Celebrate #NationalStrawberryMonth with new recipes!
Did you know that May is National Strawberry Month? Many restaurants and bars celebrate by incorporating the seasonal fruit into their food and drinks. Our clients are integrating strawberries in their recipes in new and unique ways. Use the recipes below to take advantage of this fresh summer fruit!
Photography by Stacey Sprenz, Tabletop Media Group
One of our clients, Il Palio, is featuring a new drink called the rossini. Similar to the classic bellini, the rossini consists of strawberry puree, instead of peach, and prosecco. Il Palio uses local strawberries from Vera Luce Farm for the best quality. Go grab one at Il Palio while the strawberries are fresh or try and make one at home with the recipe below!
Strawberry Puree:
Chop 5 cups of strawberries into 1-inch pieces. Place the strawberries along with 3 ounces of simple syrup in a food processor or blender and blend until the texture is smooth.
Rossini:
First, pour 2 ounces of strawberry puree into a champagne flute, then top off with prosecco and mix. It's as simple as that!
Another fun Tabletop happening was a couple weeks ago when Kristen, our Tabletop founder, served as a judge at the Strawberry Dessert Contest at the State Farmer’s Market in Raleigh. There, she was able to try delicious strawberry desserts. The first place winner was a strawberry mousse cake made by Shweta Deshpande. Try it for yourself with the delicious recipe below!
Strawberry Mousse Cake, courtesy of The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
Ingredients for sponge cake
3 large eggs 1⁄2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup white granulated sugar 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 tsp baking powder 3⁄4 to 1 cup diced strawberries
Ingredients for Strawberry Mousse
2 to 3 cups strawberries 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 cups heavy cream 1⁄2 cup white granulated sugar
12 ounces whipped cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup diced strawberries 1⁄2 ounce unflavored gelatin (6 gelatin sheets)
1⁄4 cup water
Ingredients for garnish
Sliced strawberries 6 ounce package of strawberry jello
1 cup boiling water 1 cup iced water
Directions
To prepare sponge cake base: line a 9-10 inch spring form pan with parchment paper. Preheat
oven to 350 degrees F. Mix eggs and sugar on high speed for 7-8 minutes until eggs are very
voluminous and almost white. In a separate bowl combine flour & baking powder. Sift small
amounts of flour into the eggs & fold gently but thoroughly after each addition. Fold in the diced
strawberries & vanilla extract at the end. Pour the cake batter into the prepared spring form pan
and bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Remove and allow to
cool.
To prepare the mousse: Place 2-3 cups of strawberries and sweetened condensed milk into a food
processor & pulse into a puree; set aside. Pour the heavy cream into a mixing bowl & add the
sugar. Whisk until light & fluffy whipped cream forms. Add the softened whipped cream cheese & whisk until smooth. Fold in the strawberry puree & add diced strawberries.
Combine the water & gelatin in saucepan or microwave safe dish. Heat gelatin until completely
dissolved. Add into the mousse & fold until combined. Pour over the cooled sponge cake.
For garnish, slice about 15 strawberries and arrange them overlapping each other starting from the outside edge working inward. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Prepare the strawberry jello with half of the water required per instructions. This will ensure the jello layer is firm. Pour the jello over the top of the sliced strawberries. Place cake back into refrigerator until set completely. To remove cake from pan, run a flat spatula along the edge then release pan.
The Tabletop team also celebrated National Strawberry Month by going strawberry picking at Porter’s Farm, located in Willow Springs. Porter's Farm is a family operated farm that offers locally grown fruits and vegetables at their farm market. Porter's is a great place to take the family strawberry picking. Eat them plain or use them in the recipes posted. Pro tip: Don't forget to order a cone of Porter's homemade strawberry ice cream as a treat! Did you know they have an ice cream chef on staff?
Photography by Stacey Sprenz, Tabletop Media Group
Photography by Stacey Sprenz, Tabletop Media Group
Summer is the perfect time to incorporate strawberries into a variety of recipes. Take advantage of this delicious fruit now, while they're still in season!