Strawberry Cream Muffins

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While it has not been an exceptional year for flavor,  we've had a bumper crop of strawberries this year. As a child, I was often told my eyes were too big for my stomach. I've not conquered that tendency and when the farm stands first open, I end up with more fruit and produce than I actually need. I must admit I'm a slow learner. I curb the habit as the season gets underway, but strawberries are the first big crop to appear here, and despite their fragility you know who does you know what. I had to scramble today to find a recipe to use up some berries that had seen better days. Tonight's recipe appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette years ago, and it is one I turn to when my surplus berries are starting to look the worse for wear. The muffins are sweet and delicious, in addition to being easy to make. There are no tricks to making them and if you avoid overbeating, you'll be happy with the results. The recipe produces a thick batter, so rest assured you've done nothing wrong when you see a spoon standing upright in your batter. It's the recipe, not you. I know you'll enjoy these, especially if you eat them while they are still warm. Here is how they're made.

Swedish 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.

Spiced Strawberries

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I'm never surprised when my opinions of fruit that is sold in supermarkets differ from those of others. While I find that the berries and melons available in grocery stores at this time of year are beautiful to look at, they are close to flavorless, and I actually prefer to substitute frozen fruit in those recipes that call for fresh berries. Unfortunately, I can also be infirm of purpose and when I see those luscious red strawberries, I capitulate and end up with strawberries that are over firm and need a flavor boost to bring out their natural sweetness. This simple recipe is a great way to rescue supermarket strawberries, and I think those of you who doctor your berries in this way will be happy with the results. Here is the recipe.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I made an easier version of this cake in 2009. Specifically, that recipe which you can see, here, used jam rather than a fresh fruit filling. At the time, I thought the cake was nice but not extraordinary and I gave it a tepid review. When I saw this recipe I thought it might make a truly special cake. I was wrong. Despite 5 bowls and 3 separate steps, the cake is quite ordinary. It has a nice flavor but it is way too much work for the end result. I do want you to know that most of the folks who have reviewed this version of the cake love it. I, however, found the cake layer to be dense and coarse and not at all what I had imagined it would be. The cheese and strawberry layers are quite nice, but, to my tastes anyway, the layers never came together as a harmonious whole. If any of you try this recipe I hope you'll get back to me with your review. I'm curious to see if I am the odd man out. Here is the recipe should you want to try it.

All-American Strawberry Tart

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I can only assume it's the shape of this tart that leads everyone to believe it's a Parisian dessert. While strawberry tarts may be common in France, this one has traveled no further than the Hudson River and it has no pedigree to speak of. I found a version of this when I was a bride, At that time, my kitchen bible was the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook and the recipe for this ruby gem was included within it. When the filling is made with seasonally ripe berries, this is an outstanding dessert that's worthy of any table, even one in France. I've included a recipe for a short crust for those of you who prefer to make your own pastry, though I must admit it is really not necessary for this luscious dessert. A commercial crust works just as well because strawberries are the star here. If they are O.K. you reputation as a cook and baker will remain intact and may even be enhanced. I do have a caution or two for those who plan to make the tart. It's a seasonal dessert, so make sure the berries you use are fully ripe and flavorful. It's also important to glaze the berries about two hours before you plan to serve the dessert. After a couple of hours the glaze will begin to weep and your gorgeous tart will begin to look like the portrait of Dorian Gray. I love this dessert for its simplicity and old-fashioned goodness. I think you will, too. Here is how the tart is made.

Color Me Pink - A Quick Strawberry Sauce + Strawberry Panna Cotta

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Buying strawberries at this time of year can be a crap shoot. They look gorgeous but often taste more like cardboard than the sweet juicy fruit of summer shortcake memory. I was happily surprised today when the Silver Fox brought home several quarts that actually tasted as they should. I think we all have special recipes that we keep to use when certain ingredients become available. Strawberries fall into that category for me, and my problem is deciding which of the many in my recipe cache I actually should use. I settled on these two for tonight's feature. The first recipe is making its debut appearance and the second has been brought back for an encore performance because it looks so pretty on a plate. Both recipes are easy to make and if you have a source for tasty berries I urge you to give them a try, perhaps for Easter Sunday. The effortless fresh strawberry sauce is wonderful on ice cream and the panna cotta is a perfect way to end a special meal. I urge you to try both recipes. You really will be pleased. So will your family and friends.

Fresh Strawberry Scones

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Let's start with the high cost of bragging. Several days ago, I waxed poetic about the glorious weather we were experiencing in the Pacific Northwest. I knew it wouldn't last, but when the magnolia trees came into bloom, I thought there was a possibility that Mother Nature might take us from winter into spring without allowing winter to take an extra bow. Silly me! Frost warnings were issued last night and things got pretty hairy before the sun rose this morning. I was up at first light and was greeted by a landscape that was covered with hoar frost. As visibility got better, I could see the buds on our magnolia tree had frozen, and if we have blooms on the tree this year,  it will be nothing short of a miracle. The pansies, however, were troopers and and by noon they were holding their heads high. Someday, I'll write an ode to pansies, but that won't be today and when I do, I promise to spare you my poetry. The irritating part of all this was that by early afternoon it was warm enough to picnic. Go figure.

The springlike weather we've had, also led me to buy strawberries when I made my last "to market, to market..." run. I do this every year, and despite the fact I know these early berries taste like cardboard, I keep trying. They don't have a lot of flavor, so I usually end up using them in cakes or pastry where their lack of flavor and sweetness can be disguised. I've wanted to try the recipe I'm featuring tonight for a while now. I already have a wonderful recipe for strawberry scones, but this one is so much easier to make, that I thought it was time to give it a try. I'm glad I did. If you have a sweet tooth proceed directly to the nearest exit. I am not a sweet lover and even I thought the scones should be sweeter. The next time I make these I'll make it a point to make a powdered sugar glaze to drizzle over the scones before serving. I will, however, make these again for the same reason I tried them. They are quite easy to make and that forgives a lot of things. Here is the recipe.