Monday, June 4, 2012

Strawberries Filled with Almond Cream


One week of work done. . .a killer one this week!  Yes, I am pissed about having to work for no pay during my summer vacation.  At some point, its not the $ that matters most...its the freedom to do what you want.  There are times when I feel working in a different field would have been much less complicated.  Arggghhhhh!!!

I have 3 meetings this week, and I'm expecting a less-than-favorable turnout for 2 of the 3 meetings.  The 3rd meeting is about the us drones getting more work so I'm sure everyone will be present. 

D1 received her internship assignment:  Gemini Observatory (the building, not the telescope site...whew).  I guess I'll be packing lunch for her on her "work days" or I'll need to send her to Imiloa with some $ to buy lunch.  I'm hoping she'll finish her 60 hours before the summer is over, and I'm hoping she'll get through her internship smoothly.  I think I'll try and help her out a bit by making this dessert to share.  Her contact has a British accent, so no doubt he is familiar with the strawberries and cream tradition at Wimbledon.

A month ago, when I went to Texas, I was so ono for strawberries.  I kept thinking that I would order tons of fresh strawberry desserts.  To my surprise, I came across NO fresh strawberry desserts.  The closest thing was a cheesecake at the Salt Grass Steak House which had a ribbon of strawberry goo swirled in.  While the cheesecake was good, it was not the flavor I was searching for...sweet/tart fresh strawberries.

I have a go-to list of fresh strawberry dessert recipes:  pie, pie with a cream cheese layer, sauce for ice cream, bundt cake, layer cake, frosting, etc.  But nothing was sounding like "the" thing to make.  I remembered seeing a Taste of Home post on Facebook for filled strawberries, and that is where this journey began.  Because of my personality when it comes to cooking, I try and find several different recipes for a dish before I decided on the dish to try.  After the Taste of Home recipe, I found several other recipes worthy of trying, but I settled on a recipe from a Good Housekeeping cookbook.  Unfortunately, when it came time to actually make the recipe, I discovered I was short on some of the ingredients.  I had to make do with what I had on hand, but it turned out well.  In fact, it turned out better than the actual recipe (I tried it later) because the filling was stiffer.  The stiffer filling means that this can be prepared the night before.

Both D1 and D2 gobbled several of these (these were jumbo sized berries).  D2 insisted on taking one to her teacher the next day.  D1 wanted to bring this to her Biology class party on the last day of school, but the 2 supermarkets I went to were both completely out of strawberries, and I did not feel like paying the ransom for Waimea strawberries at Island Naturals.  Don't be sad for D1; she ended up taking Rainbow Jello instead.

Sewing lessons for D1 & D2 begin tomorrow.  I took both girls to the fabric store to choose supplies.  It didn't go too well...D2 wanted to buy everything, and D1 took a long time to decide what to sew (she took sewing lessons before so can begin with a pattern, rather than a tote bag or pillowcase).  D1 will need to schedule her internship hours around sewing, but I don't anticipate that being a problem.  Luckily, the Rents, now iPad users, haven't asked us for too much tech support (although there are several of us who can share the pleasure).  Now if I could only get this inconvenience called work out of the way, I'd have way more time to do the things I WANT to do on MY vacation.  



 click on recipe title for printable recipe
Strawberries Filled with Almond Cream

     25 jumbo strawberries
     3/4 c heavy whipping cream
     3/4 c milk
     1 small box vanilla instant pudding
     1/2 tsp almond extract

Wash and dry berries.  Slice off stem end.  Using a sharp paring knife, slice an "x" deep into berries without cutting all the way down.  Beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form.  In a separate bowl, combine milk and pudding.  Beat for 2 minutes.  Add almond extract and whipped cream.  Fit a pastry bag with a #10 or #12 round tip (depending on the size of berries).  Fill pastry bag with pudding mixture.  Pipe pudding into strawberries, spreading petals open with fingers to allow more cream to fit.

A word to the lazy:  an alternate way of serving this would be to quarter or slice the strawberries and serve the filling in a small dish.  The filling can be spooned over the cut strawberries.  Slicing the strawberries and using them as scoops for the filling works well too.

If you're still with me, please allow me to share some pics I took this past week:
Nymphaea Devin M.A. Medeiros:  plant given to me by Gu.  I've been waiting a long time for this to bloom.
Stephanotis:  I've been waiting a long time for this to bloom too.  I think I finally have enough blooms to make a lei.  I just don't need a lei at the moment.  The vines are so thick that some cardinals made a nest amongst the growth.
Finally got a pic of both babies together.

