Easter Strawberry Carrots

Another totally cute idea I found on Pinterest were these chocolate dipped strawberries made to look like Easter carrots. I LOVE strawberries! They are so easy to make at home that there is really no need in paying the insane prices they get for these. You just have to know how to properly use chocolate melts and you'll be making all the candy you can think of. 

Basically, you mix the chocolate molds with some shortening or oil and let it heat up in a double boiler. Don't try to do this in a regular pan! Stir frequently until you have a smooth consistency that just barely starts to slide easily off a spoon. If you haven't worked with melts before, don't start with white chocolate (although for these, I did.) If you cook white chocolate too much, it will gum up really fast so I would start with a milk chocolate if you haven't done this before. You can color them whichever color you like. Most directions say to avoid water based coloring but I have honestly never had a problem with them because of the small amount used. If you are a newbie, the gel colors should be easier for you. All you do is put a small amount into your food with a tooth pick and stir. Dip the berries, holding the stems and let the excess chocolate slide off. You can wipe the berry on the side of the pot and use that as the side you lie flat, if you don't want the chocolate to create a pool around the base. Lay out onto wax paper.

Once all your berries are dried, spoon the leftover chocolate into a squeeze bottle and pour horizontal lines of chocolate over the berries to create your texture. 

These should be stored in the fridge uncovered to prevent any cracking or sweating. You can do a large amount ahead of time and freeze them. Ripe, solid berries will preserve well in the freezer, just take care to freeze and unfreeze them slowly or they will surely crack. Store them in the refrigerator for several hours before transferring to the freezer. Then do the opposite when defrosting them. First place them in the refrigerator before exposing them to room temperature conditions. Make sure to serve them all within 24-48 hours as the frozen berries will get mushy faster than freshly dipped berries. 

Peach Melba

If you've never had Peach Melba, you are doing yourself a great disservice! This was a coveted dessert for me in my youth at restaurants. My father is not a dessert guy, but he loves fruit. This is one of his favorites. Finding them on a menu is no easy task. They are fairly simple to make, and well worth the rewards!

 

I did some peach picking at Connors Farm and stocked up to make some desserts to put away. I kept a few fresh ones for the Melba. Serve with some vanilla ice cream and you will be in heaven!

 

Recipe Adapted from Epicurious

Gently scrub the outside of your peaches under running water to remove any dirt and debris. Remove the stems. Slice them down the middle, all the way around, cutting all the way through. Then place one side in the palm of each hand and rotate the sides. They should come apart very easily and expose the pit to be removed. Cover with a 2:1 ratio of water to sugar, just enough to cover the peaches, in a small stockpot. 

Bring syrup to a boil and simmer peaches 5 minutes on each side. Turn off heat and cover, leaving the peaches to poach for 60-90 minutes.

Strain the peaches out of the syrup, but do not discard! This is amazing to add to some unsweetened iced tea! You will not go wrong, so put it in a container and leave it in your fridge to enjoy.

While the peaches are boiling, add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar to the empty saucepan. Bring to a boil and add 1 package of frozen or fresh raspberries. Simmer an additional 5-10 minutes until the raspberries begin to break apart. Cool down to room temperature and then stir in 2 Tsp lemon juice.

Pour raspberry syrup over your peaches! Enjoy!

Any additional raspberry syrup can also be used to sweeten iced tea. How will you ever choose between peach or raspberry teas?



Summer Berry Salad

Anyone that knows me can tell you, I LOVE strawberries! When salads like these started becoming popular and readily available in restaurants, I couldn't have been happier! There is really no set recipe to this one. It's a salad! Throw in what you like, leave out what you don't.

 

Start with a spring mix lettuce.

Toss in some romaine or spinach.

Sprinkle in a few veggies like celery and red onion.

Mix in your fruits like strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, raisins, or dates.

Layer with some nuts like pecans, walnuts, almonds, or peanuts.

Top off with some goat cheese, bleu cheese, or Gorgonzola!

Personally, I think the best dressing on salads like these is poppyseed! It adds just enough tartness, flavor, and punch for a mix of fruit and veggies.

Other options are ginger sesame or a raspberry vinaigrette.

I loved Wishbone's Bountiful Berry Delight but alas, it got discontinued!

I didn't have anything suitable on hand so I made some dressing in a pinch.

 

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing:

3 oz olive oil

3 oz red wine vinegar

2 Tsp sugar

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 Tsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp raspberry preserves

Shake Well!

Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip

So, I'm Greek. I spent a month in Greece as a teenager. I liked Greek yogurt before it was cool. I trekked down to the Greek market towns away to get it made from goat's milk, unsweetened, and we sweetened it with honey like every Greek dessert basically made, before companies like Fage and Chobani looked like geniuses packaging it with fruit sides. So, I love that it's available everywhere now and that everyone is eating it, even if it's not the genuine article. So, I love the recipes using it. It is so versatile to replace ingredients and I always keep it in my fridge. Serve this for your kids or at your next party, and you'll turn people into believers if they've yet to try it still.

 

1 cup Greek Yogurt (plain or vanilla)

2 Tbsp crunchy peanut butter

1 Tbsp honey

1/4 Tsp cinnamon

1/4 Tsp vanilla extract

1/8 Tsp brown sugar

 

Recipe adapted from Fit Sugar

Mix ingredients together and serve with fruit or apple slices for a great snack or party platter. Top with additional cinnamon for presentation. Apples should be squirted with lemon juice to prevent browning if not being served immediately.



Poached Pears with Mocha Sauce

This is an indulgent fruit dessert that would please the chocolate lover in all of us. I did not core the pears because I wanted the presentation with the stems. If you do choose to core them, be sure to use a good apple corer to do the job as it is fairly impossible to do this with a knife and keep them intact. I have a good Henckels corer that I swear by for applications such as this.

 

2 Bartlett pears

2 cups water

1 Tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/2 Tsp nutmeg

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp baking cocoa

1 Tsp flour

6 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp spreadable butter

Recipe Adapted from What 2 Cook

 

Peel pears, leaving the stems intact. Trim a tiny bit of fruit off the bottom, just enough for the pears to sit flat in a saucepan. Add the water, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and cover for 35-45 minutes, poaching pears until they are tender. Drain pears and place on dessert plates.



While pears are cooling, combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once boiling, stir constantly while sauce thickens (1-2 minutes) and then drizzle over pears.