Thursday, April 21, 2011

Easter or Anytime Dessert




Easter...Spring.

Both bring new life.

Nothing says spring to me like strawberries.

A bowl of berries served fresh at breakfast.

Or a strawberry shortcake, served "fresh" at the end of a luscious Easter meal.

Hmmm, let's go for the dessert in this blog post, okay?

There's nothing like a light but gorgeous dessert.



Here's a gluten-free Strawberry Shortcake, that I made using Bisquick Gluten-free baking mix. Now, I know I've spoke about other mixes, like Pamela's, which are also terrific. Use the mix that you feel best with. This Bisquick worked like a dream.

[For those of you who do not need to eat gluten-free, you can use a regular baking mix and make the biscuits according to direction.
If your mix doesn't ask for sugar, add some. It makes all the difference.]

Strawberry Shortcake ala Avery

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cup Bisquick Baking Mix GLUTEN-FREE

¼ cup sugar

1/3 cup butter or margarine

¾ cup milk

3 eggs, beaten

½ teaspoon gluten-free vanilla

¾ cup whipping cream *

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

In medium bowl, mix Bisquick mix and ¼ cup sugar. Cut in butter with a fork. Stir in milk, eggs and vanilla. Drop six spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes. They should be a light golden brown. Cool five to ten minutes. With a serrated knife, split the biscuits in half.

On the bottom half, put strawberry sauce, a dollop of mascarpone cheese, and fresh strawberries. Put on the top of the biscuit and drizzle with strawberry sauce. Add strawberries and a generous heaping of whipped cream.

*To make whipping cream, put the cream into a narrow deep bowl. Whip on high with blender. BUT make sure you don’t over whip or you will have butter.


Strawberry Sauce ala Avery

Ingredients:

1 pt. strawberries, cleaned and hulled

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon Triple Sec (or favorite liqueur)

Directions:

Cut half of the strawberries in half and set all of the strawerries into a saucepan with the sugar and vanilla and Triple Sec. Heat over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes, until the sauce gets thick.

Remove from the heat.

If you like, take half of the suace and blend in a blender to puree. Add the puree back to the rest of the sauce. Store in the refrigerator.


QUICK STRAWBERRY AND CHEESE APPETIZER

For a quickie fun appetizer, set out 8 ounces of sort cream cheese on a platter. Surround with crackers of your choice. Drizzle with the strawberry sauce. [For my photo, I think I put on a little too much strawberry sauce, but it was delicious all the same.]


Click here to get printable recipe card for shortcake
Click here to get printable recipe card for strawberry sauce
*****************

Question of the day: what's your favorite summer fruit?

Just a reminder, I'm having a LOST AND FONDUE launch contest that runs from now until May 3, the day LOST AND FONDUE comes out. Details are on my website, but here's the skinny. All you have to do is read THE LONG QUICHE GOODBYE (in your library, at the store, on your Kindle, I don't care) and tell me where you find TUSCAN TARTUFFO CHEESE. HINT!!!! [It's not too far into the book. Like...no more than three chapters.] You'll write me, via the website, and you're entered. 1st prize is either a fondue pot OR $50 gift certificate to your favorite booksellers. There are other prizes as well. Tell a FRIEND.

CLICK THIS LINK to learn more.

Also, check out my blog tour schedule LINK. There are little surprises in store while I'm on the "virtual road".

Enjoy!




11 comments:

  1. Sounds delicious, Avery! Thanks for the tip for adding sugar to the mix. :) I'm loving the strawberries at the store now, so this is the perfect time for this recipe!

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  2. What a beautiful dessert idea for Easter. My local grocery is stocked high with the most gorgeous red, ripe strawberries so this is just perfect. Thank you, Avery, and congrats again on your Agatha nomination for Best First Novel. Woot! Also doing the big countdown now to book #2 in your Cheese Shop series, LOST AND FONDUE!

    Cheers and Happy Easter,
    ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  3. Elizabeth, so glad you like it.

    Cleo, it is pretty, isn't it? Love the color red! We have a fresh fruits and veggie stand around the corner. Heading over today to see what's "new." And thanks re: the nomination and the new book coming out. I'm excited. {Though I have to admit, I just found out the recipe for fondue on my website is wrong...it's polenta. My sweet web designer and I must have gotten some submission crossed. Ooops! Fixing today.}

    ~Avery AveryAames.com
    @AveryAames

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  4. Gorgeous dessert, Avery! I love any excuse to use strawberries and this is not just pretty, I can tell it's delicious too. Can't wait for LOST AND FONDUE, and to see you at Malice!

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  5. What a great idea for a quick appetizer. I'm always so focused on the meal that I forget about appetizers.

    ~ Krista

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  6. Julie, can't wait to see you, as well.

    Krista, yep, those pesky appetizers. So much fun when there's an easy one and so pretty. Though I really did overdo on the sauce when I took the picture.

    BTW, that cream cheese and strawberry sauce, excellent on a bagel, so I've been told! I like it on gluten-free toast. :)

    ~Avery

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  7. Avery, you're a gal after my heart! Yum, strawberries with anything! And I think the latest picture of you in the sidebar is very pretty!

    BTW, If Krista is reading, have you checked your inbox/SPAM box recently?;)
    Sorry for the hi-jack! We've had lots of storms recently and I was offline, so couldn't comment for a few days.

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  8. Absolutely lovely, Avery!! I have fond memories of my mom's shortcakes warm, split, smeared with real butter and soaked in strawberries!!! Your pictures made for some fond reminiscing this afternoon!!
    Nanc

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  9. I love cherries and grapes when summer rolls around and a slice of sweet watermelon.

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  10. Lynn, checking my spam box right now!

    ~ Krista

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  11. Lynn, Nanc, and Dru...so good to see you all here. Glad I could drum up fond memories. (Always special, aren't they?) And cherries and grapes and watermelon? Ah, yes! I adore fruit!!!

    ~Avery

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