Recipe for a Perfect Spring

Spring rolled in Reno late this year, with quite a few rainy days that brought about an abundance of strawberries. Amidst the bleak days of constant drizzle and chilly gusts, these shiny, bright red berries with their signature outside seeds seemed to be popping up like weeds at grocery markets and farm stands, plant nurseries and even hardware stores.Plump with sweet-tart juices and redolent of prolific, sun-drenched California farms, not to mention the vibrant color promising to enliven the dreariest of days, they were hard to pass by, and I found myself grabbing several cartons and a flowering plant at a time.For the most part I ate the fruits plain, straight out of the carton, with an occasional pile up in a can of chilled coconut cream. I juiced the ripest of berries into lemonade for Nicole and mounded the prettiest on Kevin's cakes. I dehydrated many a carton into fruit leather for Nicole's school snacks and cooked up a simple sauce to enjoy with pancakes in the mornings. With much confidence, I was simultaneously stuffing their lunch boxes with unadorned berries and freezing the rest for unknown uses in the future.I thought I was well up to par with the berries' short-lived seasonality until the lunch strawberries started to come back day after day with the mixed complaints of being too mushy, too bruised, too sour, too seedy and, truth be spoken, waaaay past their prime.And while my people are all about keeping up appearances, I do believe that strawberries taste the best when they are slightly too ripe. This is when most fruit develop the most flavor and, with it, the most character. Dings, bruises, and soft spots, welcome!But not to discount the fretting of the near and dear and to speed up the strawberry turnover in the fridge, I took refuge and action in the kitchen over one unusually wet weekend in March...And so I roasted them like I would any other fruit or vegetable without a particular concern for their stage of ripeness.Roasting let me deepen the berries' flavor and color as well as intensify their natural sugars. Depending on the sweetness of your strawberries, add 3-4 tablespoons of maple syrup to every pound and a half of berries and roast them, as they say, low and slow at 250° F for 2-2.5 hours or until the mixture resembles a loose jam or a thickened syrup or, better yet, something in between the two. Trust me, after a two-day strawberry-roasting marathon, you will know what I am talking about. You have to develop an eye for it.Also, throw in a few vanilla beans and a pinch of each salt and pepper and you will have something else besides the vibrant color to make up for the chromatic vistas outside: It will make your whole house smell like the best patisseries in town on the eve of Christmas; plus the salt and pepper help with the caramelization of sugars.An all-around winning topping that's best consumed warm over cold treats.And so I based the majority of the recipes featured in this post off of this simple technique.  The first time you slow roast your overripe strawberries, they wouldn't probably travel further than the edge of the baking pan simply because you would polish them off in one sitting. Just like I did. No regrets, FYI. I was able to exhibit a bit more restraint the second time around, so Kevin and Nicole were able to enjoy the jam (or the syrup?) on their bread and butter, pancakes, and ice cream.I layered my fair share into all sorts of simple parfaits.To prepare the fresh strawberries and cream cups, start by combining fresh strawberries and a bit of maple sugar in a small bowl and let stand until the berries start to release juice, about 5 minutes. Then layer unsweetened whipped coconut cream and the strawberries with their juice in a glass or a serving bowl. For the layered coconut yogurt cups with strawberry-thyme salsa, make salsa ahead of time by stirring about a pound of fresh hulled and quartered strawberries and a tablespoon of raw honey in a medium bowl. Let stand until the berries release juice, about 5 minutes. Stir in a couple of teaspoons of fresh lemon juice and up to a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves. Chill at least 30 minutes before layering into parfait glasses with plain coconut milk yogurt. Top with granola, if desired.Roasted strawberry Eton mess with maple-ginger meringue just sounds fancy but is a breeze to assemble once you have your meringue cookies on hand. To make the maple-ginger meringue, preheat oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small saucepan, bring 1-2 inches of water to a simmer. In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Set over the pot of simmering water and stir constantly until the mixture is warmed through, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the bowl from heat and beat the mixture with the whisk attachment on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5-7 minutes. Carefully fold in 1/2 tablespoon freshly grated ginger root. Drop the meringue mixture with two spoons onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing the mounds about 1 inch apart. Bake until dry, about 1 1/2-2 hours, rotating the sheet halfway through. Turn off the oven and let the meringues cool completely inside the oven. Break into rough 1/2-inch bits.To assemble 4 8-ounce parfait glasses, you would need about 1 cup unsweetened whipped coconut cream and 1 recipe slow-roasted strawberries. Spoon about 1/4 cup of coconut cream into each of four glasses. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the slow-roasted strawberry mixture into each glass, then top with several spoonfuls of meringue pieces, reserving about a tablespoon for garnish per glass. Layer in the remaining cream, dividing it evenly, then spoon in the remaining berry mixture. Garnish with the reserved meringue pieces and toasted almonds. Yum!By the time I had converted most of the fresh strawberries into the roasted ones, my fridge was crammed with jars instead of cartons, and Nicole asked me if they sold any other berries at the store. And I thought I was creative with my surplus of strawberries.  