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Strawberry fool forever

Strawberry fool with rhubarb juice and basil

Just in case you didn’t notice…it’s berry season here in Wisconsin. But I promise this will be my last strawberry post…they’re almost out of season. But today at the farmers’ market I picked up some black raspberries so expect the beloved galette to reappear next with those dark delights inside.

I’ve been reading Nigel Slater’s Real Fast Food and I swear the man is a genius. The recipes are easy, delicious, and invite adaptation and substitution. His type of cooking appeals to me because it is simple, straightforward, and relies upon using the best products the area and the season has to offer, augmented by a well stocked pantry.

Tonight’s treat is decadent, yet refreshing and light, and so beautiful, it is sure to impress. A strawberry fool is simply some perfect strawberries, diced and lightly sugared, folded in to freshly whipped cream. I added some flourishes by creating a puddle of rhubarb goo, spooning strawberries into the middle, then plopping the fool on top. Because basil goes so well with strawberries I scattered some about and added a spare leaf and a berry for garnish.

Strawberry Fool
adapted from Real Fast Food by Nigel Slater

20 really ripe lovely strawberries, stemmed and diced
1 tablespoon cane sugar
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Rhubarb goo*
4 basil leaves, chiffonade

Chill your mixing bowl and beater so that it is ice cold. Your cream should also be very cold. Add the cane sugar to the strawberries and stir in. Stick them in the refrigerator until it is time to serve dessert. Then whip the cream into soft peaks, add the powdered sugar and vanilla to the cream and whip it again for a moment to combine. Gently fold the berries into the cream using only as much of the juice as the cream can hold.

To plate, pour the remaining juice and any rhubarb goo you might have into the bowl, spoon in some fool, scatter the basil, top with any juice you strawberry juice remains, and garnish if you like.

I think it might take you a total of ten minutes to make this dessert, but your guests will think you’re a genius..because you are!

*I make rhubarb goo by cooking it down with sugar orange zest, and white wine. If you have a china cap you could pass it through there and probably get a better appearance, but I don’t have one so I used the blender.

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June 30, 2007 | Filed Under Local, Wisconsin, cookbook, eggs, cheese, dairy, favorite products, food, fruit and nuts, quick and easy, recipe, sweets | 8 Comments 

Marinade of the moment

marinated flank steak

For me, summer is all about taking joy in the moment. Falling asleep on a really hot and humid night; the ceiling fan on full blast, all the windows open, the sounds of the bugs pulsing in the night. Walking along and seeing a linden tree covered in red admiral butterflies. Waking up in the morning to the almost prehistoric sound of our resident sand hill cranes. Summer is meant for capturing those moments through sight, sound, smell, and taste. Sometimes it’s kicking back with some Van Morrison on the stereo, a crisp, minerally white from the Loire Valley in my glass, and a beautiful piece of meat on the grill.

Meat is good, but marinated meat is better, and it has to be marinade of the moment…not some off-the-shelf, bottled stuff that speaks of nothing. Marinade should represent what your palate craves at that moment; spicy, sweet, salty, smoky, tart, pungent…you get the picture.

This flank steak had a nice soak in a lovely chili marinade fashioned from a dried Guajillo chili, a couple of dried chipotles, 4 or 5 allspice, 2 cloves garlic, 4 or 5 cloves, a pinch of black cumin seed, 1/2 cup of olive oil, a sizeable slosh of cider vinegar, and a glop of honey. No big deal, all just of the moment. I ground the dried spices in the spice grinder, dumped everything, including the whole dried Guajillo into the blender, let it rip on low for a minute or two while I tidied up and it was done.

ice cream sandwich

Nothing says summer quite like ice cream sandwiches. I know it’s possible to get quite fancy with this frigid treat, but as usual I tend to go more towards the soulful, easy, interpretation. This one is simply made from my standard chocolate chip recipe with the adaptation of using all brown sugar and an extra egg. Why mess with perfection you ask? I have more brown than white sugar and I was looking for a thicker, softer, yet sturdy cookie. My usual recipe turns out thin, chewy yet crispy cookies that have never handled the extra load of ice cream well. These did the trick and Dexter declares them “2 thumbs up!!”.

June 27, 2007 | Filed Under Local, baking, beef, fish, poultry, pork, food, grilling, quick and easy, recipe, spicy | 4 Comments 

Grill it up, little darling…

Grilled ostrich tenderloin

Ostrich is really as delicious as it looks and the flavor is so hard to describe…sort of like beef from another planet. This ostrich was salted, rubbed down with some olive oil and given a short stay on a hot grill. Really simple stuff. The cherry tomatoes were sauted with a Vidalia onion and some smoked Spanish paprika…it served as the perfect accompaniment for each tender, delightful bite of ostrich.

Nathan Berg

Last night we attended the Homegrown Wisconsin Lunch benefit at L’Etoile. The meal and the matching wines were fantastic, all six courses. The participating chefs really did a fabulous job showcasing local, fresh products.

Julie and Tony Hook

I have three distinct favorites, the smoked Rushing Waters rainbow trout mousse with olive oil sel gris cracker created by Nathan Berg (shown above), the Hook’s 10 year old cheddar, crafted by Julie and Tony Hook (that’s them to the left), and Tory Miller’s Peche de Vigne sabayon with West Star Farm strawberries and citrus genoise topped with Crave Bothers Mascarpone (shown below). The smoked trout mousse was a perfect bite of smoky, salty, sweet softness…it definitely left me wanting more. The 10 year old cheddar was superb. It bloomed in the mouth unlike any cheese I’ve ever tasted…fruity and yet minerally. Tory’s sabayon with berries and mascarpone was like a trifle, absolutely perfect and it was lick the dish good…I didn’t, but I really wanted to.

peche sabayon

June 25, 2007 | Filed Under Local, Wisconsin, favorite products, grilling, low carb, low cal, ostrich, quick and easy | 5 Comments 

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