Shortly after the mid-point of June I start watching for the advertisement. It will read, “Opening Soon! Tomahawk Berry Farm,” Then I know summer has really arrived in the Northwoods and it's time for my annual jaunt to the strawberry fields.

I am very careful to select just the right day. The best is not too hot, slightly overcast, with a nice breeze. The perfect weather makes picking a delight. Believe it or not, most years there’s at least one such day during the first week the farm opens.

After unearthing the cardboard berry basket from the garage, I don visor, long-sleeved shirt, sunscreen, maybe bug spray if the year requires it and off I go. In 20 minutes I am there joining families, couples and grandparents with the grandkids. Half the fun is listening to the youngsters experiencing strawberry picking for the first time.

For most years my foray was by myself. Last year, however, I enticed my husband to join me. Offering to go out to breakfast first was really all it took. This year he asked if I would wait until he was done with a job so that he could go with me!

Once we were picking he declared that this was wonderful, just like vacation. I don’t know that I would go that far, but having someone join you in the picking makes it go really fast. In 15 minutes our basket was full, which was especially beneficial this year since it was threatening to rain.

It is important not to get too carried away with the picking. I learned after my first Tomahawk trip not to pick too many. My husband had admonished me as I headed out the door to be sure to “pick enough.” That year the basket was close to over-flowing.

The problem is that once picked you have to do something with the berries within a very short time because they spoil quickly. There wasn’t enough room in the refrigerator for the lot and way too many berries for just two people to eat.

I resorted to the traditional remedy for too much of any kind of produce: I gave lots away. One lesson I learned is not to leave a container of berries on people’s porches if they are not home. Some friends arrived home to discover a cheeky chipmunk gorging on the strawberries that just “landed” in his territory.

Traditions of this sort always breed culinary expectations. We were hardly in the door and Rich asked if there would be pie. Indeed, tart actually, with the crust already made. It is his favorite and he has been known to eat three-fourths of a pie in one day. His excuse was that strawberry pie gets soggy quickly and he intended to eat it before that happened.

To remedy that problem I now use a shortbread crust which resists, to some extent, the soggy bottom crust. It's easy too, requiring no rolling and it is just pressed into the tart pan. The one featured this month includes toasted almonds, which lends a delightful nuance to the tart.

The recipe includes directions for a scratch-made sauce that is so much better than the gel you can buy at the store. I like to strain the sauce and use the part with the berries for the layer under the whole strawberries and save the clear sauce to top the tart. Any extra can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week. I use the leftovers later to fill the extra tartlet shells.

When I was growing up our family tradition was strawberry shortcake for supper. Big deal, right? Everybody has strawberry shortcake. Well, I meant strawberry shortcake, period.

My mom would pick an evening when my dad was working second sift and we girls would indulge in a meal of pure decadence. Apparently, Mom thought that if the man of the house was home the meal required some kind of protein and starch but that it was not a necessity for us females.

As a typical housewife of the '50s and '60s, she made her shortcake from scratch – sort of. She used Bisquick. The recipe was on the back of the box, still is. She made hers in a 9-inch round cake pan and while it baked she whipped the cream. The strawberries were waiting, already sliced and lightly sugared to create delicious juice.

When the cake was baked and still warm Mom would cut large wedges of the shortcake. It was up to us to split the cake, butter the bottom layer allowing the butter to melt into the tender crumb.

Then we spooned strawberries with plenty of juice over it, replaced it the top, added more berries, and finished it with a light cloud of real whipped cream. Perfection!

In this, my mom was before her time. Today we say, “Eat dessert first.”.For Mom it was, “Just eat dessert!”

My friend, Kyle Gruening, says that her family tradition was strawberries and ice cream. Her mom would make a very large bowl of sliced strawberries and dish ice cream and strawberries out for everyone one but Kyle’s father.

He insisted on eating the remaining berries right from the serving bowl, adding a correspondingly large amount of ice cream to it. One year Kyle’s mom weighed the bowl before and after consumption and discovered he had eaten a full eight pounds of strawberry sundae.

So, we’ll have to have strawberry shortcake and berries over vanilla ice cream in addition to the tart. Some strawberries will go into the freezer for a wintertime treat and now that they have reduced sugar freezer jam pectin, I will make up a batch of jam, too.

Strawberries are so versatile that it would be a shame to confine them only to desserts, wonderful as they are. To showcase their versatility this month’s recipes include an appetizer, soup and salad.

The salsa recipe was introduced to me in by Kyle in an appetizer and wine class she taught in March. As with all salsas there is a great deal of flexibility in the recipe. I changed it to have less juice and added more cilantro and jalapeño pepper. Since the peppers vary in heat intensity, use more or less according to taste.

In the class there were questions about how to cut up a mango. Because it has a flat stone it requires a different technique. Don’t let that stop you from trying this recipe. For step-by-step directions for cutting up the mango, click here. 

The soup and salad recipes are perfect additions to a summertime brunch. The soup can be a first course or served as a dessert. The angel food cake croutons are a whimsical and delicious garnish. It is a good way to use up stale cake.

The salad recipe is from my sister, Sally. It is light and colorful. Often, to save time, she purchases caramelized nuts rather than make them. The creamy dressing is a nice twist from the usual clear poppy seed version.

Whatever your family traditions for strawberries are, I hope you expand your repertoire this season. Happy picking and eating.

Enjoy!

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Strawberry-Mango Salsa

1 Tbs. raspberry or balsamic vinegar
¼ cup orange juice
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and membrane removed, minced (more or less to taste)
1 fresh, ripe mango, diced
2 cups diced strawberries, (about 1 pint)
1 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped

Stir together vinegar, the juices, and jalapeno pepper together in a bowl. Gently fold in the mango and strawberries. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve with tortilla chips. Yield: Makes 3 cups.

