Brewster Berrie Smoothie

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We normally are restrained breakfast eaters, but when we travel, bacon and eggs and hearty breakfast fare become the order of the day. The Silver Fox and I did not follow that pattern this year. We were on Cape Cod during a period of really high heat and humidity. We were prepared for the heat, but the humidity caught us, and I might add the locals, completely by surprise. The weather was not conducive to a trencherman's breakfast, so I quickly substituted a series of smoothies that our peckish appetites would be better able to handle. While the smoothie that I'm featuring today has a hint of sweetness,  I honestly would have to describe it as tartly refreshing rather than sweet.  We enjoyed it and I think those of you who give it a try will like it as well. It is extremely easy to make, and your breakfast will come together in about 5 minutes, if you have all the ingredients at hand. The cranberries add gorgeous color and flavor to a smoothie that would be quite ordinary without them. I freeze quantities of cranberries every year, so I always have a supply of them on hand for recipes such as this one. I have noticed that our local markets now carry cranberries in their frozen fruit section, so I suspect they are  available year round in most areas.I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. I think you'll enjoy this refreshing smoothie. Here is how it is made.

Brewster Berrie Smoothie...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Carol Berrie

Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen sliced strawberries
1/4 cup frozen cranberries
1-1/2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup cranberry juice
6-oz. raspberry yogurt
1 large scoop vanilla frozen yogurt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender jar and process until smooth. Serve in tall glasses while still frosty. Yield: 2 servings.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Pavlova with Lemon Curd and Mixed Berries

Two Years Ago Today: Frenchified Meatloaf

Three years Ago Today: Curried Egg Salad

Four Years Ago Today: Warm Sausage and Potato Salad

Strawberry and Cream Cheese Muffins

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When it comes to fruit, despite all my plans and good intentions, I usually end up with more of it than I had planned to use. I'm not talking enormous overages, but I'm frequently done in by that odd unused cup that represents the type of waste I try to avoid. An extra cup of strawberries sent me on a search to find a recipe that would save them from the compost heap. My search led me to Jane's Sweets and Baking Journal where I found the precursor to the recipe I'm featuring today. I've made a few changes to the original recipe, but they are minor and were made only to give the muffins a deeper color. These are very simple to make and I know you will enjoy them, but I do have one caution to share with you. If appearance is important to you, don't overfill the muffin cups. I know it's a bother to prepare a second pan when you'll only be using 2 or 3 of its cups, but if you put too much batter into the cups of one pan, I guarantee they will overflow and you'll end up with flat-topped muffins. Please don't ask how I know that. It's part of the we grow too soon old and too late smart syndrome that sometimes afflicts me. If you are looking for a new breakfast muffin and have extra berries on hand, I hope you'll give this recipe a try. Here's how the muffins are made.

Strawberry and Cream Cheese Muffins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Jane's Sweets and Baking Journal

Ingredients:

Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup golden brown sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped into very small pieces

Cream Cheese Mixture

4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1) Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Grease regular-sized muffin tins or line with cupcake liners.
2) To make cream cheese mixture: Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract in a small bowl and mix until ingredients are combined and smooth.
3) Combine both flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
4) Combine milk, melted butter, vanilla extract and egg in another bowl and whisk until smooth.
5) Mix milk mixture into flour mixture, folding together until just combined. Do not overmix.
6) Spoon 2 scant tablespoons of batter into the prepared tins. Scatter a few pieces of strawberry on top of each one. Top with a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture, then cover with 1 to 2 tablespoons of muffin batter and a few more pieces of strawberry. Do not over fill. Muffin cups should be no more than 2/3 full.
7) Bake muffins for about 25 minutes, until they’re a light brown on top and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Yield: 12 to 15 muffins.

One Year Ago Today: Heirloom Tomato Salad

Two Years Ago Today: Strawberry Bread Pudding

Three  Years Ago Today: Salmon with Cilantro and Lime

Strawberry Summer Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is another seasonal treat that would be perfect for the 4th of July. I made it for the first time last week with berries left from my jam making marathon. The recipe comes from Martha Stewart and it is wondrously easy to make. A simple batter is topped, actually completely covered, with strawberries that melt into it as it bakes. The finished cake looks like pockets of jam have been tucked into it. It is not overly sweet, but there is enough sugar in the cake to please those who have a sweet tooth. While Martha's directions say the cake can be kept for two days, I strongly suggest you serve it the day it is made. The cake tends to become overly moist if it sits for too long a time. I served mine soon after baking. It was scrumptious and I'll be making it again and again. I suggest you use very ripe berries to top the cake. This is a dessert that is about the fruit used to make it, and, while the cake layer is lovely,  it really is nothing more than a vehicle to support the jam-like berries. I do hope you will give this recipe a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed. It is, after all, "a good thing". Here's the recipe.

Strawberry Summer Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided use
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate or a 9-inch springform pan.
2) Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl.
3) Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.
4) Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pan. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.
5) Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. If using a springform pan, let cool for 10 minute, then release sides of pan. To serve, cut cake into wedges. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days. Yield: 8 servings.










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