Cathy's Fresh Strawberries With Lemon Curd
This is a decadent and relatively low fat dessert that is such a treat for you and your guests if you want to share! Make sure to use the best ingredients for this for the best results. Please note that the total amount of strawberries is 3.5 cups - there are 2 amounts prepped differently. Enjoy!
Servings 4-6
1⁄2 cup fresh organic strawberry, diced
1 1⁄2 tablespoons sugar
1 1⁄2 tablespoons water
3 cups fresh organic strawberries, hulled and sliced
In a blender, combine 1/2 cup diced strawberries, sugar and water. Puree until smooth to form sauce.
Place 2 tablespoons strawberry sauce on each plate. Top with 1/2 cup sliced strawberries and 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon curd.
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Cathy's Lemon Curd
3 lemons - rind and juice
2 cups of sugar
Pinch of salt
6 eggs
1 stick unsalted butter
Using a blender, combine lemon rind and sugar.
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, beat in the eggs slowly
Add the lemon juice.
Whisk over medium high heat till thick.
Use a heavy-based, nonreactive saucepan
Stainless steel, anodized aluminum, and enamel all work well. Some materials, such as plain aluminum or unlined copper, will react with the acid in the lemons, discoloring the curd and giving it a metallic flavor.
Stir the sauce often to keep it creamy and to prevent burning
Stirring the mixture keeps the protein molecules in the eggs from bonding too tightly, resulting in a creamy, rather than solid, curd. Be sure to scrape the spoon along the seam where the bottom and the sides of the pot meet -- an area prone to burning.
Don't let the curd boil
Boiling can cause the curd to curdle. Take your time and keep the heat moderate. Eventually the curd will thicken to the proper consistency. The curd is cooked when it reaches 170°F, but you can see that it's cooked when your finger leaves a clear path on the back of a spoon (see photo at right). The curd will continue to thicken as it cools. For a double recipe, use a large saucepan and allow for additional cooking time.
Lemon curd freezes well
Tightly covered, lemon curd will last about a week in the refrigerator. Because I always like to have some lemon curd on hand, I often make a batch and freeze it; it will last for months tightly covered in the freezer. It doesn't freeze solid, which means you can spoon out exactly what you need when you need it.
Finally, though lemon curd is my favorite, I also enjoy curd made from limes, which make a soft, cream-colored curd with flecks of green zest.
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Cathy's Stromboli
1 pizza crust - Pillsbury or Papa Murphys OR 1 Rhodes Bread Dough
½ pound Pepperoni, sliced thin
¼ pound Provolone Cheese deli sliced #1
Lay dough on Cookie Sheet
Brush on a thin layer of Olive Oil
Crush with a small amount of flour
Layer ½ of the pepperoni and the provolone cheese
Top with remaining pepperoni
Roll into Jellyroll and brush with olive oil
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown
Let sit for 20 minutes, then slice
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Cathy's Crustless Spinach Quiche
Servings: 6
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
5 eggs, beaten
3 cups shredded Muenster cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan.
Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
I used muffin tins instead!
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Debbie's Chocolate-Peanut Butter Swirled Bark
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
6 oz. white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
Microwave chocolates separately. Stir peanut butter into the white
chocolate bowl.
Drop spoonfuls of chocolate mixtures alternately onto waxed
paper-covered baking sheet.
Swirl gently with knife and sprinkle with cranberries and nuts.
Refrigerate until firm and then break into pieces.
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Cathy's Crab Dip
Block of Velveeta Cheese, cubed
1 can Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilis
8 ounces or more cooked crab meat or shrimp
Melt Velveeta in microwave or double boiler. Add
Rotel. Stir in crab.
Serve warm in small crock pot, chaffing dish, or
casserole on warmer with crackers or toasted French
Bread.
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Debbie's Red Sangria
1 cup brandy
1 orange thinly sliced
1 red apple thinly sliced
2 bottles well-chilled dry red wine
1 cup club soda
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
In a large pitcher, stir together brandy, orange and apple slices. Let
stand 15 minutes. Add wine, club soda and orange juice. Serve over ice.
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Debbie's White Sangria
2 cups Riesling
2 cups grapefruit juice
1/2 cup orange liquor
2 cups champagne
fresh citrus slices such as lemons, oranges, grapefruit, clementine
Mix Riesling, grapefruit juice, orange liquor and citrus slices.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. At time of service, mix in champagne
and stir. Serve over ice.
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