Strawberry Rhubarb Oat Squares

Another trip to the cottage calls for more dessert! Since I had the afternoon off before heading up, I dedicated my time to whipping up some well deserved treats. Knowing I had rhubarb and strawberries in the freezer, I was looking for recipes that weren't pie but would still incorporate both ingredients. Having pinned plenty of strawberry recipes in June (in preparation for the picking season), I found this recipe on a Pastry Affair. Though the recipe calls for strawberry jam, I didn't want to use up my precious supply on squares so I substituted it with my beloved frozen fruits. It turned out great! We ate them as squares with tea, and also warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. It was the perfect pie replacement for summer - not to heavy, but still sweet-tooth-satisfying.

Ingredients

6 tablespoon salted butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup honey

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup chopped rhubarb

1 cup chopped strawberries

4 tablespoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray an 8 inch square pan with cooking oil. In a small saucepan on medium heat, add the rhubarb, strawberries and sugar and reduce until a jam-like consistency, stirring occasionally. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the egg and honey. Mix in the oats, flour, baking soda and cinnamon until combined. Press approximately 3/4 of the batter into the bottom of the pan until it is covered. Pour the strawberry-rhubarb compote overtop and spread evenly. Crumble the remaining batter on top until it is well covered. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

They are definitely best served warm, and if you're in cottage country hunt down some Kawartha Dairy Ice Cream and you'll be in heaven. I would also try this with blackberries, raspberries or apple - or all three for bumbleberry!

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry shortcake is my all time favourite dessert, no question. On most birthdays I've requested it over birthday cake, I've deemed it the perfect Canada Day dessert (red and white!) and if I'm ever asked for my opinion on what should be had, it's strawberry shortcake, always. So remember how I went strawberry picking a couple weeks ago? Well not only did we make some homemade jam, but we also had tonnes left over to freeze and use for future desserts - strawberry shortcake being one of them.

There are a few variations of this dessert, from layered cakes to mini angel food cakes but I decided on the classic layered biscuits - I'm also a big fan of individual portions. I first tried this recipe from Martha Stewart but it was a huge fail and I ended up with what seemed like gigantic pancakes. After scrounging through the internet some more I settled on adapting this recipe from one of my new favourite food blogs, Pastry Affair. They are dense and wholesome and were the perfect base for strawberries and cream.

Ingredients 

2 cups slice strawberries

1 tbsp sugar

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup white flour

1/4 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup cold salted butter

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup 2% milk (or half and half cream)

1 cup whipping cream

To start, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400 F. Sprinkle the sliced strawberries with 1 tbsp of sugar, and set in the fridge until needed. Whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and cut into the flour mixture until it is crumbly. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, vanilla and milk. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and combine until just mixed and a dough begins to form. Knead the dough together a couple times to bind it and then roll it out onto a floured surface. Cut 3-inch rounds using a biscuit cutter or glass and transfer to the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. While the cakes are baking, whip the cream using an electric mixer on high speed until firm peaks form. Wait for the cakes to cool slightly, cut the in half and layer with strawberries and whipped cream. There isn't much else left to say other than enjoy! I could eat these biscuits plain with butter or jam even, but of course everything is better with strawberries (and much better) with whipped cream. You could also try adding in some chopped rhubarb or diced strawberries to the biscuits for even more flavour. Excuse me while I go feast...

Homemade Strawberry Jam

Homemade jams are one of my biggest weaknesses. I don't need crackers, toast or ice cream to enjoy them - just hand me a spoon and the jar and I'm going to town! After picking strawberries this past weekend, we couldn't let them sit for too long before they would start going bad. Since Monday was a holiday we took the time to make some strawberry jam. Though many jam recipes online don't use added pectin, I find that without it the jam has a runnier consistency than I prefer. Pectin is a thickening agent that comes naturally from fruits, and you can buy it in packets dried. We used Certo Light because we were comfortable with the brand, but also wanted to use less sugar. To make 4-6 small jars of jam from your freshly picked strawberries here's what you do:

1. In a large bowl, crush the strawberries with a masher, in layers, until you have 4 cups.

2. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar and an entire packet of pectin and let rest for 30 minutes.  After resting, add 3 additional cups of sugar and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes.

