We Are Having A Baby! ...Strawberry Ice Cream

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Tomorrow is B Day....or Baby Day.  Yep, tomorrow Lindaraxa will be a grandmother for the third time; but today is the day we pick up the other two to come spend some time at our house while their mother concentrates on doing her thing.  And we do ours...spoil them rotten.

The house looks like camp.  My daughter has organized all kinds of activities to keep them entertained and Nani has planned fun menus, healthy and otherwise, for the next four days.  Did I just say four days?!

In the past I used to spend endless hours making stuff ahead of time that I thought they would enjoy.  Finally I learned my lesson, go with the flow and cook as you go.  My granddaughter, though, loves Nani surprises, as in cakes and cookies, and she has already asked me to bake a cake.  But Nani has a real treat up her sleeve this time...homemade ice cream! and what could be better than making homemade strawberry ice cream.

The recipe I chose comes from Chef John from Food Wishes and is, in my criteria, the one that makes the most sense.  It skips the custard base thus rendering a more intense flavored cream, something I prefer when making fresh strawberry ice cream. It was perfect except, to my taste, I would reduce the vanilla extract to 1/2 tsp instead of one.  I find that premium vanilla extracts tend to be stronger than normal and can overpower instead of enhancing the flavor.  Moreover, I ended up using more strawberries than the recipe called for and my blender did not have the capacity for more than 2 cups of heavy cream. So I skipped the one cup of milk. It was smooth and creamy, just like Chef John's.

I am posting the original recipe with a link to the video which I know you will enjoy.  As to a photo, frankly it is a quarter to nine and I feel like it's four o'clock in the morning.  I don't know how mothers do it and I am incredulous that I did it. But I was in my twenties then and now... let's just say I am a little bit older and boy do I feel the pain.

As of tomorrow there will be three little ones running around and I wonder what it will be like when my daughter and I babysit next time the parents take off.

Unlike the other two grandchildren, we won't know the sex of the baby until he or she is born around one o'clock tomorrow afternoon.  I have to say it makes it more exciting.  My granddaughter, being the eldest child, will receive a call from her dad when he gets to the recovery room and she will then make the announcement to the rest of the family.  I will let you know when I am fully recovered.

Ingredients:

12 ounces trimmed strawberries (one of those baskets should get you close)

3/4 cup white sugar

very tiny pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk

2 cups heavy cream

Photos 1 and 2 Google

Photo # 3 Food Wishes

A Mother's Day Menu... Navarin Printaniere

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Navarin Printanier, a most delectable lamb stew with its carrots, onions, turnips, potatoes, peas, and green beans, is presumably done in the spring when all the vegetables are young and tender. But as it can be made any time of the year, it is not a seasonal dish any more thanks to deep freezing. The written recipe is long as each detail is important if the navarin is to taste like a French masterpiece. But none of the steps is difficult and everything except the addition of the green vegetables at the very end may be made ready in the morning although I prefer to do it the day before. The stew can then be finished in 10 to 15 minutes just before dinner time.

With the stew serve hot French bread, and a red Beaujolais or Bordeaux wine, a chilled rose, or a fairly full-bodied, dry, chilled white wine such as a Macon, Hermitage, or one of the lesser Burgundies.

Navarin Printanier is one of Madame Mere's most favorite recipes.  That and anything shrimp. I have been making Julia Child's recipe for her ever since I can remember.  It is always met with a big smile.

As with all long recipes, read it through to the end before you start. I have adapted the recipe format to make it simpler for you.

Here is a menu that I think works particularly well on this occasion or for a Spring lunch.

Mother's Day Or Spring Lunch Menu

Le Bernardin Salmon Rilletes

Navarin Printanier

Savannah Sponge Cake With Berries And Madeira

or

Strawberries With A Sabayon Sauce

Other Mother's Day Menus here. here and here.

Julia Child's Navarin Printanier

For 6 people
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.


