Strawberry – everybody’s darling! Within the next couple of weeks we still have imported strawberries in the shops to buy. The high season of domestic strawberries will start between April and Mai and will end in the middle of September. Than the queen of the berries will have their own performance on the plates. Charming, red and bright will she delight the guests. “Should I or shouldn’t I buy some fruits out of the season?” I struggle every year with the same question when I see these lovely red colored beauties in the baskets. After an overload of citrus fruits, pears and apples, it’s really hard to resist. Well alternate frozen berries are fine as well. Fortunately I have many food recipes on stock, so that I may survive without buying extra berries while posting berry recipes out of the season. What do you think?
Rice cake with berries
Like the bread cake, the rice cake is made from left overs as well, another great recipe against food waste.
Chef’s Handyman, Rice Cake
To make the crust (vegan version), combine 150 g or 6 oz. of grated cookies, 125 g or 4 oz. of plant based margarine and 50 g or 1.5 oz. of roughly grated almonds.
Prepare a 9 inch diameter baking sheet with parchment paper. Apply margarine on the side. Press the crust on the bottom.
Preheat the oven at 180°C or 350°F.
To make the filling, combine 200 g or 6.5 oz. of cooked sticky rice, ¾ cups of coconut milk, 2 tbsp. of vanilla sugar, 1 dash of cardamom powder, 2 tbsp. lemon zest, 80 g or 2.5 oz. of sugar and 3 tbsp. corn starch. Allow the mixture to thicken for some minutes, than blend it. Add 0.5 cups of whipped vanilla soy cream. Place the mixture on top of the crust. Apply almond flakes and sprinkle them with sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Than change to 200°C or 400°F bake another 10 minutes.
Chef’s Handyman tip: Add 2 eggs into the mixture for the vegetarian version. Substitute soy cream for cream and margarine for butter.
Shopping list for 1 rice cake: 150 g or 6 oz. cookies, 125 g or 4 oz. plant based margarine, 50 or 1.5 oz. roughly grated almonds, 200 g or 6.5 oz. cooked sticky rice, 0.75 cups coconut milk, 2 tbsp. vanilla sugar, 1 dash cardamom, 2 tbsp. lemon zest, 80 g or 2.5 oz. sugar, 3 tbsp. corn starch, 2 cups whipped vanilla soy cream, 6 tbsp. almond flakes, 2 baskets berries
Berry salad with cilantro and black pepper
To make salad, cut berries in half, sprinkle with lemon juice, rose water and agave syrup. Spice with black pepper and fresh cilantro leaves. Garnish with lemon zest.
Chef’s Handyman, Berry Salad
Shopping list for the berry salad for 4 serves: 1-2 baskets with mixed berries, 1 bunch cilantro, black pepper, 2 tbsp. rose blossom water, 2 lemons, 1-2 agave syrup.
Berry sherbet
To make the sherbet, add the frozen berries into a blender. Add 2 tbsp. vanilla sugar, a dash of cardamom and lemon zest. Blend the fruits until the texture is creamy and soft, like a sherbet. Spoon them into bowls. Garnish with frozen berries and cookies.
Chef’s Handyman, Berry Sherbet
Shopping list for the berry sherbets for 4 serves: 1-2 packages of frozen berries, 1-2 dashes of cardamom powder, 2 tbsp. vanilla sugar, 1 lemon
Have a great weekend, yours Chef’s Handyman team.
More delicious recipes, Spoil with Strawberries
