Strawberry-Banana Trifle



 I wasn't going to post this, but Ole Sweetie-Pi kept yammering at me until I agreed to put this on the blog, smiles.  This is a dessert I've made for 30 years or more, and don't even have a handwritten recipe for it.  It's one of those easy, delicious, beautiful, make-ahead desserts that you can make without a lick of baking, or if you have the time and inclination, to make as much from-scratch as you wish.  I can't tell you how many times I've made this over the years, and it's still a favorite.  No trifle bowl?  No problem!  Fits nicely into a large pie plate.

Sweetie-Pi ate almost the entire pie-panful by himself!!

Soooo...no recipe...just a how to. 

Strawberry-Banana Trifle

One loaf pound cake, cut into an even number of slices
Strawberry jam
A bit of sherry (the kind you drink, not cooking sherry!)
3-4 bananas sliced
Vanilla pudding (two boxes prepared according to directions on box)
A pint of strawberries, rinsed, dried, sliced
Whipped topping

Make "sandwiches" wth the sliced pound cake and strawberry jam and line the bottom and sides of your pie plate with the sandwiches, cutting to fit as needed.  Doesn't have to be beautiful or perfect.

Sprinkle with the sherry.  Go careful or you can add too much and the sherry will overpower all other flavors.  Probably 3-4 tablespoons in total is more than enough.  I would urge you not to forgo the sherry.  It imparts a wonderful flavor and really is one of the ingredients that really makes this trifle.

Spread half of the vanilla pudding over the jam-pound cake sandwiches.

Scatter the sliced bananas over the pudding.

Spread the remaining half of the vanilla pudding over the bananas.

Add sliced strawberries.

If you have it, any extra vanilla can  be spead it over the strawberries, helps to keep the strawberries encased for longer freshness, otherwise it's not necessary.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow flavors to develop for several hours.  Serve with whipped topping of choice.

UMMM-ummm good! 

Strawberry Summer Cake

"Do you want a bite of this?"  I offered  a towering forkful of this strawberry cake to Sweetie-Pi.  "Nah, I don't think so.  I don't feel like anything sweet."  I shrugged, a little disappointed.  "Well, maybe a little bite," he said. He took a little nibble. "Yummm, this is good,"  he said.   "It's really good!"  He wedged the remainder of the cake and whipped cream into his mouth and gave me back an empty fork. Ole Sweetie-Pi showed more self-restraint than I; I ate two pieces and called it dinner.

If you like strawberry shortcake, or strawberry trifles, or just about strawberry anything, I believe you'll really like this. This is going into my keeper file and will be seen on the family groaning board when we are together next.  I can't wait to share it with them.

Reportedly, this is a good keeper, will stay fresh about two days, if properly covered, either at room temperature or refrigerated.  Let me know if this delicious cake last that long in your house, smiles.

 
Strawberry Cake
(originally at Martha Stewart)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to grease the pie pan
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pound strawberries, rinsed, dried, hulled, cut in half
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350*F.  Generously grease a ten-inch pie plate.**

In a small bowl  whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about three minutes.  Then add the egg, milk, and vanilla and mix until just combined.

Add the flour mixture and mix until blended.  Transfer batter to buttered pie plate.  Batter is thick, so you may have to level it a bit with a knife or an offset spatula.

Add the strawberries, cut side down, in a single layer, as closely as possible on top of the batter.  Sprinkle the two tablespoons of sugar over the strawberries.

Bake the cake for 10 minutes at the 350*F temperature.  Then reduce the oven to 325*F about 50 to 60 minutes.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out free of batter, though it will likely have a bit of strawberry clinging to it.  

Let cool in pan on wire rack. Cut in wedges and top with your favorite whipped topping, if desired. 

**I used a deep dish 9-inch, Pyrex pie plate and it worked very well, I thought.  My cake was done at 50 minutes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

My brother Grant and I were jabber-jawing the other day, and he asked me if I remembered our Great Aunt Effie's strawberry rhubarb pie.  Do I ever!  It was the first time I had ever had strawberry rhubarb pie and we both agreed, it was love at first bite.  Aunt Effie, a tall, big-boned, taciturn Vermonter,  was my grandfather's sister.  She ran a boarding house, making meals for the lodgers every day of her life.  I was only 12 years or so, sat silently in her kitchen, watching her in awe, as she sternly rolled out the dough and threw together a pie lickety-split, no recipe required.  To this day I don't think I've ever had a pie as good as the one she made, but then I wonder, is any pie, like a kiss, any sweeter than the first.

I tried a new pie crust recipe made with a food processor.  I loved the way it worked up, it looked and handled beautifully, but despair at the way it turned out.  Can you say tough?  Oh my!  So I left the crust and ate the filling, which is very very good!