3 lbs. Lamb stew meat
2 to 4 Tb rendered fresh pork fat or cooking oil

A 10- to 12-inch skillet
A fireproof covered casserole large enough to hold the meat, and all the vegetables to come

Cut the lamb into 2-inch cubes and dry with paper towels. The meat will not brown if it is damp. Brown a few pieces at a time in hot fat or oil in the skillet. As they are browned, place them in the casserole.

1 Tb granulated sugar

Sprinkle the lamb in the casserole with sugar and toss over moderately high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until the sugar has caramelized. This will give a fine amber color to the sauce.

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 Tb flour

Toss the meat with the salt and pepper, then with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle level of preheated oven for 4 to 5 minutes more. This browns the flour evenly and coats the lamb with a light crust. Remove casserole and turn oven down to 350 degrees.

 2 to 3 cups brown lamb- or beef-stock or canned beef bouillon

3/4 lb. ripe, red tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped (1 cup of pulp), page 505; or 3 Tb tomato paste

2 cloves mashed garlic

1/4 tsp thyme or rosemary

1 bay leaf

Pour out the fat; add 2 cups of stock or bouillon to the saute skillet. Bring to the boil and scrape up coagulated saute juices. The pour the liquid into the casserole. Bring to the simmer for a few seconds shaking and stirring to mix liquid and flour. Add the tomatoes or tomato paste and the other ingredients. Bring to the simmer for 1 minute, then add more stock if necessary; meat should be almost covered by liquid.

Put the lid on the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven; regulate heat so casserole simmers slowly and regularly for 1 hour. Then pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a bowl. Rinse out the casserole. Remove any loose bones and return the lamb to the casserole. Skim the fat off the sauce in the bowl, correct seasoning, and pour sauce back into casserole. Then add the vegetables which have been prepared as follows:

6 to 12 peeled "boiling" potatoes

6 peeled carrots

6 peeled turnips

12 to 18 peeled white onions about 1 inch in diameter

While the lamb is simmering, trim the potatoes into ovals 1 1/2 inches long, and cover with cold water until ready to use. Quarter the carrots and turnips, cut them into 1 1/2 inch lengths, and, if you have the patience, trim the edges to round them slightly. Pierce a cross in the root ends of the onions so they will cook evenly.

Press the vegetables into the casserole around and between the pieces of lamb. Baste with the sauce. Bring to the simmer on top of the stove, cover and return to the oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers slowly and steadily for about an hour longer or until the meat and vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven, tilt casserole, and skim off fat. Taste sauce again, and correct seasoning.

1 cup shelled green peas

1/4 lb. or about 1 cup green beans cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3 quarts boiling water

1 1/2 Tb salt

While the casserole is in the oven, drop the peas and beans into the boiling salted water and boil rapidly, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are almost tender. Immediately drain in a colander. Run cold water over them for 2 to 3 minutes to stop the cooking and to set the color. Put aside until ready to use.

(*) May be prepared ahead to this point. Set casserole aside, cover askew. Bring to the simmer on top of the stove before proceeding with recipe.

Shortly before serving, place the peas and beans in the casserole on top of the other ingredients and baste with the bubbling sauce. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes or until the green vegetables are tender.

Serve the navarin from its casserole or arrange it on a very hot platter.



VARIATIONS

The preceeding navarin is a model for other stews. You may, for instance, omit the green beans, peas, and potatoes, and add navy beans or lentils simmered in salt water until almost tender, or canned kidney beans, then finish them off for half an hour with the lamb.



Excerpted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck with permission from Alfred A. Knopf. All rights reserved.

Cornmeal Almond Cake With Berries And Cream

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Contrary to what you may think, this is not a Southern recipe, but one adapted from an Italian cook you know very well, Giada de Laurentis.   I published the recipe awhile back in my country blog which is really a recipe box for recipes that appeal to me from all sources.  Some of them I have tried, others I have not.  I don't know what took me so long to try this one.  It is the best almond cake I have ever had and it is by far the best accompaniment I have ever found for fresh berries.  That includes shortcake.

As a bonus, you will also note it has very little flour, perfect for those of you cutting back on wheat.  This is really what prompted me to try it this weekend and boy, am I glad I did.  Wheat or no wheat, this is a keeper.

