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Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade

Historically, I’ve been biased against beverage-making. First off, Coke Zero exists in the world — why would anyone feel the need to make a different beverage?! Would you be completely ashamed of me if I told you that I drink Coke Zero with breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Would it help if I promised that I drink a lot of water, too?

Second off, why make a beverage when you could be making cupcakes?! Or cakes, or pies, or tarts, or enchiladas, or . . . anything!

It took a great professor to show me the error of my beverage discriminating ways. First, a little background info. I was blessed to go to an amazing college — Davidson College, that is — where I learned so many important life lessons: how to pull an all-nighter studying for multivariable calculus, how to write more simultaneous essays than humans are actually capable of, how to illegally park to turn in an exam before the deadline, and, perhaps most importantly, all the lyrics to Vanilla Ice’s “Ice, Ice Baby.” I jest, but really, I did learn an incredible amount, hone my work ethic, and generally enjoy every moment at that fantastic school.

One facet of Davidson I particularly valued was the faculty and the close bonds formed between professors and students. Classes were invited to dinners at professors’ houses, faculty doors were open wide to chat with students about academics or life in general. I had many wonderful professors (in fact, only one not-so-wonderful professor, which has to be a miracle in 4 years!), including Dr. Peroni. Dr. Peroni is a biology professor with an infectious laugh who is passionate about the outdoors and a great biostatistician. My turtle, Squirt, and I lived above her garage my senior year of college, when he was just a wee shellbaby. It was Dr. P who introduced me to experiencing a beverage, and I’m sure she doesn’t even know it!

One summer I was doing research at Davidson and Dr. P invited a bunch of us lab rats (ha ha) over to her house to make DNA earrings (like these). Shut up! What, you don’t have random biological jewelry?! I’ll have you know that I also proudly own neuron and microscope pendants. So there.

Anyhow, at her house she poured us some freshly brewed ice tea and offered us each a big sprig of mint from her garden to stir it with. The taste itself wasn’t even the point for me — but adding the home-grown mint, the act of sprucing up a beverage and enjoying it slowly instead of just glugluglugging it out of a Coke bottle . . . that was galvanizing. Oh, just like food, drinks can be an experience.

Since then, I’ve been on the lookout for possible drink recipes. All sorts of fantastic lemonades have been catching my eye on the interwebs lately — berry lemonades, herb and lavender lemonades, plain ol’ lemon lemonades. Also catching my eye have been mocktails — snazzy juice and seltzer concoctions that fellow teetotalers enjoy instead of their alcoholic counterparts. When working on my summer dessert, I decided it was also the perfect time to roll out a summer drink. Combining my mocktail and lemonade inspiration, I decided to make some gorgeous Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade — with lots of accoutrements, of course: slices of juicy lemon, plump strawberries, ice cubes, a sugar-crusted rim, green bendy straws, and of course, big sprigs of fresh mint! After all, it’s all about the experience.

Next time I might add more strawberries, because I want an even bolder strawberry-lemon ratio, but the lemonade was perfectly tart and sweet. After embellishing my glass with the above additions, I thoroughly enjoyed sip-sip-sipping my time away. Make a big pitcher of this fresh summer treat and enjoy it on your porch or balcony tonight!

Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade


Recipe by: Adapted from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book by Melissa Murphy
Yields: about 6.5 cups of lemonade

Fresh Strawberry Sauce Ingredients:
1 dry pint fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled (or maybe a little more)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons cold water

Lemonade Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup very hot water
1 cup fresh lemon juice
4-1/2 cups cold seltzer or sparkling water

Optional Accoutrements:
lemon juice and sugar for glass rims
sprigs of fresh mint
fresh strawberries
slices of lemon
crushed ice
bendy straws!

Directions:
Make strawberry sauce: In a food processor or blender, puree the berries, sugar, lemon juice and water until smooth. Strain the berry mixture into a clean bowl and discard the seeds. Stir in additional sugar, if needed. Cover and refrigerate until used.

