Very little rivals the nutritious scrumptiousness of a freshly picked strawberry! Raw or cooked, they are simply yummy! By request, I just made a strawberry-rhubarb pie for hubby… a favorite of his. (He actually wanted it for Christmas, but I was unable to get rhubarb till now.) Another favorite of ours was a dessert offering at a former restaurant in Manchester, NH. Locals will likely remember Spatt’s on the Massabesic Traffic Circle. We’d go there for their fabulous prime rib and king crab legs, but if we had room, the “Strawberry Blossoms” were a must for dessert! (No, not the flowers.) Naturally, (back in 2008) I had to create my own recipe in tribute. Enjoy!
Super Simple Stuffed Strawberry Blossoms a la Spatt’s
3 oz cream cheese (plain or strawberry), softened to room temperature
2 T confectioner’s sugar (or Splenda-type substitute)
1 T sour cream
12 large, fresh strawberries, hulled; berry tips cut partway thru for “petals”
½ c semi-sweet chocolate chips (or some chocolate syrup)
12 large, fresh blueberries
Fresh mint leaves, torn into 12 mini leaf bits
Beat cream cheese, sugar & sour cream together till light. Spoon into a plastic food storage bag, pressing into one corner; snip off the tip of the filled corner with scissors, forming a pastry bag. Push that tip down into the center of each strawberry & squeeze out some cheese filling, so it shows between the “petals.”
Melt the chocolate with 1 T water in the microwave; stir. With a spoon, drizzle chocolate over the blossoms. Top each with a blueberry and add a bit of mint by each berry. Chill till serving time. Makes 1 dozen blossoms.
Notes: A fun twist is adding 1-2 T of a favorite liquor, such as Peachtree or Amaretto to the cheese mixture. You can also make these even easier by replacing cheese mixture with whipped cream straight out of the can.
