Food Details-Foodie Tales- What makes the dinner IT factor?

FooDieTaleS It's all in the details...of foodies. It's amazing how quickly you can see the experience and confidence of a person who loves to cook. They are often fearless, seldom follow recipes exactly, and love to experiment. Flavors come together in their heads- in their imaginations- before they ever reach their tongues. They can see a dish, smell its aroma, feel the textures in their mouth; all before they've lifted a spoon. Thee Experience the dish ethereally Waaayy before its actual inception. I LOVE that! I love imagining a food and crafting the dish layer by layer of flavor until it achieves the mmmm level I am shooting for. That yummy noise is better than any tangible certificate on the wall. You've moved people in a way that gives them an involuntary wave of delight; causing an intake of breath and a sigh of pleasure. It matters not if the recipient is a child or adult, neighbor or a king- you've made the world a better place for a moment in time. This is truly what makes the universe propel through space. Imagine if we could synchronize delight for thousands at one moment. It might just shift the path of the Earth for the good.
I offer you this quickie recipe for tonight. Simple delight. Share some with your family or your friends. Perpetuate the yummy noise. Pay attention to the details. You're making the world a better place.

Warm Chocolate Silk with Fresh Strawberries and White Chocolate Curls
Use the best cocoa you can find for this thick chocolate soup. Your tongue will thank you.
Serves 4-6
1 c premium cocoa powder (such as Ghirardelli or Scharffen Berger), sifted
1 1⁄4 c hot water
1 1⁄2 c granulated sugar
1 c heavy cream
1 c chopped semisweet chocolate
Garnish:
8 fresh strawberries, sliced
white chocolate curls
4 T cocoa nibs (optional)
In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the cocoa with the water over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thick.
Add the sugar and whisk until it dissolves. Add the heavy cream and chopped chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate melts completely. Serve warm, garnished with sliced fresh strawberries, white chocolate curls, and, if desired, cocoa nibs.

Strawberry Ice Cream Smoothies

I was reminiscing with Elizabeth this morning and realized that freshly picked strawberries are one of my very favorite foods. Here is an easy way to enjoy this summer fruit on a scorching hot day.
Strawberry Ice Cream Smoothies
3 scoops “no sugar added” vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup low fat milk
1 cup strawberries- hulled and sliced
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Blend until smooth and slushy.
Serve garnished with a pretty berry on top.

Strawberry Lemongrass Prosecco Soup for your summer brunch

Since strawberries are almost ripe for the picking- it's time to enhance your berry repertoire. Perfect for a wedding shower or summer brunch this cold, thick soup is easy to make and delightful to sip. Rob Caldwell made it easily on 207 last week. Everyone in the news room thought it was elegant and summer-y. If you go strawberry picking, use up any bruised berries in this recipe. The soup is macerated so save the pretty berries for garnish. Note the beautiful bowl from Sheepscot Pottery. John and Karen Oakey make bowls of many sizes and patterns. This one is large enough to be a fountain- and serves enough soup for dozens of happy mouths.

Strawberry Lemongrass Prosecco Soup
This slightly sweet dessert soup is perfect for a wedding brunch or shower. Anytime you’ve got fresh berries available is the right time for a light, delicious soup. Prosecco is a sparkling Italian wine that is readily available. If you can’t find it, you can substitute champagne.
Serves 8 to 12
2 c water
1 3-oz pouch liquid pectin (Certo or your favorite brand)
1⁄2 c sugar
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped or grated
6 c strawberries, quartered
2 lemons, juice and zest
4 c prosecco

Garnish:
6 strawberries
1 carambola (star fruit) or 1 lemon, seeded and thinly sliced
zest from 1 lemon, finely chopped

Combine the water, pectin, sugar, and lemongrass in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat.
Place the strawberries in a blender or food processor. Purée the strawberries. Add the grated lemon zest and juice and puree again. Place the purée in a large bowl. Set a fine mesh strainer over the bowl and pour the hot lemongrass liquid through it. Adjust sweetness, if necessary.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. When you’re ready to serve, add the prosecco to the bowl and gently stir to combine. Serve garnished with strawberries, thin slices of star fruit, and a sprinkle of lemon zest.

Happy Mother's Day with Fresh Fruit Salad

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful Mom's! Sherwood treated me to dinner in Brunswick last night at El Camino- a little Mexican restaurant with incredible ambiance and yummy food. We shared chips and a smoky homemade salsa, a taco salad with marinated steak and nachos with grilled chicken. The salsa was not chunky but a fine-ish puree with a hint of smoky pepper. Both the nachos and taco salad were comprised of diced veggies and meats. Everything was fresh and lively. You can visit them on my space just click here for El Camino Cantina. We've been dancing around the house and most Thursday nights at Great Salt Bay School. I just can't get enough. The more I learn the more I want to dance. The kids made dinner tonight. It was a delicious fruit salad with a lemon pineapple dressing and deviled eggs. If you need to serve brunch for Mother's Day- this is sure to be a hit.
Fresh Fruit Salad with Lemon Pineapple Dressing
3 cups fresh hulled and quartered strawberries
3 cups fresh diced seedless watermelon
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
1 cup fresh blueberries
Toss all of these together and chill.
for the dressing combine: the juice of a lemon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup fresh pineapple juice
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (OR 1 to 2 Tablespoons spiced or dark rum- very optional)
Whisk the dressing ingredients to dissolve the sugar. (at this point you can opt to whisk 1/2 cup of sour cream, creme fraiche, mascarpone cheese or plain yogurt into the dressing- if you like your dressings creamier) Pour over the fruit and toss well.
Serve in chilled bowls with a sprinkle of brown sugar on top.
Savor. Linger. Enjoy!
-Cynthia

Strawberry Parfait for Any Day

I've been writing an article for Lincoln County Magazine about strawberries today. It does seem like spring will be here soon- even though the snow is flying outside the window this afternoon. Thank goodness it's not sticking. I've got Singers and Standards playing in the background with Witchcraft tempting me to dance. We learned a little bit of Balboa at Tea Party Swings. It's based on the foxtrot- one of my favorite dances. I am looking forward to getting out on the dance floor this Friday. Until then, my strawberry article has to take the front seat. I'll share this recipe with you. It's sooo good.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Mousse Parfait with Fresh Strawberries

This parfait will delight your guests — and only you will know how easy and fast it is to make! Serves 6
• 8 oz cream cheese or plain Chevre for a more earthy flavor (at room temperature)
• 1-1/4 c sifted powdered sugar (divided)
• 2 T pure vanilla extract
• 1 c chilled heavy cream
• 1 qt fresh strawberries
In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl down often to be sure there are no lumps. Slowly add 1/2 c of the sifted powdered sugar.
In another bowl, beat the heavy cream. When soft peaks form slowly add the vanilla and 1/2 c of the sifted powdered sugar. Whip to stiff peaks. (Tip: When making whipped cream, chill your bowl for 30 minutes and the cream will whip much more easily.)
Gently fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. When it is completely incorporated, fold in another 1/3 of the whipped cream. Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream.