Strawberry recipes

Put sweet and succulent Pacific Northwest strawberries—especially Washington State University-developed varieties—on your table this summer.

Here are some ways to use them from Jamie Callison, executive chef at WSU’s School of Hospitality Business Management at Carson College of Business, and Linda Burner Augustine (’83 Home Econ., Honors), author of the  A Year at the Table  food blog. Both also authored 2013’s The Crimson Spoon cookbook from WSU Press.

 

Strawberry Shortcakes

From Jamie Callison

For the shortcakes

For the strawberries

For the whipped cream

Make the shortcakes: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Sift all dry ingredients together, and cut in the butter until the mix resembles coarse bread crumbs. Mix sour cream, half-and-half, and zest together, then mix that mixture with the dry ingredients. Spoon onto parchment paper or Silpat mat, and sprinkle with turbinado or granulated sugar.

Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown and done in center. To check for doneness, insert a wooden toothpick or skewer into center of shortcakes, remove, and if it comes out clean the shortcakes are done.

Prepare the strawberries: Mix strawberries and desired amount of sugar together and refrigerated for about 30 minutes.

Prepare the whipped cream: Whip the heavy cream with half the sugar until soft peaks form, add vanilla and remainder of sugar, and whip until mixture reaches desired consistency. Refrigerate until needed.

To serve: Once the shortcakes have cooled and right before serving, carefully slice shortcakes in half. Assemble and enjoy.

Notes: Taste strawberries prior to adding any sugar. Adjust the amount sugar needed to  reach desired sweetness. Depending on the strawberries, you may need no sugar or  extra. If in season, try adding fresh blueberries, raspberries, or other desired berries. Also, try adding a splash of your favorite orange liqueur to the strawberry mixture.

Yield: 4 shortcakes/4 servings

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Galette 

From Jamie Callison

For the filling

For the pie crust

Make the pie crust

Traditional Method: Place flour, salt, sugar, butter, and shortening in a mixing bowl and, with a dough cutter, cut in the butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add about a ¼ of the ice water at a time, mixing it in with a fork, until pie crust forms.

Food Processor Method: Sift flour, add in salt and sugar. Large dice cold butter. Add it to flour mixture, just enough to coat the butter. Place flour mixture and shortening into food processor and pulse 8 to 12 times or until mixture resembles small peas. Place mixture into a stainless steel bowl, and add about a ¼ of the ice water at a time while mixing in with a fork, until pie crust forms.

Both methods: Do not over-mix. Dough should hold its shape when pressed together but not be too moist. Form dough into a disc and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 1 hour. Pull out of refrigerator and let stand for about 10 minutes. On a well-floured surface, roll out crust.

Make the galette: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place all filling ingredients in a bowl and toss together until well incorporated. Pour mixture into crust. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown and rhubarb is tender. Let cool and enjoy.

Yield: one 9-inch galette, 8 servings

 

Strawberry Quinoa Green Salad

From Linda Burner Augustine

Seasonal, local strawberries are one of my favorite foods so I love this time of year. I’ve incorporated them in a main-dish salad with quinoa and baby salad greens. I used red quinoa for its vibrant color and beautiful background for the greens and strawberries, but white quinoa could be used, too. I love the substance quinoa gives to the salad, filling you up and giving you the benefits of protein. It’s nutty, earthy flavor is the perfect complement to sweet strawberries. Crispy caramelized almonds, a minty balsamic vinaigrette, and goat cheese crumbles round out the ingredients, and they can all be prepped ahead of time. As always, your favorite bottled vinaigrette could be substituted in the interest of saving time, but I think homemade is worth the extra effort.

For the salad

In a fine mesh strainer, rinse quinoa, then drain and transfer to a saucepan. Add 1 ½ cups water and a pinch of salt; bring to a boil, stir, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer just until soft and water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Spread quinoa on a tray and cool to room temperature (quinoa can be prepared to this point and refrigerated several days).

Stir together almonds and sugar in a medium-sized skillet. Over medium heat, cook and stir until sugar melts and almonds are golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a piece of parchment paper or a pan sprayed with vegetable spray, spreading them out in a single layer and allowing them to cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, toss together salad greens, quinoa and the vinaigrette. Add almonds, strawberries, and goat cheese, and toss gently.

Yield: 4 servings

For the vinaigrette

Whisk together vinegar, mint, honey, mustard, and lemon zest. Whisk in olive oil until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Yield:  ⅔ cup

 

Rustic Strawberry Tart with Chocolate

From Linda Burner Augustine

It looks just like a regular strawberry tart, but underneath the strawberries is a surprise layer of semi-sweet chocolate.

The best part about its preparation is instead of having to carefully roll out the dough and fit it into a pie or tart dish, you simply roll it, lay it on a baking sheet, and plop your ingredients on the center of the dough. To finish, the edge of the dough is folded and pleated over the strawberries and chocolate.

And for those of you who simply detest making pie or tart dough (I know there are a lot of you out there) the store-bought, ready-made pie dough will work beautifully. There is no shame in taking this shortcut.

After it bakes for a quick 30 minutes, a sprinkling of powdered sugar adds a finishing touch. Don’t forget a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoonful of whipped cream on the side.

Stir together flour, sugar, and salt. With a pastry cutter, cut in butter until mixture resembles the size of peas. Sprinkle water over flour mixture and mix with a fork just until dough comes together when lightly squeezed in your hand. Gather dough into a disc, cover, and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. On lightly floured surface, roll dough to ¼-inch thickness. Trim to 11-inch circle and transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet.

Stir together strawberries, sugar, and cornstarch; set aside. Sprinkle chocolate chips over center of dough, leaving a 3-inch edge of dough. Put strawberries over chocolate. Fold edge of dough over just so it slightly overlaps fruit, pleating edge, where necessary.

Bake until crust is set and strawberries are bubbly, about 30 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 15 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. To serve, cut into 6 pieces.

Yield: 6 servings

Notes: Dough can be made in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Put flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of the food processor. Add butter and shortening. Using the pulse button, pulse just until dough resembles the size of peas, about 7 to 8 times. Sprinkle water over mixture, and pulse just until dough starts to come together, another 7 to 8 times. Gather dough together and shape into a disc. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

The advantage of using cornstarch rather than flour to thicken a sauce is that the end product will be clear, rather than opaque. It is best to mix corn starch with a little cold liquid to form a thin paste before adding it to a hot mixture to avoid the formation of lumps.

 

On the web

Strawberry fool recipe (The Spokesman-Review)

More strawberry recipes from The Spokesman-Review

A history of strawberry-growing in Washington state (HistoryLink)

WSU strawberry breeding program

Strawberry growing guides from WSU

WSDA strawberry toolkit

From the archives

The best berries (Summer 2010)