Strawberries

The cultivated strawberry, “Fregaria Ananassa” is one of the most popular fruits of the world.   Bright red in colour, it is renowned for its sweet taste and wonderful fragrance and flavour. 

Strawberries can be frozen, dried and preserved into jams, spoon-sweets, syrups, liqueurs.   The most fabulous tarts and cakes are prepared with this luscious fruit.   Also they can be added to dairy products such as milk, ice-creams, smoothies and yogurt, with excellent results.  The are also used in the chemical and medical industries, for producing perfumes and medicines.

Strawberries, nutritionally, are very healthy.   They have masses of Vitamin C, also Vitamin A, anti-oxidants and many minerals that are essential to our health.   Apparently, they also have many anti-inflammatory  and anticancer properties.

The very first strawberries I tasted were the delicious wild strawberries of the Ionian Islands (“Fregaria Moschata” ?), which are tiny, highly perfumed and delicate in flavour.

Find below a few old and new recipes.

FROZEN STRAWBERRY YOGURT

500 g (1 lb 5oz) fresh, ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced

125 g (4oz + 1tbsp) caster sugar or more if preferred

1 liqueur glass good quality brandy or orange-flavoured liqueur

2 tbsp orange juice

A few drops of lemon juice to accentuate the taste

A pinch of salt

250 g (8 1/3 oz) thick yogurt

Marinate the strawberries with the sugar, alcohol, lemon and orange juice and salt, cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.    Then blend, taste for sugar and add some more, if necessary, blend again and sieve.  Combine the fruit pulp with the yogurt and mix very well together

 The easiest way to freeze the strawberry yogurt is in an electric ice cream machine.  Alternatively freeze it in a covered ice cream tray, and when half frozen, beat well and quickly return it to the freezer.  Repeat the same procedure, twice more.

 

STRAWBERRY WATER ICE  

Γρανίτα Φράουλας

Try preparing this water ice, and give me your opinion.

250 ml (1 cup) sieved strawberry pulp
300 g (1 cup) sugar 

500 ml (2 cups) water

A pinch of salt

1 tsp lemon juice

Heat water, sugar and salt stirring until the sugar melts.  Remove from the fire and cool.   Then add the lemon juice, the strawberry pulp and mix well together.

The easiest way to freeze a water-ice is with an electric  ice-cream machine.   Alternatively, freeze it in a covered ice-cream tray.   When half frozen, beat well,   And quickly return it to the freezer.   Repeat the procedure twice more.

STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH OLIVE OIL

 Serve this cake, sprinkled with icing sugar.

600 g (2 cups) sugar

4 eggs

187.5 (¾ cup) olive oil

390 g (3 cups) self-raising flour or less, sifted with

1 tsp baking powder and

A pinch of salt

375 ml (1½ cup) strawberry pulp

1 liqueur glass orange liqueur or strawberry brandy

Beat sugar and eggs until light and doubled in bulk, add olive oil and keep on beating.   Stir in the strawberry pulp and the orange liqueur in three portions, alternately with the sifted  flour mixture, mixing well after each addition.

                                       

Pour the batter in a prepared cake tin, lined with baking parchment, and level the surface.   Bake in an oven preheated to 180C (350 F) for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake, comes our clean.

                                                             STRAWBERRY JAM

This is my grandchildren’s favourite jam.

                                       

1 kg (2 lb) ripe but firm strawberries, washed and hulled

750 g (1½ lb) sugar

62.5 ml (¼ cup) brandy

2 tbsp lemon juice

Cut the strawberries in half.   Place half the strawberries in one layer in a saucepan, add half the sugar on top, arrange the remaining strawberries over and evenly cover with the remaining sugar.  Cover the saucepan and refrigerate overnight.   

Next day simmer the fruit for 15 minutes and remove the saucepan from the fire and set aside for 24 hours.   Then add the brandy and simmer for about ½ hour or, until the jam thickens.  Then add the lemon juice and cook for 2-5 minutes more.

