When the season of berries is in full swing, the question arises involuntarily: "What can be made from fresh strawberries?" There are a lot of recipes today, but it is advisable for busy hostesses to pick up those so as not to disappear for days in the kitchen and at the same time fully enjoy the taste of berries in all possible manifestations. Do you think this is unrealistic? Now we will convince you!
Briefly about the Queen of Berries
It is not in vain that they call strawberries so: its truly magical effect on the human body often baffles even eminent doctors!
It is interesting that strawberries taste quite sweet, but there is practically no sugar in it, so this berry is recommended not only for those who want to lose weight, but even for patients with diabetes. In Hollywood, a strawberry diet is popular among the stars, thanks to which you can lose up to three kilograms of excess weight in four days. Perhaps this is true, but most likely it is the diuretic effect of the berry: the increased potassium content actively stimulates the kidneys and lymphatic system, ridding the body of excess fluid.
Due to the presence of a significant dose of B vitamins, it is ranked among antidepressant berries: only 200 grams per day - and the nervous system will be in perfect order. Moreover, exactly the same amount a person needs to eat strawberries in order to replenish the daily intake of vitamin C, which is more in this culture than in citrus fruits. And her properties as an aphrodisiac are not forgotten? This is in addition to all other advantages: anti-cancer, antifungal, antiseptic and antirheumatic effects. The list can be continued for a long time, but, as they say, it is better to eat a pie than talk about it. Therefore, we will deal with recipes.
What can be done with strawberries: interesting ideas
This berry provides enough options for creativity, as it combines with so many products, ranging from fruits to vegetables, meat and even fish. So what can be made from fresh strawberries?
- Drinks: stewed fruit, fruit drinks and mojito, as well as milk and strawberry smoothies and jelly.
- Desserts: mousse, jelly, ice cream, soufflé and sorbet, frozen mashed potatoes and tender parfait.
- Stuffed with cottage cheese with strawberries for pancakes, drenched in chocolate syrup, does not require presentation and advertising: this is the first thing you can do with strawberries in the berry season.
- Various salads options: from fruit to combined with greens, vegetables, cheese.
- Alcoholic drinks like Margarita, Daiquiri: they can be quickly made from strawberries, which is very convenient during the party.
- Various preparations for the winter: jam, syrup, whole frozen berries and compotes.
Dessert in 15 minutes with fresh strawberries
What can be done in such a short time to make it tasty and beautiful? Of course, sorbet! It is easy, quick to cook, and in the summer heat it is a great treat, and at the same time very beloved by children. Grind strawberries with a blender, while if the seeds are confused, it is better to pass the mass through a sieve. For two glasses of this puree, take the same amount of fresh milk, half a glass of granulated sugar and 1 tbsp. l freshly squeezed lemon juice. Beat lightly with a blender and place dishes with sorbet in the freezer.
Stir the mass every half an hour, evenly distributing the cooled parts over it. When the sorbet has completely hardened and begins to harden, turning into ice cream, take it out, again smash it with a blender, form balls with an ice cream spoon (or just a tablespoon), place on serving plates, garnish with fresh strawberry and a mint leaf.
Strawberry mojito
You can make a drink out of strawberries, which guests will surely like. Mojito refers to low alcohol, as it necessarily includes rum. To prepare two servings of this drink, take:
- 2 glasses of water;
- 1.5 cups of sugar;
- 200 grams of fresh strawberries;
- 50 grams of rum (better than light);
- 50 grams of highly carbonated water without minerals;
- 2-4 leaves of mint or green basil (purple is not suitable for such a thing).
First you need to boil the syrup from water and sugar, boiling the components. Immediately cool and pour the syrup into tall glasses for cocktails, in which strawberries are previously cut and basil / mint leaves are laid. Next, mix the liquid with strawberries, which can be done with a wooden spatula or just a fork. At the same time, you do not need to crush the berry in mashed potatoes - just to let the juice in, which will add flavor to the drink.
Pour rum from above and sprinkle with ice crushed into small pieces. Top up with sparkling water and put a straw for a cocktail. Mojito is ready!
Spinach and Strawberry Salad
What can be done tasty if you are a supporter of raw food diet, and the festive table requires something special? An American salad of greens with red aromatic berries will appeal to even meat-eaters because of its piquancy and juiciness.
So, wash 100 grams of young spinach leaves, dry on a paper towel and tear into four pieces, cut the strawberries into small pieces and mix with spinach. Prepare the fill: 2 tbsp. l light sesame, 0.5 cups of sugar, one spoonful of poppy seeds and the fourth part - mix the paprika in a mortar, just do not crush it into flour, but rather slightly crush it. Add to the mass a quarter of wine vinegar, half a glass of high quality vegetable oil and mix with a spoon.
Season the salad with the resulting sauce and serve immediately, stirring slightly with your hands, trying not to crush the ingredients. It looks light, airy, and tastes very unusual and attractive.
Confiture
Sometimes it happens that one doesn’t feel like eating an annoyed jam. What can be done with strawberries besides him? Jam and confiture! They also belong to sweet winter preparations, but differ in a thicker, jelly-like structure and more scrupulous preparation, which, by the way, is worth it. The confiture is very good with toasted bread and a freshly baked bun as a flavorful addition to morning coffee.
To save sugar with the maximum gelling effect, pectin is used in the form of a powder, which can be bought at pharmacies and specialized stores. For one kilogram of strawberries, an average of 5-7 grams of this substance is required. Prepared berries (they need to be washed, remove ponytails and cut into small pieces), pour 0.5 kg of sugar and leave for half an hour to let the juice flow. During this time, you need to process jars for confiture (and lids) with steam.
Pectin must be thoroughly ground with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar and citric acid at the tip of the knife, add to the boiling strawberry mass and boil for about four minutes, stirring actively with a spoon. Next, pour the finished jam into jars and roll up the lids. The strawberry aroma and bright color will please you more than once during the winter, when the jar of delicacy will be open for tea.
10 minutes to cook
What can be quickly made from strawberries, and not be lost in the kitchen for hours? Knowing that most of the necessary vitamins are stored in fresh berries, and strawberries generally do not like lengthy preparations, you can cook such simple, but very tasty delicacies:
1. Strawberries in chocolate. Choose large berries and, without tearing off the tail, dip in half the chocolate melted beforehand, refrigerate in the refrigerator and use as a dessert for coffee, decorations for cake or cakes. Children love this simple but very healthy dessert made from fresh strawberries.
2. You can make something from a series of milkshakes with additives. For example: 200 grams of cream ice cream and a half cup of milk are lightly whipped with a blender until a foamy liquid mass is formed, which is divided into three equal parts. Chop two bananas and mix with a blender with one part of liquid ice cream, and a half cup of strawberries also beat with the second part of the milk mixture. In a tall glass, carefully pour the banana component, then milk without additives and from above - from strawberries, which can be done with a wide knife, pouring a cocktail along its blade. The child will be delighted with such a colorful treat, and the parent will be sure that the baby received a good dose of healthy vitamins.
3. Strawberry souffle. Universal recipe! You can make fresh strawberries, or you can use other berries and fruits (raspberries, red currants, bananas or oranges). Ingredients:
- 400 grams of cream;
- 600 grams of strawberries;
- 2 tbsp. l instant gelatin;
- 200 grams of sugar;
- 100 grams of water.
Dissolve gelatin in cold water, allow to swell and heat in a water bath until dissolved. Grind strawberries with a blender. Beat cream with sugar in a lush foam and mix with strawberry puree. While stirring, pour in the gelatin and whisk with a blender for about 10-15 seconds. Arrange in a bowl and cool.
Syrup to fight overweight and swelling
Strawberry is famous for its diuretic effect, it is known to all nutritionists, therefore, this woman’s syrup recipe will come in handy for all women who want to stimulate the work of internal organs. In addition to such an effect, the body will receive the lion's share of the beneficial substances, vitamins and minerals contained in all the components of this treat.
Cut 50 grams of freshly peeled ginger root into slices and stew in 200 grams of water for about 15 minutes, preferably on low heat and under a lid. Two slices of lemon cut from the middle of the fruit, peel, mix with ginger, chopped strawberries (150 grams) and beat everything with a blender until smooth. Put it back on fire, pour another 150 grams of water and boil. Boil for about 10 minutes, cool and strain.
When ingesting this syrup, dilute with water in a ratio of 1: 2 and drink one glass on an empty stomach in the morning. If the taste is too saturated, you can add one teaspoon of honey to a glass of liquid. The result will not be long in coming: within an hour, intensified work of the kidneys and sweat glands will begin, the body will expel all “evil spirits” from itself.
