Summer Desserts are my WEAKNESS!

p.s. I know this pic isn't the greatest, it was a last minute photo. I working on my food photography! (:

I love desserts, especially the fresh summer desserts made with all those fruits that are in season! I have been trying to find a good, yet classic strawberry shortcake recipe. I have tried many, but I think this may be my favorite! I could eat the biscuit alone! I know it looks like a lot of whipped cream in the picture, but it's really not. With all the strawberries, you need that amount! Just maybe eat a healthy salad for lunch and dinner the next day! Hehe...It's all about moderation! That's my version of moderation!

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Mixture

2 pt. strawberries, hulled and sliced

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp, vanilla

For the biscuit:

2 c, all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. double acting baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar

1 stick (1/2 c.) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

2/3 c. plus 1 Tbsp, milk

2 tsp. granulated sugar

For the topping:

1 c. heavy cream, well-chilled

2 Tbsp. confectioners sugar

3 Tbsp, sour cream

Making biscuits: Into a bow!, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add brown sugar and butter. Blend until it resembles coarse meal.

Add milk and stir until it forms a dough. Drop the dough in 8 mounds on a buttered baking sheet, letting the mounds touch to form a ring. Sprinkle it with granulated sugar and bake the biscuit in a 425 oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Carefully transfer the biscuit to a rack and cool. Cut the top one-quarter off the entire biscuit ring with a serrated knife. Transfer the bottom to a platter and spoon the macerated strawberries and the liquid over it.

In a bowl. beat the cream with the confectioners sugar until it just holds a soft peak. Beat in the sour cream and beat the mixture until it is stiff. (It is best to use a chilled bowl). Top the macerated strawberries with the cream mixture and the remain­ing 1/4 of the strawberries and cover the mixture with the biscuit top.

Serves 8. Enjoy!

Yum Yum Dim Sum!

I have been craving some good dim sum since I got here to New York!  So the Dumpling Man was on my list of restaurants to try!  It's located in the East Village on St. Marks Place.  And it was so good!  There are a variety of these little pot stickers to choose from, ranging from the traditional pork to the sweet dumplings like banana!  An order of six good-sized dumplings costs about $5! That is a savory steal in New York City.  Better yet, you can come between 3pm and 5 pm and it's only about $3.50 for an order of six and a can of soda! Along side these delicacies you can try one of their refreshing and authentic Chinese shaved ice with topped with mango, sweetened condensed milk and malt syrup. Didn't try the shaved ice this time, but it definitely looked delicious!  We had the chicken dumpling and banana for "dessert".  These dumplings were perfectly seasoned and seared, all we had to do was dip them into the "dumpling" sauce, which tasted like a combination of soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and vinegar.  If you are a little more adventurous try one of their specialty sauces, such as a green curry sauce, or a cilantro, cucumber, and coconut milk sauce called the "cool monster".  While eating in the little restaurant, the skilled dumpling chefs create their mini masterpieces right in front of you! Who wouldn't like freshly made dumplings?  If you haven't tried any dumplings, dim sum, or gyoza (whatever you call them), definitely treat your taste buds to some! And the Dumpling Man does them well!  My picky  two-year-old even ate them!  It's a shame it isn't closer to where we live.  But don't worry, I will still be going there as often as possible.  Unfortunately, no pics of our adventure there...didn't have the camera with me!