Strawberries Add Flavor To More Than Just Shortcake

Shortcake topped with ruby-red strawberries and cream is yummy, but there’s more to strawberry season than just shortcake.

There’s glistening, glazed whole strawberries piled into a rich pie crust and topped with a generous garnish of whipped cream. There’s a host of strawberry-rhubarb concoctions and an array of strawberry beverages, jams, conserves, salsas, trifles, parfaits, tarts and even salads to be enjoyed.

For a thick strawberry shake, puree 1 pint fresh strawberries in a blender. Add 1 pint vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, softened, and blend until smooth. Freeze in container for about one hour. Just before serving, blend a few seconds until smooth. Spoon into tall glasses and garnish with whole strawberries.

For an old-fashioned strawberry soda, put 1/3 cup crushed and sweetened strawberries, 3 tablespoons milk and a large scoop of strawberry ice cream in a large soda glass. Fill the glass with chilled carbonated water.

For strawberry lemonade, puree 2 pints fresh strawberries in a blender. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar and 3 cups water and heat slowly in a saucepan on a burner or in a microwave oven, stirring often, until sugar dissolves. Mix with strawberry puree and 1 1/2 cups lemon juice. Chill thoroughly and serve in glasses with crushed ice. Garnish with whole strawberries.

Strawberry Glaze

1 cup sliced strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

Dash salt

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Place sliced berries, sugar, salt and water in sauce pan. Bring to a boil; cook 3 minutes. Stir cornstarch-water mixture into sauce and continue cooking and stirring until thick. Stir in lemon juice.

Use glaze as a topping for cheesecake or ice cream, or as a filling for tarts, layer cakes or a fresh strawberry pie.

Strawberry-Halibut Salad

Lemon-Ginger Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root

Fresh ground pepper

Poached Halibut:

1 quart water

1 large sprig parsley

1 slice lemon

4 peppercorns

1 pound halibut steak, cubed

Salad:

2 cups halved strawberries

4 cups torn chicory

4 cups torn leafy green lettuce

1 cup torn watercress

To prepare vinaigrette, combine all vinaigrette ingredients; mix well. Set aside.

For poached halibut, combine the water, parsley, lemon and peppercorns. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10 to 15 minutes. Add cubes of halibut, return to boil and simmer, covered, 3 to 5 minutes or until just cooked. Remove halibut from liquid.

Shake or stir vinaigrette, then pour half (about 1/3 cup) over strawberries and remaining half over drained halibut in separate bowls; marinate at least 20 minutes.

Toss greens in a large bowl. Add strawberries and halibut, including marinade; gently toss to mix well. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 159 calories, 19 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrate, 2.4 grams fat (14 percent fat calories), 24 milligrams cholesterol, 5 grams fiber, 102 milligrams sodium.

Strawberry Breakfast Salsa

1/3 cup apricot jam

3 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 pints strawberries, stemmed and diced into 1/4-inch pieces

In a medium bowl, whisk the jam, water and cinnamon; add strawberries. Toss gently to combine. Serve salsa over pancakes, waffles, French toast, hot cereal, or mix into plain yogurt.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 147 calories, 1 gram fat (6 percent fat calories), 36 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams protein, 4 grams fiber, 7 milligrams sodium, no cholesterol.

Strawberry Rhubarb Conserve

1 quart strawberries

Juice and grated peel of 1 orange

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 pound rhubarb

1 cup chopped pecans

Prepare home canning jars and lids according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Clean strawberries and cut into quarters. Combine berries, orange juice, orange peel and sugars in a large saucepot. Simmer and stir 10 minutes.

Clean rhubarb and dice; discard leaves. Add rhubarb to strawberry mixture. Simmer and stir 10 minutes. Stir in pecans; cook 5 minutes.

Carefully ladle into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Adjust caps.

Process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Yield: 3 (12-ounce) jars.

Strawberry Tarts

8-ounce package light cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons orange liqueur or orange juice

1 tablespoon sugar

4 prepared and baked 5-inch tart shells (see note)

3 cups stemmed and halved strawberries

1/4 cup orange marmalade, melted

Beat the cream cheese with liqueur and sugar until well blended. Divide and spread mixture over bottom of each tart shell. Arrange strawberries over top of cream cheese; brush orange marmalade over berries. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Note: Tart shells may be prepared from a pastry recipe for 2 (9-inch) pie crusts or from a 15-ounce package of ready-to-use pie crust that is sold in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. To prepare, roll out one sheet or half of the dough into a 13-inch diameter circle. Using a 5-inch round tart pan (or other form) as a guide, cut out 4 circles. Place cutouts on outside of individual tart pans and bake as directed on pie crust package or recipe.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 479 calories, 8 grams protein, 42 grams carbohydrate, 32 grams fat (60 percent fat calories), 63 milligrams cholesterol, 4.2 grams fiber, 498 milligrams sodium.

MEMO: Looking for a recipe? Have a food question? Laura Carnie, a certified home economist and food consultant in Coeur d’Alene, would like to hear from you. Write to Cook’s Notebook, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, RECIPE - The Seasonal Cook