Strawberry-Vanilla Bean Sauce

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Fresh Strawberry-Vanilla Bean Sundae Topping

While we’re still trying to fight off winter, spring has already sprung in some of our sunshine states like Florida and California. When I you start to see fragrant strawberries from these states popping up in your stores, you know that warmer days are right around the corner. At least, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell myself…

There are few things better in life than a perfectly red, ripe strawberry. When I buy them, I can always be counted upon to eat at least half of the clamshell package on the way home. So I’ve learned my lesson and usually buy two, just to be on the safe side. As much as I love to eat them “as-is”, it’s so much fun to cook and bake with them in the kitchen!

Cake. Cupcakes. Ice Cream. Vodka. Margaritas. Salad. Salsa. Syrup. You name it – I’ve made it! But one thing that was conspicuously missing was a good homemade strawberry sauce. Which, oddly is probably the easiest of all of those things to make. Fresh strawberries cooked down with a bit of sugar and a vanilla bean. Heaven over a bowl of yogurt and granola in the morning, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the evening…

Look for berries that are a deep red in color, but most importantly – smell them! Good strawberries are extremely fragrant. That’s usually my rule of thumb for most fruits, actually – the better it smells the better it’ll taste. So, keep your sniffer in mind the next time you’re in the produce aisle!

Strawberry-Vanilla Bean Sauce

1 pint fresh strawberries, wash and trimmed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 vanilla bean (split and seeds removed), or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Halve or quarter strawberries and place in medium-sized saucepan. Add sugar and water. Cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Add the vanilla bean pod and seeds, stir, and cover. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes.

Mash any large pieces up with masher or wooden spoon. If you like a smoother consistency puree half of the sauce in a food processor, then reincorporate it.

Sauce can be stored in an airtight container refrigerated for 1 week.

Raspberry Crumble Bars

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Raspberry Shortbread Bars

These bars. These bars! Now, I know that I say that every recipe that I share is wonderful…which, they are. I don’t share anything that we didn’t like with you guys. That being said, these bars are seriously one of the best things I’ve baked in my kitchen. Don’t wait to make them!

A thick, soft bed of shortbread topped with raspberry jam and a crumble topping made with of a bit of reserved shortbread, granola, and a generous dose of nuts. Takes all of 10 minutes to put together, how easy is that? Like you can expect anything less from Queen Ina.

There’s a backstory to these bars, though. Sea Star Cafe, my favorite local spot for lunch or a quick bite here on Chincoteague recently closed for the season. They make a bar that is very similar to this, in both a raspberry and apricot variety. And they’re addictingly delicious! I became a regular visitor…like, verging on the edge of daily, just to get these bars when they had them available.  Since they close for a few months in the off-season, I had to find another source…

I’m an accomplished baker, I should be able to make a decent crumble bar, right? I’d tried a couple in the past, but they were lackluster attempts. This one is it!

I know I’ll be baking these once a week for a while, just to try different varieties of jam. They slice beautifully and keep for a few days too, making them great candidates for cookie trays or gifting!

Raspberry Crumble Bars

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
10 oz raspberry jam (I like Bonne Maman)
2/3 cup granola (without dried fruit)
1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed just until combined. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla.

In a medium bowl whisk the flour and salt together. With the mixer on low, slowly add to the butter mixture, mixing until it almost comes together in a ball.

Turn the dough out on a board. Lightly pat two-thirds of the dough evenly on the bottom of a 8-inch square baking pan and about 1/4-inch up the sides. Spread with the jam, leaving a 1/4-inch border.

Mix the granola, walnuts and pecans into the remaining dough with your hands. Break the dough into small bits and distribute it on top of the jam, covering most of the surface. Sprinkle the almonds on top.

Bake the bars for 45 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cool completely and cut into 9 or 12 bars. Store in airtight container.

Source: adapted from Barefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten, inspired by Sea Star Cafe.

Fresh Peach Cupcakes

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Fresh Peach Cupcakes

We technically have a couple weeks of summer left – so I wanted to squeeze in one last post utilizing another of my favorite fresh seasonal items. Peaches. For me, they are the epitome of summer. There is nothing like plucking a fresh peach off of a tree, still warm from the sun, and biting into it. Doesn’t get any better than that!

