Take a Megabite

Strawberry Pancakes

I’m really full because I ate those pancakes right there. I put strawberry jam on them because my maple syrup stopped being cool and just started being real. Real gross.

If you’re in the mood for a summery sweet pancake, this is the one for you. And do you know that there’s almond extract in these guys? It makes the strawberries sing. I can hear them now. They’re singing Lady Gaga. Now you know.

Strawberry Pancakes {makes 9-10 pancakes}
Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup buttermilk or 1 T lemon juice + scant 1 cup milk*
• 1 T brown sugar, packed
• 2 T canola oil
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t almond extract
• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced
• maple syrup or strawberry jam, for topping

Directions:

1. *If you don’t have buttermilk, make that first. Place 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in the bottom of a 1-cup measuring cup. Top with milk. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, beat egg with electric hand mixer until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients except strawberries just until smooth. Stir in berries.
3. Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat. Grease griddle with cooking spray. Place a baking sheet in the oven and turn the oven on to 200°F.
4. For each pancake, pour slightly less than 1/4 cup batter from cup or pitcher onto hot griddle. Cook pancake until bubbly on top and puffed and dry around edges. Turn and cook other side until golden. Place in the oven on the baking sheet to stay warm until all the pancakes are done.

Mini Strawberry Rhubarb Galettes

Elliot is a puppy-sized big dog. These are the cupcake of pie.

These were birthday galettes. And since they were a gift, I had to try them to be sure they were good before I gave them away, right? I also had to eat one when I got home from giving them away to be REALLY sure before bed, right? I know something’s good when I have to “make sure” by lots of sampling. Now you know.

Mini Strawberry Rhubarb Galettes (makes 8 mini galettes)
Recipe adapted from: Recipezaar + Farm Journal Complete Pie Cookbook

Ingredients:

dough-

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 T sugar
• 1/4 t kosher salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cold and cut into cubes
• 1/3 cup ice water

filling -

• 1 cup strawberries, quartered + chopped
• 1 cup rhubarb, chopped
• heaping 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 T flour ( 1/2 of 1/3)
• pinch of salt

topping (optional)  -

• a bit of crumb topping or turbinado sugar

Directions:

1. Make galette dough: mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until it is distributed through the flour, but still in large, pea-sized chunks. Add the ice water all at once and mix just until the dough starts to come together. Gather the dough in your hands, divide in half and shape each half into a disk- don’t worry if you see large streaks of butter- they are supposed to be there. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour before rolling out.
2. Cut each disk into 4 equal pieces. Roll out each disk of dough on a lightly floured surface, about 1/8-inch thick.  Settle each circle of dough onto a baking sheet or two lined with parchment paper.
   
3. Prepare the strawberry rhubarb filling. Toss the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, flour and salt together. Divide te fruit mixture amongst the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Fold the borders of dough slightly overlapping the filling, allowing it to pleat as you work your way around. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar or some crumb topping, if you want.
   
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until fruit is bubbling and the crust is lightly browned.

Those two in the back have a bit of crumb topping. Why not?

Devilish Shortcakes

Strawberry shortcake is one of my most favorite desserts. So when I stumbled across Dorie Greenspan’s devilish shortcakes, I knew they had to happen … and soon! A chocolate shortcake? Can you even think of anything better?

Jake’s job, when I bake, is to read me the recipe. He’s really good at it and it’s just so darn nice of him. When he cooks, he doesn’t let me read the recipes to him. It’s because I tend to forget to tell him steps/ingredients, and well, can you blame him?

I had intentions to pat this biscuit dough down and use my super awesome new biscuit cutters, but the truth is, this dough is sticky and the best way is to use a lightly floured measuring cup to scoop that chocolaty goodness.

I’d say these were a hit, and such a fun remix to the original. What do you think?

Devilish Shortcakes
Recipe from Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:

shortcakes -

• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1 1/2 t vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 T baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 T) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chilled

filling -

• berries of your choice, (about 1/2 cup per shortcake) hulled and sliced if using strawberries
• sugar (I used about 1/4 cup)
• lightly sweetened softly whipped cream (1 cup whipping cream + powdered sugar to taste + vanilla, beaten until soft peaks form)

Directions:

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Make shortcakes. Whisk the milk, vanilla and egg together. Set aside. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar into a large bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips, a pastry blender, or forks, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You’ll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes an pieces in between. (P.S. Try not to get the dry ingredients all over you like below:)
   
