I’ve said it so many times, I’m surprised y’all can’t read my mind at this point: Winter is the best reason to live in South Florida. Putting the exclamation point on that, is Strawberry Season. For the next couple of months, we will be awash in the sweetest, juiciest strawberries ever. And the prices are starting to come down as the crops increase. Just in time for Valentines Day.  They even look like little hearts, don’t they?

Tonight I’m teaching a strawberry jam class at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. I’m not just teaching these fine folks how to make a basic strawberry jam – oh, no! I’m showing them different things you can do with it, too. Now, for those of you not inclined to make your own, of course, you can buy it. In which case I would highly recommend one of Freakin’ Flamingo‘s excellent strawberry varieties, such as Strawberry Daiquiri or even Strawberry Joe. Oh, what? I shouldn’t get a plug in here? Please.

Anyway, one of the items on the menu tonight is Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes.  How many different ways can I adulterate adapt Abby Dodge’s delightful base recipe from Desserts 4 Today? Well, so far, I’ve done it 3 or 4 times. And I’ll do it again!  Abby doesn’t seem to mind.

Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes
(makes 6 mini cheesecakes) (Recipe adapted from Desserts 4 Today by Abigail Johnson Dodge)

 Ingredients:

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
3 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
4 Tbs. strawberry jam

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300º F.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric hand-mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until incorporated. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl between each step.

Add the vanilla and the egg, beat thoroughly. Add the strawberry jam and mix completely.

Take a regular-sized muffin tin and place foil liners into 6 of the cups, then spray lightly with no-stick cooking spray. Alternatively, you can use reusable silicone cupcake liners without the cooking spray.

Bake for 15-18 minutes. The centers should barely jiggle when you nudge the pan. Set the muffin tin on a rack to cool completely, and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.

Unmold onto serving dishes and garnish with a fresh strawberry and/or additional jam and/or whipped cream, as desired.

These uncomplicated little cheesecakes are light and creamy, and portioned to be the perfect ending to that special, romantic Valentines Day dinner. Or anytime you want a sweet bite at the end of a meal.

So, yesterday was our 22nd wedding anniversary. When that fact sank in, we looked at each other and said – simultaneously – “Wow. And we haven’t killed each other, yet.” See? That’s why we’re married. I thought the occasion called for something a little special, and since I’d made some challah bread in a loaf-shape a couple of days before, French Toast came to mind. Not just any french toast, mind you – Stuffed French Toast. I think even the most mundane foods seem extra-special when you stuff them, no?
Stuffed French Toast

For the filling:

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 heaping tablespoons jam (I used my own Freakin’ Flamingo Strawberry Daiquiri Jam, but any
flavor will do)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Blend everything together in a small bowl with an electric mixer, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. It should be stiff enough to make mounds and not be runny at all. Set aside.

For the French Toast:

One 1 lb. loaf Challah bread (slightly stale)

3 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbs. sugar (I used natural cane sugar, but regular white will do)
pinch of salt

Butter for frying

Slice the bread into 1 1/2-inch slices. You should get 8 – 10 slices. Scoop out the middles with your fingers, making sure not to go all the way through to the other side. Match up your bread slices so that you have matched up pairs of similar size with “pockets” facing each other.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well-blended. Add the milk, vanilla, sugar, and salt, and whisk well.

To assemble:

Spoon the cream cheese/jam mixture into the pocket of one of the challah slices (a couple of heaping tablespoonsful). The mound of filling should actually come above the top of the pocket. Cover with the second slice of bread, so that the pocket of the second slice fits over the first. Press together gently, but firmly. They should stick together.

Melt some butter in a large frying pan (I prefer non-stick) over medium heat.

Place the sandwich into the egg mixture and allow to soak for about a minute. (These are thick slices and take a little extra time) Turn and soak the other side. Remove the sandwich from the bowl, allow some of the excess liquid to drip off, and place into the now hot frying pan. Fry for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until GBD (golden brown & delicious). You can prepare several at a time.

I like to dust them with powdered sugar and finish with a little extra jam on top.

So, here’s to another 22 years together! If we don’t kill each other, first….. Nah.

This is the time of year when, in most other parts of the country, virtually nothing – or next to nothing – is being harvested for market, so it’s kind of tough for a lot of our Can Jammers to find anything local suitable for canning. Therefore, our assignment for the April Can Jam was Herbs. Even if you’re growing them on your own windowsill, most people can find fresh herbs, right?

So, what have I got growing in the backyard right now? Mint. And lemongrass. Okay, so if I really put my mind to it, I suppose I could have thought of a dozen interesting things to do with the lemongrass, but my brain was focused elsewhere (see previous several posts). Mint. This is the pot of mint my husband thought I’d killed when I forgot to water the eensy little nursery pot it came in. Looking pretty dead, huh?

What to do with it? Something else that was in abundance in Southern Florida at the time, was strawberries. And what fabulous strawberries they were, too! You could go out to a u-pick field and pluck ‘em yourself, or go to any grocery store and get the same fine, local berries at (for a change) incredibly low prices.

So, of course, the only sensible thing to do when confronted with such bounty, is to make jam. I adapted the basic strawberry jam recipe in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving:

Strawberry Mint Jam (makes about 4-5 pints or 8-10 1/2 pints)

Ingredients:

7 cups granulated sugar
2 quarts whole strawberries, washed & hulled
4 Tbs. lemon juice
1 pkg. regular powdered fruit pectin
1 small lime, cut into quarters
Sprigs of fresh mint equal to the number & size of the jars being used

Preparation:

Get your jars and lids sterilized as appropriate.

Crush the berries with a potato masher and add to a large, deep saucepan. Add the lemon juice and quartered lime, then stir in the pectin until it’s completely dissolved. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat while stirring frequently. Add the sugar all at once and bring back to a full boil , while stirring constantly. Boil hard, while continuing to stir, for one minute. Remove from the heat, skim off the foam and fish out the lime quarters.

Fill the hot jars with the hot jam, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Push a thin spatula or butter knife into the jam to release any air bubbles. Take a sprig of fresh mint, sized appropriately for each jar, and insert into the hot jam. Place the lid on the jars and boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit in the hot water for an additional 5 minutes before removing to a towel or newspaper-covered surface to cool completely and listen for that satisfying ->Ping!<- of the lids sealing.

Now, Tigress may be thinking right about now that, hey! this was more about the strawberries than the mint. I disagree. And so would you, if you tasted it. That one sprig of mint in the hot jam, infuses it with its essence. Wait a couple of weeks before popping open a jar, and see what you think. The mint permeates the jam, giving it a freshness – without being overpowering – that’s perfect on a buttered biscuit on a hot, sultry summer afternoon, perking up your peanut butter, or even (being a tad daring!) brushed on baked or roasted chicken as a glaze.