It's June and that means strawberry season. These gems are always the perfect ingredient in any dessert. There's only one problem - they can become soggy. They need to be fleshy and firm.How to do that? Luckily there are different ways to make those berries shine.
Regular contributor Melissa Clark wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. We will be inundated with the juicy fruit for the next few weeks. Strawberries did not have a good start to the year. California , where the winter ones are gtown was beset with bad weather . This caused them to have a bland taste.Luckily fate turned around for them and they and other strawberries have become sweeter and juicier. Unfortunately they do weep or seep moisture into a crumb or crust.Ms Clark gives three new recipes that call for either macerating, roasting or simmeringthem. This condenses their juices and allows them to hold up better in pastry and cakes.Simmering them let them to top a flaky tart. The berries top a tangy cream cheese mixture spread on a base of puff pastry.The tart emergres from th e oven with a crisp, buttery crust.It's a mixture of a lemony creme filling thanks to freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest. The berries are put on top last and then baked in a 425 degrees Farenheit oven.
You could also macerate or soak them in sugar before baking them into biscuits. This prevents from becoming gummy.These then can be turned into the ultimate shortcake with a layer of macerated berries and then a puff of whipped cream. Adding poppy seeds to the biscuits gives them extra crunch. The shortcake is a basic buttermilk one but also very buttery too. A half cup of unsalted butter is used.The strawberry juice is mixed with the buttermilk and added to the dough. As with any shortbread the dough is frozen for forty-five minutes before baking. There is roasting , with the strawberries being briefly roasted before being mixed into a delicate andtemder almond cake, This gives the fruit an intense flavor and caramelizes the juices. The cakes themselves use only egg whites along with five large egg whites. Browned butter is added. Almond and regular white are combined in the batter.The roasted strawberries are cooled patted dry and then folded into the mix. They're baked in muffin tins with a little granulated sugar sprinkled on top The oven should be set at 400 degrees Farenhweit.
These recipes are the perfect way to enjoy fresh and juicy strawberries. They're create a tender fruit without all that soppiness. Try them for a perfect strawberry dessert.
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