In a desperate attempt to use up the roasted berries now and bring my family's tail-spinning appetite back in check, I put myself to the task of folding them into everything I baked. The layered roasted strawberry-banana muffins and the almond, vanilla and roasted strawberry galette were the delicious culmination of that. Between a few failed versions and sharing the final goods with family and friends, I successfully cleared away the fridge.Well, maybe there's half a dozen muffins brushed off to the side. I will sneak a few in Nicole's lunch tomorrow.So a little rain outside and a fridge chock-full of strawberries goes a long way in the kitchen. Isn't it what spring is all about? Oh yeah, and some poppies. Aren't they beautiful?Recipe for Olga's Original Layered Roasted Strawberry-Banana Muffins* (Paleo Friendly, Gluten Free, Grain Free)Ingredients:1. 1 cup (140 g) cassava flour2. 1/4 cup (35 g) coconut flour3. 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch/flour4. 1/2 teaspoon salt5. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder6. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda7. 6 tablespoons (60 g) coconut oil, at room temperature8. 1/3 cup (70 ml) honey9. 1/2 cup (115 g) mashed ripe bananas, from about 2 small bananas10. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract11. 3 large eggs, at room temperature12. 1/2 cup (125 ml) full-fat coconut milk13. 3/4 cup roasted strawberries, see recipe above14. 6-7 small fresh strawberries for garnish, slivered15. 1 tablespoon vanilla bean gheeDirections:1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.3. In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat coconut oil, honey and mashed bananas on medium speed until creamy. Stir in vanilla.4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mixture will look "curdled" after the addition of eggs, especially if you used cold eggs; but it will smooth out as it cooks.5. Add coconut milk and beat until combined.6. Add flour mixture and beat some more until blended. Let batter rest for up to 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.7. Spoon batter into lined cups, filling each halfway full. Spoon about 2-3 roasted strawberries into each cup. Top with remaining batter.8. Place 2-3 strawberry slivers on top of each muffin and brush with melted ghee.9. Bake about 18-20 minutes or until tops are nicely browned, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn out muffins onto rack and let cool completely.Makes 12 Recipe for Olga's Original Almond, Vanilla and Roasted Strawberry Galette** (Paleo Friendly, Gluten Free, Grain Free)Ingredients:For the crust:1. 1 cup (140 g) cassava flour2. 1 cup (80 g) super-fine natural almond flour3. 1/2 cup (60 g) tapioca starch/flour4 .1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped; pod reserved for another use5. Pinch of pink Himalayan salt6. 80 g chilled almond paste7. 100 g chilled vanilla bean ghee8. 1 large egg9. 1 teaspoon almond extract10. 2 tablespoons ice-cold vodka11. 2-3 tablespoons ice-cold waterFor the filling:1. 2.5 lbs firm, ripe strawberries, divided2. 5-6 tablespoons Grade A maple syrup, divided3. 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped; pod reserved for another use4. Pinch of pink Himalayan salt5. 4 tablespoons super-fine natural almond flour6. 2 tablespoons tapioca starch/flour7.1 tablespoon vanilla bean ghee, melted8. 1 large egg yolk9. 1 tablespoon full-fat coconut milk10. 2-3 tablespoons coconut sugar, optionalDirections:1. To make the filling: Preheat oven to 250° F. Rinse and hull 1.5 pounds strawberries. Leave any tiny ones whole and halve or quarter the rest, so they all look uniform in size. In a shallow baking pan, gently toss strawberries with 4 tablespoons maple syrup, vanilla bean seeds and salt; spread in a single layer. Roast slowly, uncovered, for 2 to 2.5 hours until berries look jammy, and their juices have reduced to syrup. Mash coarsely and let cool completely.1. To make the crust: Place flours, vanilla bean seeds and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add almond paste and vanilla bean ghee and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, whisk together egg, almond extract, vodka and 1 tablespoon water; drizzle over flour mixture. Pulse until mixture just begins to hold together. If dough is too dry, add 2 tablespoons more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse. Gather dough into a ball. On a piece of parchment paper lightly floured with tapioca starch, roll out dough to a 13" by 16" oval, 1/4 inch thick. Do not worry if dough tears. Just patch it up and carry on. Transfer dough and parchment to a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight.2. To assemble the galette: Preheat oven to 375° F. In a small bowl, combine almond flour and tapioca starch; sprinkle over dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Spoon roasted strawberry mixture over it. Thinly slice 1 pound of strawberries, reserving end pieces for another use. Arrange decoratively on top of roasted strawberry mixture. Fold in edges, patching up any tears. Brush berries with 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup (depending on the sweetness of your strawberries) mixed in with melted vanilla bean ghee. Whisk egg yolk with coconut milk; brush over edges of galette. Sprinkle entire surface of galette with 2-3 tablespoons coconut sugar. Bake until golden, about 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.Serves 6-8Notes:* and ** developed at an altitude of 4500 feet above sea level