Star Spangled Food

STAR-SPANGLED PARFAITS

Steps:

• Place strawberries and blueberries in separate bowls. Drizzle each with 2 teaspoons vinaigrette; toss to coat. In a small bowl, mix yogurt and mint., Spoon strawberries into 4 parfait glasses. Layer each with yogurt mixture and blueberries. If desired, top with coconut.

STAR-SPANGLED SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter; use a pastry cutter or two knives to incorporate butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Blend 2 cups heavy cream into flour mixture using a fork. Turn out onto a clean work surface; press away from you with the heel of your hand just to combine dough. Add 1 tablespoon cream if the dough is too dry to combine.
• Prepare egg wash: Place egg and 2 tablespoons cream in a small bowl, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Press dough into a 7-by-10-inch rectangle, 1 inch thick. Use a 3 1/2-inch star cutter to cut out six biscuits. Press three of the stars to flatten slightly. Form into a ring on a parchment-lined baking sheet, alternating flattened stars with unflattened stars, using egg wash to join them along common edge. Gather remaining dough; cut out four more stars for additional servings, if desired. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove dough from refrigerator. Brush top of star ring and individual stars with egg wash, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees; continue baking until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Combine raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, red currants (if using), and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl, and toss to combine. Allow berries to macerate for at least 30 minutes, until very juicy. Whip remaining 1 1/2 cups cream to soft peaks.
• Use a serrated knife to cut star ring in half crosswise. Cut the four extra stars as well. Use two large offset spatulas to carefully lift the top half of the ring, and set aside, leaving the spatulas in place. Set aside tops of stars as well. Transfer bottom of ring to a serving platter. Transfer bottoms of stars to plates, if desired. Spoon macerated berries, juices, and whipped cream over star ring and additional stars. Place the tops on the star ring and stars using the spatulas, and dust with confectioners' sugar, if using. Serve immediately.

NO-BAKE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• For the cookie crust: Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving about a 2-inch overhang on all sides.
• Whisk together the cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter in a medium bowl until combined. Press the cookie mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm, 45 to 60 minutes.
• For the cheesecake filling: While the cookie crust chills, add the cream cheese, strawberries, sugar and vanilla to a blender. Blend mixture starting at low speed and bring it up to high until smooth. (If needed, use the tamper to push all the ingredients down towards the blades. This will ensure everything is blended evenly and smoothly.) Pour the mixture into a medium bowl. Add half of the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and gently fold in using a rubber spatula. Repeat with remaining whipped cream.
• Pour the cheesecake filling over the chilled crust, spread and smooth with a spatula.
• Freeze the cheesecake for at least 4 hours. Use the parchment overhang to remove cheesecake from the pan and use a hot knife to cut into 9 bars. Keep frozen and put in refrigerator for about 30 minutes before serving.
• To serve the bars, place the whipped cream in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe a rosette of whipped cream on top of each bar. Gently place the blueberries and strawberries on top of the whipped cream. Serve immediately.

STAR SPANGLED SPIRIT

Steps:

• In a measuring cup or cocktail shaker, combine the strawberry daiquiri mix and lime juice. Stir and set aside.
• In a measuring cup or cocktail shaker, combine the coconut milk and coconut rum. Stir and set aside.
• Pour 1 ounce of the blue curaçao on a small plate. Pour the sanding sugar on a second plate. Dip the rim of a highball glass into the blue curaçao and then into the sanding sugar to rim the glass.
• Pour the strawberry mixture into the glass and fill the glass with crushed ice, being careful not to mess up the sugared rim. Pour the coconut milk mixture into the glass on top of the strawberry mixture. Top with the remaining ounce blue curaçao. Add a straw and serve.

CHERRY-LIME SPARKLER

Steps:

• Place the pitted cherries in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, lime juice and salt. Stir until the cherries are evenly coated. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to macerate the cherries.
• Drain the cherry mixture, collecting and reserving all the juice. Thread the macerated cherries amongst 8 cocktail skewers and set aside for garnish.
• Stir together the reserved cherry juice and seltzer in a small pitcher.
• Fill 8 highball glasses with ice cubes. Pour the cherry sparkler over the ice and garnish each glass with a skewer of cherries and a sprig of mint. Serve immediately.

STAR SPANGLE LAYERED DIP

Steps:

• Evenly spread the refried beans on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Spread the guacamole over the beans and then spread the sour cream over the guacamole. Sprinkle with scallions and then the shredded cheese.
• To make the shape of a flag, arrange the black olives in the top left corner of the dish. Sprinkle with a dusting of cotija cheese. Spoon salsa in stripe formation on the rest of the dish. Sprinkle the remaining cotija cheese between the salsa to create white stripes. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with corn chips for dipping.

STAR-SPANGLED FRUIT TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Press cookie dough onto an ungreased 12 inch pizza pan (for round design) or onto a cookie sheet (for square/rectangle design).
• Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
• In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and almond extract until smooth. Spread over crust.
• In center of tart, arrange berries in the shape of a star; add a berry border. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

STAR SPANGLED PIE

Steps:

• Mix cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice with electric mixer until blended; gently fold in whipped topping.
• Fold in chopped cookies. Spoon into crust.
• Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Garnish with confetti sprinkles just prior to serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

STAR SPANGLED CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter,flour an 18 by 13 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan. Or, I like to use parchment paper.
• Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.
• Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
• For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.
• Spread three-fourths of the icing on the top of the cooled sheet cake. Outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place 2 rows of raspberries across the top of the cake like a red stripe. Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternate rows of raspberries and strawberries for the red stripes, and icing for the white stripes, until the flag is completed. Pipe stars on top of the blueberries.
• You can serve this cake right in the pan, or, if you want to turn it out onto a board before frosting, use parchment paper when you grease and flour the pan.

STAR-SPANGLED ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheets. Line each with parchment, leaving an overhang on two long sides; butter parchment. Whisk together flour and salt.
• In another bowl, whisk together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk in flour mixture until smooth. Divide batter evenly between sheets; bake until dry to the touch, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks; let cool completely.
• Using a 1 1/2-inch star cutter, stamp out 12 evenly spaced stars (3 rows of 4, about 3 inches apart) from one cake; discard or reserve for snacking. Beat ice cream and sorbet separately until spreadable; spread ice cream over uncut cake in an even layer. Dollop sorbet over ice cream; swirl with the tip of a knife. Top with stamped cake, top-side up.
• Wrap in plastic (still in sheet); freeze at least 8 hours and up to 1 week. Transfer cake to a cutting board; cut into 12 sandwiches with a serrated knife. Serve immediately.

STAR SPANGLED MOUSSE PIE

Steps:

• Place chocolate morsels in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 20 seconds. Microwave at additional 10-second intervals, until smooth when stirred.
• Spread melted chocolate evenly in bottom of pastry shell; set aside.
• Place 1 cup white morsels and milk in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium-high for 1 minute. Microwave at additional 10-second intervals, until smooth when stirred.
• Cool 5 minutes.
• Beat cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth.
• Beat in orange peel and melted white morsels. Fold in whipped cream. Spread into crust.
• Arrange strawberry halves and blueberries on top of pie.
• Place shortening and remaining white morsels in a small, heavy duty plastic bag. Microwave on medium-high for 20 seconds; knead bag to mix.
• Microwave at additional 10-second intervals, kneading until smooth.
• Cut a very small hole in corner of bag; squeeze to drizzle over pie.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Store in refrigerator.