3. Fill the empty jars with boiling water.

4. One by one, empty a jar of the water and fill with jam until there is 1/4 inch of space from the top.

5.  Seal the jars with the lids.
6. Rest for at least 24 hours before keeping in the freezer. The jam will keep for up to one year. 

Enjoy it whatever way you like to use jam, but I'll be grabbing my spoon and trying to make this last longer than a few months! You can also try adding a little bit of vanilla extract or ground cinnamon, to give it some extra flavour.

Note: if you use regular pectin and not a light version you'll need to double the sugar

Out & About: Strawberry Fields Forever

Though I was working most of the weekend, I was thrilled to have the Saturday off so I could head up to my Poppy's cottage for a relaxing day. My grandparents are very "homestyle" people, and my Poppy in particular prefers almost everything to be homemade - especially jam. Every summer they head out to pick berries - strawberries at the beginning of the season, blueberries near the end - and make everything from jams to pies to crisps to everything in between. After a nice lunch,  my mom and I headed out to the nearby berry patch to pick our own. It had been awhile since my last berry pick, so I needed a few reminders on how to get the most out of our time.
Here are my tips:

1. Know when to go.

Keep up to date with your local farm's fruit seasons. The end of June and beginning of July is usually the best time for strawberries (go now!). This way you can be sure the berries will be ripe, but not completely picked through.

2. Bring your own baskets.

You'll be saving a lot of money picking your own berries so you may as well save some more by bringing your own carriers - whether they're previously used berry baskets or old ice cream containers - anything will do.

3. Wear pants, closed shoes and sunscreen. This may seem obvious but as a person with a tendency to be barefoot, I always need this reminder. You'll be in the middle of a field, walking on hay, in the summer - there'll be bugs, mud, and sun - so protect yourself!

4. Pick berries that are plump, fully red, and firm, close to the stem. Yellow-ish coloured berries won't be fully ripe and you'll be disappointed with your fruit. Berries that are darker in colour can be too soft, and often go bad quickly. Be a gentle picker.

We plan on making classic strawberry jam out of ours (recipe post to come!) but I also plan on freezing some for smoothies, pie fillings and other desserts as well as keeping some fresh for my favourite, strawberry shortcake.

Turnovers, Ice Cream and Compote Oh My!

 Last week, after a long two days, I came home and focused all my energy into making dessert - my own 'anxiety-relieving exercise'. I've had my share of failed ice cream attempts, but not enough to keep me from trying once more. When day one was near its end, I decided that I would conquer ice cream once and for all. All seemed to go well with the custard stirring, cooling and churning but I would have to wait overnight until it could be deemed successful. After having a taste of my ice cream on day two, I knew it needed a pair. A quick look in my fridge, freezer and Pinterest boards and I realized the perfect partner - strawberry rhubarb turnovers (the compote came later).

Vanilla Ice Cream
8 egg yolks

2 cups 2% milk

2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups heavy cream

Follow these instructions for making the custard (mine took about 20 minutes until it was thick) and let it stand for a couple minutes to cool. Stir the heavy cream into the custard and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Churn in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Pour the churned ice cream into a metal loaf pan, seal with plastic wrap (pressing it onto the ice cream) and chill overnight.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Turnovers

1 sheet phyllo pastry 

(I used a square of Tenderflake, rolled out into a large rectangle)

1 cup diced strawberries

1 cup diced rhubarb

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp powdered sugar

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, cinnamon and ginger until the fruit is well coated. Cut the rolled out phyllo dough into 8 squares and place on the baking sheet. Leaving room around the edges, spoon the fruit filling onto the corner of each square, and fold over the empty corner. Seal the edges by pressing down with a fork. Brush the egg wash overtop each pastry and bake for 18-22 minutes, until they are golden brown. Sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar

I had some fruit filling left that I didn't want to waste, so I decided to make a compote. Simply put your leftover fruit mixture in a saucepan on medium heat and let it reduce until it is a thinner, jam like consistency. I also added a tablespoon more of sugar, and cut up a few more strawberries.

We had our turnovers topped with the vanilla ice cream and a spoonful of compote and oh-my-heavens, delish! The classic taste of the tart rhubarb with the sweet strawberries is not one to disappoint, and the smooth, creamy ice cream on top was the perfect addition.