Since it seems like ages that I last posted a dessert, I decided to push back the  recipe I had planned for today and share this one with you.  It was enjoyed by all over the long weekend.

On another note, you may have noticed that the latest two posts require you to click to another page to view the recipe.  This is being done for a reason, a good one!  Bear with me for awhile longer and you will see what's in store.....I am sure you will like it!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie

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It has taken me a long time to like rhubarb and thanks to this recipe I now love it.  Why it has taken me this long problably has to do with the fact that somewhere along the line I must have tasted a very bitter rhubarb pie and promptly detested it.  That has been my impression of rhubarb all my life...bitter.  Now that I have had it paired with strawberries and a crumbly top my opinion has radically changed.  What a combo!

Strawberry rhubarb pie has always been the domain of my mother in law who made pies like no one else in the world.  (As a matter of fact, I think it was her pie that I didn't like) When my daughter mentioned a yen for it,  my initial reaction was...nah, nah, not me.  But then I thought about it and decided to give it a go, my way.

Rather than make a pie where the competition would be really stiff, I thought first of a crisp, then a crumble and finally, as a compromise, a crumb pie.  The extra sweetness of a crumble on top might make it less bitter and more palatable to the baker, me.  Next was getting the rhubarb and that was no easy task.  Let's face it, rhubarb is not exactly at the top of everyone's list.  It wasn't on mine.  Not many grocery stores carry it for that reason and you might have better luck finding it at a local farm stand or a place like Whole Foods.  Eventually, after exhausting all possibilities within a 20 mile radius, I had to settle on frozen.   On the other hand, the fresh strawberries I purchased were luscious and certainly made up for all the driving around.  By the time I got home, I too was yearning for a strawberry rhubarb pie.

This recipe is a combination of Ina Garten's and Emeril's crisp with the idea of a bottom crust from the Sous Chef.  Hope you like it.


Serves 6 to 8

1 prebaked ready made crust (I use Mrs. Smith)

4 cups fresh rhubarb, 1-inch diced (4 to 5 stalks) or use frozen

4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and halved, if large

1 to 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar depending on how sweet you want it.

An additional 1/4 cup sugar for the crumble

1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest (optional, I omitted)

2 tablespoon cornstarch (use 3 if rhubarb is frozen)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup light brown sugar

Pinch salt

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Prebake the ready made crust for 10 minutes according to directions .  Let cool.

For the fruit, toss the rhubarb, strawberries, 1 cup of the granulated sugar and the orange zest together in a large bowl. In a measuring cup, dissolve the cornstarch in the orange juice and then mix it into the fruit. Pour the mixture into a prebaked crust..

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

In a mixing bowl, combine 10 tablespoons of butter, flour, remaining 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, the brown sugar and salt and cut together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit making sure it comes all the way to the edges.

 

 

Bake until the topping is golden brown and crispy and fruit is bubbly in places, about  50 to 60 minutes.  If the topping is brown before the fruit bubbles, cover the pie loosely with tin foil and continue cooking.

 

 

Cool for at least an hour and serve warm, with a dollop of whipped cream, ice cream, or creme fraiche, if desired.

 

 

If truth be told, it was better cold the next day!

 

I am having problems with Blogger and the fonts.  Please excuse

All Photos Lindaraxa 

 

Glazed Lemon Tea Cake With Berries and Cream

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When Citarella opened in New York City I used to stop by on weekends and buy their lemon pound cake.  I don't know if they still have it or if it's made by the same people, but I have never had one like theirs.  It was soft and moist and terribly lemony.  Luckily, it came in small individual loafs, enough for two rounds of afternoon tea.

For years, I have tried unsuccessfully to replicate that pound cake.   The texture was never quite right or the flavor not as lemony.  The catalyst this weekend was the gorgeous strawberries at the farmers market.  All I could think of on the way home was pound cake with berries and whipped cream for dessert! We did have a guest for dinner, the perfect excuse...so the quest started for a recipe to complement the loot and satisfy the craving.  I think this time I finally succeeded.