Glazed Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

(Farm Journal's Homemade Pies, Cookies, & Bread)

Pasty for 2-crust pie
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt (also known as a "pinch")
1/3 cup flour (I used cornstarch)
2 cups fresh strawberries, washed, dried, hulled, cut in halves
2 cups (1-inch pieces) fresh rhubarb
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, diced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg beaten with one tablespoon water (if desired, for glazing)

Combine the 1 1/4 cup sguar, salt and flour in a small bowl. 

In a separate bowl, combine the strawberries and rhubarb.  Pour half the fruits into a pastry-lined, 9-inch pie pan.  Sprinkle with half the sugar mixture.  Repeat with remaining fruit and sugar mixture. 

Dot the top with butter.

Apply the top crust, and flute the edges and make vent holes, or make a lattice top.  Brush top of pie with either cold water and sprinkle on one tablespoon sugar or brush with the beaten egg and water mixture and sprinkle with sugar.  (The egg wash gives a shiny glaze.)

Bake in a preheated 425*F oven, 40 to 50 minutes or until rhubarb is tender and crust is browned.

My Notes:  I think I had my pie on too low a rack.  The crust was very dark at the end of 50 minutes but the juices had not thickened, even after sitting for 3 hours.  I raised the oven rack,  covered the pie with tin foil, and put it back in a 350*F oven for 30 minutes,  The pie thickened up nicely.  Whew!

Here's a question for you.  Lots of folks have issues with a pie like this being too runny, and I admit it can be hard to gauge just how much thickener to add.  I want to say that my Aunt Effie started her pie filling on the stove first and then added it to the pie crust.  Anyone heard of that before?  I can't seem to find a recipe that supports the hazy memory.

Chocolate Crepes with Strawberry and Cream Cheese Filling

Strawberries and cream cheese wrapped in a thin, sweet crepe of chocolaty goodness! Who could resist? Certainly not Ole Sweetie-Pi as he's the chocolate lover in this house.

It took half a dozen tries to get the "feel" of making these crepes, knowing how much batter to use, how hot should the pan be, how much oil to use, how to tell when they're done, and lastly how to turn them without tearing them. While these crepes have similar characteristics to the others that I've made here, I think the sugar content in these made them a little more challenging (a more elevated word than trying!). I'm glad I persevered and now I would definitely make these again. Thinking about the sugar, these were very sweet, even for my very sweet sweet tooth. I think I would reduce the sugar in the cream filing by at least half, and maybe switch the chocolate from semi-sweet to bitter-sweet.

Chocolate Crepes with Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling

Begin one hour ahead:

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup)
3 tablespoons butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon salt

In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt the chocolate chips and butter together, stirring gently to prevent scorching. Take the pan off the heat just before all the chips are thoroughly melted, continuing to stir, allowing the residual heat to melt any remaining chips. Let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk, water, vanilla and chocolate. Beat until well combined. Sift together the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt and then add to the liquid ingredients. Beat until smooth.

Cover and place in refrigerator for one hour.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Filling

2 cups strawberries,, washed, hulled, and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine the strawberries and sugar and set aside. In a separate, medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Gently fold in one cup of strawberries into the cream cheese. Spoon down center of crepe and then roll crepe up. Use remaining strawberries over top of crepes and serve. You should have enough filling for about six crepes.

You're going to have more batter than filling, but the nice thing about crepes is that they freeze well (layer them with waxed paper in between) . You can fill with canned cherry pie filling, or use grated orange peel and a splash of orange juice in the cream cheese mixture. Doesn't bananas sound good in this as well? Or how about as nice curd?

Strawberry Sauce

It was definitely time to use up all those strawberries that had jumped into my grocery cart earlier this week, and what better way than to make a simple and delicious strawberry topping

The first time I saw this recipe, I discounted it, and found a recipe that required more ingredients and more effort. That recipe did not live up to its imagined potential.

Ordinarily, I make the simplest strawberry topping, (a little sugar and allow the berries to macerate) but I was looking for something a little more. This simple recipe, with five ingredients (or is it four because we don't count salt as an ingredient?) is just what I was looking for.

Picture thick, sweet, rich with bright strawberry flavor, slowly cascading down ice cream or waffles or pound cake....this is it!

I took pictures of this last evening but they came out too dark. So, this afternoon on my lunch break, I made myself another bowl of ice cream with this topping and found a patch of light.