Make lemonade: In a pitcher, combine the sugar and hot water and stir until the sugar has dissolved into a syrup. Stir in the lemon juice and cold seltzer water. Add the strawberry sauce and stir to combine. Pour over ice into tall glasses rimmed with sugar (dip rims into lemon juice and then sugar). Garnish with fresh strawberries and other accoutrements, if using. Strawberry lemonade keeps at least 3 days in the refrigerator.


Enjoy!


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Lemon Madeleines with Mango and Raspberry Curd — and a chance to win a mixer!

What does summer taste like?

I know what summer looks like. It looks like trees weighed down with heavy cascades of leaves, thunderheads gathering solemnly in evening heat, steam rising off pavement. Summer sounds like the persistent hum of cicadas, wind rushing through the woods behind my apartment. Summer smells like jasmine, gardenias, and bushels and bushels of honeysuckle. Summer feels like bearing the burden of the sun, carrying its winter secrets on new summer skin . . .

But what does summer taste like? I think it must taste like mango curd, tropical and cool and sweet on your tongue. And of course, it tastes like lemon: fresh and bright. Don’t forget ripe, lush berries, and oh, maybe some freshly whipped cream piled high on top.

The folks at beso.com want to know what you think summer tastes like, and it’s worth a KitchenAid mixer to them! They’re currently holding a Baking Up Summer Sweets contest in which you can tell them about your favorite summer recipe for a chance to win.

Given my own summer tastes, I’m entering beso.com’s contest with a recipe that’s mangoy, lemony, berry-y, creamy . . . full of summer goodness. And since I recently won a mini-madeleine pan from Shortbread NYC, of course it had to involve madeleines! Hence, lemon madeleines with mango and raspberry curd were born.

These lemony bites are the perfect summer treat. I served them with fresh, sliced strawberries. They were light, bright, and so tiny — perfect for sitting on a warm patio in the evening and nibbling one-by-one. Also, I don’t know about you, but I’m a dipper. I love dipping sauces and creams. Dipping each of these golden hunks into various curds and cream was not only delicious, but a fun experience too! Just a note about the texture of the madeleines, though: these were a bit cakey and only had a slight outer shell just after baking, which may displease die-hard madeleine lovers. I’m not sure if it was my silicone pan or the recipe. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the texture.

Speaking of KitchenAid mixers, you will never believe what I got for my birthday. My family all chipped in and bought me the most gorgeous silver professional KitchenAid stand mixer in the world! Bowl-lift, 5 quart bowl, and it came complete with a complimentary KitchenAid timer, four prep bowls, and a free attachment. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Summer in this house is gonna sound like a whole lotta mixin’ this year! So what would I do with that pretty mixer beso.com is giving away, were I to win? My mama’s mixer is looking a little beat up, so I’m thinking it would be a good belated Mothers’ Day gift. Here’s hoping!

Mix up your own summer treat and enter to win, but don’t forget to mix up some of these madeleines as well! Make mango curd, raspberry curd, or both! You’ll love every summery bite.

Lemon Madeleines with Mango and Raspberry Curd


Recipe by: adapted from Joy of Baking (madeleines), Smitten Kitchen (mango curd), and notes from my food diary(raspberry curd)
Yields: about 80-90 bite-sized mini madeleines, maybe 25 regular size

Madeleine Ingredients:
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup (133 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Mango Curd Ingredients:
1 15-ounce ripe mango, peeled, pitted, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 – 1/2 cup sugar (depending on your preference for tart vs. sweet)
3 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice (lime comes out tangier)
Pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Raspberry Curd Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
Two 1/2-pints ripe raspberries or one 12-ounce package frozen raspberries, thawed
5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Whipped Cream Ingredients:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Directions:
Make madeleine batter: First, melt the butter and allow it to cool while you make the batter. In a small bowl place the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until well blended.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar at medium-high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted (about 5 minutes).  Add the vanilla and lemon extracts and beat to combine.

Sift a small amount of flour over the egg mixture and, using a large rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the beaten eggs to lighten it.  Sift the rest of the flour over the egg mixture and fold in being sure not to overmix or the batter will deflate. 

