"strawberry" news and stories

Happy National Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day!

Few things are more suited to a hot summer day than the fusion of strawberry and rhubarb in a freshly baked pie, tempering the sweetness of heaps of juicy strawberries with the tartness of chopped rhubarb (appropriately addressed by the slang term "pie plant"). And if the thought of a hot oven heating up an already stuffy home makes you hesitant, this pie's equally good devoured cold or at room temperature, topped with a healthy dollop of chilly vanilla ice cream.

Grandma's Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie on the Food Network lightens the pie with lemon zest and juice; Epicurious tops the pie with a cheerful lattice crust; even Cindy Crawford has a favorite rendition, seasoned with nutmeg. But the winning claim to fame that we favor? SimplyRecipes dishes up a Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Pie that took first prize at the local fair -- simple summer desserts don't get any more spirited than that.

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Strawberry Cake Batter Ice Cream. Photo: erincooks, Flickr.

We dare you to look at this playful picture from Flickr user erincooks and not think good thoughts. Impossible, right?

A pink twist on beloved cake-batter ice cream, this homemade version is strawberry flavored. When topped off with jumbo pastel sprinkles (our affinity for sprinkles has already been well documented), it's like a smile in a cup.

Who knew happiness was best served ice cold?

[Via Flickr]

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Strawberry Salad Photo: Rebecca Flint Marx

Farmers markets are now brimming with boxes of strawberries, and most people's natural inclination -- aside from eating them all before getting home -- is to turn the berries into pies, cobblers, crumbles and strawberry shortcakes -- in other words, dessert.

While their tart sweetness makes them shining stars of the seasonal baked goods line-up, strawberries also make great supporting players in savory dishes. They pair well with cheeses, nuts, salad greens and even some meats, and can be as versatile as they are irresistible.

One way to introduce them before the dessert course is in a salad, not only as whole fruit but also as a tangy vinegar. Though you can buy bottled strawberry vinegar (as well as other fruit vinegars), it's plenty easy to make your own. It adds bright layers to the following recipe for spinach salad with toasted pecans, strawberries and ricotta -- and can be added to as many other salads, entrees and yes, even desserts, throughout the rest of the summer and beyond.

The first seasonal strawberries appear as early as April. The deliciously tart fruit we've come to know today originated in grassy woodlands all over Europe. Find out how to transform these red, ripe, sweet and succulent treats of nature into fabulous desserts.

Strawberries taste delicious eaten plain with a glass of champagne. But in a pie, their juiciness creates a distinctly bitter-sweet flavor that sits on the palate and seems to melt into the pie crust.

Strawberries taste especially rich when paired with milky desserts, like panna cotta and mascarpone. Or, simply add slices of strawberries to a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This candy-like fruit easily creates a sweet distinctive jam without adding any pectin. Below are eight especially delicious strawberry desserts to try at home:

1. Strawberry Jam with Black Pepper and Fresh Mint
2. Strawberry Clafoutis
3. Strawberry and Hazelnut Meringue Cake
4. Strawberry Shortcake
5. Nectarine Strawberry Ice Pops
   
6. Strawberry Panna Cotta
7. Mascarpone Cheesecake with Rhubarb Glaze and Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
8. Italian Strawberry Tart
   

When last we left fruit beer reviews, I doled out major praise to Bar Harbor for balancing blueberry fruit flavor while maintaining a solid level of traditional craft beer appeal. Based on a recommendation, this weekend I thought I would take a stab at Louisiana brewery Abita's Strawberry Harvest Lager. After my first sip, I realized it would be perfect... for a counterpoint example of why fruit beers often get a bad rap!

The nose is an overwhelming burst of strawberry. It's too much by any standards (except maybe for Kool-Aid Man: Oh yeah!), but what's most unfortunate is that it isn't a nose full of fresh Ponchatoula strawberries as the bottle promises. Instead, the berries reek of sugary cream reminiscent of a sweet strawberry yogurt bar. It all sits on a subtle palette of malt, but if not for the carbonation, one might be hard pressed to tell based on aroma that this is beer at all.