Strawberry Cream No Bake Cheesecake

This is a cheesecake that you can make with any pureed fruit you like best. I made this one for a woman who said she didn’t like the texture of fruit in a dessert. I said what if I made it all smooth and pink and she said yes she would try it. She ate 2 big pieces and said it was great….she did however remove the big strawberries on top as I expected.

This is a great dessert that will feed a crowd but, it doesn’t keep long so enjoy a BIG  piece!

You will need:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs or vanilla wafers or Oreo crumbs
• 3 tbsp melted butter or my choice of mild buttery extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 x 1 lbs containers of fresh strawberries- room temp
• 2 x 8 oz packages of cream cheese – room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla paste (or pure extract)
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 2 envelopes of non flavoured gelatin
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar

Step 1: brush a 9 inch springform pan with melted butter or olive oil.

Step 2:in a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter or my favorite mild buttery extra virgin olive oil and sugar. Mix to combine and press into bottom of springform pan evenly. I press into place with an ice cream scoop.

Step 3: Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes. Remove to cool.

Step 4: Clean strawberries(leaving 12-15 berries for topping) and puree in a food processor to make a smooth puree, add 2 tbsp icing sugar and set aside.

Step 5: In a large bowl at room temperature cream cheese with sugar and vanilla paste. You can whisk it by hand or use a hand mixer to blend until smooth, Set aside.

Step 6: In another bowl whip cream to stiff peaks. You can do it by hand with a whisk or use a hand mixer. Set aside.

Step 7: Take 1/3 cup of pureed strawberries in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin on top – wait 1 minute, then mix and place in the microwave for 30 seconds. Wait 1 minute to slightly cool then add the warm gelatin into the rest of the strawberries (do not wait until it is cool or it will turn into hard chunks and the mixture you are adding the gelatin to must not be too cold or it will turn into hard jelly when you try to mix in)

Step 8: Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mix and whisk until incorporated.

Step 9: Add the strawberries to the cream mix and mix well. Pour into the pan with the cooled crust.

Step 10: cover and place in fridge to set for 4-6 hours.

Step 11: whip the balance of the 1/2 cup of whipping cream with 2 tbsp icing sugar. Place cream on top of cake, place strawberries in a nice pattern as you like on top.

To serve run a, knife that has been heated under hot water to warm and then wiped dry with a clean cloth, around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake from the pan. Release spring and remove outer edge of pan. Slice each slice with a hot knife to make clean cuts.

Strawberry Shortcake Popsicles

When I was a kid there was a frozen treat called the Strawberry Shortcake which you could only get from the guy who drove around your neighbourhood on a bike with a freezer attached to it. You could always tell he was coming because he would jingle this row of bells which were located on his handlebars. They had these fake strawberry crumbles over the outside and I thought they were awesome. I decided to see if I could re-create them in my own home and found it is really quite simple with only 3 ingredients.

You will need:

• 1 container of fresh strawberries
• 1 pint of good quality vanilla ice cream
• a few crushed shortbread cookies – store bought or homemade
• some popsicle moulds and a blender

Step 1: gather all your ingredients. Crumble a few cookies. I just hit them with a bottle while they were in a ziploc bag. This makes it easy to dip the frozen popsicle in as well.  I used 3 cookies.

Step 2: finely chop a few strawberries which totals 1 cup of  chopped strawberries. Remove stems and place the balance of the container into a blender.

Step 3: blend the berries for a few seconds until they still have some consistency to them but, they are basically pureed.

Step 4: add the tub of ice cream and blend until smooth.

Step 5: add the chopped fruit and stir with a spoon. You want the chunks to remain in the pink milkshake. Add half the cookie crumbles to the milkshake and fold in to incorporate. Leave the balance of cookies to dip in the frozen treat once you remove them from the moulds.

Step 6: pour into your favourite mould, add sticks and freeze.

Step 7: when you are pulling out the treat from the popsicle mould you should run the outside of the mould under hot water to slightly melt and loosen your popsicle. This slight melting also helps the cookies to stick to the outside. I just put the popsicle in the ziploc bag and press the cookies on the outside.

They are way better than the ones we ate as kids! Now if I can master the Creamsicle without it tasting artificial Big Pete will be very happy.

 

Raspberry Turkey Burgers

 

I love a good burger of any kind so this time I thought I would make a turkey burger with chilies, onions and raspberries. I added lots of moisture to the turkey as well as flavour by processing everything quite finely and then mixing into the normally bland meat. They were grilled and served on fresh Cobb’s Bakery buns (I like them because they have no preservatives – you should look at a grocery store bun ingredient list!) They turned out moist and delicious. I even got the approval when Big Pete said “Make em again!” which is always a good sign from Mister Picky Pants!

 

You will need:

 

• 1 pound ground turkey meat – mine was a blend of white and dark
• 1/2 onion – peeled
• 1 fresh chili – mine is medium heat
• 3 tbsp fresh cilantro – or a small handful
• 2 fresh basil leaves – mine were pretty large
• 6-8 fresh raspberries
• 1/2 lime juiced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• salt/pepper

 

 

Step 1: in a food processor add onion, chili, cilantro and basil and process until fine. You may have to scrape down the sides a few times. Add the remaining ingredients and process until pureed.

 

Step 2: add to turkey and mix well with your clean hands. Form into 3-4 patties.

 

 

Step 3: grill.

 

 

Top

 

 

and eat!

 

 

 

Strawberry Cloud

This is a simple strawberry mousse and you can use frozen berries for the mousse and then the freshest beauties for the topping. It is essentially whipped cream and berries how can that be bad!

