Regional Executive Chef Bryan Nader from Trinity Health is going to share some great spring time recipes.
Strawberry Waffles
Ingredients:
24 ripe strawberries
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 ¾ cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cups plus 2 Tbsp. buttermilk
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 4 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter for the waffle iron
Strawberry Butter
12 strawberries, hulled and diced
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 Tbsp. honey
Lemon Curd Whipped Cream
2 cups prepared whipped cream
¼ cup prepared lemon curd
Instructions
For the waffles: Finely dice eight of the strawberries, and combine in a small bowl with 1 Tbsp of sugar. Let sit at room temperature until the berries soften, about 15 minutes. Thinly slice the remaining strawberries lengthwise, and toss with 1 Tbsp. sugar.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 1 Tbsp. sugar in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and whisk until the mixture just comes together. Fold the diced strawberries and their juices, and the melted butter until just combined. Cover, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
For the butter, combine all ingredients in a small bowl, set aside.
For the whipped cream: Fold ingredients together in a large bowl and place into the refrigerator until ready to use.
Heat waffles iron according to manufacture instructions. Brush with melted butter, and ladle batter onto the iron. Close the cover, and cook until crisp, about 4 minutes. Remove waffle from the iron and repeat with remaining batter.
Serve waffles with strawberry butter and whipped cream
Mixed Berry Trifle
Ingredients
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup crème fraiche
1 cup cold milk
One 3.4 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix
One store bought pound cake, cut into cubes
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup blackberries
2 cup blueberries
Instructions
In a large bowl whip cream until soft peaks form, then set aside. In a large bowl beat the crème fraiche, milk and pudding mix until thickened. Fold in the whipped cream and set aside.
Place half of the cubed pound cake in the bottom of a trifle dish. Arrange a third of the berries over the cake. Top with half of the pudding mixture. Repeat 2 more times. Finish with a layer of pudding and berries. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Strawberry Arugula Salad
Ingredients
3 Tbsp. strawberry jam
2 tsp. sherry vinegar
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
1 clove of garlic minced
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. hot sauce
¼ tsp. kosher salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. butter
2 tsp. agave syrup
½ cup sunflower seeds
7 cups of arugula
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Mix together strawberry jam, sherry vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, hot sauce and salt in a blender, slowly add oil until dressing is thick.
Melt the butter with the agave in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the sunflower seeds, stirring to coat. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast for 5 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool.
Arrange arugula on a large serving platter. Scatter with the sunflower seeds, and drizzle with ½ cup of dressing. Serve immediately.
Roasted Asparagus with Bacon
Ingredients
3 bunches asparagus
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1-pound sliced bacon
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
Toss the asparagus with the olive oil, garlic and rosemary, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Separate the spears into piles of 3 or 4. Wrap a slice of bacon around each pile, spreading out the bacon as you go so just the top and bottom of the spears are showing. Place the bundles on a baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Asparagus and Avocado Salad
Ingredients
2 small fennel bulbs thinly sliced
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
2 lemons, halved
2 Tbsp. cooked quinoa
2 bunches asparagus
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 firm ripe avocadoes
1 cup sliced green onion
6 Tbsp. sesame seeds toasted
2 bunches pea shoots
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup prepared balsamic vinaigrette
Instructions
Place sliced fennel into a small bowl, season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Set aside for 20 minutes.
Snap off the bottoms of the asparagus, place half of the asparagus into a large bowl, toss together with olive oil, salt and pepper. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat, place the prepared asparagus into the hot skillet and cook for 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside. With the other half of the asparagus, shave with vegetable peeler into long thin strips, set aside.
For the salad, peel and slice the avocado, place on a large platter, squeeze lemon over avocado, season with salt and pepper. Top with fennel, shaved and cooked asparagus, green onion, pea shoots, parsley, sunflower seeds and top with dressing. Serve immediately.