49 comments:

  1. I like the drama of the berries being filled individually. They look delicious. My strawberry shopping has been a bit of a fail lately. Seems the berries are past their prime at the store. It must be the oppressive heat and humidity. But I am bookmarking your page, and if I get them before they go south, I'm gonna do this!

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  2. have you or can you use the already made cheesecake mix?

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    1. I made these yesterday and used the already made cheesecake mix and I think they turned out great.

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  3. I have never seen the already made cheesecake mix, so I can't say how that would be, but the next time I go to the supermarket, I'll look for it.

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  4. Your filled strawberry receipe looks amazing! I plan on serving them with the dessert course for a wine tasting party I am having next month. Thanks so much for the receipe. Sure it will be a hit!

    Rosemary,
    Garden Gate Designs\
    www.gardengatedesigns.artfire.com

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    1. I am sure you will enjoy these strawberries!

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    2. this looks great! so glad I found it

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    3. Love this recipe. A nice touch would be fresh mint leaves on top:)

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  5. That looks impressive (& tasty!) Love your pics of the dogs too!

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  6. Just made these and they are absolutely delicious! I didn't have almond extract so I used vanilla extract and love them! Thank you!

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  7. I tried a different recipe where you actually have to hollow out the strawberry...MAJOR P.I.A. This recipe is so much easier and more unique looking! You can also sprinkle crushed graham cracker crumbs on top for added variety!

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    1. I love your idea about sprinkling crushed graham cracker crumbs. Thank you for sharing!

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    2. Could the pudding mix be substituted for 8 oz cream cheese and 1 cup of powdered sugar with a little milk added for smoothness?

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  8. i just tried to make the cream and the cream came out too watery. i don't know what i did wrong. i feel like 3/4 cup of regular milk was way too much and was did me in with the watery-ness. help?

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    1. Did you use instant pudding (vanilla flavor)? From what you described, the pudding you used may not have been "instant" pudding, and therefore, did not thicken when added to milk. I hope you will try this again because it really is delicious.

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  9. Can the filling be made a couple of days in advance and refrigerated or is it better to use right away?

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  10. Ooh, this sounds so tasty! And I saw the comment on your pinterest picture that said you could use premade cheesecake filling...yum! I can't wait to try this. I was thinking of drizzling some chocolate over the top, too :) Thanks so much for sharing it!

    Stopping by to say hi from Megz Messy Mealz :)

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    1. Chocolate drizzle, chocolate shavings...the addition of chocolate...GREAT idea! Thank you!

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  11. Hi Kikukat. I have just mentioned you in my blog. Check it out: http://floofbug.com/2/post/2012/10/sunday-lunch.html
    Sorry, I was unable to link to your email.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the mention. Your Sunday lunch looked delicious!

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  12. Love the strawberries and can't wait to make some first time I see good ones. But oh my the Bullmastiffs in the photo made my day. I used to raise them and mine were were fawns like yours. I loved them and miss them so much thanks for sharing the photo.
    Ann Winberg, Nebraska
    http://craftingtales.com

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    1. Thank you, Amy. My babies are English Mastiffs, but since they are still fairly young, I don't think they've yet developed that saggy mastiff look. They are a handful, but we love them so much.

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    2. Wow I love your mastiffs. We have an English Mastiff, 180 lb. baby named Soldier! We got him from an army nurse so felt this name was fitting. He is a handful, but a good dog! Thanks for sharing the pics

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    3. Thank you! Rain & Sammy are a handful too, but but they are so cuddly and affectionate. Please give their aloha to Soldier!

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  13. I was all excited to make this for new years, but couldn't find strawberries so we're giving it a whirl as a fruit dip! :)

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    1. I think it will work great as a fruit dip, and I'm sure you'll do the strawberry thing when the weather gets warmer (better tasting berries). Happy new year!

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  14. This is awesome with jello brand cheese cake mix! Hubby made it for me while I was recovering from surgery...so it's super easy too...haha.

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    1. The Hubby test...I love it. Hope your recovery is going/went well. Happy new year!

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  15. 1 jar Marshmellow fluff and 1 container of whipped cream cheese flavor with whatever extract you like or cinnamon. whip together and done. super yummy.

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  16. I'm kindof confused do you
    an additional 1/3 cup of milk aswell as the milk to make the pudding (directions on pudding box) or only the 1/3 cup.

