Culinary Creations From Your Garden

It is that time of the year when picking fruits and vegetables straight from the garden can lead to culinary creations in the kitchen. In this segment we are joined by Normand LeClair, renowned chef and cookbook author of Culinary Expressions.

On the menu are Cold Strawberry Soup and Strawberries Romanoff. Cold fruit soups are always refreshing on a warm day. It is an entrée, not a dessert, because there is no sugar added. Strawberries Romanoff is a dessert that can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

So you can move from the garden into the kitchen, here are Chef LeClair's recipes:

Cold Strawberry Soup
Serves 6 to 8

1 quart ripe strawberries, hulled, washed (frozen can be used)
1 cup sour cream or yogurt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 quart half-and-half-cream (for a lighter soup, use milk)
2 tablespoons sherry wine
Mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Preparation
1. Place strawberries and sour cream in a food processor, blend until smooth. Transfer strawberry mixture to a mixing bowl. Stir in cinnamon, cream, and sherry wine. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Assembly
1. Ladle chilled soup in soup bowl and garnish with mint leaves.

Variations

Rasberries
Place Rasberries and sour cream in food processor, blend until smooth. Sieve the mixture by pressing down with back of spoon and pushing raspberries thru the sieve to remove the seeds. Then add cinnamon, cream, and sherry wine.

Peaches
Peel and pit peaches; process in the same way as strawberries. Then add cinnamon, cream and sherry wine.

Melon
Cut melon in quarters; remove seeds, and skin. Process the same way as strawberries. Then add cinnamon, cream and sherry wine.

Strawberries Romanoff
Serves 4

1 quart fresh ripe strawberries (set aside 4 perfect strawberries for garnish)
1/3 cup Grand Mariner or Cointreau (you may substitute with orange juice)
1 tablespoon grated orange peel (zest)
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
8 macaroon cookies
Mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Preparation
1. Remove stems from strawberries, rinse well, and drain. Place on paper towels to dry.
2. Quarter strawberries and place them in mixing bowl; stir in Grand Mariner, and orange peel; allow to steep (soak) for ½ hour.
3. Break up macaroon cookies into small pieces.
4. Whip cream and powdered sugar until cream holds soft peaks; keep in refrigerator until ready to use.

Assembly
1. Stir whipped cream and macaroon cookies into strawberries, mixing carefully as not to crush the strawberries.
2. Spoon strawberry mixture into four dessert dishes, fan each saved strawberry and place on top of strawberries.

Note: Macaroon cookies are made with ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites. Coconut, orange peel, or maraschino cherries can flavor the macaroons.