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Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

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Surprising someone with their favorite food is something I love to do. Yesterday when I came into Bethany I found the Sister in the kitchen doing just that. A guest from 20 years ago had returned to be with us, and the Sister was preparing dinner for him and those who would be eating with him. Remembering that he had loved our strawberry rhubarb pie, she was making one for dessert to go with the meal.
This pie has been a favorite of many when we serve it in the guest house or for retreats and at certain times offer it for sale at our Priory gift shop. We grow both the berries and rhubarb  in our gardens which I feel gives the pie extra special flavor.  However it’s delicious made with the fruits from any source even if  they’re not
homegrown.
Leaving Bethany I went out to the gardens to check  the Rhubarb patch still partially covered with snow…Sure enough brave little rosy buds were pushing their way up through the frozen soil as if to assure me that we could  indeed look forward to this favorite pie in the days ahead.
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Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
SERVINGS
8people
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
people
COOK TIME
45-50 inutes
PREP TIME
30minutes
READY IN
1 hr20 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit.
  2. For the pie crust: Combine the salt and flour together.
  3. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter until it is about pea size pieces.
  4. Add the water to the flour a little at a time using a fork to lightly mix it. Continue to add the water until the dough just comes together – don’t over work the dough or it will become tough.
  5. Shape the dough into a flat disk, cover it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  6. Once it is ready divide the dough in half and roll out the bottom crust and place in a pie dish.
  7. Combine the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, flour, and salt.
  8. Turn into the unbaked pie shell.
  9. Roll out the top crust and place over the filling. Crimp to seal edges and make a few slits along the top.
  10. Brush with egg white wash and garnish with large granule sugar.
  11. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
  12. Decrease temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling starts bubbling.

Notes:

Rhubarb is tart. The strawberries provide sweetness but, depending on your taste, you might want to add more sugar.

 

Strawberry Napoleons

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It’s strawberry time, and our strawberry patch has been producing tub after tub of beautiful berries every morning . . . a delight to look at, let alone to eat. Of course, no strawberry dessert will ever top old fashioned strawberry shortcake, in my opinion, but if you’d like to try a creation that runs it a close second, these strawberry napoleons are simple to make and delicious to eat.

Strawberry Napoleons

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Strawberry Napoleons: Recipes From A Monastery Kitchen
SERVINGS
3servings
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
servings
COOK TIME
15minutes
PREP TIME
READY IN
20minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Thaw folded pastry sheet for 20 minutes.
  3. Open sheet and cut along folds to make three equal strips; halve each strip to make six rectangles.
  4. Space apart on baking sheet.
  5. Bake in center of oven about 15 minutes until well browned and baked through.
  6. Remove to rack to cool.
  7. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whip heavy cream and powdered sugar together until cream is stiff. Set aside.
  8. In another bowl, whisk pudding mix, milk, and extract together for 2 minutes; fold in whipped cream and blend thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate.
  9. Carefully split each piece of pastry in half horizontally.
  10. Cover bottom halves with almonds, then pudding mixture and sliced strawberries, dividing equally.
  11. Cover with pastry tops. Dust with powdered sugar.
  12. *You could double the pudding mixture and use both sheets of puff pastry for more Napoleons. I ended up using all of my puff pastry to be able to have additional layers for each Napoleon.

Happy 60th Birthday Strawberry Bruschetta

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On the Cape, with the tourist season, summer officially starts on Memorial Day. This year it has been rainy and cold — more than I ever remember. It is so wet that we have not been able to get into one garden to plant it, a record late date for this!! In spite of that, the strawberries are pouring in a tubful at a time, sometimes 2 tubfuls at a time in spite of the fact that they are sometimes literally under water.

On Fridays we do projects in the kitchen — jams, cookies, or prepping for retreats or events. It is a good-sized crew, and very faithful. Last week one of the sisters was celebrating a 60th birthday. I asked one of the sisters to put something together, so we had this wonderful spread of cheese dip, cheese ball, crispy tortilla strips and… strawberry bruschetta — surprisingly delicious! Another way to enjoy those juicy jewels from the garden (or grocery store!)

