The farmers market in my neighborhood just opened for the season with a strawberry festival. I love strawberries! As a child, I picked tiny wild ones from my great aunt’s yard. Now I enjoy medium sized locally grown or gigantic shipped-in berries. My favorite way to eat them is right off the stem, but strawberry shortcake makes me happy as well.
My grandmother and mother called traditional pie crust sprinkled with sugar shortcake. Thin, flaky, and crisp, it played well against partially mashed, sweetened strawberries and whipped cream. There’s a restaurant in my area that serves this style of shortcake two layers tall. It is divine!
I can’t say crust-based strawberry shortcake is widely known. My grandmother’s house, my mother’s house, and that one restaurant are the only places I’ve eaten it. I suppose in the strictest sense, sweetened crust fits one of the original requirements of shortcake in that it contains fat that has been cut into the flour. The only problem is that it’s not really a cake.
But is shortcake really cake or is it a scone or biscuit? The first recipe for shortcake appeared in an English cookbook in 1588, but I don’t know what it said. That makes it difficult to determine exactly what sort of crumb it had.
A quick scroll through several culinary guides failed to find mention of shortcake. Shortbread is often included, but not shortcake. Perhaps that’s because there are too many versions to narrow down a definition. Or perhaps it’s because perfectly ripened strawberries sweetened and topped with whipped cream are so good they don’t really need any sort of biscuit, cake, or crust. Anything that absorbs and delivers that scrumptious juice will be appreciated and well received.
When shortcake is mentioned in culinary articles, it is often differentiated from sponge cake. This is sort of amusing because I’ve probably been served strawberry shortcake made with sponge cake more often than any other kind.
So what’s a shortcake? Whatever vehicle you prefer to deliver sweetened strawberries and whipped cream. Most of us probably gravitate to the version of shortcake that is most familiar. I prefer pie crust to squishy cake. I’ll take a sweetened biscuit in a pinch. You may prefer a butter-rich cake or corn muffin.
Whatever you place it on, a combination of fresh strawberries and cream sweetened or not, whipped or not, will provide a delicious summer treat!
Let this Fresh Peach Pie take a bite out of the heat! It’s that time again. The heat index is well over 100º. It happens every year, sometimes much earlier than this, and I hate it. The heat is bad enough, but the humidity makes the air feel heavy and hard to breath in. The sweat won’t evaporate from your skin to cool it. Make-up melts off your face, and two showers a day are the minimum. But hey, I ran across that Fresh Peach Pie recipe that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. A great piece of pie might help take your mind off the heat. Especially a pie that’s served cool.
You’ll have to find your own juicy peaches, but here’s how to turn them into a delicious peach pie. The best part is that you don’t cook the peaches which leaves their texture firm and their taste bright. I haven’t made this pie in years, but the impression it made on me hasn’t diminished. Anna’s Fresh Peach Pie
4 cups fresh peach slices, peeled
1 cup sugar
1 cup cold water
6 tbsp corn starch
Dash of salt
4 tsp lemon juice
1 drop almond extract
2 drops yellow food coloring
1 crop red food coloring
4 tbsp apricot or orange jello
You favorite 9 inch pre-baked pie crust (Of course, it can be gluten-free.)
Combine sugar, water, cornstarch, and salt, in a saucepan and cook until it is thick and clear. Add lemon juice, almond extract, food coloring, and jello. Allow to cool.
Fold peach slices into sauce and mix well. Pour mixture in crust and place in refrigerator to set. Serve chilled with whipped cream atop.
I ran across this handwritten recipe in my Mom’s recipe box. I think it’s funny that it includes food coloring. It’s been decades since I’ve had food coloring in my pantry, but I loved it as a kid. I especially loved the set of bright colored salt we had in the cabinet. I used to put margarine that included yellow food coloring on my baked potatoes and then salt them with the blue colored salt. This made my potato a totally gross green color. It was fun to watch my family and friends be grossed out while I enjoyed my scrumptious green potato.
Obviously, you can leave the food coloring out of the recipe. And if you’re gluten-free, you don’t need to worry about the Jell-O unless you have an additional allergy or sensitivity. I’ve included links below for you to review the ingredients.
