Whether you pick your own, buy them at a farmer's market, or find them at your local grocer, strawberries are always one of summer's favorite foods. Taken to a picnic or a cookout, strawberries are great all on their own, and require little preparation to be a hit at any party. And of course, less preparation time means less heat in the kitchen and more time to spend on your favorite summertime activities.
If you favor adding your own personal touch to them, strawberries can be prepared in a number of ways that will still get rave reviews while requiring very little effort. Below are some suggestions and three tried and true recipes.
Best Strawberry Ice Cream Ever
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 quart strawberries, hulled
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons Triple Sec
- 1 cup buttermilk
Directions:
- Over medium low heat, scald the cream and milk with 3/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Pour mixture into a bowl and refrigerate until well chilled.
- Crush the strawberries with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, the lemon juice, and the Triple Sec.
- Pulse this mixture in a food processor until strawberry pieces are of desired size and a puree forms.
- Chill processed strawberries.
- Combine the cream mixture, strawberries, and the buttermilk and freeze in an ice cream freezer.
Lemon-Strawberry Punch
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, hulled
- 3 (6 ounce) cans frozen pink lemonade, partially thawed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 quarts ice water
- 1 quart ginger ale, chilled
Directions:
- Place strawberries in a blender, cover and run on low speed for a few seconds until fruit is pureed.
- Add lemonade concentrate and sugar. Cover and run on low speed to mix.
- Allow flavors to mix for at least 30 minutes.
- To prepare, add water and ginger ale. Pour over a block of ice in a punch bowl.
Makes 32 servings.
Strawberry Pie
Filling Ingredients:
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 baked pie shell, cooled
- 1 quart fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
Glaze Ingredients:
- 2 (10-ounce) packages of frozen sweetened strawberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
Directions for Filling:
- Cream together the first five ingredients and spread on the bottom of the pie shell.
- Place strawberries stem side down on the cream cheese mixture.
- Cover with glaze. (Directions below.)
Directions for Glaze:
- Thaw and crush frozen sweetened strawberries in a saucepan.
- Mix sugar with cornstarch and stir into the strawberries.
- Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thick and clear.
- Cool. Pour over fresh berries in pie shell.
- Refrigerate until serving time.
Before serving, garnish with whipped topping and fresh berries.
Now and Later Berries
For a simple dessert, slice a quart of hulled strawberries into a bowl. Add 1/3 cup sugar and mix well. Spoon mixture over slices of angle food cake and top with whipped topping.
If you have more strawberries than you'll need at one time, freeze extra washed and hulled berries whole or in slices. If slicing, 1/3 cup of sugar per quart can be added now to make a quick dessert for serving later. Freeze in appropriate sized containers. Strawberries prepared this way will still taste fresh months later. It's a great way to enjoy the taste of summer all year long!