3. Pour the milk mixture over the dry ingredients and toss gently with a fork until you’ve got a very soft dough. When the dough comes together, you’ll probably still have dry ingredients  at the bottom of the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to mix and knead the dough until it’s evenly blended. Don’t overdo it; it’s better to have a few dry spots than an overworked dough. Even with all the flour mixed in, the dough will be very sticky.
4. Spoon out about 1/4-1/3 cup of dough for each shortcake onto the baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches in between the mounds. Pat each mound down until it’s between 3/4-1 inch high.*
5. Bake for 12-18 minutes, rotating halfway through bake time, until the shortcakes are puffed and give just a bit when prodded. Pull the sheet from the oven and transfer the shortcakes to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough.
6. Make the filling. Put the berries in a bowl, sprinkle with sugar to taste and let sit for about 10 minutes, until they are juicy. Cut each cake in half horizontally. Put the bottom halves on plates, top with the berries, make sure to include some of the sweet juices and spoon over some whipped cream. Put the tops on the shortcakes or lean them against the cream.

* The shortcakes at this point can be frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight  and kept in the freezer for up to 2 months. Bake without defrosting by simply adding about 5 more minutes to the bake time.

Strawberry Ricotta Graham Tartlets

I’m looking forward to moving, because I know for a fact that there will natural light promised in the lease. I also can’t wait to have a yard that doesn’t back up to mean growly dogs that want to eat Elliot.

When I envision my future home, I imagine white walls, a white oven and windows Elliot can see out of without standing on the back of the couch … and preferably a huge tupperware of these mini tarts in the fridge.

These are cheesecake-ish mini tarts … also known as a cookie stacker … also known as delicious. I’m totally down with ricotta being dessert-y. And as you’ve probably noticed, I’m always down with a dessert involving strawberries. Did you know there’s lemon in these? Oh yeah. Zest in the ricotta + juice in the berries.

And I can just say, that I’m glad to have some strawberries leftover? I’d like to put them on my yogurt and ice cream, please. Would that be an ok dinner? When it’s really hot out, is that kind of thing allowed?

Strawberry Ricotta Graham Tartlets
Recipe adapted from Food & Wine via Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

graham cookies -

• 1 cup + 2 T all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/4 cup graham flour, or whole wheat if you can’t find graham
• 3/4 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• pinch of ground cloves
• 8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 T light brown sugar
• 2 T granulated sugar
• 2 T honey
• 1 1/2 t molasses, you can just use more honey if you don’t want to use molasses

strawberry goodness -

• 3/4 pound strawberries, thinly sliced
• 3 T granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice

ricotta mixture -

• 1 1/4 cups ricotta (10 oz.), fresh if you can find it, or a full-fat store-bought
• 2 T confectioners’ sugar
• 1 t finely grated lemon zest

Directions:

1. Make grahams. In a bowl, whisk both flours with the cinnamon, salt and cloves. Beat the butter, light brown sugar and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar at medium speed on an electric mixer until fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the honey and molasses, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the side of the bowl and beat in the flour mixture at low speed, just until incorporated. Pat the dough into a disk, cover with plastic and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.
2. Preheat ove to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. Using  a 1 1/2 inch round cutter (or a larger cutter of your choice) stamp out your bases (about 45 minis). Reroll the dough scraps as necessary. Transfer the grahams to the baking sheets and bake for about 9 minutes (12ish minutes for 3 1/2 inch cookies), or until lightly golden around the edges. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer the grahams to racks to cool completely.
3. Make toppings. In a bowl, toss the strawberries with 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and lemon juice. Let stand until syrupy, 20 minutes, or overnight. In a medium bowl mix the ricotta, confectioners’ sugar and lemon zest with an electric mixer. Cover both and refrigerate until time to assemble.
4. Assemble tartlets. Divide ricotta mixture between all the graham bases. Arrange strawberries over the ricotta, drizzle with syrup and serve.

P.S. Just know that with these little (1 1/2 inch) tarts, you might only need half of the ricotta + strawberry mixtures, since so little fits on the teeny 1 1/2 inch cookies. If you make the graham cracker bases a bigger size, you’ll be all set since you can just be so generous with the topping.

Do ahead: The grahams will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Ricotta mixture will last only for a day or two if fresh, or up to a week from packaged ricotta. Strawberry mixture will keep for a few days, but tastes amazing on everything so probably won’t last that long in real life.

Just the tall-drink-of-water of the cookie world.

Strawberry Stack Cake

I like that this cake kinda looks like a super huge stack of pancakes. I like that there’s strawberry jam keeping it real between six layers of sugar cookie-esque goodness. I like that at the end I get to dust it with powdered sugar.

I really like the dusting with powdered sugar part.

It maybe doesn’t look like it here, but those guys are the same size. I weighed them all on my tiny scale to make sure none were getting more dough than their siblings.

This is a make-ahead kinda thing. After sitting in the fridge overnight or a couple days it slices like cake, and tastes like a cookie. Rumor has it that back in the day ladies would make this cake a day or two before wash-day, because on that day they didn’t have time to make a dessert. Dessert’s always been important.

