Right now is the perfect time to be shopping at Seattle’s splendid farmer’s markets. Just about anything you could want is in season, from luscious berries and cherries, to patty pan squashes, zucchini blossoms, enticing greens, and some early root vegetables.

In Ballard where my Dish D’Lish café and Food Studios are located, our farmer’s market is a weekly must for Mary, my assistant and Cameo, the chef at Dish D’Lish. Mary loves to pick up raw milk from Sea Breeze Farm for making paneer and adding to her coffee, while Cameo can’t go without taking home a bag of freshly foraged mushrooms from Found and Foraged Edibles. Matthew, our executive sous chef makes weekly pilgrimages to the University Farmer’s Market to pick up fresh shellfish from Taylor Shellfish’s Oyster Bill. And Ann, my in-house editor calls the Madrona/Capitol Hill Farmer’s Market her home, never leaving without a Tall Grass bakery baguette to smear some Blue Cottage jam on.

When I go to the farmer’s market I’m always on the hunt for something new and exciting. I highly advise picking up a few unusual items to try, you never know when you’ll discover a new favorite. My other tips include getting there early! Many people will line up at their favorite stalls to get the best pick. Always bring cloth or reusable bags, and always walk the market once to see what everyone has before settling on what to buy. And if you don’t know what to do with some of that beautiful produce – just ask the farmer – they will have lots of tasty suggestions!

So lucky are we that our Farmer’s Markets run nearly every day of the week in one neighborhood or another, and some year round! To locate your neighborhood farmer’s Market visit Seattle Farmer’s Market , and Freemont Market. For Markets on the Eastside, use this helpful guide from the Seattle Times.

Puget Sound Fresh is also a great resource for locating farms, seasonal produce, and farmer’s markets.

With lush stone fruits such as peaches, nectarines, apricots, and plums hitting the markets and fragrant lavender popping up in local gardens, I hope you’ll try my recipe for Succulent Summer Stone Fruits with Lavender-Infused Honey Syrup.

Succulent Summer Stone Fruits with Lavender-Infused Honey Syrup
Makes about 6 servings

Lavender-Infused Honey Syrup
1/2 cup high-quality honey, preferably local

1/2 cup water
8 fresh lavender flowers, unsprayed, and rinsed (or use 1 tablespoon dried)

About 4 cups assorted fresh, ripe stone fruits, prepared as follows before measuring:
Peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into wedges
Large apricots, pitted and cut into wedges
Plums, pitted and cut into wedges
Nectarines, pitted and cut into wedges
Dark or light sweet cherries, pitted
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Fresh lavender flowers for garnish, optional

To make the Lavender-Infused Honey Syrup: In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the honey, water, and lavender flowers. Bring to a low boil over medium heat, being careful that the mixture does not foam up. Simmer slowly for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is like thin pancake syrup. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Strain into a glass jar, cover, and reserve. The syrup will keep, covered, at room temperature for 2 weeks.

To assemble and serve: In a large bowl, toss the fruit first with the lemon juice, then with the Lavender-Infused Honey Syrup. Serve in pretty glasses or fruit dishes, garnished with fresh lavender flowers if desired.

Top with a tiny spoon of vanilla bean ice cream or a poof of whipped cream if desired.

Recipe from Dishing with Kathy Casey: Copyright © Kathy Casey.

Finally summer in Seattle has arrived. And what better way to welcome stunning summer weather in than with a juicy, mouthwatering, tongue tantalizing, burger hot from the grill.

I’ve cooked up a fantastic recipe for Backyard Blue Cheese-Stuffed Burgers on homemade Golden Garlic Buns with juicy heirloom tomatoes and peppery fresh arugula. Making your own buns is work, I won’t lie, but they are absolutely will impress any patty connoisseur. (You can also make a large batch and freeze some for later.)

And you must check out my friend Scott’s Surdyke’s favorite recipe for his ” Rock The World Brugers”. He found this recipe on epicurious.com. His version uses organic beef from Misty Island Farms, and Andouille Sausage from Uli’s in Pike Place (3 parts beef to 1part sausage) and adds chopped pecans to the mix. Then tops them with watercress, spicy mayo and pickled okra… Yum!