You will need:

• 1 pkg frozen strawberries = 2 cups strained
• 1/3 -1/2 cup sugar
• 2 pkg unflavoured gelatin
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp powdered milk
• 1 pint or quart of best strawberries
• 2 tsp sugar

Step 1: Thaw 1 bag of frozen strawberries. Put bag of fruit in blender and puree until smooth. Strain seeds. You should get 2 cups of puree. (If some seeds get through it is fine)

Step 2: take 1/2 cup of the puree and put in small saucepan. Add the gelatin to the top of the fruit and stir. Leave 5 minutes to absorb into the fruit. Heat the fruit and gelatin until just comes to a boil and stir to make sure gelatin is melted. Let cool 5 minutes.

Step 3: add the cooled fruit to the rest of the strawberry puree and mix well.

Step 4: in another bowl whip whipping cream, sugar, vanilla and powdered milk. Whip to stiff peaks. Fold the whipping cream into the strawberry puree until blended. The powdered milk helps to stabilize the cream. It is not necessary if you don’t have it but, if you ever need whipping cream to stay whipped for a longer period of time this tip will help.

Step 5: slice your best quality strawberries and mix with sugar and leave 10 minutes.

Spoon some cloud in the bottom of a nice glass, add fruit, more cloud top with fruit and some chocolate curls. Leave in fridge at least 2 hours to set. This is not a dessert that is better the next day. I suggest you eat it the day you make it.

Strawberry Cream Horns

These are easy little puff pastry horns filled with strawberry whipped cream. They look so fancy but, you make them with store bought puff pastry and serve them with the beautiful strawberries that are coming into season!

You will need:

• 1 sheet of puff pastry. (I like all butter puff pastry)
• 1 small carton of whipping cream
• 1 tsp powdered milk (optional)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla or rum
• 6 chopped strawberries -more for serving
• 1 egg -whisked
• raw sugar for sprinkling
• metal forms for making horns

Step 1: roll out a sheet of puff pastry or buy the kind that comes already rolled. Slice 1 inch strips. One sheet makes 8 horns.

Step 2: lightly grease the metal forms with spray or butter. You can buy these in any baking shop or Italian speciality store for canolis. Roll the pastry on the form. Do not let the pastry go to the wide end of the form or you will be unable to pull off the pastry when baked.Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with raw or course sugar.

Step 3: bake at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. They should be browned and puffed. When still hot carefully and gently remove the metal forms. I use a pair of tongs to hold the form and my fire proof fingers to carefully pull off. Let cool.

Step 4: whip cream with sugar, vanilla and a tsp of powdered milk if you have it. The dried milk stabilizes the cream. Chop a few strawberries into tiny pieces. Fold strawberries into whipped cream.

Step 5: in a piping bag or just a plain old Ziploc bag add the strawberry cream and cut a corner to pipe into horns.

Serve with additional berries and any cream that is left over. YUMMY!

Oma’s Rolatti- Strawberry Cream Roll

“whipped cream isn’t whipped cream at all if it hasn’t been whipped with whips….”

-Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

This is a Jelly Roll cake that makes the perfect Strawberry Shortcake. You can use any beautiful, ripe fruit and you can cut the cake into squares and stack it instead of serving it rolled.

 It is a dessert you must prepare and eat the same day.

Oma is an amazing woman. Oma is the mother of my favourite brother-in-law.

 Everyone calls her Oma. She is a fantastic cook and an even better baker. As a child it was always so nice to go to her house because it was always filled with laughing people and lots of food. Last year my favourite sister, who is luckily married to my favourite brother-in-law compiled many of her recipes and this is one of them. A taste of Springtime!

What you need:

• 4 egg whites (room temperature)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 4 egg yolks 
• 2 whole eggs (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• pinch salt
• 125 grams all purpose flour (I weighed it and its 1 cup)
• 75 grams corn starch (I weighed it and its 1/2 cup)
• splash of real vanilla
• icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder (this was not in Oma’s recipe- so it is optional)
• 10×13-10×15 sheet pan- lined with parchment- buttered and floured

Step 1: I like to measure and get everything ready before starting. This way I don’t forget anything.

Step 2: Slice some beautiful fruit to add to the roll and also more for serving. Add a tsp of vanilla sugar and let sit while making the cake. If  you do not have vanilla sugar add 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp of  sugar. 

Step 3: In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment beat 4 egg whites, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar and 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until thick and forms medium peaks. Approx 4 minutes on medium/high speed. Scrape into bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Step 4: Mix corn starch and flour in a separate bowl.

Step 5: Beat the egg yolks plus the 2 whole eggs on medium speed. Add 1/2 cup sugar and pinch of salt.

Step 6: gently fold in the flour mixture a third at a time and  then alternate folding in the egg whites until just incorporated. You need to fold it in gently to try not to deflate the eggs you have whipped too much.

Step 6: butter and flour pan using a parchment paper liner. You butter and flour parchment as well.

I used a 9×13 sheet (also called a quarter sheet pan) but I think it would be better if you use a 10×13 or 10×15. The larger pan will make a bigger, thinner cake which is easier to roll and fill.

Step 7: bake at 350 degrees F for 10-14 minutes. Immediately run knife around edges and loosen. Take a clean tea towel and place a piece of wax paper on top. Sprinkle icing sugar all over the wax paper and then gently tip over pan so that the cake top lands on the icing sugar waxed paper. Peel off parchment and sprinkle more icing sugar over the bottom layer. Then immediately roll the cake with the tea towel. and let sit until at most 1 hour before serving. (sorry I didn’t take pictures of this stage)

Step 8: whip cream with a few tbsp of vanilla sugar and a bit of vanilla or rum

Step 9: unroll the cake -it might stick and it might break but as you can see it still will turn out yummy.

Step 10: fill with some strawberry jam (I made my own last summer) some fresh fruit and cream. If you prefer you can fill with jam and whipped cream and then use the strawberries as a topping.

Step 11: Eat immediately!!