Strawberry Stack Cake
Recipe adapted from Cook’s Country

Ingredients:

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 cup buttermilk*
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups strawberry jam, approximately
• 2 T confectioners’ sugar

* Substitute: pour 3/4 t of lemon juice in the bottom of a 1/4 cup measuring cup and top with milk. Set aside for a couple minutes, then use!

Directions:

1. Make dough. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Combine buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl or measuring cup. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, cream cheese and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until combined, then buttermilk mixture. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture gradually until combined.
2. Shape rounds. Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Pat each into a 5-inch disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350º and cut six 9-inch parchment rounds. Line 8 inch cake pan or pot with parchment paper and press chilled dough disk into bottom of lined pan (like below), in an attempt to get uniform 8 inch circles. (Mine weren’t so perfect.) Transfer round to rimmed baking sheet. Repeat, placing second round 1/2 inch apart. Repeat with 2 additional disks on second rimmed baking sheet. Bake until just golden round edges, 16-20 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Cool 10 minutes on sheets, then transfer to counter to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
   
3. Assemble.* Place 1 cooled cake round on serving platter. Spread 3-4 tablespoons of strawberry jam over cake, leaving a 1/2 inch border uncovered, then top with another round. Repeat with remaining strawberry jam and cake rounds, finishing with cake. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until cake has softened, at least 8 hours or up to 3 days. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve. *(If your cakes aren’t perfect circles feel free to trim the edges, like I did. I even trimmed the cake after it sat in the fridge for a couple days.)
   

Cookie-ish cake scraps.

Strawberry Shortcake Sushi + Strawberry Coulis

Sometimes all I want to talk about is ice cream and puppies. Sometimes all I think about is dessert, and sometimes I fall in love with a blog (like sprinklebakes) and can’t stop thinking about techniques. Next thing you know, I’m making strawberry shortcake sushi.

It’s my brother’s birthday. And since my mom’s in town he wanted us to make brunch (I mean lunch) for him. My mom made sandwich-rolls aka rearranged cheeseburgers and potato salad and I made this for dessert, with her help, of course. She helped roll the sushi and helped me sample everything this morning. Oh, and she’s the hand model down there holding chopsticks.

Strawberry Shortcake Sushi
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light + technique from Sprinkle Bakes

Ingredients:

cake -

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 eggs + 2 more egg whites
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 T powdered sugar, for the towel when wrapping the cake

filling* -

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 t vanilla or 1/2 a vanilla bean
• 1 cup diced strawberries + more for topping

* I had a little less than half left over, so feel free to cut the filling recipe in half and you should be fine.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400º. Coat a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll cookie sheet with cooking spray; line the bottom with parchment paper, and coat with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl using an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the eggs and sugar at high speed until pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Stir in vanilla.
3. Add the flour mixture half at a time mixing on low until each portion is mixed in completely.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan; spread evenly. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cake springs back when touched.
5. While the cake is baking sprinkle a clean dish towel with powdered sugar.
6. Remove the cake from the oven. Cut the cake in half long ways so that you have 2 long rectangles. Invert onto the powdered sugared towel. Peel off the parchment and on each side of the towel roll the cakes from the long side toward the center. Flip the towel wrapped cakes over seem-side down on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour to cool.
7. Make filling. Beat together the whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy and thick. Stir in the strawberries.
8. Unroll the cakes from the towel and either pipe or spread the filling into the center. Roll up so the ends touch and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a couple hours or over night.
9. Slice, using a serrated knife into sushi-sized pieces. I ended up with about 18 pieces. Top with a strawberry slice and serve with strawberry coulis (recipe below).

Strawberry Coulis! The soy sauce of this sushi.

Strawberry Coulis
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 2 cups quartered and hulled strawberries, mashed
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 T granulated sugar
• 1 T lemon juice

Directions:

1. Combine strawberries, water, sugar and lemon juice in a blender. Blend until very smooth. Press through a fine mesh strainer to remove seeds. Cover and refrigerate until cool. Place in a small dish for sushi dipping!

Multi-Grain Waffles for Two

I’ve been trying to be more like Fergie lately. You know, the whole “up in the gym, just workin’ on my fitness” thing. So when I wanted waffles for Sunday breakfast, I figured I’d look for one packed with oats and protein and all that good stuff. And on top of all that, the brown sugar makes you totally doubt the need for syrup. So there you go!

These waffles are healthy, but don’t hold it against them. They are go-od.

Next time I make these, I think I’ll mash up the berries so the juices get all up in the waffle nooks.