Because of its long and flat shape, I call this a tea cake and as an alternative, would serve it alone for afternoon tea.  It freezes well so once it's completely cooled,  wrap half and stick it in the freezer for unexpected occasions.  My daughter likes a thicker lemon glaze on top so I have included an optional glaze from one of the recipes I worked with.

The recipe is a blend of Martha Stewart's and Ina Garten's lemon pound cake.  I have found that although buttermilk (Ina's) sounds great in a cake, it makes for a very tight crumb.  I much prefer the texture you get from whole milk, something I have learned the hard way.

Martha Stewart's Lemon Pound Cake

I used Martha's recipe primarily and added a few things from Ina's such as the thicker lemon glaze on top and the 1/4 tsp of baking powder to make the cake slightly less dense.  What neither of them said to do was to make a few holes in the cake with a toothpick, while still hot ,and immediately pour the glaze.   

Serve this for dessert with your choice of berries and cream or alone for afternoon tea.  Either way it's to die for!

8/22/11 If you want an unforgetable experience, cut a slice of the frozen poundcake, stick it in a preheated toaster ovem set to toast and cook 12 minutes.  Let cool....Yummmmmyyyyyyyyyyy!

Serves 8

Ingredients

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan

3/4 cup, plus 4 tablespoons sugar, plus more for dusting

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus finely grated zest of 2 lemons, plus more for garnish (optional)

1/4 cup milk

2 large eggs

Glaze (optional)

1 Cup confectioners sugar

2-3 TB fresh lemon juice

2 pints of strawberries

1 pint of blueberries or blackberries

Whipped heavy cream

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Dust with sugar, and tap out excess; set aside. Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir together 1 tablespoon lemon juice and the milk.

2.Put butter and 3/4 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in eggs and zest. Working in two batches, alternate mixing in flour mixture and milk mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

3.Meanwhile, stir together remaining 4 tablespoons sugar and 3 tablespoons lemon juice. In a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute.  Upon removing cake from oven, take a toothpick and make about 10 holes in the pound cake.  Immediately brush with 2/3 of lemon glaze until all is absorbed. Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes. Add the rest of the glaze. Unmold cake. Garnish with zest.

Combine strawberries, and blueberries or blackberries, and  1/3 cup sugar in small bowl and toss gently to blend. Add fresh mint if desired. Let stand until juices form, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Cut cake crosswise into slices. Serve with berries and whipped cream or ice cream.

Optional:  If you want a heavier glaze on top, reduce step #3 to 3 tbs  sugar and 2 tbs. lemon juice.  Pour over the cake while still hot. Then combine 1 cup confectioners' sugar with  2 - 3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the top of the cake and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

Also check out Lindaraxa's Signature Pound Cake 

Photo: Randy Major, Jan Gautro

Fresh Wild Berries with a Sabayon Sauce

Pin It Sabayon is the French name for that Italian favorite, Zabaglione. It is usually served as an accompaniment to steamed pudding and fruit. It is also a fairly simple sauce to make and makes for a quick and easy summer dessert when combined with berries.

I saw Tyler Florence tackle this recipe last week, but did not much care for the sabayon in his recipe. Although this sauce is very simple, it can blow up in your face if you don't use the right proportions and measurements. For that reason, I decided instead to use one from my old friend, Julia Child, which has never failed me.

Take advantage or all the berries that are in season and of the mint, which is finally spreading in pots. This is a nice dessert to serve with last week's shish kabobs, grilled lambchops or any other dinner on the grill.


Yield

8 Servings


Ingredients

6 cups mixed berries of your choice (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries)

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

For the Sabayon

6 egg yolks

1 cup sweet Marsala wine or port, sherry, or Madeira

1/3 cup sugar, plus more to taste

Drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)


Directions

Fill a 1 quart bowl with water, boil and bring to a simmer.

Whisk to blend the yolks, Marsala, and sugar in the stainless-steel bowl. Rest the bowl in the saucepan over hot water. Whisk constantly for 4 to 5 minutes or more to cook the sauce, until it has the consistency of lightly whipped cream. Clear the bottom of the bowl constantly with the whisk so that the eggs do not scramble, and adjust the heat as needed.

Taste the sauce — the sabayon should never get so hot that you can't stick your very clean finger in it — and whisk drops of lemon juice or more sugar if you want. When thick, foamy, and tripled in volume, remove from heat. It can be served hot as is, tepid, or cool. If you want to serve it hot, make it before you are ready to serve.

Serve in a bowl, place fresh berries on top, dust with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh mint.

Think Christmas in July! ...Strawberry Preserves

Pin It Let's face it..it doesn't look like this Christmas is going to be any better than last. What's more, in some respects, it's going to be far worse. If I were you, I would start thinking ahead, particularly if you have a gazillion little presents to give to people you don't much care about.

The strawberry crop this year has been fantastic and with all the sales and specials in the supermarkets, prices have been much lower than last year. Strawberries don't need peeling and pitting and making jam is also a fairly quick process. So why don't you bite the bullet now, set aside some time to make some preserves, can them and put them away for Xmas presents? Remember all those silly little dinner and cocktails parties you are going to have to attend...and your children's teachers, husband's secretary, office co -workers, the next door neighbor who took care of your plants when you went to see your daughter for two weeks, and the list goes on..

In years past, we used to bring along a bottle of wine to the Xmas party. Have you checked prices lately? Nothing decent for under $15. I, for one, would rather get something homemade than something I don't really like or need that is going to get stuffed in a drawer. As far as I'm concerned, you can give me homemade cookies or preserves any day of the year. I think most people would second that motion!

Nowadays, nobody likes to cook, so cooking or baking something for someone else is really special. Another great thing about making preserves is that you can make it way ahead of the holiday rush. Also, if you plan ahead now that the fruit is at its prime, you can come out with something special as well as economical for the holidays. Take advantage of all the 2 for 1 specials at the supermarket or go to Costco. Buy some canning jars, spend a few minutes on a Sunday afternoon stirring a pot and next time you see a fabric sale, buy a yard or two of some cute material. Come Christmas time, when everyone else is scrambling for inexpensive presents, you'll be sitting home smiling like the Cheshire Cat!

Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 60 minutes


Ingredients

Juice of 2 lemons, strained
4-1/2 cups sugar
2 pounds small to medium strawberries, hulled


In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine lemon juice and sugar. Cook undisturbed until most of the sugar is melted, about 10 minutes. Gently stir, until sugar is completely melted. Using a moistened pastry brush, wash down any sugar crystals from the side of the pan.

Add strawberries and raise heat to high and gently boil (and gently mash the strawberries) until the mixture reaches 220°-- continue to boil until thickened, about 5 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes, then spoon the preserves into 6 very clean, 8-ounce canning jars, leaving a 1/4 inch of space at the top, and close with the lids and rings. Let cool and refrigerate or process.

To process, boil the sealed jars for 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and serve after 2 days or store the preserves in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate after opening.

Image from Foodista

Strawberries With an Almond Creme Anglaise

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By this time, the thrill of the fresh strawberries of the season is wearing out, but they still look too good to pass up at the market. Mark Bittman is a master at finding easy and quick recipes, particularly for dessert. Creme anglaise is yummy by itself, but I have to admit the thought of almonds is very intriguing. If you are entertaining for dinner and want a quick dessert, this is it. If you want to dress it up, or "guild the lily" as I often tell my daughter not to do, you can make some meringue shells, fill with strawberries and top with the almond sauce. Any berry will work well with this, particularly blueberries, raspberries or a combination.

Time: 15 Minutes

Yields 6-8 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup chopped almonds plus

1/2 cup lightly toasted slivered almonds

1 cup milk

1 cup cream

1/2 cup sugar

4 egg yolks

6 to 8 cups strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered.

1. Put chopped almonds in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until fragrant and beginning to toast, about 3 minutes.

2. Add milk, cream, sugar and egg yolks, and whisk well to combine. Cook, whisking almost constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil.

