La Fraise Food

LA FRAISE

Steps:

• In a food processor, combine the strawberries, sugar and vanilla bean. Process until it is a smooth puree. Put a tablespoon or two of the strawberry puree into 4 chilled champagne flutes and top off with Champagne. Garnish with a strawberry, if desired.

SOUFFLE A LA FRAISE (STRAWBERRY SOUFFLE)

Steps:

• Place the frozen strawberries in a pot with the water, 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 drops of vanilla extract. Bring to a high boil. Turn off heat and cover with a lid.
• In the meantime, bring the milk to a simmer with 2 drops of vanilla extract. Place the egg yolks in a bowl, add 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and whisk well until it becomes pale in color, then add the sifted flour and cornstarch. Pour the hot milk over the egg mixture slowly to temper, then place everything back in the pot. Cook on medium heat while mixing until it thickens. Transfer to another bowl and cover with a plastic film, let cool.
• When the strawberries are thawed and slightly melted, remove the lid from the pot, put the flame on high and cook off the water until it becomes a thick puree, reserve and let cool.
• When they are both cooled, mix the pastry cream and the strawberry puree together.
• Prepare the souffle mold by buttering the inside and then coating with sugar. Make sure not to touch the inside once it's coated with sugar or the souffle batter will stick. Set aside until needed.
• Place the egg whites in a bowl, add a small pinch of salt and beat up until it gets fluffy and white, add half the sugar. Whisk until it becomes very stiff but not too stiff and grainy. Add the remaining sugar and mix well. Fold the egg whites in a white pastry cream mixture delicately until well incorporated.
• Place half the souffle batter in the buttered/sugared oven-proof dish, then the cubed sponge cakes and finish with the remaining souffle batter on top. Place the whole dish in another oven-proof pan filled with hot water (this is called the bain-marie cooking method).
• Place in a preheated 400 degree oven and cook until the souffle rises and its top becomes slightly brown (approximately 10 to 15 minutes. The inside should still be slightly undercooked.) Remove and serve immediately. Decorate with fresh strawberries and a mint leaf. It is a good idea to serve with a strawberry or a vanilla sauce.

TARTE AUX FRAISES

Steps:

• In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, scald the milk with half the vanilla bean over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, cover the pan and let infuse 10 to 15 minutes.
• In a bowl, whisk together 2 of the egg yolks with the sugar. Whisk in the 2 tablespoons of flour. Remove the vanilla bean from the milk and slowly whisk the milk into the yolk mixture. Return the mixture to the pan and bring to a boil, whisking continuously. Lower the heat and continue to cook, whisking, for about 2 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.
• Pour into a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the mixture. Let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the 1 1/4 cups flour, butter and 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar until combined. Add the remaining egg yolk and, with the processor still running, add the water slowly until the dough begins to hold together and pull away from the sides of the processor bowl. Form the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk.
• Place the dough between 2 sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap to facilitate the rolling and roll out to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Line 16 3-inch tartlet molds with the pastry. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Place the molds on a baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until slightly browned. Remove the shells from the molds and allow to cool completely.
• To assemble the tartlets, fill each shell with a heaping teaspoon of the pastry cream, top with the sliced strawberries and dust generously with confectioners' sugar.