Back in early March, I was invited to be one of the featured speakers of a local “farmer to you” direct sales marking group called Country Crossroads. The topic of my presentation was called “Creating Branded Recipes.” I presented a list of steps, ideas and inspiration to help guide the members of the group towards creating their own recipes with their name as part of the title. One of the presentation bullet points led to the inspiration of this week’s column.
Before I begin, I must disclose that I am a board member of Country Crossroads. The organization does a fantastic job promoting local farmers. If you are searching for seasonal and locally produced items, the Country Crossroads Map is a wonderful tool for sourcing everything from fruit and flowers to meat and vegetables.
In my presentation, I asked the audience how they use strawberries. I received answers such as desserts, jam and smoothies, all good ideas. I wanted to engage the audience in thinking a little “outside the box” when using strawberries. I suggested that the method used for making bruschetta, the tasty tomato, basil and garlic mixture served over toasted bread, could also be applied to strawberries. Everyone seemed intrigued as I described how it could be done. Until now, there was not an established written recipe, only a concept.
Instead of using toasted bread, grilled or toasted pound cake is used for the base. The strawberries are cut into small pieces similar to the tomatoes. For a little color and the traditional green from the basil, mint is added. Some bruschetta has fresh mozzarella and that inspired me to swap in sweetened mascarpone cheese. I still refer to this recipe as a strawberry short cake, but with and Italian twist. Everyone at the presentation loved the idea of the recipe and the taste testers this week approved too. Surprise your family and friends with my Bruschetta Style Strawberry Shortcake this berry season. It is sure to become one of your signature strawberry desserts for years to come.
Bruschetta Style Strawberry Shortcake
From Mitch Mariani
Serves 8
Ingredients
-2 Baskets of Strawberries
-8 Ounces Mascarpone Cheese, softened
-1 Loaf of Pound Cake
-12 Mint Leaves
-8 Small Mint Leaf Tops for garnish (optional)
-1 Teaspoon + 1 Tablespoon Honey
Step 1: Thoroughly wash strawberries and allow to air dry. Core the stem portion of the berries, then cut the berries into a rough dice of about 1/2 inch. Toss berries with 1 teaspoon honey and refrigerate until ready to use.
Step 2: Stir 1 tablespoon of honey into the mascarpone cheese. Refrigerate until ready to use, but remove from refrigeration 5 minutes prior to using to allow the cheese to soften again.
Step 3: Slice the pound cake into 8 portioned slices, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Using a pastry cutter or glass of 3 inch diameter, cut the slices of pound cake into rounds. After warming a griddle or grill pan over medium heat, toast the pound cake rounds until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the pound cake rounds to a cooling rack and allow to come back down to room temperature.
Step 4: Roll the mint leaves into cylindrical shape and chiffonade, meaning to cut them into thin ribbons. Toss with the strawberries when ready to serve.
Step 5: Assemble the finished product by spreading 1 well-rounded tablespoon of the mascarpone cheese mixture on the pound cake rounds, followed by an even portion of the strawberry mixture. Garnish with the small mint leaf tops and serve.
Mitch L. Mariani II is a self-taught amateur chef. Questions, comments and suggestions can be directed to him through e-mail at [email protected].
