I love strawberries. As a child, during May, our milkman delivered strawberry milk with our milk order. I still remember the intense taste and sweet smell of strawberry milk. Delicious! I have provided some great strawberry recipes below.

In addition, below is an excerpt from “True Season of Love.” Ptolemy planned a trip to Provence for him and Olivia to pick strawberries.

Olivia and *Ptolemy

Strawberry Picking in Provence

Olivia placed her hands on her hips. Impatiently, she patted one foot. She looked him over. He had on sunglasses. His dark, wavy hair was still wet from showering. His golden-olive skin glistened with slight perspiration. He was dressed in jeans and a tee shirt that had imprinted in large letters: “I Live for the Weekend!”

Olivia chuckled and discarded her impatience. “Why are you here at …” she looked at the clock. “Seven o’clock in the morning?”

“We’re going to pick strawberries,” said Ptolemy, with a happy grin.

“Strawberries! You’ve got to be joking. I’m spending a quiet weekend alone. Take your strawberry-picking ideas to someone else’s door. I’m not interested,” said Olivia. She yawned.

“Neither am I!”  He grinned at her.

Olivia looked confused. “Then, why are you here?”

“I’m not interested in picking strawberries with anyone except you.” He quickly folded her in his arms and kissed her. When he released her, Olivia became silent. Her eyes looked soft and shiny. She had a dreamy look on her face.

“For once, you’re silent. I missed you,” Ptolemy said. He slid his hands down her arms. She feels so soft, he thought. “I want to begin …”

“Begin what?”  Olivia asked.

Ptolemy held her at arm’s length. “A different road, an alternative to the ordinary … I seem to be rambling. You have that affect on me.”

Olivia stared up at him. She lifted her eyebrows and scrutinized him. Then a smile danced across her face.

“I took a day off to get you out of the doldrums, Livia. Spend one day with me; see if that will make the difference in your weekend. Let us just have fun. Forget everything, and just live for this weekend. You will not regret it. I promise you.”

 *"P" is always silent in words beginning with "pt", "ps", "pf", and "pn,” therefore the “P” is silent in Ptolemy. 

Strawberries with Lemon Cream

1 pkg. (8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 pints of strawberries (about 42)

1.  In bowl with portable electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon peel and juice till smooth. Cover;

refrigerate. (Filling can be made ahead and kept refrigerated.)

2.  Removed hulls from berries; place on paper towel-lined tray, hulled end down. With sharp knife, cut an X through top of each berry (don’t cut all the way through). Pull sections apart slightly.

3.  Spoon filling into a pastry bag fitted with ½-inch star tip. Pipe a heaping teaspoon in center of each berry (Berries may be filled 2 hours before serving.) To serve: Place in paper petit-four cups. Makes about 3 ½ dozen or leave on a pretty tray.

Strawberry Pie

1 pie crust (frozen or baked) When pie crust is cooled, spread bottom of crust with 3 oz. of soft cream cheese.

1 ½ - 2 quarts Strawberries (washed and hulled)

1 cup of crush strawberries (reserved for mix)

Sauce

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoon cornstarch

½ cup water

crush strawberries

1. Spread washed and hulled strawberries atop cream cheese spread in pie pan.

In saucepan, mix together 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, and ½ cup water. Add the 1 cup crush reserved strawberries. Cook gently until mix boils for one minute. Add a few drops of red food coloring if desired. Cool.

Pour cool mixture over the standup strawberries in pie shell. Chill 3 hours. Before serving, top with whip cream if desired. Enjoy!!

White-Wine-Cassis Punch bowl

Ice Ring, recipe follows

1 gallon dry white wine

2 cups Crème de cassis

½ - 1 pint strawberries (washed and hulled)

Day ahead prepare ice ring mold and freeze.

Several hours ahead, chill white wine and cassis.

Fill punch bowl with ice to chill bowl.

Just before serving, remove ice.

Add wine and cassis to chilled punch bowl.

Ice ring mold

1 – 2 large navel oranges, washed

Distilled water

Slice unpeeled oranges crosswise into slices about 1/8-inch thick. Arrange in single layer in bottom of a 5-cup ring mold (may use Jell-O mold)

Without disturbing orange slices, gradually pour in enough distilled water to measure 1 inch deep.

Freeze until firm.

Then fill the rest of the mold with distilled water. Freeze until ice ring is firm—overnight.

Next day: To loosen mold, place in warm water a few seconds to loosen ice. Turn out on wax paper. Add to Punch. Place fresh strawberries in punch bowl

Note: Makes about 35 cups.

 Best regards,

   Urenna