Vanilla Creams With Strawberries In Cassis Recipes

VANILLA CREAMS WITH STRAWBERRIES IN CASSIS

Steps:

• Place 2 sieves over bowls; line sieves with cheesecloth or damp kitchen towel. Spoon yogurt into 1 sieve; spoon fromage blanc into second sieve. Cover; chill overnight. Scrape drained yogurt and fromage blanc into large bowl; whisk to combine. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Gently mix in 3 tablespoons sugar and lemon peel. Whisk egg white in medium bowl until peaks form. Gently fold egg white into cheese mixture. Divide among 6 small bowls. Cover; chill at least 8 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
• Toss berries, 2 tablespoons sugar, and cassis in large bowl. Let stand until berries release juices, stirring occasionally, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• Sift or sprinkle brown sugar evenly over each dessert. Spoon berries and juices over.

PINK PEPPERCORN PAVLOVA WITH STRAWBERRIES, VANILLA CREAM, AND BASIL SYRUP

Steps:

• For basil syrup:
• Blanch 1/3 cup basil leaves in small saucepan of boiling water 30 seconds. Drain, then transfer basil to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain; squeeze out excess water from basil. Puree basil with corn syrup in blender. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or overnight to allow flavors to develop. Bring basil syrup to room temperature, then strain through sieve into small bowl.
• For meringues:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 275°. Firmly trace six 21/2-inch circles on parchment paper, then invert onto baking sheet. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, beating to medium-firm peaks. Mix remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch in small bowl. Gradually beat sugar-cornstarch mixture into meringue; continue beating until very stiff. Beat in white wine vinegar. Fold in peppercorns. Divide meringue between circles; spread to fill completely. Bake until outside is dry, about 25 minutes. Turn oven off and open door just slightly. Let meringues cool in oven until completely dry, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
• For strawberry coulis:
• Puree berries and sugar in blender until smooth.
• For vanilla cream:
• Place cream and sugar in medium bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Using electric mixer, beat cream to soft peaks. do ahead Coulis and vanilla cream can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.
• Place small dollop of vanilla cream in center of each of 6 plates. Spoon circle of strawberry coulis around vanilla cream. Top each with 1 meringue. Spoon generous amount of vanilla cream atop meringues. Top with quartered strawberries and fresh basil leaves. Drizzle basil syrup over and serve.

CREPES WITH RASPBERRY-CASSIS SAUCE

Steps:

• To make crepe batter, place milk, eggs, salt and sugar in blender. Turn on and, with the motor running, add flours, then melted butter and blend at high speed for 1 minute, until well mixed and smooth. Transfer to a bowl, stir in lime zest, cover and let rest for at least 30 minutes. If resting batter longer, refrigerate. (Whisk again before making crepes.)
• While batter is resting, make raspberry sauce. Combine 1/3 cup water and sugar in small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in rose water, raspberries and cassis liqueur. Return to heat, bring to a simmer, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain the mixture into a bowl. Press the raspberry pulp through strainer with a spatula and discard seeds. Whisk or stir to blend pulp and syrup and set aside.
• Make the yogurt filling: In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, honey, lime zest and juice. Taste and adjust sweetness. Set aside.
• To make crepes, heat 8-inch nonstick crepe pan or skillet over medium-high heat and brush lightly with butter. Pan must be hot when you add crepe batter. Lift pan off heat and pour or ladle in a scant 1/4 cup batter, enough to thinly coat bottom of pan. Tilt and swirl pan to distribute batter in an even layer. Return pan to heat and cook crepe for about 1 minute, until edges color and bottom of crepe is lightly browned. Crepe should not stick to pan. Flip crepe over and cook for 30 seconds on the other side, until speckled. Turn out onto a plate. Continue with remaining batter, brushing pan occasionally with butter if desired.
• If you want to serve crepes at their hottest, assemble them as they come out of the pan. Spread a rounded tablespoon of the yogurt mixture over each crepe, drizzle on 1/2 teaspoon raspberry sauce, fold crepe in half and then in half again. Place on plate or platter. When all crepes are made and filled, spoon or pour sauce over, garnish with raspberries, and, if desired, dust with powdered sugar. Serve.

VANILLA CREAM OR SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 2 cups milk in a heavy saucepan over low heat until simmering, about 5 minutes.
• Beat remaining 1/2 cup milk and cornstarch together in a bowl using a whisk until dissolved; add sugar and egg yolks and beat until smooth. Slowly pour milk mixture into simmering milk while gently whisking the simmering milk; simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir vanilla extract into sauce.
• Pour the sauce through a wire mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any cornstarch lumps. Place a piece of plastic wrap on top of the sauce, ensuring the plastic wrap is touching the sauce to prevent a skin from forming; cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
• Move sauce to refrigerator and chill completely cold, at least 30 minutes.

STRAWBERRIES WITH CASSIS

Steps:

• Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Refrigerate.)
• Whip cream and powdered sugar in large bowl until stiff peaks form. Spoon 2/3 cup berries and some juices into each of 20 balloon glasses. Top each with spoonful of whipped cream and serve.

STRAWBERRIES WITH CASSIS

Steps:

• Halve or quarter the berries, depending on their size.
• Combine first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Refrigerate.).
• Whip cream and powdered sugar in large bowl until stiff peaks form. Spoon 2/3 cup fresh berries and some juices into each of 20 balloon glasses. Top each with spoonful of whipped cream and serve.
• Serves 20.