Strawberry Crisp with Buttermilk Cream Cheese Ice Cream

Go ahead, roll your eyes, I know what you are thinking. 

"She just posted a grilling recipe, then some random collection of links about her favorite things as if she’s Oprah, and now some sort of baked fruit concoction?"

 Pretty darn predictable.  

It would seem that we have all fallen into a trap of blogging predictability.  Maybe everyone is baking the same things right now, and maybe I should try to defy my natural cravings and give you a recipe for homemade kelp chips…  I could do that.  I could sprinkle some nutritional yeast over them and say that they taste just like Cheetos.  Maybe it would end up being a nominee for the most popular pin for vegans.  Maybe.

The reason I have not done that (other than the glaring fact that it sounds positively revolting), is that this ever-changing, but occasionally predictable, site is like my brain come to life, except less stressful and with pretty pictures.  I share with you the things that make me happy, whether they be cream puffs or new lipstick, and that means that sometimes I will just be making a variation on whatever everyone else is making, because we are all craving the same things right now.

This week, my cravings, and the surplus of berries at the market, told me to make something sweet, berry-filled, and crunchy-topped - and I obliged.  And, hackneyed or not, it was absolutely delightful.

This site’s purpose is not to convince you that I make the best corn in the world (even though I might suspect so), or that you simply must use my recipes.  The purpose is simply to inspire you, and to maybe remind you of how satisfying it is to toss some berries with sugar and cornstarch, pinch some butter into oats, nuts, and sticky brown sugar, and watch it turn into a bubbling, golden brown dessert. 

If my imperfect pictures or rambling words tempt you to get into your kitchen and create, then I will consider it a success.

Let’s talk about this crisp, or crumble, or bake - whatever you would like to call it.  Rolled Oat & Pecan-Blanketed Strawberry Compote?  Sure, if you are feeling pretentious and fancy.

If you asked me what I consider to be the best dessert for summertime I will always say crisps.  I love them because they celebrate the flavors of the season, require very minimal effort, and they can be served hot or at room temperature - making them the perfect choice for company.

Toss some fruit together a few minutes before your guests arrive and let this bake while you eat dinner, then serve warm with ice cream.  Everyone loves crisps, and if they don't, well…why did you invite them over anyways?

While crisps could certainly stand on their own, they are really the only dessert that I feel almost demands ice cream.  It pains me to have ice cream with my cake - like, why?  And brownies are far better as a solo act, but crisps... Well, they just beg for it.

And I am nothing if not accommodating - so accommodating, in fact, that I dreamed up a special ice cream expressly for this crisp.  How generous.  

Enter buttermilk cream cheese ice cream.  I called my fiancé after tasting it and between an obnoxious number of “oohs” and “ahhhs” I described it as an ultra creamy frozen yogurt.  It has the same tang of yogurt due to the buttermilk, but the cream cheese gives it a very sweet, rich flavor that only cream can provide.  It has made regular ol’ vanilla ice cream very pallid in my mind.  

 Warm strawberries with a toffee-like crust meet tangy, indulgent ice cream. 

Just look at that crispy crust.  

There is nothing wrong with the classics, not one thing.

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

---

Strawberry Crisp with Buttermilk Cream Cheese Ice Cream

serves 6

for the ice cream

- 1 cup whole milk

- 2/3 cup granulated sugar

- 4 large egg yolks 

- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 

- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl until they have slightly lightened in color.  Set aside.  

Combine milk and sugar in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat.  Stirring often, cook until the milk is steaming, and the sugar has completely dissolved.

Slowly stream half of the steaming milk mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly.  Pour the tempered egg yolks back into the saucepan and return to heat.  Cook, stirring often, until the mixture has thickened slightly; about 3-5 minutes. 

Remove from heat and pour the ice cream base into your blender.  Add buttermilk,  cream cheese, and vanilla and blend until smooth. 

