Fresh Berry Fool – It Would be a Pity Not to Make This for Labor Day

Fresh Berry Fool – It Would be a Pity Not to Make This for Labor Day

Dessert Fruit

There are like a thousand approved ways to combine sweet cream and fresh fruit, but this gorgeous fool may be my favorite. Of course, the easy-to-joke-about name helps, but what I really love is how surprisingly light this is. It's also very easy, which seems totally appropriate for a possible Labor Day dessert.

While certainly not light on the calorie counter, this stuff is shockingly airy on the palate. It’s that contrast between the rich, fluffy cream, and the syrupy, tangy fruit, which makes this so much greater than the sum of its parts. Fresh berries are a classic, but this would work with peeled, diced, ripe peaches.

By the way, contrary to what you heard in the introduction, this isn’t called a “fool” because it’s so ridiculously simple to make. Apparently, it comes from the French word, "fouler," which means "to mash." I guess we’ll let you decide which story to go with. I think you know which one I prefer. Either way, I really do hope you get this fool a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for four large portions:

3 cups fresh berries (raspberries, broken blackberries, quartered strawberries)

1/4 to 1/3 cup white sugar (more sugar you use the more syrup you get)

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup chilled heavy cream

1/4 cup crème fraiche (yogurt or sour cream maybe subbed - *if using yogurt or sour cream, stir into the cream once it’s almost fully whipped)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup crumbled butter shortbread cookies, or vanilla wafers

Ditulis soni agus Pada 09.44 Komentar

Kumquat Marmalade – Beautiful, Delicious, and Almost Easy to Make

Kumquat Marmalade – Beautiful, Delicious, and Almost Easy to Make

Breakfast Dessert Fruit

If you’re like me, and marmalade is not your favorite type of fruit preserve, it’s most likely because of those bitter flavors from the white parts of whatever type of citrus was used. That is not an issue with this gorgeous kumquat marmalade.

The secret here is using a type of citrus that doesn’t really have any of those pithy parts, which is why kumquats are the only citrus I know of that you eat whole, skin and all. If you are going to enjoy au naturel, make sure you roll them first, to release all that sweet, fragrant oil.

However, if you’re going to cut them up as seem herein, then rolling each one is not necessary, as the oils will be release as we quarter, seed, and slice. This is a good thing, as we need all the time-savings we can get, since what we are going to do, is painstakingly remove the center white membrane.

I believe this will make your marmalade even less bitter, but mostly it’s for appearance. For me, those little white bits spoil the perfect, clear-orange jelly that’s produced. But if you think I’m crazy, and you want to save a half-hour, you can probably skip that step, as long as you get all the seeds. I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 2 cups:

2 generous cups sliced kumquats (measure after they have been quartered, seeded, and sliced into small pieces)

zest and juice of 1 lemon

small pinch cayenne

1 cup white sugar

1 cup cold water

1 star anise (I remove after 10 minutes of simmering)

- Note: You can just go by appearance, but I took the temperature right before it was done, and it was bout 215 F., so I imagine when I was finished it was around 220 F. You can also put a spoonful on a plate in the fridge, and test that way.

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A Waldorf Salad by Any Other Name

A Waldorf Salad by Any Other Name

Appetizer Breakfast Dessert Fruit Salads

As I joked about in the video, a fruit salad has to be pretty damn good to actually get a name, and the venerable Waldorf salad is certainly worthy. 

I realize that there are a small group of you who won’t be able to wrap your heads around mayonnaise with fruit, and that’s a shame, since it means you won’t get to enjoy one of the great combinations of all time. By the way, if you are one of the aforementioned people, but like mayo slathered all over your sandwich, containing slices of sweet, ripe tomato, and caramelized onions, then you have some explaining to do. Also, coleslaw. I rest my case.

Embellish this as you see fit, but I really like it best with just the four ingredients seen here. Things like dried cranberries can add a nice seasonal touch, but for me, the chewy fruit gets in the way of that addictive crunchy/crisp texture. I really hope you give this old-school, but timeless Waldorf salad a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 1 cup dressing (enough for 2 Waldorf salads below):

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup crème fraiche or sour cream (I used CF)

juice from 1/2 lemon

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch freshly ground black pepper

pinch cayenne

1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon

For 2 large or 4 appetizer sized Waldorf salads:

2 large crisp, sweet apples, cut in 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup small cubed celery root

1 cup quartered seedless grapes

1/2 cup toasted walnuts pieces

Ditulis soni agus Pada 14.09 Komentar