Strawberries Galore Part II

The strawberry bonanza continued with strawberry ice cream, dried strawberries and strawberry fruit leathers! Thanks to my mom who brought up a dehydrator for me to borrow for a month or so to decide whether I would use it enough to merit buying my own, I was able to use some of the strawberries that didn't get frozen to make dried strawberries. Oh the glorious smell - it was almost as good as being out in the strawberry field again! I also used strawberry puree to make a tray of fruit leathers and overall, it was okay, but I think I might try a half and half mixture of applesauce and strawberry puree next time.

But the ice cream we made was mind and mouth-blowing... the strawberry flavor so intense and unpolluted with any other distractions or preservatives that many taste-testers have rejoicingly declared it the most delicious strawberry ice cream they've ever tasted! I started off using this recipe as a base, but modified it according to a couple of previous ice cream making experiences where too much whipping cream in the base left my tongue feeling unpleasantly coated with fat molecules. 

Strawberry Ice Cream
1 c. whole milk
1 c. coffee cream (10%)
1 c. whipping cream
12 egg yolks
2 pinch salt
1 c. sugar

Strawberry Puree:
8 c. strawberries, pureed
1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbs lemon juice

1. Whisk together the milk and creams.
2. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Then whisk the egg mixtures in cream mixture. 3. Heat the egg/cream mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thick enough to coat back of spoon, about 8 minutes.
4. Strain into bowl (if needed) and chill until cold, about 2 hours.  
5. Puree the strawberries with sugar and lemon juice. Once the custard is chilled, stir in the strawberry puree mixture.
6. Place ice cream base in an ice cream mixer and stir until ice cream texture is obtained!

Strawberries Galore!

 
We spent last Sunday morning out in Ladner berry picking at Emma Lea farm. There is no comparable scent to a field full of ripe strawberries perfuming the air with their syrupy sweet odor. The homemade strawberry milkshakes they sell there are worth the drive alone! All in all, we picked about 25 lbs of strawberries which are now piled in the freezer, waiting to be incorporated into various recipes and attack any unsuspecting souls who carelessly open the freezer door. Five days later, I am only just recovering the ability to walk without pain after attempting many equally unsuccessful poses of berry-picking, finally forfeiting and sitting down in between the rows, collecting large quantities of chalky dust all over my backside.Even if you don't want to pick berries, the scenic drive and homemade strawberry milkshakes at the farm is well worth the excursion!

Strawberry black pepper balsamic sorbet

The first two goodies we made with the strawberries were (1) blending strawberry puree with green tea sorbet for a green tea strawberry smoothie like drink: fabulous!  (2) strawberry black pepper sorbet!  It is very spicy, and delightfully different tasting than most strawberry flavored products.

Strawberry Black Pepper Sorbet  (makes about 2 yogurt containers) 
1 1/3 c. sugar
1 1/3 c. water
4 Tbs crushed black peppercorn
6 Tbs balsamic vinegar
4 c. pureed strawberries
2 Tbs. lemon juice

1.  Bring the sugar, water, and peppercorns to a boil. Allow to steep for 15-20 minutes.
2. Mix the balsamic vinegar into the syrup.
3. Mix the syrup into the puree. Taste. Remember that the pepper flavor will not be as strong when the sorbet is frozen (ditto for the balsamic taste). Adjust to suit your taste buds.
4. Freeze.
5. Optional step: if your sorbet doesn't freeze, try adding about 1/2 c. - 1c. water to the sorbet and mix in a blender before freezing again.

Note this is the lazy sorbet recipe. I did not remove the seeds from the strawberries nor strain the black pepper out of the syrup. I did not have any issues with the texture of the sorbet at all.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

The beautiful box of strawberries intended, but unused, for our fabulous tea sandwiches was begging to be used, so I happily obliged with the most standard salad pairing: spinach! Beautiful bright green tender bunches of leaves and now that I know sorrel can be a stand-in, I will be using that as well next time. I modified a recipe from Extra VeganZa, which I haven't used much yet, but intend to soon!

Walnut Strawberry Spinach Salad
1 bunch fresh spinach, cleaned and stems removed
strawberries, stems removed and thinly sliced (for an individual serving, about 4-5 strawberries)
walnuts, coarsely chopped (untoasted) (for an individual serving, about 1/4 c.)
red onion, thinly sliced (you won't need more than 1/2 of a red onion for a large bowl of salad, for an individual serving, just a sprinkling)
*goat cheese is optional*

Dressing
1 1/2 tbs raspberry wine vinegar (red wine vinegar would also work)
1 1/2 tbs cider vinegar (used because I ran out of raspberry wine vinegar)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs canola oil (again you can use 2 tbs of either oil if preferred)
2 tbs maple syrup
1/4-1/2 tsp seal salt
1 tbs poppy seeds
 2 tsp Dijon whole grain mustard 

Place the spinach in a large bowl (or small plate) and top with strawberries, red onion, walnuts, and optional goat cheese in desired quantities.
For the dressing, whisk together all ingredients (or shake in a lidded jar). Pour over salad before serving. Note that the poppy seeds don't really settle into the dressing, so if you're only using part of the dressing, for an individual salad, I recommend gently whisking while pouring to ensure some of the poppy seeds stay in the jar :)