I hope you try the following recipe for your next alfresco get together…..

Backyard Blue Cheese-Stuffed Burgers
on Garlic Buns with Heirloom Tomatoes

Makes 6 half-pound burgers

burgers
3 lbs. lean ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
4 ounces blue cheese

Horseradish Spread
1/2 cup high-quality mayonnaise
1 tablespoon creamed horseradish
2 teaspoons grainy mustard

thick-sliced, heirloom tomatoes
fresh arugula or lettuce
6 each homemade Golden Garlic  Buns (recipe follows )
or substitute 6 high quality hamburger buns spread with garlic butter

Mix meat, salt, pepper, soy sauce, Worcestershire and garlic until thoroughly combined. Shape beef into 12 equal patties, about 5 inches in diameter.

Divide cheese into 6 pieces and press into 2-inch diameter patties. Lay cheese pieces in centers of 6 of the beef patties. Place remaining beef patties over cheese and seal edges of beef patties together thoroughly, making sure they are well pressed together.

To grill: Heat charcoal or gas grill until very hot. Set patties apart on grill, turning when first side is browned. Cook to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side depending on your heat.

While burgers are gilling, mix together the horseradish ingredients together and set aside.

Split buns and toast lightly. Place burgers on buns and serve with tomato slices, arugula or lettuce leaves and a dollop of horseradish spread as desired.

Copyright 2002 Kathy Casey Cooks Favorites by Kathy Casey

Golden Garlic Buns – This recipe is easily doubled!
Makes 6 buns

1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup warm water (90 to 110 degrees F.)
1 package dry yeast
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons garlic, minced
Kosher salt for sprinkling

In a small bowl stir together the milk olive oil, sugar warm water and yeast. Stir to dissolve yeast and let sit about 10 minutes, the pour into a large mixer bowl.

Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and add all but 1 Tbsp. to the liquid ingredients, reserving the extra for brushing the bun tops. Mix in flour, salt and garlic with paddle attachment until incorporated and then change to a dough hook on medium speed for about 3-4 minutes, as needed, top make a smooth, moist dough. Place in a large greased bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down and divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll into balls and let rest 10 minutes, covered with a towel. With a well floured rolling pin, roll balls into 4-inch rounds. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover lightly with a towel and let rise until almost doubled.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl whisk remaining egg together with 1/2 Tbsp. water. Brush the tops of the buns lightly with egg wash and place in oven. When light browning begins to take place, remove buns from oven and very quickly repeat egg wash, sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and place in the oven.

Bake about 15 ot 20 , minutes, or until golden brown. Cool buns on a rack.

Copyright 2002 Kathy Casey Cooks Favorites by Kathy Casey

A Seattle Classic! Ray’s is celebrating its 35th Anniversary. And for those of us that know how hard the restaurant business is – that is quite a statement!

Most recently I had dinner at Ray’s with my husband John. It was a super beautiful sunny Friday evening and the place was packed! We started with the Ray’s ultra martini – made with my friend Ryan’s Aviation Gin distilled in Portland and garnished with a delicious piece of house hard-smoked salmon –wow!

Then moving on to salads we had the Boat House Salad: a classic combination of butter lettuce, point reyes farmstead blue cheese, dried NW cranberries and almonds– drizzled with a raspberry thyme vinaigrette. Our other salad was the Dungeness Crab Salad, loaded with chunks of delicious crab and sprinkled with peanuts – a tasty and light combination.

For our entrees John had the Smoked Sable Fish with a “chowder”  of corn, potato and chef Peters housemade smokey bacon – WOW– this dish is one of the best preparations of Black Cod I have ever had – it was a knock out. I, being in a lighter eating mode, enjoyed the grilled Wild White King Salmon beautifully cooked and served with a bing cherry puree – nice and light! I asked not to be temped with the sexy potatoes that it was paired with, and instead had local pea pods and asparagus as my accompaniment – the whole dish was perfectly prepared and really d’lish!

And service too was stellar. Tiffany, our server, was fantastic. It was the kind of crisp efficient service I almost had though was a thing of the past these days. Thank you Tiffany for making our dinner even better.

