Strawberry Icebox Pie

I’ve been in a bit of a culinary rut, and I’m the first to admit it.  Making dinner and such has been more like a chore than something I’ve been looking forward to.  I blame work and not enough “me time,” but after sleeping in for the past few days and catching up on getting the house back to “base beauty zero,” and an excellent batch of blueberry muffins  I’m feeling more like myself.

So we tackled pie the other day with the local strawberries I picked.  I have a go-to strawberry pie recipe, but one of the key ingredients in it is soda, and since JGL and I have both attempted to sworn the stuff off, it seemed silly to use it in a recipe.  So naturally we whipped out the Epicurious app, and I was  delighted to find a soda-free strawberry icebox pie. It has very few ingredients (a plus!) and honestly set up better than my old pie.  Bonus?  I got to use some of the botched whole wheat pie crust I had frozen for a rainy day back in December (that I “neglected” to blog about).  Let’s just say it was a first attempt at using whole wheat pastry flour AND the first time trying to use a food processor to blend–end result was a delicious pressed crust, but one that wouldn’t roll to save my life.

But it’s perfect for this pie, and this pie is perfect for this time of year–sweet, fresh, and full of strawberry flavor.

Strawberry Icebox Pie 

Adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2003 (as found on Epicurious)

 

1 Crust 

5 Cups quartered and hulled strawberries

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 Tbs fresh lemon Juice

 

Place 2 Cups of the strawberries in a medium sauce pan and mash until chunky, like you were making jam (a potato masher works well).  Add sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice.  Stir over medium high heat until sugar dissolves and mixture boils and thickens, about 3 minutes.

 

Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool to room temperature.  Then add the remaining berries and stir to mix.  Mount into your pie crust, and chill pie until cold and set.  

 

Would be EXCELLENT with whipped cream!

Whirlwind

This past month has been a whirlwind between work, home, and more work.  But here’s what I’ve neglected to share in a nutshell….

I survived my first April as an admissions event planner, presented for the first time at a conference, and saw Bill Nye the Science Guy at a crazy Engineering College Fair.

We’ve harvested peas, carrots, salad radishes, strawberries, canned berries, and finally, FINALLY planted all of the tomatoes in the side gardens and the back garden.

We watched one of our favorite classes graduate–we’re so proud of all of our “SB Daughters”!

Figured out that when you combine the Michael Buble, Coldplay and Yellow Ledbetter Pandora radio stations magic happens…who knew?

And we’re starting to see the signs of summer harvest.  Hoping to have some delicious goodness up here on the blog soon

We joined a CSA with friends from work.  I’m so excited to see what this means for this summer–so far, delicious cabbage and eggs.  This week peas, strawberries, more eggs, and salad.  Pictures to follow.

JGL is teaching me to golf.  It’s not pretty–yet.

Because I’m trying new things and being braver, I broke down and got myself the whiskey barrel planter I’ve always wanted.

And the biggest news on the horizon is that we’re attempting to tackle some inside projects–bathroom first, and then we’ll see where we go from there.  Lots going on, and still more to do!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Hands

Raspberries buds show the first signs that they’ll be fruit

The one time blushing is good!

Radishes!

And we have Radishes, folks!

Honey Cake, revisited

The Honey Cake we made the other week screamed Easter to me.  It was also the perfect excuse to try to revamp it a bit.  This time around I nixed the pineapple and macerated just strawberries, and used the juice they made to pour over the finished cake instead of using orange juice.   I also took out the nuts and replaced that with 1/4 cup sour cream mixed in with about 1 Tbs of white grits.  The end result was a more even flavor, and JGL even said he liked this one better.  It’s certainly a keeper!

Honey Cake with Berries and Cream, Take Two

Adapted from BHG, April 2012 pg 180

 

2 Tbsp honey, divided

2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

2 pints strawberries sliced

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup sour cream mixed with 

1 TBS white hominy grits

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup honey

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup cream cheese

1 cup whipping cream

2 Tbsp honey, divided

 

Preheat oven to 325. Butter and flour a 9 by 1 1/2 round cake pan.

 

Combine strawberries in a bowl and stir in the 2 Tbsp of honey and balsamic vinegar. Set aside and let macerate while you make the cake.

 

In a medium bowl combine flour, cornmeal, sour cream/grits mixture, baking powder and salt; put to one side. In a large bowl beat butter for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup of the honey and beat into butter until nice and fluffy. Slowly beat in eggs, one at a time. Add 3/4 of the flour mixture and mix until it just barely comes together. Add milk and remaining flour mixture and fold in with a spatula until combined (being careful not to over mix). Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes (in my oven it took more like 45-50 minutes to get it to set).

 

When cake is finished and has cooled in the pan for about 5 minutes, remove from pan and place on your cake plate. Poke cake with a toothpick to create multiple holes on the top, then brush on the juice from your strawberries so it absorbs into the cake. Set cake aside to cool completely.

