Strawberry And Sesame Swirl Soft Serve Recipes

STRAWBERRY AND SESAME SWIRL SOFT SERVE

Steps:

• Place the strawberries, yogurt, cream, tahini and sugar in a blender or food processor, and blitz, scraping down the sides as needed, until smooth.
• Crumble the halvah on top and stir through to distribute. Serve in chilled glasses with more halvah crumbled on top. Eat quickly.

CHAMOMILE STRAWBERRY GIN DAISY COCKTAIL

Steps:

• Place the strawberry in a cocktail shaker. Using a muddler, smash the strawberry into a purée. (If you don't have a muddler, you can use a small bowl and the tines of a fork or the handle of a wooden spoon to smash the berry before adding it to the cocktail shaker.)
• Add the gin, chamomile simple syrup, lemon juice, grenadine and a handful of ice to the shaker. Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds. Add more chamomile simple syrup and lemon to taste.
• Strain into a large (8- to 10-ounce) glass or cup. (If you prefer, you can serve over ice as well.) Garnish with strawberry slices or an edible flower, if desired.

BUTTERMILK-BISCUIT SHORTCAKES WITH STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• Make the saucy berries: Steep the tea bag in boiling water for 5 minutes; pour the tea into a medium pot. Mix in the sugar, zest and berries, and cook, stirring, until the syrup bubbles exuberantly and the berries soften, about 5 minutes. Scrape into a bowl, discard zest and let cool while you make the biscuits.
• Make the biscuits: Heat the oven to 400, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Put the sugar and zest in a large bowl, and rub them between your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Add the dry ingredients, and stir with a fork to blend. Drop in the butter, toss it around with your fingers until it's coated with flour and then press and pinch until you've got pea-size pieces of butter and flakes like oatmeal. Make a well in the center, pour in the cold buttermilk and turn and stir with a fork until the dough forms moist curds and clumps. Some dry crumbs may remain in the bottom of the bowl - don't fuss with them now. Reach in with your hands, and knead gently, folding the dough on itself about 8 times, until it forms a ball.
• Dust the counter lightly with flour, turn out the dough, dust the top and roll to a scant 1/2-inch thick. (Size and shape don't matter.) Using a 2-to-2 1/2-inch biscuit or other cutter, cut rounds as close to one another as possible. Cut in a quick up-and-down movement - if you twist the cutter, you'll impede the biscuits' rise and their flakiness. Arrange 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Gather the scraps together, reroll and cut more biscuits, knowing that these scrappers may not rise as high as those in the first round.
• Bake the biscuits for 16-18 minutes, or until they're tall and golden; transfer to a cooling rack. Use the biscuits when they're warm or at room temperature.
• Make the topping: Toss the berries and sugar together; leave on the counter, stirring now and then, while you whip the cream. Using a mixer, beat the cream just until it begins to thicken, then whip in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Don't overbeat - soft cream is good here.
• To assemble: Pull apart each biscuit along a natural flake line, and place the bottoms on plates. Top each with a spoonful of saucy berries, cream and then sugared berries. Decide what to do with the other half of each biscuit: Lean it up against the shortcake; place it at a jaunty angle on top of each shortcake; make another shortcake with it; or tuck it away to toast in the morning.

PISTACHIO POUNDCAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES

Steps:

• Prepare the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-x-5-x-3-inch loaf pan.
• Grind the pistachios in a food processor just until they resemble coarse meal. Be careful to not grind them into pistachio butter. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and pulse until combined.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, then, with the mixer still running, slowly stream in the sugar. Cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Occasionally stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts.
• With the mixer on low speed, add half the flour mixture, then the milk, and finally the remaining flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Finish mixing the batter by hand with a rubber spatula. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
• Pour batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Cool 15 minutes in the pan, then remove the cake to a rack to cool completely.
• Prepare the strawberries: Combine sugar, lavender and vanilla seeds in a mortar and grind with a pestle until the lavender is broken up into fine bits and the sugar is fragrant.
• Hull the strawberries and slice in half if they are small, or in quarters if they are larger. Combine the sliced berries and sugar mixture in a bowl and stir gently. Let macerate for at least 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.
• To serve, slice the cooled cake into thick pieces and top each slice with a generous spoonful of berries and their juices. Top with whipped cream. Extra cake keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.