Multi-Grain Waffles for Two {makes 4 waffles}
Recipe adapted in half from Eating Well

Ingredients:

• 1 cup buttermilk*
• 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 T cornmeal (or toasted wheat germ)
• 3/4 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/8 t salt
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 1/2 t canola oil
• 1 t vanilla extract
• fruit, for topping

* If you don’t have buttermilk pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice in the bottom of a 1-cup measuring cup and fill to the top with milk. Set aside for a few minutes then use.

Directions:

1. Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl, let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cornmeal (or wheat germ), baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.
3. Whisk the egg, sugar, and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula until just moistened.
4. Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray and preheat. Spoon enough better to cover three-fourths of the surface (about 2/3 cup for an 8-by-8-inch waffle iron). Cook until waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
5. Top with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of powered sugar.

I over-filled the waffle maker every single time. So, now you know.

Red + White + Blue Stuffed Strawberries

So you guys should probably know that I single-handedly ate an entire watermelon in 2 days. I miss it already. With that said, I just can’t get enough summer fruit in my life, in my belly or in my desserts. So, I figured I’d tell you Happy Fourth of July with some patriotic berries!

Don’t bother considering these a dessert. Consider them a fruit-filled snack and eat a lot of them, ok?

Red + White + Blue Stuffed Strawberries
Recipe from The Family Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 20-25 strawberries
• 20-25 fresh blueberries
• 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
• 3 T confectioners’ sugar
• 1 t vanilla (I used half a vanilla bean.)

Directions:

1. Wash and dry strawberries and blueberries. Set blueberries aside. Using a small paring knife cut a cone shape into the top of the strawberry removing the stem and leaving a little nook inside. Cut the tip of the berry off so that it can stand up on a plate or tray.
2. Using an electric mixer beat together the mascarpone, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Using a pastry bag or using a small plastic bag with the tip cut off, pipe the mixture into each berry and top with a fresh blueberry. Store in the fridge until time to serve.

Check out this group of berries just hangin’ out being patriotic and stuff.

Pump Up the Jam

I like to incorporate food into my job as much as possible. 

Does it make you want toast? It should make you want toast.

That jam up there was made by yours truly, and my grandma gave me a bunch of vintage jelly jars that I was dying to fill with strawberry jam and summer-love.

Summer 2010 // Detroit Home magazine
Styling by Me
Photograph by CJ Benninger

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Cake

I’m just so glad strawberries and rhubarb are bffs. I’d be sad if they had a falling out.

It was hot yesterday. Hot and gross and my hair was wavy against it’s will. My fridge let out a gusty wind of cold air every time I opened it, just to show off the fact that it was nice and chilly in there and I was roasting out here. I wore a hat to cover my head and I baked this cake anyway.

The best pie my mom has ever made involved both rhubarb and strawberries. They are a duo that can do no wrong. That tasty pie memory gave me great confidence in this cake, since until now I’d never made anything with rhubarb!

I find crumb-topped anything very comforting, and since I recently came into some rhubarb, I knew I needed to do something with it … something involving strawberries.

And my hot kitchen was worth it! Even my bad hair! This cake is a crumb topped sweet + tart dream.

Just a few more of my favorite crumb-topped recipes for you:
Blueberry Streusel Pancakes + Mini Dutch Apple Galettes + Peach Crumble.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Cake {serves 8}
Recipe from Sugar Plum

Ingredients:

cake -

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 6 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 2/3 cup chopped rhubarb

crumb topping -

• 5 T unsalted butter, chilled
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan, tart pan, or springform pan. (If using a cake pan cut out a circle of parchment paper for the bottom and grease that.)
2. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In another bowl beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and creamy. Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat until mixed completely. Gradually beat in flour, alternating with milk until combined. Spread cake batter evenly in prepared pan.
3. Top batter with strawberries and rhubarb. Bake for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the crumb topping by combining brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour and 5 tablespoons of butter. Knead together using fingertips or a fork until mixture starts to clump together. Set in the freezer until ready to use.
5. When cake has baked 20 minutes, top evenly with crumb mixture. (I only used about 1/2 of the crumb mixture because I used a tart pan and the crumb would’ve fallen everywhere. I froze the left overs!) Continue baking for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a couple moist crumbs attached. Cool for 30 minutes before running a knife around the edges and carefully invert. Invert again onto a platter. Be careful! This cake is very delicate. If using a springform pan simply remove the sides and cool until ready to remove the bottom.

Note: I made this cake in a tart pan because I knew it would be a shorty. It was a bit tricky to get out of the pan though AND I couldn’t use all of the crumb topping because I used such a short pan. So you might want to use a springform pan or maybe a cake pan or even a pie pan! If you use a pie pan you won’t even need to bother with inverting. Just sayin’!

Take a bite that pairs both tart and sweet.
It’s all about coordination, not being matchy.