The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Berry Bonanza
Recipes for deep-fried strawberries, blueberry muffins, and berry rainbow smoothie bowl
When it comes to berries, Driscoll’s is probably a familiar name. With more than 100 years of farming heritage and hundreds of independent growers around the world, Driscoll’s is passionate about growing great-tasting berries. Driscoll’s varieties were developed through years of research using only natural breeding methods.
Just in time for National Berry Month, which is celebrated in July, the company announced the top berry-loving markets in the United States. I was surprised that in its reveal, Hartford/New Haven claimed a spot as one of the top three most berry-adoring markets in the country, keeping company with Boston and Minneapolis/ St. Paul. In the top 10 raspberry loving cities, Hartford/New Haven was No. 7; it was also No. 4 for strawberries, No. 7 for blackberries, and No. 2 for blueberries.
To uncover residents’ love for berries, Driscoll’s looked at data reported by The Nielsen Company’s research on the highest weekly store sales of fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries throughout the country.
It was also found that residents in the top 10 berry-loving markets consume nearly 400 million pounds of fresh berries, or more than 25 percent of America’s total berry consumption.
Of course, I had to do some berry research of my own. These are a few of my interesting finds:
• Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the exterior.
• Early American colonists boiled blueberries in milk to make grey paint.
• Raspberries do not ripen after they have been picked.
• Gold-colored raspberries are the sweetest variety.
• Raspberries, like strawberries and blackberries, belong to the rose family.
• Mexico produces more than 75 percent of blackberries consumed in the United States.
Summer is the time to pick your own berries at many local farms. Let the family experience the outdoors together and then enjoy the bounty they have harvested. I suggest you call ahead to see which crops are ready to pick. Here are some of the pick-your-ownfarms in southern Connecticut to check out for berrypicking:
Bishop’s (1355 Boston Post Road, Guilford, 203458-7425, strawberries, blueberries), Jones Family Farms (606 Walnut Tree Hill Road, Shelton, 203929-8425, strawberries, blueberries), Lyman Orchards (Routes 147 and 157, Middlefield, 860-349-1793, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), Norton Brothers Fruit Farm (466 Academy Road, Cheshire, 203272-8418, blueberries, raspberries), Rose Orchards (33 Route 139, North Branford, 203-488-7996, strawberries, raspberries), Scott’s Connecticut Valley Orchards (274 Kelsey Hill Road, Deep River, 860-526-9633).
For more listings and information about southern Connecticut pick-yourown-farms, check out bit. ly/2stjgJs.
After you have collected all of those berries, check out these recipes. Of course, if you want someone else to pick those berries, you could always purchase Driscoll’s or berries from your farmers market. The folks at Driscoll’s asked me to share these recipes with you. For the recipe for swirled blackberry cheesecake, visit bit.ly/2uO0hdi.
Juicy strawberries become juicier when coated with a light batter and deep-fried until golden. It’s a whimsical treat that you’ll love to serve. Use a candy thermometer to heat oil to the right temperature and be careful. A light dusting of powdered sugar adds a touch of sweetness.
DEEP-FRIED STRAWBERRIES
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1 package (¼ ounce) active dry yeast ¼ cup warm (110-115 degrees) water ¾ cup club soda or lemonlime soda 1 package (16 ounces) strawberries (large or long-stem if available) 3 tablespoons powdered sugar Canola oil Fresh mint, for garnish
Whisk together flour and granulated sugar. Set aside. Combine yeast and warm water in a large bowl and whisk until yeast dissolves. Whisk in club soda or lemonlime soda. Whisk in flour mixture until smooth and blended. Cover loosely and let rest 1 hour.
Meanwhile, remove calyx (green leaves on top) from strawberries but do not hull. Pat strawberries dry. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Set aside. Place extra flour in a small bowl.
Heat 2 inches of oil in a large heavy-duty saucepot to 375-380 degrees (use a candy thermometer).
Dip strawberries, one at a time, in bowl of flour, dusting off excess. Dip floured strawberries in batter and turn to coat (batter will be very thick). Carefully place in oil (using tongs or a long skewer) and fry until lightly golden all over (carefully stir with slotted spoon to evenly cook), 1 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strawberries.
Place fried strawberries on a platter, dust with powdered sugar and garnish with mint leaves. Serve immediately. Makes 6-8 servings.
DRISCOLL’S EASY BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
1 package (6 ounces) blueberries 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup sugar 1 cup milk 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper liners. Gently toss blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour and set aside.
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In another large bowl whisk eggs, sugar, milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the dry mixture over the wet ingredients and blend together just until combined. Don’t overmix or the muffins will be tough.
Gently fold in blueberries. Be careful not to break them open.
Divide batter between muffin cups. Bake until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
This smoothie bowl is a masterpiece in and of itself. It’s fun to make and almost too beautiful to eat!
DRISCOLL’S BERRY RAINBOW SMOOTHIE BOWL
Smoothie Base 1 package (6 ounces) raspberries, divided ½ cup almond milk 2 medium bananas Toppings 1 tablespoon shredded coconut 1 tablespoon cocoa nibs 2 tablespoons dried apricots, chopped 35 pistachios, shelled 10blueberries
Set aside 7 raspberries. Place the rest of the raspberries in a blender along with the bananas and almond milk. Blend on high speed until the mixture swirls easily inside the blender. Pour the mixture into a mediumsized cereal bowl. Begin building your rainbow by sprinkling the shredded coconut in the shape of the letter ‘C’ near one edge of the cereal bowl.
Sprinkle the cocoa nibs in an arch along the edge of the coconut away from the rim of the bowl. Next, sprinkle the pistachios alongside the cocoa nibs. Make an arch of blueberries next to the pistachios. Carefully drop the chopped apricots along the edge of the blueberries. Complete the rainbow by placing the raspberries that you reserved earlier one by one next to the apricots. Serve immediately.
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Which restaurant recipes or other recipes would you like to have? Which food products are you having difficulty finding? Do you have cooking questions? Send them to me.
Contact Stephen Fries, professor and coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, at gw-stephen. fries@gwcc.commnet.edu or Dept. FC, Gateway Community College, 20 Church St., New Haven 06510. Include your full name, address and phone number. Due to volume, I might not be able to publish every request. For more, go to stephenfries.com.