I did this only for you because I want you to have the very best. (grins)

Strawberry Streusel Muffins

The grocery store I go to has long tables stacked with tall rows of quart cartons of luscious looking, ruby red strawberries. They are right at the door as I walk in and they are the first thing I see. I cannot not see them. They beckon me; they sing their siren song. I just cannot pass them by. I draw closer, take a whiff and it's too late. At least one, more likely two, cartons of strawberries jump into my grocery cart and follow me home. That's the honest truth. Really. Well, maybe I've slightly exaggerated. Only about the siren song; strawberries really don't sing. Do they?


And then I have the most delicious task of finding a way to use them. I scanned Recipezaar and found Strawberry Sweetheart Streusel Muffins and they sounded just perfect for breakfast.

After the first bite, I knew these were a keeper. While the muffins are simple and lovely on their own, you must make the strawberry butter. Oh. My. Goodness. Sweet strawberry goodness in every mouthful. It's definitely the strawberry butter that brings these muffins right over the moon.

Makes me glad for lazy Sunday mornings and hot coffee.

Best Yet Strawberry Pie

I received a lovely email from a representative of Pom Wonderful, the nice folks who provide us with their delicious and healthful pomegranate products. I've purchased and enjoyed their products in the past, so when I was asked if I would like a sample, I didn't hesitate. I already knew how much I liked them!



I was completely taken aback by their generous gift and knew then and there I would have to make something special. So I decided to adventurous! After some thought and some research, I decided to redo my favorite strawberry pie. I like the pie but strawberries are out of season, and it just doesn't have a clearly defined fruit flavor. I studied the recipe for a while and I knew what it needed. Haven't I stated before that water doesn't add flavor to anything? The answer was so clear (and ruby red and delicious!).

I swapped out the water for an equal amount of pomegranate, added maybe a teaspoon of grated lemon peel, omitted the food coloring and followed the rest of the recipe as written.

Have mercy, this turned out to be the best yet strawberry pie. The pomegranate complimented and enhanced the strawberries, giving the pie a more complex fruity flavor, but not overpowering the strawberries. The filling is rich, ruby red,luscious.It makes a gorgeous, glistening pie, and more importantly, oh so good!

And don't you just know I'm thinking about upscaling my blueberry pie.

Roasted Strawberry Shortcake with Whipped Cream Biscuits

Roasted strawberries? Never heard of it. Whipped cream biscuits? I love whipped cream, I love biscuits. Whipped cream topping that includes sour cream? I couldn't resist.

Roasting the strawberries makes them sweeter and deepens their ruby red color. The whipped cream in the biscuits adds a velvety sweetness. The sour cream in the whipped topping adds a delicate tang and body. This is now my designated shortcake recipe. So good!

This gem is in my 2007 Fine Cooking Annual cookbook.

Roasted Strawberry Shortcake with Whipped Cream Biscuits

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups chilled heavy (whipping) cream, divided, plus more for brushing

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 quart ripe strawberries, cleaned, hulled

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

These biscuits work up pretty quickly. They're best fresh out of the oven, but I ate them a couple of days afterwards, and they still tasted wonderful, though the texture was not optimal.

About an hour before you want these beauties, preheat your oven to 425F. Grease a large baking sheet (I used parchment paper; it's so much neater), set aside.

In a large bowl, add the flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, beat 1 cup of the cream until the cream can hold soft peaks. Keep a careful eye here, you don't want butter. Lift the beaters, the top of the peaks will fold gently fold over. Add the vanilla and beat until just combined.

Make a well in the center of your flour mixture. Add the whipped cream, and using a fork, stir until the mixture begins to hold together. (This is the secret of successful biscuits; try not to overwork the dough!) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a half dozen times or so. Pat the dough until it's about 1/2 inch thick. Using a three-inch cookie cookie cutter, cut out a total of six biscuits. Gather the scraps as necessary and reshape. You could also just pat the dough into a nice rectangle and cut with a sharp knife.

Use a bit of cream to brush the tops of the biscuits. Sprinkle with a little sugar. Place the biscuits on the baking sheet and then bake until golden brown about 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer biscuits to a cooling rack.

Roasted Strawberries

Increase the oven temperature to 450F. In a medium bowl add the strawberries with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Toss to coat strawberries with the sugar. Place strawberries and the sugar into a square or oblong casserole dish or baking sheet. Place into the oven, stirring every five minutes or so, for about fifteen minutes. Berries will be soft, sweet, and fragrant.

Whipped Cream

In a small mixing bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup whipping cream, sour cream, and confectioners' sugar. Beat until soft peaks are formed.

To serve, split each biscuit horizontally (using a fork as if splitting English muffins), and laying the bottom half on a serving plate. Spoon on some strawberries and luscious roasted strawberry syrup, a generous dollop of cream, crown with the biscuit top. A little extra whipped cream and strawberry probably wouldn't be too overindulgent.