Happy 60th Birthday Strawberry Bruschetta

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Happy 60th Birthday Strawberry Bruschetta
SERVINGS
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COOK TIME
4-5mins.
PREP TIME
READY IN

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Cut baguette into 1/2 inch slices.
  3. Butter one side of each slice.
  4. Place on baking sheet, and bake 4 to 5 minutes until toasty and golden.
  5. Set aside.
  6. Combine strawberries with vinegar and sugar, let sit while preparing cream cheese mixture.
  7. Beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth.
  8. Add zest and beat again to combine.
  9. Spread this onto baguette slices.
  10. Top each with strawberry mixture, and finish off with the chopped mint.

Strawberry Whipped Cream Rolls

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It is strawberry time!  And the sight of those tubs full of beautiful juicy red berries that the sisters are bringing in every morning is a joyful one to behold.  It makes me so happy just to look at them and I see a smile come over the face of each person who sees them.

This week we will celebrate the 80th birthday of one of the sisters with old fashioned fresh strawberry shortcake made with traditional biscuits and whipped cream. In the days ahead different sisters will volunteer to make their favorite strawberry desserts and I am making a request right now for my mother’s special strawberry whipped cream rolls. Helping her make them is one of my most pleasant childhood memories.

 Strawberry Whipped Cream Rolls

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Rating: 5
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Strawberry Whipped Cream Rolls
SERVINGS
9servings
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
servings
COOK TIME
25mins.
PREP TIME
READY IN

Ingredients

Instructions

Sponge cake:
  1. Combine flour and baking powder, set aside.
  2. In a bowl beat eggs with an electric mixer on high speed about 4 minutes or until thick.
  3. Gradually add sugar; beat at medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes or until light and fluffy.
  4. Add the flour mixture; beat at low to medium speed just until combined.
  5. In a saucepan heat and stir the milk and butter until butter melts; remove from heat and add vanilla extract.
  6. Add milk mixture to the batter, beating until combined.
  7. Pour into a greased, wax-papered jelly roll pan.
  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden but not dry.
To assemble:
  1. Cool and cut into 4 ½ inch squares.
  2. Spread with sweetened whipped cream.
  3. Place sliced strawberries on whip cream, roll up and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.
  4. Wrap tightly in waxed paper and refrigerate until serving.
  5. Great to pack in lunches or picnic baskets–fancier dressed up with extra sliced berries and cream as a plated dessert.

Summer Smoothie

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What’s cool, fun, beautiful to look at, satisfying, refreshing, easy to eat, pleasing to young and old alike, simple to make, nutritious and delicious?

A smoothie of course! They have definitely established themselves in our normal everyday diet. No longer unusual as they originally were.

Recently a group of friends wanted to do a little something more than just give a gift to someone on their 60th birthday. This “someone”, having many friends and well wishes had already received a number of invitations to lunch, dinner, tea and coffee hours.  What would be an appropriate way to enhance the giving of their gift?  Aha!  A “smoothie break”.  Just right. Perfect in every way.

They knew their birthday girl loved fresh fruit so they arranged a beautiful basketful as a center piece. Then they blended up a tray full of assorted smoothies. For hers, they combined strawberries, bananas, mangoes and peaches, all her favorites.  It was a tremendous success!  She loved everything about it and made it very clear that it pleased her as much, if not more, than some of her more elaborate expressions of care.  What a rewarding experience for all.

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Summer Smoothie
SERVINGS
3cups
CHANGE SERVING SIZE
cups
COOK TIME
PREP TIME
READY IN

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Add ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.
  2. You will have to turn the blender on and off intermittently and stir to help the blending process.
  3. For variety: You can add any amount of yogurt, ice cream, mint, orange zest, honey or mint in any combination that you desire.
  4. Also fruit can be fresh if you prefer.