Strawberry Madness: Yogurt Cake with Queen of Berries
What strawberry dessert can be made to make everyone gasp? Of course a cake! And even more so, jelly cake, which is the secret dream of all the sweet tooth. This recipe is one of the simplest variations, and does not require baking or long preparations. Necessary ingredients and step-by-step actions:
- Sort 500 grams of fresh strawberries, select large berries, preferably the same size, leave whole, but remove the tails.
- Dilute 30 grams of instant gelatin in 100 grams of water, and when swollen, heat in a water bath.
- Crush 500 grams of cookies of the type "Yubileinoe", "Tea", "Ginger" into crumbs, add one glass of fresh milk and mix. Enter 2 tbsp. l Cocoa powder, knead until uniform. With the resulting mass lay out the bottom of the split mold for the cakes. Well tamped.
- One liter of strawberry yogurt purchased at the supermarket (it is better to choose with a high percentage of fat content), pour into a bowl and add gelatin to it in a thin stream, stirring with a spoon. Pour the mass onto a layer of cookies.
- Until the yoghurt layer has frozen, put strawberries in it in a circle with the sharp tip up. The berries should be almost completely hidden in the yogurt, so you may need to gently squeeze them. Put the cake mold in the refrigerator for solidification.
- Melt a bar of dark chocolate in a water bath, pour in 100 grams of cream and mix until smooth. Cool slightly and pour on top of the cake prepared with the icing, from which the split side has already been removed. Again send to the cold. Garnish with fresh strawberries or white chocolate chips before serving.
Such a cake is prepared very quickly, it is almost impossible to spoil it, so it is great for beginner hostesses who are unsure of working with pastries. His taste is amazing, rich and aromatic, and the combination of strawberries and chocolate has long been recognized as an ideal confectioner. When cutting the cake, whole berries of strawberries are found, which causes genuine delight in children.
Unusual blanks for the winter
Fresh berries are just great! But after all, on a chilly autumn or frosty winter evening, I also want to treat yourself to the gifts of sunny summer. What can be made from strawberries for the winter? We offer several entertaining recipes:
- Strawberry puree, grated with sugar. Puree two kilograms of berries with three kilograms of sugar with a blender, leave the mass overnight in a cool place, and mix in the morning and place in plastic containers (you can bucket from mayonnaise or ice cream). Send to the freezer. In winter, such frozen mashed potatoes are used to prepare most desserts that require the addition of strawberries, as it fully preserves the taste, color and properties of fresh berries.
- Stewed strawberries and cherries: sterilize the bottles and lay in them for 1/2 berries (take equally, one kilogram each). Pour boiling water to the top, cover and insist 15-20 minutes. Then pour the water back into the pan, add granulated sugar at the rate of 500 grams for every 2 kg of berries and 2 liters of water, boil the compote for two or three minutes, pour into the bottles again and roll up. Be sure to turn it over to check the quality of the twist, leave it in this state for 10-12 hours, covering it with a blanket or a blanket folded several times.
- Strawberry Chips. But this innovation will clearly interest those who do not know what can be made from strawberries for the winter, tasty and unusual. Such chips are prepared simply: each berry needs to be cut lengthwise into four plates, laid out on the drier tray (if not, use the oven baking sheet) and dried in an electric dryer (or the oven in minimum mode), a dehydrator to the state of crackers. Pour the chilled ones into glass jars or linen bags and store them like dried fruits, making sure that they remain outside of damp places. In winter, you can add to stewed fruit, tea or cake or cake filling. The taste of tea, by the way, is amazing: not one jam will give such a rich aroma of summer.
- Dried strawberries. Of course, you will have to tinker with this product, but the result will meet all expectations with interest. So, pour 2 kg of strawberries with 800 grams of sugar and shake, mix, so as not to damage the berries (selected, beautiful and smooth). Leave for a day in a cold place. Next, drain the juice that has formed (it can be used for making fruit drinks or rolled up for the winter), and boil the remaining berries for no more than 10 minutes in syrup boiled in advance (350 grams of water and sugar). It is important that the fire is minimal, otherwise the berry will change color. Then, throw the strawberries in a colander so that the syrup is completely stacked (we also roll it), and then we dry the berries in the dryer for about two hours, not just at once, but in two or three stages. This delicious dessert will serve as an unusual decoration for cakes, pastries or just be eaten like sweets.
All these recipes are only a fraction of what can be made from strawberries. The geniuses of culinary art have hundreds more recipes in their stock to satisfy a wide variety of human taste preferences.