3. While sauce is still hot, strain it through a sieve and let cool a bit. To serve, put a cup of strawberries in each dish, drizzle with warm sauce and garnish with slivered almonds. Sauce will keep, tightly covered, in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Strawberry Shortcake

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Now that strawberries are in season and on sale at most local markets, make this for dessert and you will wow everyone. It is a very nice dessert to accompany a Spring dinner and you can make the biscuits a couple of days before.


.Yield: 10 biscuits

Ingredients

4 pints strawberries, lightly rinsed, hulled and halved

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon sugar

2 cups heavy (whipping) cream

1 tablespoon sugar

6 shortcakes (see recipe below), for serving

6 whole strawberries, for garnish



Shortcakes:

2 cups self-rising flour

2 1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup milk

2 tablespoon heavy (whipping) cream


Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a baking sheet.

2. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.

3. Add the butter. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, rub it into the dry ingredients until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Stir in the milk until a very soft dough is formed. Do not overwork.

4. Drop the dough in 6 equal portions onto the prepared baking sheet. Lightly pat the dough into rounds—3 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter—and lightly brush the tops with the cream.

5. Bake the shortcakes in the center of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.


For the Strawberries:

1. Place strawberries in a bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice and sugar, then gently toss with a rubber spatula. Let rest for 1 1/2 to 2 hours for juices to develop.

2. Just before serving, whip cream with 1 Tbsp sugar until it holds soft peaks.

3. To serve, slice off the top third of each shortcake. Place the bottoms on 6 dessert plates and top with 1/3 cup of the prepared berries and juice, plus a spoonful of whipped cream. Cover with the top. Spoon over more berries and juice, then dollop with whipped cream. Garnish each with a whole berry and drizzle with any remaining juice.

Strawberry Salad Glace aka Strawberry Jello Mold

Pin It So, we've had the first spat among the chefs...all this over a jello mold. This is what happens when you try to steal someone else's recipes, particularly if that person is your mother. First of all, I'm told, its not a jello mold, it's a Strawberry Salad Glace. Secondly, great cooks love to use the words around and more or less so translating this into a viable recipe can be an excruciating situation. But I persevered because easy strawberry jello molds are the perfect way to add color and taste to a holiday lunch or a buffet.

Growing up, I remember that my mother and aunts would spend hours (even days) planning their holiday menus with great care. More often than not, they would include an easy strawberry jello mold or aspic. These were easy to prepare, colorful, added an attractive element to the holiday table, and were tasty to boot!

When I entertain, particularly on holidays, I often imitate the meals I remember as a kid. Although my style of entertaining may be different from that of my mother and aunts, when it comes to Easter Sunday, I'll often take their cue and include a jello mold.

Here is my mother's and my favorite, easy to prepare, strawberry jello mold recipe, aka Strawberry Salad Glace.

This recipe serves 6-8 people. Double it for 12

Ingredients

1 6 oz pkg. strawberry jello
1 lg. pkg. fresh strawberries sliced (Save some whole for garnish)*
4 oz cream cheese
1 2.50 oz pkg. of walnuts, crushed very fine
Miracle Whip
Mint for garnish
A gelatin mold with a whole in the middle

Prepare gelatin according to directions, dissolving in 2 C boiling water and stirring 2 minutes until dissolved. Stir in 2 Cups of water. Cool. Make small balls of cream cheese and roll them in the crushed walnuts. Oil the mold and pour half the jello into the mold. Add some of the sliced strawberries and some of the cream cheese balls, spacing them slightly. Put the mold in the refrigerator. When the jello is almost set, take out, pour the rest of the gelatin into the mold and add the rest of the strawberry slices and cheese balls. Place back in the refrigerator to set completely. This can be made the day ahead. If you are transporting the mold to another house, I would wait and unmold it there. Before you serve, adorn the center with whole strawberries and place a few dollops of the Miracle Whip around the plate, alternating with whole strawberries and mint leaves.

*you can use frozen strawberries in the off season

Cook's Note

The above picture is not the real picture as I have not made this in years. I will post the actual picture after we make it on Friday