And to General Manager extraordinaire “Moe” and her team – congratulations on your anniversary – Ray’s is and deserves to be a true Seattle icon!

Here’s to another 35 years and I hope to be there.

To get the most out of your summer grilling follow these tips from Ray’s Executive Chef Peter Birk

1. Hot fire, but not too hot – you should be able to hold your hand a few inches above the grill for a couple of seconds
2. Clean, well oiled grill
3. Enjoy what you’re doing – don’t stress about over or undercooking – if you worry to much, your food will show it

Recipe for Teriyaki Coho Salmon courtesy of Ray’s Boat House

Note: Requires at least 4 hours marinating time

4 6-ounce wild coho salmon fillets, skin on
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons peeled and chopped fresh ginger
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar

Combine soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, ginger, green onions and brown sugar, and mix well. The marinade should be made a day in advance and refrigerated to allow flavors to blend. In a shallow glass baking dish, cover salmon fillets with marinade. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours, according to how strong a flavor you prefer.

Heat grill to medium-high heat.  Place fillets flesh side down on the grill and cook for about 3 minutes. Turn over and cook just until the center of the fillet becomes opaque, about 3 additional minutes. Total grilling time is approximately 6 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. Serve with steamed rice.

This marinade is excellent for other kinds of fish, as well as chicken and meats.

Yummy berry shortcakes are perfect for a 4th of July weekend backyard party!
If you don’t want to make shortcakes from scratch pick up some Fisher Scone Mix and add-in a handful of chocolate chips for a quick knock-off of my scratch recipe. I also love to make shortcakes with other fruits such as juicy nectarines, peaches or pitted fresh cherries.

Berrylicious Chocolate Chip Shortcakes
Serves 6

4 cups fresh berries, such as strawberries, raspberries or blackberries
1/4 – 1/2 cup sugar, more or less to taste, depending on the tartness of the berries
2 tablespoons berry liqueur (optional)
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening or butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup milk, more or less as needed
————————————————————
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, lightly toss the berries, sugar and liqueur together. Refrigerate. Meanwhile, in a second large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together. Cut in shortening, then stir in chocolate chips. Lightly stir in enough milk to make a soft, moist dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Lightly pat dough to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter. Place on a baking sheet, sides touching. Bake approximately 18 to 20 minutes or until biscuits are lightly browned. Let cool.

Just before serving, whip cream with sour cream powdered sugar till softly peaked. Place split biscuits on plates, spoon on berries, and top with dollops of whipped cream. Place biscuit tops slightly askew. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs if you like.
Recipe copyright 2008by Kathy Casey.

This will be some shroomy time! If you are a mushroom lover then this is the event for you. The first annualfestival will be held in Lacey, Washington at the Nisqually Middle School on Saturday and Sunday June 28th & 29th from 10am – 6 pm. Join Puget Sound Micrological Society President and fantastic mushroom chef Patrice Benson and me on Saturday at 2:30 for a super yummy cooking demo. I will be whipping up some easy summer mushroom salads. In addition to all the foodie fun, there will be live music, children’s activities and lots more chef cooking demos! I hope to see you there! For more info visit http://www.mushroomfest.org

Kathy Casey’s Easy Summer Mushroom Salads

Simple Tuscan Shaved Veggie Salad with Lemon & Olive Oil

This is one of my favorite salads! I first had this style of salad in Tuscany. So delicious drizzled with fabulous olive oil and a grating of parmesan, the salad is perfect when quickly tossed and served with thick slices of grilled rustic bread and a juicy steak or fresh fish straight from the bbq.

For best results you will need to use a Japanese mandoline to slice the ingredients paper thin. This handy tool is great to have around the kitchen and it is worth the investment.