 

Just before serving, create topping. Combine cream cheese and 2 Tbps of honey, beat on high for 30 seconds. Add whipping cream and beat until soft mounds form. Spoon cream onto cake, and then top with fruit.

Hope

Strawberry plants a week ago–they’re now littered with gorgeous white flowers, each one hope that we’ll have an abundant summer. Here’s to sweet June Strawberry dreams!

Honey Cake and Spring

We turned the heat off in the house over a week ago. The windows have been letting the perfect 75 degree air flow through our house taking any stale winter blues that were left lingering. In essence, it not only feels like spring, but it feels absolutely invigorating and inspiring!

Nothing says spring to me more than the return of fresh fruit to the grocery store and markets. Our strawberry plants are starting to bloom, and the strawberries in the store are a good second best while we wait for our own crop to develop. We love macerating berries in honey, and as soon as I saw the below recipe I knew we would have to try it. It is just about as perfect as Spring 2012 is shaping up to be–a dense cake with added texture from the cornmeal topped with folds of whipped cream and beautiful berries.

I say take one below because I want to try a few things with it, such as omitting the nuts and playing around with the glaze. It’s amazing to start with, but I think it can be improved. Plus we have two willing taste testers at the L. Homestead–anything for culinary research

Happy Noshing!

 

Pecan-Honey Cake with Berries and Cream, Take One

Adapted from BHG, April 2012 pg 180

2 Tbsp honey, divided

2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 pint strawberries sliced

1/2 pineapple, sliced into pieces about the same size as your strawberry slices

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup pecans, ground

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup honey

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsp orange juice

1/2 cup cream cheese

1 cup whipping cream

2 Tbsp honey, divided

Preheat oven to 325. Butter and flour a 9 by 1 1/2 round cake pan.

Combine strawberries and pineapple (or whatever fruit is fresh and tastes good to you) in a bowl and stir in the 2 Tbsp of honey and balsamic vinegar. Set aside and let macerate while you make the cake.

In a medium bowl combine flour, cornmeal, nuts, baking powder and salt; put to one side. In a large bowl beat butter for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup of the honey and beat into butter until nice and fluffy. Slowly beat in eggs, one at a time. Add 3/4 of the flour mixture and mix until it just barely comes together. Add milk and remaining flour mixture and fold in with a spatula until combined (being careful not to over mix). Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes (in my oven it took more like 45-50 minutes to get it to set).

Meanwhile combine 1/4 cup honey and orange juice in a small saucepan and set on stove on low to heat through (if combining just before cake comes out, you can turn up the heat to warm it through quicker). When cake is finished and has cooled in the pan for about 5 minutes, remove from pan and place on your cake plate. Poke cake with a toothpick to create multiple holes on the top, then brush on the honey-orange juice so it absorbs into the cake. Set cake aside to cool completely.

Just before serving, create topping. Combine cream cheese and 2 Tbps of honey, beat on high for 30 seconds. Add whipping cream and beat until soft mounds form. Spoon cream onto cake, and then top with fruit.

Catching Up

It’s March 18th, and we have our second load of laundry on the line, and I’ve been comfortable in short sleeved t-shirts for the past four days.  To say it’s abnormally warm would be an understatement, but I’ll take it as long as Mother Nature dishes it out.  

The other side of the warmer temps is the explosion of greenery and flowers–our trees are in full bloom up front, and the strawberries have already started to put out flowers.  Any my beloved lilac bush has the start  of some gorgeous blooms.  

Lots more to report soon–a new rain barrel installed, a raspberry patch put in, and a great visit from my parents.  We’ve been moving and shaking here at the homestead!

Seedlings and Chores

I love reading the gardening chores list on A Way to Garden this time of year because we’re so far ahead of zone 5B.  Being solidly lin zone 7, it means that our last frost is mere weeks away, and March 1st is the time when we’re thinking about turning over our gardens and sowing peas and spinach.

This spring is unusually warm and mild (I still cannot believe that we have daffodils up–DAFFODILS people!), and we’re even considering moving the rain barrel from out back up front so that I have a better water source to utilize for our cold frames.  Even though we did have snow just over a week ago, it’s gone and today was in the mid-60s. Perfection, if you ask me.  So much so that I went ahead and planted my cherry tomatoes and the first batch of marigolds tonight.

The first weekend in March has traditionally been the weekend we get started with our outdoor chores, and this weekend seems to be shaping up to be a great start.  Our (my?) chores list is becoming pretty extensive, but I’m just thrilled to get back into it!

• Bring up the rain barrel–consider ordering a second one
• Begin turning over the back garden–work out a plan for the raised beds
• Sow a few rows of peas
• Trellis and get netting for the front Kitchen Garden peas
• Clean out remaining leaves in the front and back garden beds
• Re-edge the front garden beds
• Pick up the car port