A Good Year for Strawberries

By Deb Jenkins
Staff Writer

I know many of you have noticed that strawberries, that red golden fruit, have been selling lately at almost banana prices, LUCKY us. So I am here to tell you to really take advantage of that. Buy them and freeze them. I have been doing that and it puts a great big smile on MY face every time. I will have to be a little honest here too and tell you that one of the big reasons is for those future Strawberry margaritas, YES!! But I also want to have some for making homemade ice cream, sorbets and other desserts, like rhubarb pie. Right now, though, making a straight-up strawberry pie sounded so good to me too. So I have a couple of recipes for you. The first one is from Emeril Lagasse on the Food Network, his strawberry rhubarb pie; then two more, coming from a cookbook I bought from Oak Grove Lutheran School, titled “Recipes From Past and Present Grovers,” a very good cookbook too. Because this is about strawberries, I found two recipes that either use them directly or, I believe, you can substitute them.)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Courtesy Emeril Lagasse Food Network

Pie dough: recipe follows
7 tablespoons butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 pounds fresh rhubarb, root ends trimmed, peeled, and cut 1/4-inch thick
2 pounds strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup rum
1 cup sliced almonds
8 scoops Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

In a large sauté pan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add the sugar, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon flour. Stir the mixture for 1 minute, to dissolve the sugars. Add the rhubarb and cook for 4 to 6 minutes. Add the strawberries and continue to sauté for 3 minutes.

Add the rum and carefully flame the mixture. Sauté for 1 minute. Mix thoroughly and remove from the heat. Cool the filling. for 1 minute. Mix thoroughly and remove from the heat. Cool the filling. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 cup flour, and sliced almonds. Using your hands, blend well, until the mixture resembles a crumb-like texture.

Pour the rhubarb and strawberry filling into the pie shell. Sprinkle the crumb filling evenly over the fruit filling. Place the pie in the oven and bake until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven. Let the pie cool on a rack before serving, about 10 minutes. Slice and serve with the vanilla ice cream.

Pie Dough

1 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
1/3 cup lard
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

In a mixing bowl combine the flour and salt. Add the lard and work it in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together when pressed. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Roll the chilled disk on a lightly floured work surface into a 12-inch round. Fit it into a 10-inch pie plate, fold and crimp the edges, and refrigerate until ready to fill.

Cherry or Strawberry Cheese Cake

Courtesy Gloria Shipman

1 8x8 in. square pan
1 graham cracker crust
1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/3 C. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 C. sour cream
1-8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
1-21 oz. can cherry or strawberry filling

Beat cream cheese in a bowl until smooth.
Gradually beat in sugar.
Blend in the sour cream and vanilla.
Fold in the Cool Whip, blending well.
Spoon the mixture onto the crust, spreading it out evenly.
Chill this until set (at least 4 hours)
Just before serving, spoon fruit filling over the top
This recipe can be doubled for a 13x9 cake pan.

(No disrespect to Gloria, but this is where I would use fresh strawberries. I would make a topping with a little fresh purée of strawberries, spread it on top and add more fresh strawberries to it.)

Easy-Freezy Sorbet

Courtesy Kristi Fairfield

I would substitute the strawberries for one of these berries:

2C. frozen blueberries
2C. frozen raspberries
½ C. water
¼ C. frozen pineapple-orange–banana juice concentrate or citrus beverage concentrate
Sugar cones optional

In a large bowl combine the frozen berries, water, and frozen concentrate.
Place half of the mixture in a food processor bowl.
Cover and process until smooth.
Repeat with remaining mixture. Transfer mixture to baking dish.
Cover; freeze 4 hours or until firm. Use within 2 days.
Scoop frozen mixture into cones, if desired. Makes 7, ½-cup servings.

For those of you who follow my column, I know I said last week “more Italian to come.” Well there is, and there will be.
Okay, until next week, stay safe and eat well.

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