Strawberry Lemon Thyme Trifle

It all started with madelines gone bad.  Last week I was trying to make some nice madelines for Vicky's birthday bash but it was a new recipe and I overfilled the tins, which resulted in a square lumps of cakes vs. the nice scallop shapes.  It tasted wonderful so I saved them to make a trifle.

I decided to make it for my brother's birthday BBQ.  The madelines were made with lemon thyme herb so playing off this flavor profile, I thought strawberries and lemon would be good.


There were four components which were lemon curd, fresh whipped cream, macerated strawberries, and the madelines torn into pieces.

I added more of the fresh lemon thyme to the strawberries.  This herb is so good.  I think better in sweet dishes then savory.

I layered each components starting and ending with the whipped cream.

It was good.  A nice combo of sweet, tart, and the freshness.  

My Love of...Walrus and Carpenter

I've had a love affair with Walrus and Carpenter and still do.  It's by far my favorite restaurant to date and it's the way I LOVE to eat.  I'm surprised I've not wrote about it yet.  Well, I guess I've not been at a place mentally to write about all my loves last year.  

It started with a happy hour in the winter of 2010, then I started going there at least once a month, taking new and old friends.  Any excuse to go, I was there. They are located in my neighborhood of Ballard, so it really was the place I've revisited the most in 2011.

It's an oyster bar but I've never eaten oysters.  It's all about small plates of food and amazing drinks. It's about sharing with your diners.  What I love about this place is that they really pay attention to the details.  The small details that make the dish.  Food is always consistent, high quality, and delicious!  It's whimsical and has personality.  The wait staff is so nice and attentive, and you can tell they love working there.  

Well, since I've been going there from the beginning, it's been tough to get a table.  You either get there right when they open or put your name in and get a drink at the bike shop.   Then, Frank Bruni of NY Times had to write up this raves about the place. Then, they are named best new restaurants in America by Bon Appetite magazine.  There have been other raves and I wish people would stop.  :)  I want my neighborhood spot back that I can get a table reasonably...

Here are some of the amazing dishes...

Cheese with Pickled Prunes

Cheese & Curried Apricot

Ramps with Fried Egg

Fried Oysters

Smoked Trout
Another favorite that I get every time.  You have to eat it with  all 3 parts, the fish, the pickled onion, the lentil and walnut salad.  It just balances itself.  Yum!

Steak Tartare

Grilled Asparagus

Clam Tartare

Oh my god...and their desserts...amazing!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

The best I've had by far.  I even had this dish in London and W&C version is to dream about!

Panna Cotta with Balsamic Strawberries

The one pic that I don't have and wish I had is the Fried Brussels Sprouts.  It's another favorite but they only have it seasonally. It's like eating French Fries.  It's sooo good.  They have it now...go there my friends!

http://thewalrusbar.com/ 

Berry Berry Jams

I love jams!  I love making jams!  I love picking fresh berries and making jams!

One of my favorite things to do at the start of summer is to pick berries and then make freezer jams.  I make enough jams to last me a whole year, and also give out to my dear friends.


This is what I did today with friends.  We went to the Remlinger Farms in Carnation, WA,  where they have organic strawberries which were already 2 weeks in season, and today was the start of raspberry season.  The fruits weren't as plentiful as in the years past because as you all know in Seattle, we've not had much of a summer.  Still yet, the fruits were good, much better than any you buy at the store.  You can tell by the sweet smell of the berries which are much sweeter than even the organic ones in the store...


Started at 9am in the morning with a trip to the farm....


Here is the gang, except Bia who joined us a little later.

The strawberries at these farms are always much smaller than what you see at the grocery stores.   This is what makes flavorful jams and these are really sweet!

It took a whiles but were able to fill our flat

After the strawberries, we went to pick the raspberries.  Now the strawberries are smaller than the ones you normally buy, but raspberries are much bigger than the raspberries you see in the store.   They are just as sweet and flavorful.

But, there were more green ones than the red ones.

We were able to find a good amount of it though.

At the end of day, were able able to go home with about 1 full flat of raspberries and 2 full flat of strawberries.  $1 per pound for strawberries and $2 per pound for the raspberries.  What a deal!

Now home to make the jam....


I like to make freezer jam because you don't have to cook the berries. Cooking berries kills the  enzymes, the freshness, and the vibrant summer flavors of the berries.   Freezer jams help retain the flavors because you store them in the freezer and they won't spoil. Amazingly they stay very fresh.  You can keep it in the freezer for up to 1 year, I think I've gone even 1 year and half.  Below is the recipe I use from the back of the pectin label.  Below are pictures of how we spent the day making it, and then enjoying with some bread.


8 cups of crushed berries
3 cups of Sugar
2 packages of instant pectin
-Stem and wash the berries well.  Drain all the water.
-Put the berries in a large bowl.  Crush the berries using your hands.  Wear plastic gloves because berries will stain the fingers.
-Mix the sugar and pectin and combine well using a wire wisk.
-Pour the sugar/pectin mixture into the berry mixture and stir well.
-Ladle or pour the berry mixture into the clean mason jars.  Let sit at least 30 minutes and cover with lids.
-Put the finished jams into freezer or refrigerate if you are going to eat right away. 
-When you want more jam, take out of freezer and let sit in refrigerator for a few hours until defrosted.
-Serve them with your favorite bread, ice cream, or any other times you need a sweetness of a fresh fruit jam.


Once we got home, we got started with removing the stems of the strawberries.

Then washed them with water then drained.

After that, it's time to smash the berries with hand. It's okay and good to have some good chunky pieces.

For the raspberries or anytime you make berries with lots of seeds, make sure to strain the berry juice.  Save 1/2 seeds and add them back to the juice mixture.  If you kept all the seeds then it's too much and too distracting, but you need the seeds to give characteristics of the berry, raspberry in this case.

Here is what your final mixture will look like.

Next you prepare your pectic and sugar mixture.  These are considered dry ingredients, so they need to be mixed evenly before adding to the berry mixture.

After the berry an sugar/pectin mixture is well combined, then you ladle them into your jars.

Or your can pour them via funnel.  Whatever is the easiest or the kind of jars you are using.

Here are our final jars...

We enjoyed them with fresh bread and croissants.

We ended up making 63 jars, sizes varied from 1 pint jars to 1/4 pint jars. Phew, another year good of berry jams.  I will try other fruits with the seasons....

Strawberry Tarts

Dessert from June's Homeless cooking. Puff pastry with macerated strawberries, banana, chocolate ganache, and some had homemade caramel sauce. This was so good!