Saturday, April 6, 2013

Freezing some spring ..


~ Lets Freeze some Spring ! ~ 


Spring is undoubtedly the most beautiful season of the year . Its the 
time of  the year when crisp and cold winter gives way to warm , lush 
and scenic spring and the winter goodies at the fruit mart make way for
 the seasons most awaited jewels - the fresh berries . Strawberries,
 mulberries , cape gooseberries , red and  green grapes (yes botanically
 they are berries too) the market seems to overflow
with the produce . 


Strawberries are the most loved berries of the season. Although the
 North Indian produces  are a bit tart than the sweet , juicy , ripe ones
 from the Western Ghats ,Mahabeleshwar belt yet they are enough to
 pamper us in innumerable avatars - shakes, smoothie, sorbets, 
crumbles, panna cottas, fresh fruit cakes, ice creams, cheesecakes ......
the list is endless. Throughout the season the refrigerator is stacked
 with the red beauties and a glass of freshly made strawberry milkshake
 is what the lil ones gets before heading for school . 


The receding availability of the strawberries this week was enough to prove 
that spring is making way for summer and our dear fruit can be relished for
 just a few more days . After seeing the frozen berries in some speciality stores 
last year I was eagerly waiting to freeze a big batch of my own . The vendor 
was more than happy to offer me a good bargain price for picking up 2 kgs
  (approx. 4.5 lbs). After removing the greens, washing and pat drying I placed 
a kg on a large tray , froze overnight - removed and repacked in a large
 ziploc freezer bag next morning.  


The remaining were made into puree with some sugar to be consumed
 for  milkshake , mock tails and fruit lolly bites on the go . I preferred to 
keep them low in processed sugars, which if required can always be 
added as per the recipe demands.




Strawberry Puree 
( tiny frozen cubed delights)


Ingredients
1 kg strawberries , 100 gms sugar ( adjust to tartness or liking ) 
 few Ice cube trays .

Method
Clean , wash and hull the strawberries .Pat dry and cut into large slices.
Grind along with sugar till smooth. Pour in ice trays and freeze for 5-6 hours 
or till firm . Unmold and pack in 2-3 ziplock freezer bags . 
Can be frozen up till 4-6 months. 


So next time your lil one craves for some strawberries in summer/ autumn- 
 Just whiz together a glass of milk with 5-6 puree cubes and some sugar/ honey
 and serve. Or prick a toothpick on a cube and relish it as a guilt 
free summer soother.




9 comments:

  1. UNA IDEA DELICIOSA!!!
    Feliz fin de semana amiga :)
    Conxita

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow what a brilliant idea. And I love your pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brilliant Smita! I have been wanting to froze some strawberries for my daughter too. She is crazy about them. I love your strawberry puree cubes. I am going to raid my fruit vendor tomorrow itself. Thanks!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't forget to freeze some whole ones too...I bet ur daughter wud love munchin those.

      Delete
  4. looks absolutely smashing!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. This looks so good and refreshing. I just got a pack of strawberries from the store. Will def try.
    Do visit me at www.cuddlyapple.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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