Hot time in the Summer

My boyfriend works in organics and occasionally arrives with nearly overripe fruit to make use of. This time he  brought me a ton of very ripe organic strawberries to bake with. I planned to make a strawberry pie but didn't have quite enough free time to do it. He suggested I make a strawberry crumble instead. It was damn good. 


Strawberries and I have an odd relationship. I've been trained to avoid them for most of my life due to my sister's severe allergy to them. She breaks out in hives. So, they were never in the house and I really only ate them at friends' homes and restaurants. Of course they naturally became my favorite fruit by the time I was in highschool. 

As I grew older I was able to buy them for myself, and I really overdid that for awhile. I had strawberries in everything from my salads to my sandwiches. Now I seem to be sensitive to them. This is not surprising because many people with mold allergies (like me) are sensitive to fruits like strawberries and melon because of their high water content. They easily develop mold spores that can nauseate people like myself to no end.

You may notice that my recipe requires that you freeze the fresh berries before baking them. I know that this may seem odd, but I think its an essential step. I have baked many fruit pies and crumbles, and berry pies are always better texturally when baked from frozen. I made the crumble and left it out for 20 minutes before baking it in the oven to allow the fruit to thaw a little. I think it works because it slows the cooking time on the fruit to something closer to the crumble top's cooking time, synchronizing them. The result is a firmer fruit crumble with a more intense fresh fruit flavor. 

 I also had some avocados that were very ripe, so I made a batch of my guacamole to eat with a nice multi-grain ciabatta loaf from ACE bakery. I have been making guacamole for years and have been told that my version is excellent. If you don't want to use the sour cream, you don't need to, in which case the recipe is raw, gluten free and vegan. It should be eaten fairly soon after preparing, but it is thrown together in a few minutes so this isn't troublesome. 

Together these dishes would make a great light summer lunch when paired with a salad. They could also make for a nice afternoon tea or picnic. Both dishes ooze summer in color and flavor. I hope you like them!

NB: Do yourselves a favor and don't bake anything on a hot and humid day. I looked like a beet by the time dinner hit the table.

Guacamole

Guacamole served with a multi-grain ciabatta loaf, hot out of the oven

 Serves 4

• 3 ripe avocados Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 4 cloves garlic, minced Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1 small tomato, finely chopped Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1/4 Spanish red onion, finely chopped Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1/2 red (or orange) bell pepper, finely chopped Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 2 limes, zest and juice Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1 pinch coarse sea salt, NOTE: THIS CAN BE REPLACED WITH A DASH OF SOY SAUCE FOR A HINT OF UMAMI Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1/4 large lemon juiced Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1 tablespoon sour cream Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1 pinch dried red chili flakes Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1 splash red wine vinegar
• 1 splash balsamic vinegarAsk a question about this ingredient.
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient.

1. Scoop out the flesh of the avocados and place in a medium sized mixing bowl. Mash up with the salt and garlic. Ask a question about this step.
2. Stir in the juice and zest of the citrus. Ask a question about this step.
3. Stir in the chopped vegetables. Ask a question about this step.
4. Stir in the spices. Then incorporate the olive oil, vinegar and sour cream. Drop a pit in the bowl and wrap with saran if storing in the fridge before serving to prevent dip from oxidizing. Ask a question about this step.
5. Serve with whatever you fancy, I like blue tortilla chips. Also nice with pita or spread on toast with tomato slices on top with a touch of evoo and sea salt. Ask a question about this step.
6. ENJOY!

 

STRAWBERRY CRUMBLE

Strawberry crumble, hot out of the oven

 

Serves 4, or one glutton

• 2 large pints very ripe strawberries Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 3 tablespoons organic butter, cut into little pieces Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1/2 lemon, juice of Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1 shot Glenfiddich scotch whiskey Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1/3 cup organic dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons organic maple syrup
• 1 pinch fine sea salt Ask a question about this ingredient.
• a few turns of freshly cracked black pepper Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1 tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient.
• 1 batch, "my crumble topping", http://www.food52.com/recipes/13669_my_crumble_topping Ask a question about this ingredient.

1. Prepare one batch of "my crumble topping" recipe with the following additions: Add another tablespoon of oil to the original recipe, add another teaspoon of fresh black pepper, and 1/2 a teaspoon more vanilla extract. Refrigerate it in a mixing bowl. Ask a question about this step.
2. Cut off the tops of the strawberries and cut the fruit in half. Bag in ziplock bags, freeze overnight. Ask a question about this step.
3. Remove the frozen fruit from the freezer. Empty into a loaf pan. Top with the butter, lemon, vanilla, olive oil, scotch, sweeteners (sugar and syrup) and spices. Use a large spoon to evenly incorporate. Ask a question about this step.
4. Top with the crumble topping. Bake at 375 to 400 degrees until golden brown on top and bubbling pink/red around the edges. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.