Chances are you have a bottle of balsamic in your pantry right now. We use it for marinates, drizzled over slices of tomato and mozzarella and as the shining star of our favorite vinaigrette. But have you ever thought of drizzling some over ice cream? or as a glaze for fruit? This deep, intense vinegar is so uniquely versatile that you will find yourself reaching for it more and more after you try it for it’s depth of sweetness and complex acidity.

This recipe is rich and light at the same time. Mascarpone adds such a decadent element to the glazed strawberries that you just might find yourself humming with each bite. For some reason, I love to make this with barbecue on warm summer dinners on the patio.

Wow, I just made myself over-salivate. Guess who’s making this and some baby-backs for dinner?

Balsamic Glazed Strawberries and Cream

Recipe by Mell

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: DessertsDifficulty: Easy

Balsamic vinegar and strawberries are an amazing duo. Paired with the richness of whipped mascarpone, this is an amazing way to elevate good ol’ strawberries and cream.

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Ingredients

• 1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar

• 2 teaspoons Plus 4 tablespoons sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon Fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 cup Chilled mascarpone cheese*

• 1/2 cup Chilled whipping cream

• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

• 3 1-pint baskets (about 24 ounces) strawberries, hulled, halved

Directions

• Combine vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar, and lemon juice in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Boil until syrup is reduced to scant 1/4 cup, about 3 minutes. Transfer to small bowl; cool completely. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Combine mascarpone, cream, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl. Whisk until thick soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours.
• Combine berries and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in large bowl; drizzle with balsamic syrup and toss to blend. Let stand 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Divide berries and syrup among 6 goblets. Top with mascarpone mixture.

Notes

• *Mascarpone is an Italian cheese similar to cream cheese. It is available at most grocery stores Italian markets. It can also often be found at Italian delis.

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These cookies are from the bottom of The Green Box and I have no clue where or when it got there. What I do know is they are delish and worth the effort. Soft, creamy, buttery with that pop of tart sweetness from the raspberry jam. I’ve also made them using apricot jam, lemon curd as well as cranberry cinnamon for the holidays…

… oh! Sorry, my mouth started watering and I got lost in flavor memory. Where was I? Right! Thanks!

Linzers are really not difficult, they just require a lot of patience. You can get as fancy with cookie cutters as you like so have fun with it! Don’t expect the first batch to look like the ones in the picture but with practice, you will make your own masterful bites!

Classic Raspberry Linzer Cookies

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: DessertsCuisine: Cookie, DessertDifficulty: Medium

Servings

2

dozen

Prep time

45

minutes

Cooking time

27

minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 Cup Butter

• 1 Cup Powdered sugar, sifted

• 2 Large egg yolks

• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt

• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground cinnamon

• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract

• 2 Tablespoons Freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 2 1/2 Cups All purpose flour

• 1 Cup Almond flour

• 1/2 Cup Raspberry jam*

• OPTIONAL: Powdered sugar for dusting.

Directions

• In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix butter until nice and creamy, 1-2 minutes should do. Next, we add a couple ingredient one at a time until each is well integrated. First, add the sugar until well combined and then the egg yolks. Once that’s all nice and creamy, add your salt, cinnamon, vanilla and lemon juice until just incorporated. Now, carefully add flour and almond flour a little at a time, on low speed so flour doesn’t go flying. Once your dough is nicely mixed, divide it in half and form two discs approximately 1 inch thick. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. You can make the dough ahead and keep chilled for up to 2 days. 
• Preheat oven to 350°F prepare your baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Divide dough in half, form each half into a disk, and place each between 2 large sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough to 1/8″ in thickness. Place dough sheets on a baking sheet or cutting board and transfer to refrigerator to chill for 2 hours. (Or place in the freezer for 30 minutes.)
• Roll out dough discs onto a lightly floured surface to about a ¼ inch thickness. Cut out cookies with a 2-inch cookie cutter of your choice and place on the prepared baking sheets. You want about 1-2 inches of space in-between your cookies. You should end up with about 64-ish cookies.
• Bake one sheet at a time for 7 to 9 minutes, or until cookies look dry on the surface. Let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Once all your cookies are nice and cool, carefully spread a thin layer of jam on one side of half of the cookies, then sandwich them up with the other half. Dust with powdered sugar, if you like and store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week. (Like they will last that long?) These beauties also store nicely in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

• You can use any jam (I’d skip bacon and jalapeño) for these cookies. Raspberry is just the house favorite here.

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In one of my Midsommer Murder binges, I was sparked to look up Pavlova and got swept up in this amazing historical tale. I found this story on the BBC and was stunned that the Pavlova was not a European creation! Russian ballerina from a Kiwi? Really? Fantastic!

In my excavation of the Pavlova, I also learned that Pavlova is as Australian as Apple Pie is to the U.S.A. Or, perhaps Jell-O Fruit Salad is to a 4th of July barbecue. It’s just one of those things that is always on the table at summertime gatherings and rightfully so. The meringue-based dessert can be adapted into so many delicious variations, it’s really all up to the chef.

With a crisp crust and light as air center, the Pavlova can then be found topped with fruit, nuts and in my recipe’s case, a dollop of cream.

Once you get the Pavlova part down, use your own imagination to make stunning and impressive desserts or festive treats for your next block party.

Pavlova Meringue Cakes

Recipe by Mell

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: DessertsDifficulty: Easy

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

45

minutes

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Ingredients

• For the Pavlova

• 6 Large egg whites, room temperature

• 1 1/2 Cups Granulated sugar

• 2 Tsp Corn starch

• 1/2 Tbsp Lemon juice

• 1/2 Tbsp Vanilla extract

• For the Cream

• 1 1/2 Cups Heavy whipping cream, very cold

• 2 Tbsp Granulated sugar

• For the Topping

• 4 Cups Sliced fresh strawberries

• 1 Cup Chopped pistachios

Directions

• Make the Pavlova
• Preheat the Oven to 225˚ F. Line a large backing sheet with parchment paper. Using your stand mixer, beat 6 egg whites on high speed for 1 minute, until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, gradually add 1 1/2 cups sugar and beat for 10 minutes on high speed, or until stiff peaks form. It will be smooth and glossy.
• Use a spatula to quickly fold in 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract, then fold in 2 teaspoons corn starch and mix until well blended.
• Scoop 3 to 3 1/2 inches wide mounds of meringue onto the parchment lined baking sheet. You can also pipe meringue into sheet by filling a plastic sandwich bag and clipping a corner off. Either way, once you have all your mounds, make a dent in the center with a spoon to allow room for cream. Bake at 225˚ for 1 hr and 15 min then turn the oven off. Don’t open the door, let meringue cook in the hot oven for another 30 min. Outsides will be dry and crisp to the tap and insides will still be marshmallow soft.
• Transfer the pavlovas (with the parchment paper) onto a cookie rack and allow it to cool to room temperature.
• Make the whipped cream
• Beat cold whipping cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar in a cold bowl for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes or until whipped and spreadable.
• Assemble
• Evenly distribute whipped cream between dents in meringues with a dollop.
• Repeat even distribution with sliced berries.
• Plate and sprinkle with pistachios as desired.

Recipe Video

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