Fill prepared jars with the scalding jam, seal them and turn them upside down.   Leave them undisturbed until the next day or until they are completely cold. Then turn the jars over and clean and store them in a cupboard.   When you open a jar, be sure to refrigerate it.

                                                     STRAWBERRY TART

I can't remember who gave me the recipe for this tart.

PASTRY:

200 g (almost 7 oz) butter, at room temperature
100 g (1/2 cup) sugar
300 g (10 oz) (2 1/3 cups) self raising flour
A pinch of salt

FILLING:

4 eggs

150 g  (3/4 cup) sugar or more if preferred
160 g (1/2  cup + 2 tbsp) sieved strawberry pulp 
50 g (1  1/3 oz) self raising powder, sifted with  
1/2 tsp baking powder and

A pinch of salt

10 medium-sized strawberries for decoration

2 tbsp brown sugar

STRAWBERRY COULIS:

200 g (about 7 oz) ripe strawberries, mashed

2 tbsp icing sugar

Whip butter, sugar and salt, until light and fluffy. add the flour and stir until the pastry comes together.  Cover and pace in the fridge for 30 minutes at least.   Then roll out the dough, thinly, and line a buttered tart dish.  Prick it all over and freeze for 15 minutes.  Heat the oven at 180 C (350 F) and bake the dough blind for 20 minutes.      Meanwhile whip the eggs and sugar until doubled in bulk and stir in the rest of the filling ingredients.  Pour over the hot, baked crust and and bake for 20 minutes more.

Place the brown sugar in a frying pan, over low heat, add the strawberries.   Swirl the pan until the strawberries are thoroughly coated with melted brown sugar.   Let them cool a little and arrange oven the baked tart. 

To make fresh strawberry coulis mash and sieve the strawberries and mix with the icing sugar.    Serve the strawberry tart in wedges and some strawberry coulis on the side.

STRAWBERRY SYRUP

   

This is very useful item to have in your pantry.     Many deserts can be prepared with this delightful syrup, also it can be poured over ice-creams and puddings.

500 g (1 lb) strawberries, hulled, blended and sieved

Sugar, please see below

1 liqueur glass brandy (I use Metaxa Brandy)

For every 250 ml (1 cup) of strawberry pulp, use 187.5 ml (¾ cup) sugar, place in a saucepan, stir and bring to a gentle simmer.  When the syrup thickens, add the brandy and cook for 5 minutes more.  Cool and place in a prepared jar and cover. Store in the fridge

STRAWBERRY ICED DESSERT

  

The recipe for this dessert resembles the one for“Iced Pineapple Dessert”, but it tastes completely different.  Prepare it in spring when fresh strawberries are at their best.

250 ml (1 cup) strawberry syrup

300 g (10 oz) fresh strawberries hulled, blended and sieved

A pinch of salt

7 sheets of gelatin, soaked in iced water

One 395 g (13 oz) tin sweet condensed milk

2-3 tbsp lemon juice

Grated rind of 1 orange

250 g (½ lb) thick Greek yoghurt, whipped smooth with

1 liqueur glass Grand Marnier

500 g (1 lb) thick cream, whipped to the soft peak stage

A few fresh strawberries for garnishing

Simmer the strawberry syrup with the soft strawberry pulp and salt for about 2 minutes and remove from the fire to cool a little.  Squeeze the soaked gelatin sheets, add to the hot strawberry mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.

Meanwhile combine the condensed milk with the lemon juice and orange zest, add it to the gelatin mixture and stir well together.   Stir in the yoghurt/liqueur combination and cool completely.

Softly, fold in the whipped cream, in portions, and mix well together.

Line a loaf tin with cling film and pour in the strawberry mixture.   Level the surface, cover completely with the overhanging cling film and freeze for 4 hours at least.   Place the dessert in the fridge for one hour before serving.  Reverse on a serving dish and garnish, attractively, with fresh strawberries.  Serve with a small jug of strawberry syrup.