Summer
Strawberries & Cream Cake
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on August 13th, 2010
I had mentioned in my post about Terry’s Strawberry salad, that I love using seasonal items and this is another perfect use for fresh strawberries. The recipe comes from The Hungry Mouse’s arsenal of recipe posts. I have never been unhappy with anything I’ve cooked off her website.
The best way to describe this cake is that its a strawberry shortcake party in your mouth, and no I am not referring to the cartoon character…although I wasn’t aware that she was a trademark of the American Greetings card company…who would have thought? Why the hell is her hat soooo big??
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 Tbls. butter (that’s 1/2 a stick), softened
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced
Oven Temp: 375 degrees F
Bake Time: 30 mins
As the Hungry Mouse had done, I used my stand mixer, but this can all be done by a hand mixer, or by hand.
Using a pen, trace out the bottom of a 9” pie pan and cut it out using scissors. You can just as easily cut a circle free-handed and just place it in as well. It doesn’t need to be exact. Then butter the pie pan and place the parchment round into the pan. Set the pan aside and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Next, add the sugar into the stand mixer bowl. Slice up the butter and add to the bowl as well. Crack the egg into a bowl/measuring cup, then pour into the bowl too (I always do this to prevent shells going into the mix). Using the paddle attachment on the mixer, beat well to combine.
Pour the heavy cream into the mixture, along with the flour, baking powder and salt.
Beat on High to combine, until the dough begins to come together and resembles soft cookie dough. Over mixing will result in the cake not being as moist.
Once its mixed, stir in the sliced strawberries. Stir well to make sure the strawberries are throughout the whole dough, but try not to crush them. Pour out into the prepared cake pan and smooth out with the back of the spatula or a spoon.
Bake at 375 degrees for approx 30 mins. Test doneness with a toothpick (stick it into the middle and it should come out clean).
With the cake still in the pan, cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, run a knife around the edges of the pan and the cake should easily come out. You can also keep it in the pan and serve it from there. I topped it with a little powdered sugar and served with whipped cream.
Roger Labbe’s Abymes, 2009
By NICHOLAS AMMATURO on July 11th, 2010
This is another perfect addition to your summer arsenal of exceptional wines. Dave the wine God recommended this to me and the story behind it is just as good, if not better than the wine itself. Here is the story from the distributors website:
“This wine domaine was founded by the fathers of Alexandra and Jérome in 1975. At the time, their parents were subsistence farmers (a little bit of everything: milk, cows, beef, hay, wheat and some table grapes and wine not worth drinking. To survive economically, one brother, a charcutier (pork butcher) and the other, a construction entrepreneur, worked on the vines on the weekends and in their spare time and planted AC grapes varieties.Two cousins, Alexandra and Jérome took over the domain from their fathers in 2004.”
So now that you know a little bit about the family running it, the region is even more influential to why this wine is so unique. The grape is a 100% Jacquère that grows especially well in this region of France.
“The Savoie region is an Alpine region in Eastern France neighboring Switzerland with many of its vineyards lying close to the Rhone River as it winds its way from Geneva southward. Very little of its wines are found outside of the region as they are mostly consumed locally, given the region’s popularity as both a winter and summer vacation destination. “ABYMES” comes from the French word “abimé” which means broken and refers to the broken stones in the avalanches from the mountains (Alps).”
Thanks to Dave and the folks over at Michael Skurnik wines for bringing us this exceptionally priced wine at approx $14.00 per bottle.
courtesy of Michael Skurnik Wines Website
Charles & Charles rose, 2009
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on July 11th, 2010
This post has been sitting in my draft box since I had hosted the Garden Party at Stone Hedge Day Spa back in June. I wanted to make sure to get this posted at the peak of summer, so you can throw a couple of these bottles in your fridge and bring to the beach with you. Not only is this Rose crisp and refreshing, every time I see the label, I am reminded of the sitcom “Charles in Charge” and Scott Baio from the 80’s. The theme song is now playing in my head. Unfortunately, that show is no longer in charge, but this wine certainly is.
The grapes used are Syrah and the skins are only left on them for the first press, which gives it its pink color. They are only left on for a few days until the color is achieved and then they are removed, before fermentation. This is in fact a red wine, but is much lighter and fruitier than a typical Syrah. The minute you crack this bottle open, you will immediately catch the smell of strawberries and raspberries. At approx. $11.00 per bottle, you can’t go wrong.
St-Germain & Champagne Cocktail
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on July 10th, 2010
Just picture a man handpicking flowers in the foothills of the French Alps then driving his bicycle to market to sell his harvest. This is exactly what happens to produce St-Germain. It is a liqueur that is derived from elderflower blossoms. On it’s own it makes the perfect after dinner cordial, but mixed with champagne, it makes the perfect summer cocktail.
The Champagne we decided to use today is Duc de Romet. Made by Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy, who collects grapes from small-producers who don’t produce their own Champagne. On it’s own, it’s delicious with a velvety texture, and has become one of my favorites to keep on stock.
The recipe for this on St-Germain’s website, is approx 1/2 part St-Germain and 1/2 part Champage. This is slightly sweeter than I prefer, so I cut it down to 1/4 part St-Germain to 3/4 Champagne.
Strawberry pecan spinach salad
by NICHOLAS AMMATURO on July 6th, 2010
Hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July holiday. I certainly did. Sitting by the pool all weekend with friends and family, doesn’t get better than that. We were not shy with the food either. There was enough food to feed twice as many people as we had, so of course, we just had to invite more people over the next day to continue eating. This is one of my favorite times of year because seasonal fruits and veggies make their way onto my plate. Strawberry season is typically June-August for locally grown. Even though you can basically get anything you want year-round now, lets pretend that strawberries must be eaten ASAP.
This recipe was provided to me by one of our closest family friends, Terry. She always seems to come across some great recipes, and this is certainly one of them. Thanks Terry and keep all the recipes coming, we will certainly keep eating them.
Ingredients
- (2) 10oz bags of baby spinach
- (2) pints of fresh strawberries
- 6 oz sliced toasted pecans
Dressing
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 TBLS poppy seeds
- 2 TBLS sesame seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp minced onion
- 1 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or tarragon vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Wash and dry spinach or use pre washed. Place in large bowl.
Wash, dry and slice strawberries. Add them to the spinach.
Slice pecans and lightly toast in oven for a few minutes.
Put ingredients for dressing into a blender and mix 20-30 seconds. Add dressing to salad right before serving.
Mix well and enjoy. Thanks Terry 