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  17. I'm kindof confused do you
    an additional 1/3 cup of milk aswell as the milk to make the pudding (directions on pudding box) or only the 1/3 cup.

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    1. You do not add an additional 1/3 cup milk. The 3/4 c milk in the recipe is the liquid which gets mixed with the instant pudding mix. The other liquid in the recipe, 3/4 c heavy whipping cream, gets whipped by itself.

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  18. I made these the others day. Only thing I had trouble with was fulling them I couldnt get mine to look pretty like yours. What I did was chilled them after I filled them and then dipped then n chocolate! ! It was a big hit at the office! !!

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    1. Dipping in chocolate adds yet another flavor/texture dimension. Thank you for the wonderful idea! Did you use a pastry bag/round tip to fill the strawberries?

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  19. O.M.G. Just LOOKING at these are a real treat! I can't wait to make some for my kiddoes, and know they will be an elegant addition to one of my jobs as well. Sorry we didn't have any strawberries for you when you visited us here in Texas ... our seasons are very unusual, as are yours. We have warm, hot, VERY HOT, BRUTALLY HOT, a moment of cool, VERY COLD, a moment of cool, then the cycle begins again. Strawberries are not a local produce. I have ABSOLUTELY no complaints about my trip to the Big Island, and especially loved the lush Hilo side. Okay, we loved all the sides, and top and bottom. Camped a good deal. Ate A LOT -- beginning with our food at home to get us in the mood (seriously, though, it will be a while before I make another Loco Moco, though!). There were SO MANY ono options, and we loved 'em (well, except for the cashew "apple" - we're not sure how we felt about that one!). And now I will make another recipe I have "discovered" from the Big Island! he he Mahalo.

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    1. No apology necessary for lack of fresh strawberries in Texas. The food and the nice people more than made up for that. In fact, I'm trying to persuade D1 to consider being a Longhorn for her next educational step...yes, I loved Texas THAT much! When you recover from Loco Moco overload and are willing to have them again, please try my burger recipe (http://kikukat.blogspot.com/2012/03/oyster-sauce-burgers.html) from March 12, 2012. Please tell me more about the cashew "apple". I have no clue what that is! Aloha!

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  20. I am going to make these tonight, but I am going to use instant cheesecake pudding and drizzle melted semi-sweet chocolate on top... can't wait!

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    1. How did they turn out? Thank you for stopping by my blog.

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  21. I made these for the super bowl a few months ago and everyone LOVED them! I had leftover filling and used it as a dip with graham crackers which was also a huge hit. I used vanilla instead of almond extract.

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  22. Would you allow me to feature this in a 4th of July Food Favorite post on my website? I would certainly give you credit and link to this site!
    Let me know.
    Phyllis @ http://www.grandparentsplus.com

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  23. Just made them for Father's Day brunch but used a mascarpone cream filling instead...now if only there will be any left:) [Use Rachel Ray's mascarpone cream...1/3 C.powder sugar, 1 Trader Joe's tub of mascarpone, 1/3 C heavy cream...use mixer on medium for 2 mins. no more/no less time]

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  24. I made these and they are delicious! I followed the recipe except for a couple things. I added MORE whipped cream and I did half the Milk and filled the other half with AMARETTO!!! SPIKED AND SOOOO GOOD! THANK YOU FOR A GREAT BASE RECIPE!!!

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  25. Would you allow Food Favorite post me on my website? I would certainly give you credit and link to this site!
    Let me know.
    receitasdavall@gmail.com website: http://www.receitasedicasdochef.com.br/

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  26. Mamra badam, also known as the king of almonds, holds a special place in my heart and taste buds. Originating from Iran, Mamra badam is a unique variety that stands out for its small size and wrinkled appearance. As a child growing up in an Indian household, this exquisite nut was always present on our kitchen shelves. The distinct flavor and rich texture made it my go-to snack during study breaks or movie nights with friends.

    What sets Mamra badam apart is not just its delectable taste but also its numerous health benefits. Packed with essential nutrients like vitamin E, magnesium, and protein, this tiny powerhouse contributes to overall wellbeing. Whenever I would feel low on energy or needed an extra boost to get through the day, a handful of Mamra badam was all I needed to feel revitalized. Furthermore, it has been said that this almond variety improves brain function and helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

    As the years have gone by, my love for Mamra badam has only grown stronger. No matter where life takes me or what new snacks hit the market, this traditional Iranian gem will always hold a special place in my pantry and nourish both body and soul.

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