Fill a large bowl 2/3 of the way with ice and cool water and place the ice cream base in a medium bowl that will fit inside the larger bowl.

Place the ice cream bowl into the ice bath and whisk constantly until the custard is cool.  

Place the base in your ice cream maker and prepare according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the soft ice cream to the freezer to set up while you prepare the crisp.  

for the filling

- 5 cups strawberries, sliced 

- 4 tablespoons cornstarch 

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 

- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Place strawberries in an 8x8 glass baking pan.  Sprinkle with cornstarch, sugar, and lemon juice and toss to coat   

Set aside while you prepare the topping.  

for the topping

- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

- 1/2 cup brown sugar 

- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

- 1/2 cup old fashion rolled oats 

- 1/4 cup whole raw pecans, finely chopped

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

Combine flour, sugar, salt, oats, and pecans in a small bowl.  Use the tips of your fingers to work the butter into the flour mixture, forming a rough crumble.  

Sprinkle the crumble on top of the strawberry filling.  

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the strawberries are bubbling and the crumble is deep golden.  

Place on a wire rack and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.  This will give the filling time to set up a bit.  

Serve warm with ice cream.  Enjoy!! 

Dulce De Leche Coconut Cream Puffs with Raspberry Sauce

I have a lot of kitchen failures.  I make a lot of solidly good recipes.  I make a fair number of great recipes.  But then every once in a while I stumble unto something that is deeply, inscrutably, remarkable and I fall in love with food all over again.  Last week, on a rainy, less-than-ideal afternoon, that happened, and I made what I, and my cream-puff-expert mama, declared to be the best cream puffs ever. 

Coconut cream, I adore you. 

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold,

it would be a merrier world.” 

- J. R. R. Tolkien

I know what you are thinking.  If you have been following this site for any significant amount for time, you have heard me talk about how much I dislike (read: loathe) the texture of coconut.

There are just two things on earth that I earnestly want to love but cannot swallow without gagging; oatmeal and shredded coconut.  

While that’s still true, about a year and a half ago I fell in love with a guy who LOVES coconut, so I have had to figure out a way to incorporate it into my baking. 

I love the flavor of coconut, it’s just the limp, waxy texture that has always repulsed me.  However, through experimentation I have discovered that as long as the shreds are crisp and crunchy, I can more than tolerate them, I can genuinely enjoy them. 

Especially, when they are folded into rich, buttery coconut cream.  Just before it is eaten mind you, otherwise they get soggy again.  

Picky?  A little...but that's a baker's prerogative, right? 

If you are wondering just how fantastic this coconut cream could really be, it is the most perfect cream filling that I have ever tasted. 

My mom actually walked in the door as I was finishing these puffs and decided to pipe the filing into her mouth.  She’s a very graceful woman, until coconut cream comes into the picture. 

I never thought cream puffs needed improvement, until now.  From here on out it’s coconut cream forever and ever.  Amen.

Oh, and did I mention that these tiny puffs are also filled with a spoonful of one of the most wonderful substances known to man?  Dulce de leche - a rich, creamy caramel, is tucked under the clouds of coconut cream and sandwiched between airy pate a choux shells.  

While you could make your own dulce de leche, I took a short cut and bought mine.  Next time, it will be homemade, but this time I really just wanted to get these little lovelies into my mouth.  

This recipe is entirely a product of spontaneity.  I went to the market with a wholly different recipe in mind, but while hungrily standing in front of the dry goods aisle, I spied coconut cream and a tiny, tempting jar of dulce de leche.  Matcha powder suddenly looked suspiciously salubrious - something I was not in the mood for on a Monday afternoon. 

These puffs were born.  

One of my favorite recipes of all time, stemmed from an impulsive, craving-driven decision.   

While further adornment was not needed, a simple raspberry sauce added an acidic punch that elevated the rich and decadent flavors of the dulce de leche and coconut. 

I told myself that these were a gift for my fiance.  I told myself that after I ate each one.  

