The Gourmet Mama

A lot of moms don`t get around to doing much in the way of homemade desserts because they just seem complicated. You might be surprised at how very simple it is to whip out a beautiful dessert, but today we`re looking at the more rustic and very tasty strawberry shortcake. You can use any berry with it, really, so feel free to substitute.

Super Simple Strawberry Shortcake

Topping:

Whipped cream or chantilly

2 cups sliced strawberries

2 tablespoons sugar

Place strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Toss until all the berries are coated, set aside.

Cake:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine

1 1/3 cups water

Preheat oven to 350º. Mix dry ingredients well. Use your fingers to crumble the margarine into the flour until you have little pea sized bits. Add the water all at once and stir quickly until the mixture is just moistened. Spread in an 8×8″ pan and bake for 25-30 min. or until cooked through.

To serve, cut into squares, top with strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream. Super simple and absolutely heavenly!

If you ever want to find a quick and easy dessert to whip up last minute to impress company or just your kids, Banana Cream Pie is the best way to go. You can get most of the supplies way ahead of time and have them waiting there for you when you need a quick sugar fix and you can get it all put together in less than five minutes! How’s that for a fast dessert? Here’s what you need.

1 pre made crumb pie crust

1 package instant banana pudding (you can substitute chocolate pudding if you are a chocoholic)

1 cup milk

1 large or two small bananas

1 can of whipped cream (if you are ambitious, you can make it from scratch instead)

optional chocolate syrup for decoration

Now all you have to do is put it all together. Mix the milk and pudding mix together as described on package.  Pour into pie crust and even out with a spoon…only use your tongue to even it out if the pie is to be consumed only by you.  Peel and slice banana and sprinkle over pudding. Top with whipped cream and drizzle chocolate syrup over top. Ta Da!!! A perfectly quick and easy Banana Cream Pie.

Ever seen something in an Asian market or even the supermarket and wondered what the heck it was and how on earth you could use it? Well, no longer. In our Exotic Food posts, we`ll be showing you just how to use those weird foods that you never knew how to cook.

Dragon fruit or pitaya, is a bizarre fruit, indeed. The outside looks, well, kinda like a dragon, with thick, leathery red skin that forms large, green-tipped scales. Cut this fruit open and you`ll find either white or bright purple-red flesh, speckled with tiny black seeds.

You`re most likely to find dragon fruit in the Oriental markets, though it is actually native to Central and South America. Dragon fruit grows on cacti that thrive in the drier tropical areas, but has been cultivated with great success in Asia.

So, now that you know what this sucker is . . . what do you do with it?

The best way to eat dragon fruit is to simply peel it and eat it raw. The taste is similar to a kiwi, but less acidic and usually sweet. Since they don`t last long, you`ll want to eat it the day you bring it home from the market. The flesh should be fairly firm, but give with a squeeze of the fruit.

For something a little more exotic, try one of the following recipes:

Dragon Fruit Smoothie

1 dragon fruit, peeled and diced

1 banana

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup orange juice

Blend all together in a blender and serve. This is infinitely more colorful if you use the red variety.

Fruit Salad in Dragon Boats

2 dragon fruit

2 kiwis, peeled and cubed

1 cup sliced strawberries

Sugar to taste

Vanilla ice cream

Cut the dragon fruit in half, lengthwise and carefully remove the fruit without damaging the skins. Cube the flesh and toss with remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Place a small scoop of ice cream in the center of each dragon fruit skin half and heap the fruit salad on top. serve immediately.

Want more? Make a dragon fruit pizza, jelly mooncake, or a simple salad.

Photos in order are by: J. Fisher, Denise Soong, Jerry Daykin