• Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Dessert First

a san francisco food and travel blog | all things sweet

  • About Me
    • about pastrygirl
    • faq
    • press
    • Contact Me
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • My Books
  • Recipes
    • Breads
    • Cakes
    • Candy
    • Chocolate
    • Cookies
    • Custards
    • Fruit
    • Ice Cream
    • Pastry
    • Tarts
  • Sweet San Francisco
    • Sweet Spots
    • SF Events
  • Travel
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • California
    • Hawaii
  • reviews and recs
    • Cookbooks
    • Chocolate
    • Tools
  • Conversions

Honey-Cream Strawberry Parfaits/Eat Local Challenge

May 5 by Anita 6 Comments

Img_0544

A little late to the party, but I’m sure most people have heard that May is Eat Local month, and I am happy to see that so many bloggers have taken up the challenge. I admit that the busyness in my life the last couple of weeks did not give me a lot of time to research how to take up this challenge in the most effective ways; but I do know that living in the Bay Area, especially in San Francisco, makes it near-impossible to not buy local if you try, unless you really make an effort and only get food from Walgreen’s.

Since my site is pastry-oriented, I thought I could have a much narrower focus on my efforts to buy local: after all, butter, flour, sugar, and eggs will always be needed in the sweet kitchen. And with all the fruit coming into season, using them in desserts is a given.  How lucky for us Bay Area residents to be living near so many small farms practicing sustainable agriculture, and so many organizations like Locavores and Local Harvest to help us find resources! Using local fruit as a focal point in my baking was my first goal. As for dairy products, we have both Straus Creamery and Clover Farms from Marin County providing butter, milk and cream. The other items like flour and sugar I am researching and will address in future posts.

I started my Eat Local efforts by going to that most famous of farmer’s markets in San Francisco, the one at the Ferry Building.  It was perfect spring blue sky and clear golden light falling on the restless bay in the way that makes up for the preponderance of grey days in the summer.  People were inspecting the produce, arms full of flowers and unnecessary jackets – everyone was in a happy mood.

I was happy to find some strawberries beckoning to me from their jewel-box containers. I share Bea’s sentiments, being a May baby myself – spring is strawberry time, and I had pored through all my recipe books last night and come up with a pile of desserts to try with the two bags of berries I was lugging home.

Tempting as it was to lie down in the sun and take a nap, I had to get all my produce back.  I settled for throwing all the windows open in the apartment and letting the light pour in, along with the sounds of a sun-drunk city to swirl about as accompaniment to the activities being undertaken in the kitchen.

For my first strawberry creation I chose the luscious-sounding Honey-Cream Strawberry Parfaits in Emily Luchetti’s A Passion for Desserts.  Simplicity itself: layers of fresh berries and cream sweetened with honey.  The cream is made very similar to a crème anglaise, but thickened with clover honey and white chocolate.  While the recipe calls for a parfait-style assembly, if the cream is simply poured over the berries the entire thing looks quite similar to a fruit sabayon.  I liked the honey overtones in the cream but I might have used less white chocolate or omitted it entirely – the flavor didn’t quite seem to mesh with the others.

Img_0541_1 

However, it still makes a light and lovely chilled dessert to enjoy on the balcony while watching the sun set over the gleaming bay….and thinking of what to do with the rest of the strawberries…

Local:

Strawberries – Yerena Farms, Watsonville

Cream – Clover Farms, Marin County

Tagged with: Eat Local + farmer’s market + Honey Cream Strawberry Parfaits

Filed Under: Fruit, Recipes

Related Posts

  • Ombre Cherry TartOmbre Cherry Tart
  • Cherry TrioCherry Trio
  • Summer Vacation: Stracciatella in Rome
  • Sugar High Friday: La Vie en Rose
  • Double Holidays, Double Happiness
« Sugar High Friday #18: Almond Apricot Pound Cake with Amaretto
Strawberry Shortcakes with Tarragon Cream »

Comments

  1. 1

    Krysten says

    May 5 at 6:48 pm

    strawberries go perfect with mascarpone and honey!! the honey and mascarpone mixture literally melt in your mouth, it is heavenly. just stir in honey until it is sweet enough for your taste. yum!

    Reply
  2. 2

    Bea at La Tartine Gourmande says

    May 5 at 8:45 pm

    It does not come as a suprise that your recipe can only please me. Strawberries!!! Looks delicious!

    Reply
  3. 3

    J says

    May 5 at 9:07 pm

    hi, how totally gorgeous and elegant!i’m a big fan of emily luchetti’s book too 😉

    Reply
  4. 4

    Kat says

    May 6 at 4:20 am

    very nice creation.

    Reply
  5. 5

    Anita says

    May 8 at 10:57 am

    Krysten,
    Thank you for the suggestion – I do like mascarpone and it might go better with the honey! P.S. I like your blog, I’m going to visit it again!

    Bea,
    There will be more strawberries to come…just getting inspired by you too!

    J,
    Thank you very much! I can’t wait for her ice cream book to come out!

    Kat,
    Thanks! I loved reading about your adventures in Hawaii!

    Reply
  6. 6

    keiko says

    May 17 at 4:39 pm

    I’m glad you enjoyed it, I remember I tried it last year and loved it too! Your post has made me want to make it again 😉

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





About Me
Mentions in the Press
Want to go to pastry school?
Email me

subscribe to receive posts in your inbox

Archives

best of dessert first


The Making of Macarons (Sucre Cuit Style)

Hong Kong Eggettes (Daan Jai) for Mom


Tis the Season

A Better Brioche for World Bread Day


Consider the Humble Chocolate Chip Cookie

A Feast of Figs


Pure Dessert, Pure Inspiration

My Own Remembrance of Things Past: Dan Tats


The Slow Drip of Coffee on a Languorous Summer's Day

Still Life of Strawberry Tart

disclosure

This site uses affiliate links. Purchasing through the links will give this site commissions. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

about pastrygirl

Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, baby girl, and rescue cockapoo Snickerdoodle. More about pastrygirl

my latest cookbook


My newest cookbook, Lollipop Love, is now out!

stay connected

Subscribe to new posts by email

  • home
  • my books
  • recipes
  • sweet san francisco
  • reviews
  • conversions
  • shop
  • archives
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

© 2006–2023 Anita Chu. All Rights Reserved. Design by Deluxe Designs