I like to use a gluten-free cream cheese crust for fruit pies. It’s delicious with my Raspberry Rhubarb pie and I’m certain it will complement this pie as well. I also prefer homemade whipped cream on top. I know making whipped cream sounds intimidating, but it’s incredibly fast and easy – even with a hand powered egg beater. The secret is to chill the bowl and utensils in the freezer before you begin.
Hmmmm. A freezer sounds good. Anything cold sounds good. I’m ready to take a bite out of the heat!
Some of you are probably reading this just to see how really crazy I am. I get it. Your initial thought when hearing the word cook may be more along the lines of: time consuming drudgery, additional work, pots & pans to wash, a disaster waiting to happen, or too much trouble…blah! I’m with you. Those phrases don’t sound fun. So where is the fun to be found in cooking? Let’s explore the possibilities!
In addition to providing sustenance, cooking can lead to compliments, camaraderie, spoon licking, new creations, toys, play, shopping, new friends, and chances to learn about other cultures. Much more appealing terms to be sure, and really…is there anything better than licking the spoon?
My fun often begins before I ever reach the kitchen. I’ll grab a reusable shopping bag and walk to the local farmers’ market. If, like me, you enjoy fresh air, sunshine, walking, and the smell of seasonal flowers blooming, you’ll be having fun as soon as you hit the door.
Most farmers’ markets are filled with an assortment of brightly colored fruits, vegetables, and herbs that are mouthwateringly appealing. Some also offer grass-fed meats. Others have live bands performing and sell handmade baskets, jewelry, soaps, and clothing. A morning of shopping and people watching often gives me enough funny stories to last all week. At the very least, I know I’m supporting the local economy and going home with beautiful, healthy ingredients.
Shopping at an outdoor market can add fun when you travel as well. I once drove through the North Island of New Zealand in an RV. Along the route were incredible outdoor markets full of kiwifruit, silverbeet, asparagus, and oranges. Not only were these items fresh, flavorful, and inexpensive, they provided a unique chance to meet people. On the edge of every town was an RV park with a community kitchen. The kitchens were stocked with pots and pans larger and more numerous than the RV kitchen could carry. They also sported industrial size sinks and running hot water for doing dishes.
These $15 per night RV parks also offered electrical hookups and large community bathrooms with showers. They were affordable and popular. That usually meant sharing the kitchen with several locals. There’s no better way to find out where the trout are biting, what kind of flies to use to catch them, and where you can buy the best flies. Even though I’m not a big one to chat with strangers, the common denominator of food made it easier to strike up a conversation.
Shopping and cooking in a foreign country can leave you with a rich cultural experience that you will never forget. One of my favorite things to do when I travel outside the US is to visit indigenous grocery stores. I notice the similarities to, and differences from, what I experience at home. Some European package design is totally charming making me want to buy products on which I can’t even read the labels.
In the same vein, I find it fun to visit the ethnic markets in my town. I recently tried Milk Cake upon the recommendation of the checkout girl at the Asian market. A combination of buffalo milk and sugar, this cake is moist and dense. While it didn’t turn out to be my favorite dessert ever, it provided a good deal of entertainment at a neighborhood dinner party when I took it in the original packaging.
Some of us could shop ’til we drop, but then we’d never get any food on the table. Perhaps it’s time to move on to the fun found IN the kitchen. For those of you who love gadgets, the kitchen can offer an endless supply of specialized toys. There are blenders, mixers, openers, graters, grinders, peelers, processors, choppers, skewers, colanders, sifters, tenderizers, muddlers, ballers, mortars and pestles, mandolins, juicers, whisks, knives, rolling pins, tongs, herb mills, thermometers, corkscrews, molds, cutters, stones, smokers, and special grapefruit knives. Available in electric and unplugged versions, many of these can be purchased in bright colors for an additional element of fun. If you love toys, you’ll love playing with them too. I’m ready to chop, puree, macerate, pound, slice, cream, cut-in, muddle, grind, juice, measure, smoke, mix and match. Whew! Recess was fun. Is it nap time yet?