I’m thankful to have a wonderful orchard, just a short drive off of the island. I’ve talked about them before here on the blog, I truly love them. Vessey’s Orchard has been there for close to 100 years, there is a huge historic home on the property, acres and acres of fruit trees – it’s just paradise.

After the parents passed, there were some family disputes and they found themselves closed for a couple of seasons. Well, I’m happy to report they are back in business…and the produce is better than ever!

Vessey's Orchard

If you’re here on the Shore, I can’t recommend visiting them highly enough. It’s getting to be apple picking (and fresh-pressed cider!) season there as well, that’s something that we look forward to every year as a family. We’ve made so many memories in those fields, and I can’t wait to make some more!

You can find their contact information here – just make sure when you get there, you drive all the way to the end of the long driveway.  So anyways, the cupcakes…

I took my favorite vanilla cake recipe and added chunks of fresh peaches, then topped with a fresh peach buttercream – which I’d made with fresh pureed peaches. And, a garnish of a fresh peach slice right before serving really set off the gorgeous blush hue of the frosting.

The resulting cupcakes were bursting with sunny peach flavor, and tender and moist from the addition of the peaches to the batter. One I’ll definitely be looking forward to making again next summer!

Fresh Peach Cupcakes

3 cups cake flour (or 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
16 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup fresh peeled peaches, roughly chopped

For the frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 cup fresh peeled peaches
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
fresh peach slices, for garnish

To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350. Line 2 cupcake tins with paper liners, set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy,about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, and the vanilla, and mix until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

Combine the buttermilk and vanilla extract in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing just until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 15 seconds longer. Gently fold the chopped peaches into the batter.

Fill the cupcakes liners 2/3 of the way full with batter (I like to use a large cookie scoop). Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Let cool in pan about 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, puree the peaches in a small food processor until smooth and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter over medium speed for 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, and carefully add in the confectioners sugar and the pinch of salt. Add the vanilla extract, as well as the peach puree. Increase speed to medium, and beat until smooth and well combined.

Frost cupcakes as desired (I used Wilton 2D) and garnish with a fresh slice of peach before serving.

Raspberry Mascarpone Tart

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Raspberry Mascarpone Tart

Is it just me, or have the berries this year been especially good? From the berries that I’ve picked myself, as well as my standards I pick up every week in the grocery store – they’ve all been exceptional. This simple tart really gives them an opportunity to shine as well!

I just used my standard pie crust for the tart base, and it turned out fine. I found that if I chilled the dough really well in the tart pan before blind baking – it reduced the shrinkage factor. I think those mini Phyllo shells would also work wonderfully,  and single serve would be great for get-togethers.

The filling is super simple – sweet and rich from the mascarpone, with a little tang from the addition of cream cheese. Then to top it off, a pile of gorgeous red ripe glazed raspberries. A drizzle of chocolate ganache would be a another nice addition, but I didn’t feel it was necessary. I wanted to really let the berries shine, and shine they did…

Fresh Raspberry Mascarpone Tart

1 pastry crust, rolled out
8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup heavy cream

For the topping:
2 cups fresh raspberries
1/4 cup apple or strawberry jelly (not jam or preserves!)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Roll-out dough on well-floured work surface, to about a 13 to 14 inch circle or big enough to fit an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Ease dough gently into pan, pressing against the bottom and sides, folding remaining dough over the edge. Roll over with a rolling pin to cut off excess dough. Line with foil. Fill with raw beans or pie weights and bake 10-12 minutes. Remove beans and foil and return to the oven. Continue baking for another 5 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Set aside to cool.

For the filling, add cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute until creamy, reduce mixer to low and add the confectioner sugar and cream, as well as vanilla. Add in the mascarpone last, beating until just combined. Carefully add the mascarpone mixture to the cooled tart shell. Place into refrigerator to chill while you prepare topping.

Add the jelly to a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it’s completely melted. Let cool for 5 minutes. Carefully pour the syrup over the berries and toss gently to coat.

Gently pile berries on the top of the tart, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by the good folks at Driscoll’s Berries. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.