Whisk a small amount of the egg mixture into the melted butter to lighten it.  Then fold in the cooled melted butter in three additions.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or several hours, until slightly firm.

While batter is refrigerating, make mango curd: Puree mango, sugar, lime/lemon juice and salt in processor, scraping down sides of work bowl occasionally. Add yolks; puree 15 seconds longer. Strain through sieve set over large metal bowl, pressing on solids with back of spatula to release as much puree as possible. Discard solids in sieve.

Set metal bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water); whisk puree until thickened and thermometer registers 170°F., about 10 minutes. Remove from over water. Whisk in butter 1 piece at a time. Cover with plastic wrap (directly on the curd to prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate for several hours. Note: Freeze excess for up to two months.

Make raspberry curd: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the raspberries, egg yolks, sugar, and salt and cook, mashing the berries and stirring frequently at first and them constantly at the end, until thickened, about 10 minutes (this took longer for me — about 15+).

Pour the mixture through a coarse strainer set over a bowl, pressing hard on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Cool to room temperature; the curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Stir in lemon juice to taste. Refrigerate. Note: freeze excess for up to 1 month.

To bake madeleines, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).  Generously butter two 12-mold madeleine pans.  Dust the molds with flour and tap out the excess.  Alternatively, use Bakers Joy to coat pans. (Make sure the pans are well greased or the madeleines will stick and be hard to remove.)

Drop a generous tablespoonful of the batter into the center of each prepared mold, leaving the batter mounded in the center.  (This will result in the classic “humped” appearance of the madeleines.)

Bake the madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers spring back when lightly touched.  Note: If you make miniature madeleines, reduce the baking time to about 7-9 minutes. Do not overbake these cookies or they will be dry.

Remove the pans from the oven and rap each pan sharply against a countertop to release the madeleines.  Transfer the madeleines, smooth sides down, to wire racks to cool.  While they cool, make whipped cream by mixing cream and sugar together until they reach loose whipped cream consistency. Serve madeleines with curds and cream the same day for best taste, or store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or frozen, well wrapped, for up to 1 month.


Enjoy!

P.S. – Wondering about that refreshing-looking pitcher of sparkling strawberry lemonade? That summer recipe is coming up soon!

P.S. 2 – My roommate texted me today from her visit to her home state of New York. It snowed there today. Yikes! Buffalo, summer is coming soon, just hang on!


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pies and tarts

3.14159265358979323846…

Happy Pi Day! My math geek boyfriend had never heard of it, so go figure.

Here are my favorite pie recipes (and okay, some tarts for good measure). Whether you’re a math nerd or just want another excuse to eat pie, you have my blessing.


Fresh Blueberry Pie



Red Berry Pie



Mini-Pies! Pumpkin, Sour Cream Apple, Peach Crisp



Raspberry Cream Cheese Tart



Chocolate Tart



Peach Crisp Pie

Apparently there’s also a Pie — er, I mean Pi — Approximation Day in July?! Score!


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pies and tarts

Red Berry Pie — Version 2.0

Once upon a time, there was lovely confection by the name of Little Red Berry Pie. Little Red Berry Pie was tasty and appeared beautiful on the outside, but carried a dark, depressing secret within her shell. You see, in her fruity little pie heart, she was weepy and sad.

Very weepy. Like, soggy. Sort of like a puddle o’ fruit, actually.

She hadn’t been made with the best thickener, hadn’t been stuffed with enough berries, hadn’t cooled before being sliced, and was just an all-around mess. One fateful day, though . . . her prince arrived. No white horse was required, and no sword to slay her enemies — in fact, all she needed was him. His name? Err, well. We’ll call him Granny Smith. What?! Never met a prince named Granny?

Boy, that bright green prince was a harbinger of happiness! Little Red Berry Pie was reborn — a better version of herself!


Version 2.0

This Sweetie Pie followed the grand tradition of all fairy tales and definitely lived happily ever after. Until she was digested by gastric juices, that is. Oh, don’t look so surprised. Fairy tales are full of kidnapping, cannibalism, and violence!

