Needless
to say, supermarket strawberries and their fresh-picked counterparts
are of entirely different material: the first, a watery ectoplasm, the
second, a thick honey. In the fields, strawberries grow close to the
ground, buried under their own leaves and hay. Hence the German
word Erdbeeren, or earth-berries. Yet, strawberries taste
more celestial than chthonic; they are a blood spatter of sunlight cast
into fleshy gems. Warmed by the sun, a fresh strawberry looks
translucent and tastes like a heady breath of perfume. In St. Louis, we
pick fist-sized berries, not fragile fraises des bois. Whereas the
biggest supermarket berries often taste the weakest, the most mature
specimens on the farm contain the most concentrated flavor: size does
not signify dilution. We worked for an hour and harvested 15 pounds;
thus far, we have canned eight jars of jam, baked two pies, and churned a
few quarts of ice cream. With berries so sweet, I decided to add Greek
yogurt to the recipe, retaining a few egg yolks for richness. I love the
harsh scrape of strong yogurt against an almost cloying mouthful of
fruit. The following recipe only works with the best, freshest berries,
so be satisfied with pictures if you lack a local strawberry patch. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Summer
Strawberry Greek Yogurt Ice Cream
A Brief Dictionary of German Pastry
by Melissa von Mayrhauser, Columbia University
Everyday during our first break from German classes, my friends and I would escape grammatical structures in favor of a sweet haven, following the scent of strudel and Schnecken to the corner Bäckerei. Lounging on its apple red booths until our 20 minutes had passed, we snacked on sugary treats from all corners of Deutschland and held a pastry marathon to see if we could indulge in each delicacy before the final day of our course. We found that there’s more to German pastries than the average Bretzel. Continue reading
Filed under Melissa v M., Travel
Molasses Braised Carrots
In St. Louis, late summer is menopausal. Temperatures drop to sunny California 70s before ricocheting back to the high 90s. One minute Mother Nature turns the thermostat down to 68, the next she’s stripping down to skivvies in a suburban bedroom. Tuesday I’m cannonballing into a blue backyard swimming pool, Wednesday I’m running through the first wisps of fall leaves. Living with a golden age Gaia isn’t easy; I want autumn in full force, not just the barest teases of calm. Continue reading
Fresh Picked Peach Sorbet
Plucking peaches off a tree is the first step towards spectacular sorbet.
Unlike supermarket fruit, fresh peaches teeter from tongue-stripping acidity to monstrous overripeness. The barest touch bruises the flesh of a ripe peach; so reach between branches with care, gently testing each fruit with a fond caress. On my latest picking excursion I ate five peaches in fifty minutes, then returned home for peach pie and cobbler and preserves and butter and barbecue sauce and a marvelous, marvelous sorbet. Distilled from eight raw peaches, the sorbet looks like frozen sunshine. Take a spoon and scrape a sample off a finished pint: the ice crystals collapse into a heap of summer snow.
Filed under Recipes
Ici’s Flavor Flair Keeps Customers Coming
by Helen Wang, Yale University
Obscure spices, foreign flavors, and unconventional edibles have found their way into desserts over time, especially in Berkeley, but few do it with Ici’s flair—the three storefront-long line and twenty minute wait attest to their success. (And yes, it’s worth it.) From their Maple Bacon to their sweet Basil, Ici offers a diverse bunch of flavors waiting to please the palate. Here’s something that kicks more than their Curry: it’s all ice cream. Continue reading
Filed under Berkeley, Dining Suggestions, Helen W.
