The Strawberry Challenge

Has it really been a month since my last post? Unbelievable. I should be put in blog jail, but let's see if I can make it up to you.

The challenge this week comes from Melissa, the future Mrs. Dangermike. Strawberries are the name of the game, and this is how we played it.

Fresh Tropical Fruit Salad with (what else) Quinoa

2 c quinoa
3 3/4 c water
3 small chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 c white wine vinegar
2 T sugar
a few dashes of cinnamon
a dash of cayenne
a dash of turmeric

Toast the quinoa in a big pot over medium high heat for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is transluscent. Give it a stir and set it in the refrigerator to chill completely.

Chop and add any variety of fruit that you want, but try to get a nice sweet-sour mixture going. I used the following, all coursely diced:

6 large ripe strawberries
1 ripe plantain
1 ripe avocado
10 kumquats (thinly sliced, seeds removed)
1 nopalito (prickly pear cactus), trimmed of spines and blanched 3 minutes
1/2 c sundried tomatoes
1/2 c chopped cilantro

Toss it all together and enjoy. Serves 4.

Dessert combined two challenges into one: rose water and strawberries. I kept it really simple and made a...











Strawberry Rose Gelatin Mold

7 sheets gelatin (or enough powdered for 2 c water)
1 c boiling water
1/2 c sugar
1 c cold water
1/3 c rose water
10 strawberries, thinly sliced

Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water in a bowl. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add the cold water and rose water. Butter up a suitably sized mold, add the strawberries, and pour in the gelatin mixture. Chill until set, unmold, and behold the splendour.










photos courtesy DangerMike