You’ll have to forgive me. I spent weeks reading fairy tales to my adorable sixth grade students and discussing the elements of fiction — characters, plot, setting, theme, point of view. We marveled together that these “child-friendly” tales contained the kid-eating witch; the parents who left their kids in the middle of the woods; the multiple attempts to curse, poison, or slay enemies. And that’s not even considering the clueless, helpless, victimized princesses just waiting for a Man-with-a-capital-M to save their beautiful bustles. But I digress! I think we all agree pie is more pressing than fairy tales at the moment.

. . . But biting into this pie did feel a bit like living happily ever after. Let’s just say I’ve finally perfected my Red Berry Pie recipe with a little help from America’s Test Kitchen. In their blueberry pie, they use a brilliant thickening agent: tapioca plus a big ol’ grated Granny Smith apple, which releases its natural pectin while baking. It worked so well for the blueberry, I decided to use it to tweak my previously flawed Red Berry filling.

To say it worked perfectly is an understatement. This is the best pie I’ve ever had! The best pie I’ve ever eaten, y’all! Are you listening?! That’s saying a lot — I’ve eaten and swooned over some amazing pies (Peach Crisp Pie, for instance). The proportion of strawberries to raspberries was ideal: the raspberries lent their rich, deep fruity flavor to the brightness of the strawberries. The filling was thick, juicy, and hearty. The crust . . . well, okay, it was still difficult to work with, but practice must make perfect, because it was a little simpler than last time (hence the not-as-hideous pie, perhaps?) And of course it was tender and flaky.

Serve each piece with a dollop of freshly whipped, lightly sweetened cream for a true fairy tale dessert — minus the cannibalism. Or grab the vanilla bean ice cream, if that’s your style! Regardless of the accompaniments, make this pie.


Mmm, hello, big ol’ juicy berry!!

Red Berry Pie


Recipe by: Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen‘s Blueberry Pie
Yields: one 9-in, double-crust pie

Crust Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces (I use butter flavor)
1/4 cup vodka, cold
1/4 cup cold water
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Red Berry Filling Ingredients:
3 cups frozen raspberries*
3 cups frozen whole strawberries*
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated on large holes of box grater
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
3/4 cup sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca, ground*
Pinch table salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Directions:
1. For The Pie Dough: Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds; dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into 2 even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

3. Remove 1 disk of dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave dough that overhangs plate in place; refrigerate while preparing filling until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

4. For The Filling: Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place 2 cups frozen whole strawberries and about 1 cup frozen raspberries in medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until many of the raspberries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool slightly.

5. Place grated apple in clean kitchen towel and wring dry. Transfer apple to large bowl. Add cooked berries, remaining 3 cups uncooked berries, lemon zest, juice, sugar, tapioca, and salt; toss to combine. Transfer mixture to dough-lined pie plate and scatter butter pieces over filling.

6. Roll out second disk of dough on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 11-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Using 1 1/4-inch round biscuit cutter, cut round from center of dough. Cut another 6 rounds from dough, 1 1/2 inches from edge of center hole and equally spaced around center hole. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll over pie, leaving at least 1/2-inch overhang on each side.

7. Using kitchen shears, trim bottom layer of overhanging dough, leaving 1/2-inch overhang. Fold dough under itself so that edge of fold is flush with outer rim of pie plate. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with tines of fork to seal. Brush top and edges of pie with egg mixture. If dough is very soft, chill in freezer for 10 minutes.

8. Place pie on heated baking sheet and bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until juices bubble and crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.

*I made this recipe using unthawed frozen berries, but fresh would probably work as well if the berries in step 4 were mashed and cooked only for 8 minutes. I used whole strawberries which made the pie so succulent! Grind the tapioca to a powder in a spice grinder or mini food processor. If using pearl tapioca, reduce the amount to 5 teaspoons. Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor; do not substitute.




Best wishes for your happily ever after!


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Strawberry Walnut Ricotta Muffins

I’m detecting a pattern here: something about cold weather makes me want a big, hot breakfast. Usually my breakfast is a small, rushed affair: a couple of turkey sausages and I’m on my way. This weekend, though, promised inches of snow and icy conditions in Charlotte. Breakfast had to stand up to the cold!