Make It Different: For a sweeter twist substitute fresh mint for the cilantro and serve with cinnamon pita chips.

Make It Surprising: Make the sweeter version and serve it with vanilla ice cream for a little “fire and ice” finish to a summer meal.

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Chilled Strawberry-Champagne Soup With Angel Food Cake Croutons

8 cups strawberries, washed and hulled, cut into quarters
¼ cup granulated sugar or more, to taste
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup Champagne or more, for desired consistency
2 cups cubed angel food cake, cut ½-in. by ½-in.
fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Place the strawberries, sugar and juices in the bowl of a food processor. Purée until smooth. Pour through a strainer to remove any remaining chunks. Transfer the soup to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Meanwhile make the croutons. Lay cubes in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven, stirring once, until browned, about 5 minutes.

Add more sugar if desired. Stir in the Champagne, adding more, if necessary, to achieve the desired consistency.

To serve: ladle soup into bowls or stemmed glassware. Top with croutons and a mint sprig. Yield: Makes 6 appetizer or dessert servings.

Make It All Year Long: Use IQF (individually quick frozen) berries, thawed, for the fresh ones.

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Strawberry-Romaine Salad With Caramelized Almonds and Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing

6 cups romaine lettuce, rinsed, drained and cut or torn into bite-sized pieces
1 pint fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
½ red onion, sliced
½ cup almonds
2 Tbs. butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing (recipe below)

To make the Caramelized Almonds: Over medium heat melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan. Add the almonds and stir to coat. Sprinkle with the sugar and sauté until golden brown. Remove from the pan and cool.

In a large salad bowl, combine romaine, strawberries and red onion. Top with the almonds. Serve the dressing on the side.
Yield: 8 one cup servings

Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing

¾ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup milk
2 Tbs. raspberry vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs. poppy seed

In a small bowl whisk the mayonnaise, milk and vinegar together until smooth. Stir in sugar and poppy seed. Refrigerate until serving time. Yield: approximately 1 ½ cups

Make It Healthier: In the dressing, use low-fat or non-fat mayonnaise and milk for the regular forms. The sugar may also be reduced to 2 tablespoons. Toast the almonds in the oven without the butter or sugar.

Make It Different: Use pecans, pine nuts or cashews instead of almonds.

Make It An Entrée: Add grilled chicken, salmon or pork tenderloin for a delicious main course.

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Fresh Strawberry Tart in Almond Shortbread Crust With Amaretto Crème Chantilly

1 (9-in.) baked almond shortbread crust (recipe follows)
5 cups fresh strawberries, washed and hulled, divided
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup water
3 heaping Tbs. cornstarch
1 tsp. butter
Amaretto Crème Chantilly (recipe follows)

Save 3 cups of the nicest, most uniform berries.

For the sauce: place the remaining 2 cups in a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. In a medium saucepan, combine the mashed strawberries and sugar.

Dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Stir into the berry mixture.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, becomes clear and just comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Refrigerate until cooled, stirring occasionally.

Spread a thin coat of sauce on the bottom of the crust. Arrange the reserved berries, hull side down on the sauce. Using a spoon, coat the berries with remaining sauce. Fill in any gaps with additional sauce.  Refrigerate until serving time.

To serve: remove the outer tart rim. Place the tart on a cake plate or a large platter. Serve the Amaretto Crème Chantilly on the side. Yield: 8 servings

Make It Faster: When it is hot I don’t like to stay at the stove cooking and stirring. The sauce can be made in the microwave quickly (and cooler for the cook, too!). Use a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup or large microwavable bowl. Cook on high in increments of 1 minute, stirring between each cooking period.

Almond Shortbread Crust
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted and cooled
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. powdered sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter, at cool room temperature but not soft
cold water

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel knife, process the almonds, flour and the powdered sugar until the almonds are finely chopped.

Cut the butter into approximately tablespoon size pieces. Arrange on top of the flour mixture.

Using the pulse or on-off technique, process until the butter is thoroughly incorporated into the flour. With the machine running add a very small amount (1 teaspoon or so) of cold water through the feed tube. The pastry should start to come together into large clumps but not one big ball.

Transfer approximately three-fourths of the dough to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. With lightly floured hands, press the dough evenly along the bottom and up the sides. Add additional dough if necessary but do not make the crust too thick. A flat bottomed glass dipped in flour can be used to even out the bottom and push the pastry into the fluted edges of the tart pan.

Refrigerate the crust for 20 to 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and with a clean hot pad or dish towel lightly press the pastry flat against the bottom of the pan. This will expel the steam created in the baking process.

Return the crust to the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown. Remove to a rack and cool.

The remaining dough can be used to make 1 to 2 individual 4-inch tarts. Chill before baking. If baking unfilled, dock the bottoms with a fork to release the steam and keep the shape of the crust as it bakes. Bake until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack. Fill as desired.

Note: In the summer, I use my toaster oven to bake the crust. It keeps the kitchen cooler and uses less energy, too.

Make It Different: Omit the almonds and add 2 teaspoons of grated lemon zest to the flour/powdered sugar. Lemon juice maybe added instead of the cold water.

Amaretto Crème Chantilly

1 cup heavy whipping cream, very cold
2 Tbs. powdered sugar
1 Tbs. amaretto liqueur

In a chilled mixing bowl, beat the cream with a hand mixer set on medium high speed. When soft peaks form, stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the powdered sugar and the amaretto. Continue to beat until the cream holds its shape when the beaters are lifted from the bowl. Keep refrigerated until served. Yield: approximately 2 cups

Make It Different: If you prefer not to use alcohol to flavor the whipped cream, substitute ½ teaspoon almond extract for the amaretto.