Best Fresh Strawberries And French Cream Recipes

CLASSIC FRENCH STRAWBERRY TART (TARTE AUX FRAISES)

Steps:

• Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.
• Step 1 -To make the crust, whisk together in a mixing bowl the flour, sugar and salt. Add the cubed butter and mix with your fingers (or pulse in a food processor), until you get a crumbly consistency and pea-size bits of butter are still visible. Add the egg and mix until the dough roughly comes together into a ball; do not overmix. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat your oven to 350F (180C) with a rack in the middle.
• Grease and flour a 9-inch (23 cm) tart pan. Transfer the dough onto a floured working surface and roll it out to a 12-inch (31cm) circle. Transfer the crust to the pan. Cut any excess crust that hangs over the edge, and poke the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Line the top of the crust with foil or parchment paper and place pie weights or dried beans to keep the pie crust from puffing when baking.
• Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper filled with weights and bake for 10 more minutes, until the edges of the crust are slightly golden. Set aside to cool completely.
• Step 2 - To make the crème pâtissière, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm up the milk and vanilla. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk and sugar until lighter in color and fluffy. Whisk in the flour and cornstarch. When the milk is just simmering, pour it into the egg mixture, and whisk until just incorporated.
• Transfer back into the saucepan, whisk occasionally and remove from the heat as soon as it begins to thicken and bubble. Pour into a clean bowl, and cover the crème with plastic wrap; the wrap should touch the whole surface of the crème to prevent a skin from forming. Set aside to cool completely.
• Step 3 - To assemble the tart, place the crust onto a serving plate. Spread the crème pâtissière over the bottom of the crust. Wash, drain, de-stem and halve the strawberries. Gently place them on top of the crème in a circular pattern (bottom side down).
• Warm up the apricot jam in a microwave for 15 seconds and pass it through a fine mesh strainer if needed (to discard of fruit chunks). Gently brush the jam over the strawberries. Chill the tart for at least one hour before serving.

FRENCH TOAST WITH STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F, and warm an ovenproof serving platter in the oven.
• In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of the berries with the water and bring to a simmer. Cook over medium heat until the berries are softened and set aside until ready to serve. Keep warm.
• In a shallow bowl, large enough to soak a few slices of bread, whisk together eggs and 1 cup cream.
• In a large nonstick griddle or skillet over medium heat, melt a large pat of butter. Be sure to cover the cooking surface with the melted butter. Working in batches, dip however many slices of brioche that can be cooked on the griddle at a time, in the egg/cream mixture. Turn bread over and be sure to not let the bread get too soggy.
• Transfer the bread to the preheated and buttered griddle and cook until golden brown and slightly crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Place the cooked French toast on the warm serving platter in the oven and cover loosely with foil. These will keep warm in the oven while the remaining slices are prepared.
• Whip the remaining 1 cup of cream, in a medium bowl, with a hand-held mixer, until soft peaks form. Serve the French toast topped with the warm strawberries, remaining sliced fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

FRESH STRAWBERRIES AND FRENCH CREAM

Steps:

• Whip cream until stiff.
• Fold in powdered sugar and orange zest.
• Stir in sour cream until well blended.
• Spoon over strawberries and garnish with finely grated dark chocolate.

STRAWBERRY AND CREAM LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Fill a small saucepan with about 1 inch of water and set over medium heat until the water steams.
• Meanwhile, coarsely chop about a quarter of the strawberries and combine in a medium heatproof bowl with the sugar. Cover the bowl tightly and set it over the saucepan. Reduce the heat if necessary to keep the water just below a simmer and allow the berries to sit, swirling the bowl once or twice to dissolve any stubborn sugar clumps, until they've released all their juices, are mushy, and swim in a translucent red liquid, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat, uncover and strain through a fine-mesh strainer. (You should have 1/2 to 3/4 cup of strawberry syrup.) The mushy berries will have given off their color and flavor, and even though you won't use them in the cake, they're still tasty. Reserve the berries for spooning over pancakes or yogurt.
• In a separate medium bowl, combine the heavy cream, crème fraîche and salt. Whisk the mixture vigorously by hand, or beat with a hand mixer on medium-high, until thick, light and holding a medium peak. Chill the bowl of whipped cream. Thinly slice the remaining raw strawberries lengthwise.
• Invert the sponge cake on a flat serving plate or cake stand. Holding a long serrated knife horizontally and parallel to the work surface, use it to lightly score all around the side of the cake at the midway point. Then, using long, even strokes and still holding the knife parallel to the surface, slice clean through the cake, using the score marks as a guide, to cut it into two even layers. Set the top layer aside.
• Use a pastry brush to dab several tablespoons of the strawberry syrup across the bottom layer, lightly soaking the entire surface. Pull the bowl of cream from the refrigerator and dollop about half of it across the soaked layer, then spread in an even layer all the way to the edges. Arrange half of the sliced strawberries on top of the cream, then place the second cake layer on top of the first, cut side up. Lightly soak the top layer of cake with the strawberry syrup, reserving any remaining syrup for serving. Spread the remaining cream on top of the cake, then pile the remaining sliced strawberries over top. (If not serving immediately, cover loosely and refrigerate until ready to serve.)
• Slice the cake with a serrated knife and serve. Drizzle the slices with any remaining strawberry syrup. The cake is best served the day it's made, but will keep, covered and chilled, for up to 3 days.

CREAMY STRAWBERRY FRENCH TOAST BAKE

Steps:

• Toss 2 cups strawberries with sugar. In another bowl, beat the next 5 ingredients until smooth. Place half the bread in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Spoon cream cheese mixture over bread. Layer with strawberry mixture and remaining bread. Whisk eggs and cream until blended; pour over top. Refrigerate, covered, overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove casserole from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake, uncovered, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Top with whipped cream and remaining strawberries.

STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM

Steps:

• Combine the strawberries and sugar in a bowl; mash until the strawberries are completely crushed and the sugar is incorporated. Add the sour cream to the strawberries and stir until the mixture is pink in color. Serve immediately.