Coming up with new flavor combinations or preparing familiar foods in an unfamiliar way offers entertainment for both your mind and your palette. My grandmother used to grow radishes in the garden. She would cut the sides part of the way through to form the petals of a radish rose. These roses formed a garnish on many of her salads. I don’t like the bitter-hot, biting taste of radishes, and I’ve never voluntarily used one in the kitchen…until last month.
Ben has been building greenhouses for an organic garden. One day he showed up with some arugula and some tender young radishes. Feeling appreciative of the gift, I wanted to eat the radishes rather than give them away. Since I knew I wasn’t fond of them raw, I decided to try a sauté. The result was a delicious change of pace. I quickly consumed two servings and thought of several variations I wanted to try. I requested more radishes from the garden.
Sautéing Watermelon and Red Radishes
The next bunch arrived with the most beautiful green tops. I decided to see if the greens are consumable. They are! Now I had another challenge – what to do with the greens. I don’t know about you, but I love learning and I love puzzles. I needed to learn more about the greens, and I had a chance to put together the pieces of a taste puzzle. I was excited to see what the resulting dish would be. Creating something new in the kitchen is supremely fun for me!
The only thing that makes creating something new in the kitchen more fun is to compete with my boys in a cooking challenge. The informal rules are that we will all cook the same main ingredient in any way we chose as long as we make the recipe up as we go. We gather in the kitchen and the chaos begins. We can all be quite competitive and we’re used to combining lively conversation with meal preparation. The atmosphere in the kitchen is light-hearted and electric.
Last Thanksgiving, James and I had a pie cook-off. Maybe it was supposed to be a piecrust cook-off, but it turned into a full-fledged competition. Luckily, James wanted to make whipped cream for his sweet potato pie. I say luckily because he makes the lightest, fluffiest whipped cream ever. He always puts the bowl and whisk in the freezer before he starts, and he always lets me taste test when he adds the sugar. Both of us won in the compliment department, but James’ pecan pie beat my parsnip pie as the favorite. That’s okay. Next time I’ll challenge with my lemon meringue pie. And who won was not as important as the camaraderie in kitchen. I think it’s safe to pronounce that all family fun should be topped with whipped cream!
James Won the Pie Contest with this Pie
Relaxed family time can provide many moments of fun in the kitchen. When the kids get excited because they get to ice the cupcakes and then lick the knife, when they jump up and down because you let them add the chocolate chips to the cookies, when your daughter’s friends want to eat at your house because you make macaroni and cheese from scratch, how can you not feel good about cooking?
I know that sometimes you’re too tired to cook. Don’t force yourself. Eat gluten-free cereal and milk or yogurt and fruit, or tuna straight from the package and a banana. Giving yourself a break when you really need it will leave you free to remember the fun of cooking. Forcing yourself to perform in the kitchen when your heart isn’t in it will leave you resentful and less likely to get back in there and have fun another day!
Just be careful not to fool yourself into thinking that you “can’t” cook, or it’s ALWAYS drudgery, or it HAS TO take way too much time. Sometimes it’s easier to say these things than to face our real feelings about food or to recognize that we miss the love we felt in our grandmother’s kitchen when we raided the cookie jar. Sometimes we don’t want to acknowledge that we feel pressured to DO so many things, we don’t relax enough to find the fun in the routine activities that fill our days. Please recognize that every time you stop yourself before you start, you may be missing out on a chance for a rewarding connection with yourself and with your family and where’s the fun in that?
Cooking engages all our senses: sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing. It can feed our intellectual curiosity, our desire to collect or create, our desire to make order from chaos, or our desire to get our hands dirty. Best of all, it offers many paths of connection to the earth, our communities, our friends, and our families. When it comes to cooking, the possibilities for fun that satisfies the body, mind, and soul are truly boundless.
Next up The Benefits of Cooking Part 3: The Fixin’ in which we’ll explore the skill sets we master when we cook. Don’t worry if you’re too busy having fun in the kitchen to read it immediately, you can always go to the archives and read it later.