In cooking, there are so many times for things to go wrong, but that only makes it all the more delightful when something goes really, really right.  This is that time.  Break out your piping bags! 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

Dulce De Leche Coconut Cream Puffs with Raspberry Sauce

makes 12

for the pate a choux

- 8 ounces water 

- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 

- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 

- 4 ounces unsalted butter

- 4 ounces all-purpose flour 

- 4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a medium saucepan, combine water, salt, sugar, and butter.  Place over medium high heat and stir until the butter has melted.  Bring the pot to a simmer and then whisk in flour.  

Cook, stirring often, for about 2 minutes, then remove from heat and quickly whisk in eggs, one at a time, until the batter is smooth and very thick.  

Place the batter in a piping bag and pipe 1 1/2 inch rounds, swirling several times to create tiny honeycomb-shaped puffs, unto the prepared baking sheet. 

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.  The shells should be deep golden and should feel stiff and hollow when tapped gently. 

for the coconut cream filling

- 1 cup heavy cream

- 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar 

- 1/2 cup coconut cream

- 1 cup shredded coconut

Place shredded coconut in a small nonstick skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring often, until the shreds are a rich, golden brown.  Remove from heat and roughly chop.  Set aside. 

Combine heavy cream and confectioner’s sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.  Gently beat in coconut cream and toasted coconut.*

Transfer the filling to a piping bag.  

*You can make the filling in advance, but I like to fold the toasted coconut into the cream just before I am about to serve the puffs so that it stays crisp.  

for the raspberry sauce

- 1 cup fresh, or defrosted frozen raspberries

- 1/4 cup water

- 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Place raspberries and water in the work bowl of your food processor and pulse until smooth.  

Use a fine mesh strainer to strain the mixer, removing the seeds.  

Sift the confectioner’s sugar over the raspberry sauce and whisk until smooth.  The sauce should be relatively thick.  

assembly and garnish

- 1 cup dulce de leche 

- fresh raspberries, optional

Slice the cooled cream puff shells in half horizontally and place about a tablespoon of dulce de leche in the bottom shell of each puff.  

Pipe a thick layer of coconut cream filling over the dulce de leche, and cover with the top half of the shell. 

Drizzle with raspberry sauce just before serving and top with a fresh raspberry.  Enjoy! 

You can fill the puffs in advance, but they will become soggy after several hours.  I like to make my puffs just before I am about to serve them.  Just keep the cream and raspberry sauce in the refrigerator and cover the pate a choux shells with plastic wrap.  They will last up to two days. 

Floral Cupcakes {Angel Food + Lemon Marshmallow Frosting}

Saturday morning.  Unabashedly unfeminine fishing hat - check.  Mini Mouse rod - check.  Tiny tackle box - check.  A sleeping mama, an anxious father, and a very happy little girl.  Only one thing stood between us and a day on the water - our traditional and obligatory 7-11 stop. 

My father and I went on many a fishing trip, and though the memories are hazy, their merry glow is timeless.  

Before every trip, one stop had to be made.  Though my mother was very capable of packing us lunches, and she always did, we could not forgo our chance to buy two Gatorades (Blue only please, the yellow was repulsive), a donut or two, and a bag of peach rings...which likely ended up shoved unto each of my grimy little fingers later that afternoon. 

Though my father and I have not made a 7-11 trip in quite some time, my love for days with him or for peach-flavored candy has not diminished in the least. 

When this month's edition of Martha Stewart Living showed up at my door several weeks ago, the tiny girl inside of me wanted to scream with giddy elation.  While elaborate decorations or themed desserts are not typically my preference, these confection flowers made for some of the loveliest cupcakes I had ever seen.  AND...they gave me an excuse to buy a bunch of candy so of course I was delighted. 

Setting out, I was prepared for disaster.  On the few occasions that I have attempted to emulate Martha, my endeavors have rarely looked even remotely like the picture I was copying.  

