(Strawberry) Charlotte Sometimes

Any time I hear Charlotte I think of The Cure song, so I couldn't resist with the title of this post.  If you know me, you remember my Robert Smith phase.  I miss those days sometimes :)

As for charlottes, they are good any time, especially when strawberries are in season.  You can of course use other fruit.  This is similar to a strawberry short cake, but at the same time, different.

You'll need ladyfingers, those biscuits used for a tiramisu, as well as cream, gelatine, strawberries, icing sugar, whipping cream, vanilla, some water, and I used wild strawberry liqueur.  Alcohol always adds depth to otherwise bland treats.  I don't have exact measurements, but depending on the size of your charlotte mould, you can figure them out, and follow measurement suggestions on packages of the gelatine, depending on how much you'll be using.

Soak the biscuits in alcohol mixed with some water (much more alcohol than water), line the dish with flat sides facing in.  Dissolve a bit of icing sugar in boiling water, and then dissolve the gelatine in this liquid.

Whip up cream with vanilla, and add gelatine.  Then just fill in the lined mould with layers of strawberries and cream.  Cover with remaining ladyfingers, flat side facing up.  Chill over night, be sure to put something heavy on top, which will make for a firmer charlotte.  Next day, turn it out, and serve with a strawberry sauce, which you can make yourself, by simmering berries with sugar, and mashing or pressing through a sieve, or use a good quality strawberry jam and heat it up with a bit of water and liqueur.  This is a terrific alternative to a strawberry short cake, and it really is a perfect summer treat.

Shakes and Smoothies

Shakes and smoothies are awesome.  They always taste like a treat, but are also healthy.
Here are some flavours I've made lately:

Blueberry smoothie, just frozen blueberries with whole non-homogenized milk.

Mixed berries with milk and plain 10% yogurt.

Raspberry.

Strawberry - peach.

Peach with milk and lavender honey.

The consistency depends on whether I use fresh or frozen fruit, and like I've said before, during off season, I always have frozen fruit in my freezer.  Sometimes I add whole non-homogenized milk, other times almond milk, sometimes orange juice.  Also, ground flax seeds, wheat grass, plain 10% yogurt, honey, vanilla.  Lately I just like whole non-homogenized milk and fruit, very plain, and so good.

Guten Appetit!  (German)

Instant Strawberry Ice Cream

This will probably be the only time I use the word instant here and mean it in a good way.

I just made ice cream in less than 10 minutes.  I was craving something tasty, and thought about making ice cream, but that wouldn't be ready for a few hours to a day, and I wanted something NOW.  Check this out, so yummy and so easy.  Food process frozen strawberries, whip cream with a touch of icing sugar - I should've added vanilla, but I didn't think of that until I was already scarfing down this treat - then fold the berries into the cream et voila.  It was an experiment and I didn't know what would happen, but it worked so well and has so many possibilities.  It has to be served right away, or put in the freezer.  My guess is if you have to freeze it, you may have to blend / mix it before serving.  Also, I think this works best for (frozen) fruit based ice creams.  If you want to use fresh fruit or nuts, chocolate, marshmallows, etc, it'll probably work better if it sits in the freezer for a few hours, so that those ingredients have a chance to soften and mingle  :)  then mix to fluff it.  Yum!

Buon Appetito!  (Italian)