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RECIPE ROUNDUP
Berry Talented
By Shannon Oelrich
After six enjoyable years with Texas Co-op Power, I’ve decided to chart a new course for myself. I’m going to stay at home with my daughter and do some writing on my own. Next month will be my last column. It’s been my great pleasure to be invited into your kitchens each month as I sort through recipes from readers all across the state. Not only will I miss that, but I’ll also miss the wonderful people I’ve worked with here.
Before I go, I have a confession to make: My husband is the better cook at our house. I know, I know, I’m the food editor, so I’m supposed to be very accomplished in the kitchen. Well, I love cooking, and reading about cooking, and writing about cooking, but I’m not a natural cook. My husband, on the other hand, can just throw a meal together, and it turns out brilliantly.
Sometimes he uses a recipe, but he seldom sticks to the original. He riffs off it and ends up with a dish that’s unique and suited to our tastes. It’s like someone who can play an instrument by ear—he has a talent for it.
He’s had a lot of time in the kitchen over the last four years, as he’s been the stay-at-home parent. Besides cooking great meals and chasing a kid, he’s also gone to school full-time to complete his degree. He’s been a pretty busy guy. As we prepare to switch roles, him at work and me at home, I only hope I can do it half as well as he did.
I asked him if I could share one of his recipes here. He created this dessert when we had an abundance of strawberries that were past their prime, but we’ve gone back to it again and again because it’s just so good.
STRAWBERRIES WITH BALSAMIC SYRUP AND BISCUITS
Filling
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces fresh strawberries, washed, trimmed and sliced
In saucepan, combine all ingredients except strawberries and heat over medium-low until boiling, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add strawberries and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir, remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Biscuits
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter cut into small pieces, cold
1/2 cup milk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Into large bowl, sift flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda together. Add cold pieces of butter. Use hands to squeeze mixture together into small balls. It will not look even or well blended.
Add milk and work with hands. It should look like a barely held together mess, not a smooth ball. Cover bowl and set in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and cut 3-inch biscuits, dipping the cutter in flour between cuts. Place biscuits 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Remove to rack and cool.
Whipped Cream
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Beat cream and sugar on high until firm peaks form.
Slice each biscuit in half and serve with a generous spoonful of filling and whipped cream.
Serving size: 1 biscuit topped with strawberries and whipped cream. Per serving: 551 calories, 5.8 g protein, 22.5 g fat, 82.1 g carbohydrates, 240 mg sodium, 72 mg cholesterol
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HOME COOKING
Recipe Contest Winner: Judy Huffman, Bluebonnet Electric Coooperative
Prize-Winning Recipe: Schaum Torte
We tasted a lot of delicious recipes made with strawberries, but the one that ended up on top showcased the flavor of fresh, ripe strawberries without too much fuss. Judy Huffman says of her winning recipe, “This is an old German family favorite. We eat this to celebrate the beginning of strawberry season. We also make this in July when the peaches ripen.” Try this light, crispy meringue dessert when you can smell the strawberries before even reaching for them.
SCHAUM TORTE
1 cup egg whites
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 cups sugar
1 pint whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pint strawberries, sliced
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In mixing bowl, combine egg whites, vinegar and cream of tartar. Beat at high speed until stiff. Add 2 cups sugar slowly with mixer still on high speed.
Gently spoon meringue into two well-buttered glass pie dishes. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 250 degrees and bake for 30 more minutes. Turn off oven and let cool in oven.
Whip cream with vanilla and tablespoon of sugar until stiff. Refrigerate whipped cream until serving time.
When ready to serve, carefully remove meringues from pie dishes. Place one meringue on serving plate and spoon over with whipped cream (reserving a little for garnish). Spread half of sliced strawberries on top of cream. Put other meringue on and garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and a few strawberry slices on top. Serve immediately. Serves 16.
Serving size: 1 slice. Per serving: 168 calories, 2.1 g protein, 5.3 g fat, 28.3 g carbohydrates, trace fiber, 31 mg sodium, 20 mg cholesterol
STRAWBERRY YOGURT CAKE
1 box white cake mix
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 whole egg whites
1 cup (8 ounces) strawberry yogurt
2 small packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese
6 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 pint heavy cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 quart strawberries, sliced thin
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixing bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, egg whites and yogurt by beginning at low speed, then turning up the speed for about 2 minutes. Pour into three greased 8-inch round cake pans. Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool.
In another bowl, mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar. Combine until smooth.
In mixing bowl, beat whipped cream with sugar until stiff.
Lay one cake round on plate and spread thin layer of frosting, then layer of sliced strawberries and layer of whipped cream. Do same with second cake round. Place third cake round on top and frost entire cake. Decorate top with overlapping slices of strawberries or whole berries. Serves 16.
Serving size: 1 slice. Per serving: 439 calories, 6.6 g protein, 16.1 g fat, 64.9 g carbohydrates, trace fiber, 316 mg sodium, 35 mg cholesterol
Joan Poppell
Karnes Electric Cooperative
STRAWBERRY CAKE ROLL
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar
1 large package (8 ounces) cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups strawberries, diced and divided
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In mixing bowl, beat eggs until light and lemon colored. Add sugar and beat until light and thick. Beat in water and vanilla.
In separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Fold into egg-sugar mixture.
Pour batter into buttered jelly roll pan (10x15 inches) lined with waxed paper (also buttered). Spread evenly. Bake 12-15 minutes.
Lightly sift a thin layer of powdered sugar onto a sheet of waxed paper or a clean dish towel. Let cake cool 2-3 minutes, then loosen the edges and turn out onto waxed paper or towel. Peel off top sheet of waxed paper. Trim any dry edges off cake. Roll cake with waxed paper or towel, starting on a long side. Cool.
Blend cream cheese, sugar and margarine. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Fold 1/2 cup strawberries into cream cheese mixture. Carefully unroll cake and remove waxed paper or towel. Spread filling on cake and re-roll. Lightly dust with powdered sugar and garnish with remaining strawberries. Serves 16.
Serving size: 1 slice. Per serving: 204 calories, 2.2 g protein, 8.5 g fat, 29.6 g carbohydrates, trace fiber, 141 mg sodium, 18 mg cholesterol
June Spaulding
United Cooperative Services
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RECIPE CONTEST
September’s recipe contest topic is Mediterranean Food. One recent trend lauded the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet. As a result, many people incorporated some delicious Mediterranean recipes into their repertoire. Do you have a few you’d like to share? The deadline for entries is May 10.
Send recipes to Home Cooking, 2550 S. IH-35, Austin, TX 78704. You may also fax them to (512) 486-6254, e-mail them to recipes@texas-ec.org, or submit online at www.texascooppower.com. Please include your name, address and phone number, as well as the name of your electric co-op.
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