Lemon strawberry scones

I adapted this recipe from its original "Lemon blueberry scones," but really you can use any berry you'd like. Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries, snozberries (yeah ok Willy Wonka).

  

Makes 8 scones

For the scones:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 lemons, zested
Pinch of salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 large egg
1 cup chopped strawberries

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus extra if needed

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles a coarse sand (alternatively, if using a stand mixer, mix in butter with paddle attachment until butter is pea-sized or smaller).

In a small bowl, whisk together the heavy whipping cream and egg until well blended. Pour cream into scone mixture and mix until it comes together as a dough. Stir in the strawberries (over-mixing the berries will squish the berries and dye the batter—try to avoid this).

On a lightly floured surface, place dough and form into a circle, flattening the top until dough is roughly an inch thick. Cut dough into 8 pie-shaped pieces and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until scones are lightly browned. Allow to cool to room temperature before glazing.

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth. If glaze is too thick, add lemon juice 1 teaspoon at a time until glaze is thick, but still runs.

Lightly drizzle glaze over scones and allow scones to sit for a few minutes for glaze to set before serving.

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Affair

Strawberry shortcakes

        buttermilk biscuits
+      strawberries
+      whipped cream
+      mint                        
awesome summer dessert

Makes 8-9 cakes

For the biscuits:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup butter, cold, cut into pea-sized pieces
1 1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk, plus additional for brushing

For the confit:

1 quart fresh strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
1-2 tablespoons water
Peel of 1/2 apple

For the whipped cream:

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

Small bunch of mint

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in the shortening using a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add 1 cup buttermilk. Using your hands, quickly fold the dry ingredients into the buttermilk until a sticky dough forms. You may need to add more buttermilk.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Gently fold the dough over itself 3 or 4 times to create layers. Press the dough out to 1 1/2-inches thick and cut with a floured 3-inch biscuit cutter. Lay the biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with buttermilk. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until risen and golden brown.

While the biscuits are cooking, de-stem the strawberries and cut them into quarters. Set aside a few strawberries to use as a garnish for later. Toss the rest of the strawberries in the sugar, water, and apple peel, then place in small pot and cook on simmer for 20-30 minutes.

To make the whipped cream, use an electric mixer to whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla together until desired consistency is reached, 3-4 minutes.

Cut the biscuits in half width-wise, then position one half on a plate. Place a healthy serving of strawberry confit on top, then a dollop of whipped cream, then some fresh strawberries, if desired. Position the other biscuit half on an angle, add a sprig of mint, and serve!

Biscuits adapted from Tyler Florence. Errything else by me!

Sheep and a strawberry pavlova

Today was a good day. After a really nice dinner of sautéed breaded chicken, roasted garlic potatoes, and crispy asparagus, we (we being four people) sat down to dessert. A rather quick dessert. A three minute dessert to be precise. For after the three minute mark, our dessert was gone. Like, totally gone. Like, an entire cake, gone. An entire pavlova in three minutes. What did we do afterwards? Oh, no big deal, just went sheep hunting. As in on a hunt to find sheep. Not hunting FOR sheep. You know what? This would make so much more sense in pictures. Let me show you.

I would like to showcase some artsy sheep photos.

UGG prodigies

hi i'm friendly and photogenic

So you're looking for a recipe, right? A pavlova recipe? You don't want to see more sheep things? Ok here you go :)

Makes one 10-12 inch cake.

For the meringue:

1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 (large) egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:

1 pint whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch salt
1 1/2 pints fresh strawberries, washed, de-stemmed, and quartered

Preheat the oven to 275°F. Using a pencil, draw the outline of a 10 inch cake pan on parchment paper. Flip the paper over and place on a cookie tray. Set aside. In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup of the sugar and the cornstarch until cornstarch is mixed in.

In a larger bowl, using a mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add in salt and cream of tartar. Beat on high speed until soft peaks form. In small additions, beat in the plain sugar until all mixed, then add the cornstarch/sugar mixture. Last, beat in the vanilla extract and continue to beat until hard peaks form (about the consistency of a soft whipped cream).

Pour the mixture onto the parchment paper and, using the back of a large spoon, push the meringue so it spreads out to the 10 inches you outlined with the cake pan. Using the spoon, create a large well in the center of the meringue. The center should be about 1/2 inch tall and the outside should be about 1 1/2 inches. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Allow to fully cool.

team pavlova

While the meringue is baking, whip up the topping! Combine all ingredients (minus the strawberries) in a large bowl and whip until a hard whipped-cream consistency is reached. Spread over the meringue once ready and top with strawberries. Voila!

Sheeeeeep.

A buh buh buh... low-fat cheesecake like woah

I really like cheesecake a lot a lot a lot.


For the cheesecake:

1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces) Neufatel cheese, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons butter, melted

For the sauce:

2 pints fresh strawberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 200°F. Mix together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Using a fork, press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9 1/2 inch springform pan. Pat evenly to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat Neufatel cheese on medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy, about two minutes. Blend in sugar and then eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add milk and vanilla extract, and beat another two minutes. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Set pan on baking sheet. Bake at 200°F for two hours, then turn heat up to 300°F and continue to bake for another 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack, chill thoroughly before serving.

While cheesecake is cooling: Prepare strawberries by cutting off stems and slicing each berry in half or quarters. In a medium pan bring the cut strawberries, lemon zest, and sugar to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to simmer and heat for 15 minutes. Add cornstarch if necessary to thicken the sauce. Allow to cool completely, then serve on top of cheesecake. Wahoo!