Thankfully, Smitten Kitchen had recently equipped me with a killer muffin recipe. Deb posted these fantastic-looking Ricotta Muffins last week. They were billed as a very slightly sweet, nutty muffin with a surprising hint of fennel. Very intriguing, but I fiddled with the idea a bit to produce more what I was craving. I ditched the fennel, sweetened these babies up a bit, and added in some fresh strawberries. The result is really a whole different beast: sweet, fruity, light, cheesy, nutty, hearty . . . a breakfast superstar!

…but a beast, nonetheless. These things are fussy. The ricotta and sour cream filling is runny (as Deb mentions in her post, perhaps it’d be different if you were to use fresh ricotta and crème fraiche), so the batter has to be piped on top of it, which is quite a mess.

The muffins are also very tender (what with the ricotta mixture in the middle, as well as strawberries breaking up the muffin, in my case) and so they can’t be scooped out of their wells. Instead, I had to let them cool in the pan for about 20 minutes before inverting them onto the cooling rack. They cooled with their cute little muffin bottoms in the air, and finally, they were firm enough to turn over and stick in the fridge. My kitchen was a disaster area — bowls, beaters, pans, cutting boards, berries — but I wouldn’t be writing this if they weren’t worth it.

Like so many fruity baked goods, these were amazing after being refrigerated overnight. Wonderful news, because you probably don’t want to spend the time and effort required to make these first thing in the morning. I popped them into the microwave for 30 seconds before Mike and I managed to devour, oh, 11 of them. Full disclosure! The two of us ate ELEVEN MUFFINS! I told you they were worth the trouble. The ricotta makes for a fluffy, moist, gooey muffin, and the strawberries were lovely with the tang from the yogurt and sour cream. They weren’t too sweet — perfect for breakfast (though who am I kidding . . . I can definitely do dessert for breakfast on occasion).

Muffins freeze well, too, so why not make a double batch and freeze up a few for later? I actually intended to do just that (my double batch made 27 muffins), but at the rate Mike and I are going . . . yeah, we’ll see how many of these make it to the freezer! I hope you’re enjoying some hearty, warm breakfasts of your own this winter (and for all my friends enjoying summer across the globe right now, run through a sprinkler or two for me!)

Strawberry Walnut Ricotta Muffins


Recipe by: Pastries from La Brea Bakery (adapted by Smitten Kitchen, and then by Willow Bird Baking)
Yields: 12-14 muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (2 ounces) walnuts (can substitute pecans)
3 cups unbleached pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup (4 ounces) ricotta cheese
6 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 1/4 cup chopped strawberries
Kosher salt, to taste

Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly butter a 1/2-cup capacity muffin tin (I used Cake Release. Butter and flouring the tin will also work. Make sure that when you invert the pans, these babies are going to come out!)

Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Shake the pan halfway through to ensure that the nuts toast evenly. Cool, chop finely and set aside. Turn the oven up to 350°F.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda together to combine. Make a large well in the center and pour in the yogurt and oil. Whisk together the liquids and gradually draw in the the dry ingredients, mixing until incorporated. Fold in chopped strawberries.

To prepare the filling: Place the ricotta in a mixing bowl and, if stiff, break it up wtih a rubber spatula to loosen. Stir in the sour cream or crème fraîche, confectioners’ sugar, and a pinch of salt.

Using a pastry or plastic bag with the corner cut off, fill each muffin tin one-third of the way with batter. Place one tablespoon of the ricotta filling into the center of each muffin. Pipe the remaining batter into the cups, filling them to just below the rim (resist the urge to overfill). Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the nuts over the top of each muffin.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly brown and firm to the touch. Let cool in pan for about 15-20 minutes before inverting over a cooling rack. Let cool upside down. When completely cool, refrigerate in an airtight container until it’s time to eat! Heat for a few seconds in the microwave before eating.


Mixing up the batter and some overfilled muffins fresh from the oven.


Cooling off upside down, and then getting packed up for the fridge.


See that snow in the background? Brrr!


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