It’s Berry Season! Go Wild!
Go berry picking and turn the fruits of your labor into delicious pies, cobblers, trifles, and more.
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Prevent Moldy Berries
Berries are delicious, but they’re also delicate. Raspberries in particular seem like they can mold before you even get them home from the market. There’s nothing more tragic than paying $4 for a pint of local raspberries, only to look in the fridge the next day and find that fuzzy mold growing on their insides. Well, with fresh berries just starting to hit farmers markets, we can tell you how to keep them fresh! Here’s a tip I’m sharing on how to prevent them from going bad in the first place: Wash them with vinegar.
When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best) and ten parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want (though the mixture is so diluted you can’t taste the vinegar), allow to air dry, then pop the berries in the fridge in a sealed container. (A dry paper towel at the bottom of the container is helpful to soak up any excess moisture.) The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit—and voila! Raspberries will last a week or more, and strawberries can go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft. So go forth and stock up on those pricey little gems, knowing they’ll stay fresh as long as it takes you to eat them.
You’re so berry welcome!
Chocolate Cream and Strawberry Pie
By Anne Coleman
http://family.go.com/food/berry-best-desserts-pg
This great chilled pie for summer combines delicious chocolate and fresh strawberries for a knockout dessert. It’s a perfect recipe to make ahead of time for a picnic, cookout, or summer special occasion.
Hands-On Time: 15 minutes
Ready In: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients: 12 ounces chocolate chips; 1 cup milk, any fat content; 1 large egg; 1 9-inch pie crust; 1 quart fresh strawberries, washed and hulled; 1/4 cup strawberry jelly or preserves; 1 Tablespoon water
Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
1. Combine chocolate chips and milk in a heavy saucepan. Heat on the low setting until chips begin to melt. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat.
2. Beat egg and add 1/4 cup of hot chocolate mixture to egg. Stir quickly so the egg does not cook.
3. Add egg and chocolate to the first mixture, then blend well.
4. Pour chocolate into pie crust and bake for 25 minutes, or until center is lightly set.
5. Chill pie for 30 minutes. Top pie with strawberries, points up.
6. Combine strawberry preserves with water and stir until smooth. Brush or drizzle over strawberries.
7. Chill until serving time.
