2016 Florida Strawberry Festival Guide Recipes
Strawberry Lemon Bars
Julie Hasting, mother of FFA student
Adding a little bit of zest to those fresh Florida strawberries will make even the pickiest eaters smile. These strawberry lemon bars are a tasty treat for berry lovers of all ages.
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon lemon zest
3/4 cup cold butter
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup strawberry preserves and cut up fresh berries
1 container Cool Whip
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Stir flour, powdered sugar and lemon zest in medium bowl.
3. Cut in butter with pastry blender until crumbly.
4. Press mixture onto bottom of lightly covered 13-by-9 greased pan.
5. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until lightly browned.
6. Beat cream cheese and granulated sugar with mixer until smooth.
7. Add eggs one at a time and beat until blended. Stir in fresh lemon juice and remaining 1/4 lemon zest.
8. Spread preserves over short bread, pour cream cheese mixture over preserves to the edges.
9. Bake 28 to 30 minutes until set.
10. Let cool for about an hour.
11. Cover and chill for four hours.
12. Cut into bars.
13. Add whip cream and fresh berries on top.
Strawberry Pie
Heather Hinson Riley, mother of 2016 Strawberry Queen
The perfect dessert for summer or winter, this strawberry pie is an easy make for family and friends or special cook-outs.
Ingredients
1 box Dream Whip
1 graham cracker crust
6 cups sugar
4 cups mashed strawberries
1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
1 box Sure-Jell
Directions
1. Make graham cracker crust by package directions. Set in fridge.
2. Boil mashed berries and Sure-Jell to a hard boil. Slowly add sugar while stirring constantly. Bring back to a hard boil for one minute. Set aside.
3. Make Dream Whip by package directions.
4. In pie crust, layer Dream Whip, sliced berries and cooked filling.
5. Cool in fridge.
Fresh Strawberry Monkey Bread
Courtney Panneton, contributor of “Florida Strawberries: A Taste of Summer All Winter Long”
This recipe, featured in the new cookbook “Florida Strawberries: A Taste of Summer All Winter Long,” will
have you going nutty. A mix of strawberries, cinnamon and pecans makes this a sweet treat for everyone to enjoy.
Ingredients
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds or pecans
1 (16-ounce) container of fresh strawberries, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about two and one half cups), divided
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, cut into fourths
1/2 cup butter
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 15-cup bundt pan with cooking spray.
3. Sprinkle nuts into the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with one cup of strawberries.
4. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Dredge biscuit quarters in sugar mixture.
5. Layer half of biscuit quarters over strawberries in prepared pan. Top with one cup of strawberries.
6. Layer remaining biscuit quarters over strawberries and set aside.
7. In a small saucepan, combine butter, remaining 1/2 cup of strawberries and remaining one cup of sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Pour over biscuit quarters in pan.
8. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, covering with foil to prevent excess browning if necessary.
9. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes.
10. Invert pan onto a serving dish and serve.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread
Sandee Sytsma, Florida Strawberry Festival director
Well-acquainted with the wide world of strawberries, Sandee Sytsma, the daughter of legendary strawberry grower Roy Parke, describes this strawberry cream cheese spread as one of her “simple favorites.” The cream cheese spread is quick and easy to make and doubles as a perfect snack when paired with crackers or spread on some fruit.
Ingredients
1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup strawberries, chopped
1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions
1. Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar; beat until light and fluffy.
2. Add strawberries, pecans and lemon juice, blending well.
3. Chill several hours.
4. Serve on crackers or bread.
Strawberry Cookie Pizza
Yvonne Fry, Fresh Picked Talent founder
The only thing that could make this recipe any better is if your local pizza guy could deliver it whenever you want. This sensational strawberry pizza is sure to be a hit with berry lovers and pizza aficionados.
Ingredients
1 package sugar cookie dough or dough made from scratch
8 ounces cream cheese
1 stick of butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups of confectioners sugar
2 cups thinly sliced strawberries
Directions
1.Roll out sugar cookie dough on pizza round, bake and let cool.
2.Beat the cream cheese and a stick of butter until it becomes creamy.
3. Add two teaspoons vanilla extract and slowly add four cups of confectioners sugar until well-blended and fluffy.
4. Spread the icing over the cookie.
5. Decorate with Plant City strawberries and slice like a pizza.
Strawberry Brie Flatbread Salad
Isabel Reis Laessig, Sunday Supper LLC.
Forget boring salads as your only healthy option. This flatbread delicacy, which was featured on FamilyFoodie.com, is healthy, easy to make and, most importantly, tasty. It’ll be gobbled up before you know it.
Ingredients
1 large, thin flatbread
6 thin slices of brie cheese, approximately 1/4 of a brie wheel, skin removed and sliced thin.
6 to 9 large Florida strawberries, sliced thin
1 cup arugula
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
Fresh ground sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lay the flatbread on a pizza tray and evenly top with slices of brie cheese.
3. Bake for approximately eight minutes, or until the flatbread is crispy and the cheese is bubbling.
4. Let cool for five minutes.
5. In a small bowl, mix the arugula, olive oil and vinegar.
6. Layer a row of Florida strawberries on top of the brie flatbread.
7. Top with the arugula.
8. Add the additional sliced strawberries on top of the arugula.
9. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with fresh ground salt and pepper to taste.
Strawberry Pretzel Pie
Melissa Gaudens, mother of Strawberry Queen first maid
Melissa Gaudens submitted this tasty twist on a classic sweet recipe, originally featured on The Pioneer Woman and the Food Network. This delicious dish provides the perfect match of salty and sweet.
Ingredients
For Pretzel Crust:
3 1/2 cups pretzels
1 stick butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
For strawberry filling:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 package strawberry-flavored gelatin powder
3 pints strawberries, hulled and halved
2 cups heavy cream
Directions
For the pretzel crust:
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Crush the pretzels in a large, resealable plastic bag with a rolling pin.
3. Mix in a bowl with the melted butter and brown sugar.
4. Press into a pie pan and bake for eight minutes.
5. Remove and set aside to cool.
For the strawberry filling:
1. Put 1 1/2 cups water, the granulated sugar, cornstarch and gelatin powder together in a saucepan.
2. Stir together and bring to a boil.
3. Cook until it begins to thicken and remove.
4. Put the strawberries in a bowl and pour over the sauce, gently tossing together.
5. Allow to cool slightly.
6. Carefully pile the coated strawberries into the cooled pie crust.
7. Spoon over any leftover sauce and refrigerate uncovered for four hours.
8. Pour the cream into the bowl of a mixer and whisk until billowy.
9. Top the pie with a huge layer of whipped cream, spooned on with a big spoon.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
