strawberry flavor and mousse
There is an almost floral flavor to ripe, fresh strawberries that screams summer to me. And while it isn’t my favorite fruit, I find it to be a beautiful fruit and a nice one to work with. When I want the really authentic flavor of strawberries in a dessert, I try to buy organic, and if not organic… in the old days, I bought from farmer’s markets like Pasadena *sigh*.
Yesterday I topped and washed and froze two pounds of berries.
frozen ripe strawberries in thaw
I know – freeze?!? Well yes. When I first read that tidbit of advice I was dubious, but it was after all, coming from Rose Levy Beranbaum of The Cake Bible fame and authority. To get a really good flavor in a strawberry purée you want to freeze ripe berries to burst the cell walls and release the very berry goodness you seek. I tried that when I made my strawberry buttercream two months ago and it works.
when thawed, purée
pour for storage
You’re probably wondering if it wouldn’t just be easier to buy frozen strawberries and do the same thing? Nope. Those berries are of lesser quality and many of them are the fat, white, tasteless berries that you get as a garnish with your waffles at IHOP in February. I put most of the purée in the freezer for later use, but saved out a little bit to make some strawberry mousse.
light and fruity: strawberry mousse
And while I was at it, I made some lemon mousse with some of the lemon curd that Sam sent in that fantabulous lemony package.
deliciously tart and creamy: lemon mousse
May 25th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I know this entry is almost a year old, but I was wondering if you would mind sharing the recipes for these! It would be greatly appreciated
May 26th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Molly – Oh, I don’t actually remember for the berry mousse. The lemon mousse was easy – just half whipped cream and half lemon curd (maybe a little more whipped cream). The berry mousse might have been whipped cream mixed with berry puree, but honestly, I think it may have had a little gelatin in it too. Sorry!