However, with this particular venture, the worst case only meant that I would be left with three dozen unadorned or very ugly angel food cupcakes, a bowl of fluffy frosting, and peach candies that would desperately need to be eaten by the handful.

Even the worst case seemed pretty wonderful. 

Angel food cake is always my cake of choice.  My mother makes it for my birthday every year, and I especially love it in the Springtime.  

I love watching egg whites become billowy white clouds.  

The flour mixture is dusted over the egg whites in three increments before being folded into the whites. 

While the cakes are cooling, you can get to work on the frosting.  

While I normally would have paired angel food cake with a simple spoonful of whipped cream, these cupcakes seemed to beg for something a little more whimsical - like a fluffy, lemon-scented marshmallow frosting. 

Of course, you could exchange the lemon for a tiny bit of rose water if you would really like to play up the floral vibe, I just wasn't feeling it this time. 

Sweet, airy, and fragrant with lemon - it's worth the seven straight minutes of tiresome beating. 

Decorating is simple, though I'll warn you now that slicing those peach candies in half is not exactly an easy task, but at least you can snack along the way... 

While my sour-leather roses left a lot to be desired, I was quite delighted by how the peach and "berry" flowers turned out.

No, they are not entirely perfect like Martha's, but that is just fine with me.  

I hear there's a holiday for mothers coming up, and mother's typically like flowers so...  Just a thought. 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

---

Floral Cupcakes - Angel Food + Lemon Marshmallow Frosting

recipes adapted from Ina Garten and Paula Deen / makes about 36 cupcakes

for the cupcakes

- 2 cup granulated sugar, divided 

- 1 1/3 cups sifted cake flour 

- 1 1/2 cups egg whites (about 10-12 large eggs)

- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar 

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

- 36 foil cupcake liners

Line several muffin tins with foil cupcake cups and preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine flour and 1/2 cup granulated sugar and sift together four times.  Set aside. 

In the work bowl of your stand mixer, combine egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar.  Beat on high speed until medium peaks form - about one minute.  Reduce speed to medium and slowly sprinkle in 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar.

Increase the speed to high and whisk for 3-5 minutes more, until the whites are very thick and shiny and hold firm peaks.  In the last minute of beating, add vanilla extract.  

Sift 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg whites and fold it in gently.  Continue adding the flour mixture in fourths until it is fully incorporated.  

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are crisp and deep golden.*  

Remove the cakes from the oven and place on cooling racks.  While the cakes are cooling, prepare the marshmallow frosting. 

*Though the cakes may be cooked through, pulling them out too soon will results in a dense cake.  Make sure you allow the cakes to brown fully.  

for the lemon marshmallow frosting

 - 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 

- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 

- 1/3 cup water 

- 2 egg whites 

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

- zest of one lemon

Fill a heavy saucepan 3/4 full of water and place over high heat.  Bring to a heavy simmer. 

Combine sugar, cream of tartar, salt, water, and egg whites in a glass bowl that is just slightly larger than the saucepan and that will easily rest over the pan when set on top.  Beat the mixture with an electric hand mixer for one minute.  The mixture should look somewhat frothy.  

Place the glass bowl over the pan of simmering water, being careful that the water is not touching the bottom of the bowl - this could cause the frosting to turn to sugar. 

Beat the mixture on high speed with your electric hand mixer for seven minutes.  The mixer should be very thick and shiny.  Remove the bowl from the saucepan and beat in vanilla and lemon zest.  

Use the frosting immediately on cooled cupcakes. 

decorating and assembly

- peach candies, sliced in half 

- raspberry and blackberry candies

- literally whatever else you find appealing, except black licorice (ew)  

Use a butter knife to coat each cupcake with a generous amount of frosting and then decorate with your prepared candies to create whimsical flowers.  Store in airtight containers or serve immediately.  Enjoy! 

---

You may also like...

Follow my blog with Bloglovin!