 2008 Brickyard Pinot Noir. Right away, the colour was more of an earthen red and I could see the difference the red clay soil made. Honestly, I could have sat at that table all day without drinking - simply smelling that wine. I just looked at Derek and smiled. It was like vanilla and violets in a glass; it tasted like I would imagine the colour purple would taste in food form. I told Derek that the wine reminded me of the African Violets my Granny used to keep when I was a child. All of a sudden, Derek got the biggest smile on his face, lighting up like a child on Christmas morning who knows he got a bike under the tree.

He asked if I wanted to try other reds and I readily agreed. All of a sudden, wine was coming at us with the enthusiasm of a man who knows he's found an appreciative audience; people who appreciate his art.
So began my journey; and the journey of our table. Next came the revelatory 2007 Meritage, a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. This was my favorite Lailey red by far; the notes of violets and vanilla were a bit stronger here and I ended up buying a bottle. To me, this was joy in a glass! This wine begs for lamb or a steak to go with it, or just to be sipped before a fire or on a sunny patio.

Before this trip, I had never tried an aged wine (I know, I'm a bad foodie!) and had told Derek that as we were discussing the Pinots and how the flavours change with aging. The dear man brought in a 2002 Merlot with gorgeous jamminess and vanilla hints, a 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon which was redolent of potatoes, grass, earth and ocean. It sounds odd, but it was absolutely delicious!

Next came what we were actually meant to be tasting that day; the icewines. Another revelation to us all. Along with the other vintage red wines he brought out, Derek was generous enough to bring out the very last bottle of Lailey's 2001 Riesling Icewine. It had a tropical aroma with dried fruit flavours like fig and dates. It had this beautiful amber colour with a thicker consistency from the aging. Lisa rightly described it as drinking liquid gold.

From there, we went from an aged icewine to a relatively young one; the 2007 Vidal icewine. It was a deep yellow gold colour and had an amazing aroma and flavour of lychee and peaches. I also picked up a couple of bottles of this one. I still haven't decided if I should drink it or age it!

I had no idea before this trip that aging icewine was an option, but Derek explained that the fruity tropical elements give way over time to more dried fruit flavours, and the colour goes from gold to amber.

Last, but certainly not least came something special I had never tried; a red icewine. We tasted the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon icewine which had a lovely cheese aroma with jammy and berry-like tones to it; strawberries, blueberries, cherries. An amazing new experience and I know many of our party loved this one as well.

We were so lucky to have this unique experience at Lailey; this was certainly not an ordinary wine-tasting. Derek's knowledge and infectious enthusiasm for his product and region were such a joy to behold. Thank you so very much to Derek and all those at Lailey who gave us such a special afternoon. I will never, ever forget it and will hopefully be back at Lailey with my family later this year to stock up!

Michelle's Kitchen in Toronto - Road Trip to Niagara

Margie’s Kitchen in Boston Valentine’s Day Special: Brunch Entrée – Strawberries Romanoff

Photos by Lena

This year, 2010, Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday and for this reason I am suggesting a menu for a Valentine’s Day Brunch. The brunch begins with Crunchy French Toast. The recipe can be found in my most recent blog [I made a correction in my initial posting: ½ cup, not 1 cup of milk]. The next entrée is Strawberries Romanoff, which looks surprisingly simple to make that one might wonder whether the addition of a liqueur and orange zest could make much of a difference to the taste of plain strawberries; they do!

I’ve looked around at different recipes and settled on a simple version by Pierre Franey from the classic “60-Minute Gourmet” Series in The New York Times. This recipe is from a second cookbook from the series titled, More 60-Minute Gourmet (page 277 “Fraises Romanoff”), with one exception, I use orange liqueur (Patron Citronge ) and not Grand Marnier (cognac and orange liqueur):
2 pints strawberries, ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (I would cut in half), peel from one small orange, ⅓ cup Grand Mariner, ¾ heavy cream (I use whipping cream which is a bit less calories—5!)
Remove the stems from the strawberries. I usually take a knife and hack off the tops but I’ve come to respect the importance of food presentation after writing in this blog. For this reason I now carefully cut the strawberries around the stems then rinse, drain, and thoroughly dry on paper towels. When dry, place strawberries in bowl (flat bottom), sprinkle with sugar, and then pour liqueur over strawberries. Add orange peel and gently mix and refrigerate; no time is specified. You want enough time to allow liqueur to penetrate strawberries, 1 hour preferably. Whip cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar (or less if you desire) just before serving. Put strawberries in separate dessert-style glass bowls. Pour residual liqueur mix over the tops of each serving bowl and serve with whipped cream. Stay tuned for my last Valentine’s Day Brunch entrée.

Margie’s Kitchen in Boston Valentine’s Day Special: Brunch Entrée – Strawberries Romanoff

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Strawberry Salad

This is actually my Mom's recipe but I like it so much that I make it all the time. She tries really hard to make healthy food taste great and I think this is her most successful recipe in that regard. It's also a very quick and simple recipe that you can pull together very quickly.

Ingredients:

1. Spring mix salad greens
2. Fresh Strawberries
3. Gorgonzola or Blue cheese crumbles
4. Sweet and Spicy Pecans (Trader Joe's has some great ones)
5. Brianna's Strawberry vinegrette salad dressing

My only recommendation with this one is to break the pecans up into more bite-sized pieces as they are pretty strongly flavored and to cut the strawberries into bite-sized pieces as well. Put on dressing as you see fit and enjoy!

Eric's Kitchen in Jersey City: Strawberry Salad