Makes 6 servings

1 bunch radishes, trimmed
1 fennel bulb, trimmed
1 pound large, firm button or crimini mushrooms
2 large heads Belgian endive
2 teaspoons very finely minced lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup very high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or 3/4 teaspoon Dish D’Lish French Seasoning Salt
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives
Freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano or other grating cheese

With a Japanese mandoline or a very sharp knife, cut the radishes and fennel into paper-thin slices. Submerge the slices in ice water for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Meanwhile, cut the mushrooms into paper-thin slices. With a sharp knife, cut the Belgian endive into 1/8-inch-thick slices, being sure not to get the core. Refrigerate the endive and mushrooms separately until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, whisk the lemon zest and juice, oil, and salt in a large bowl. Drain the radishes and fennel, then spin dry in a salad spinner. Toss the shaved and sliced ingredients in the dressing. Sprinkle with the chives, season with pepper to taste, and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning and tartness with a touch more salt, pepper, and/or lemon juice if needed. Divide the salad onto 6 chilled plates and shave some of the cheese over each salad. (Grate the cheese very finely with a Microplane grater, or use a potato peeler to make long, thin shavings.) Serve immediately.

Chef’s Note: For a refreshing variation, you can also toss in a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh mint.

Copyright © 2008 by Kathy Casey. Recipe adapted from Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table, Chronicle Books, San Francisco.

Dish D’LishSesame Noodle Salad with Shiitake Mushrooms

This is one of our most popular salads at my Ballard Dish D’Lish Café. For this variation I have added sautéed shiitake mushrooms. It is super-simple to make and is a great salad to take to a pot-luck or picnic.

Makes about 6 cups

Mushrooms
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, de-stemmed
Sprinkle of kosher salt

Dressing
2 tablespoons Asian-style toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds, untoasted
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons very finely minced fresh ginger
1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons sambal oelek or other Asian chili paste

Noodles
1/2 pound (8 ounces) DRY thin spaghetti pasta

Garnish
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3/4 cup thinly bias-cut green onion
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds, toasted

To cook the mushrooms: Heat oils in a very large non-stick skillet over high heat till hot. Add the mushrooms and cook till tender, stirring often, about 4–6 minutes. Season with salt. Set aside.

To make the dressing: Heat the sesame oil in a small skillet or sautépan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the white sesame seeds and toast until lightly golden. Once golden, add to a large bowl with the remaining dressing ingredients and set aside.

To cook pasta: Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Lightly oil and salt the water. With the water at a full rolling boil, stir in pasta. Continue stirring until pasta water is fully boiling again.

Start checking noodles when halfway through the cooking time given on package. Cook noodles only until al dente. Do not overcook.

Immediately drain well (be sure there is no water left in pasta) and immediately add to dressing bowl along with the cooked shiitake mushrooms and toss together well. Let cool, then add the garnish and toss again. Refrigerate until ready to serve. You can make this salad up to 2 days before serving. Let come to room temperature before serving.

©2008 by Kathy Casey Dish D’Lish®

Everyone loves a good “Q”—once the warm weather’s warming our patios, we flock to stoke the coals and flip the fare. Everything tastes better cooked on the grill.

It’s nice to start your meal with a little grilled rustic bread—crusted over the coals then served with a selection of tasty toppings. These provide a wonderful assortment of color and texture, and their flavors come together perfectly. Artichoke & Garlic Jumble is zesty and and Goat Cheese & Chive Smear is smooth and creamy.

Then move on to the main course—an array or whatever your pleasure, be it meat, fowl, fish or veggies. I love to use Callison’s Seasoned Skewers—they season from the inside out! Just skewer your fish, meat, poultry or vegetables for big flavor in mere minutes. My favorites are their Citrus Rosemary, Thai Coconut Lime and Indian Mango Curry. The skewers are available through my website; in the Northwest at Thriftways, Fred Meyers and Metropolitan Markets; and nationally at Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma.

I’ve included a recipe for Citrus Rosemary Chicken & Veggie Skewers. Served alongside Grilled Rustic Bread with spreads and a Big Green Salad, it’s a great summer meal.

The Menu:

Grilled Rustic Bread
with Artichoke & Garlic Jumble and Goat Cheese & Chive Smear

Big Green Salad from your Farmers Market!

Citrus Rosemary Chicken & Veggie Skewers
—————————————————————————-

Grilled Rustic Bread
Makes 8 servings

24 slices rustic Italian bread (about 1 large loaf, sliced)
extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
Artichoke & Garlic Jumble (recipe follows)
Goat Cheese & Chive Smear (recipe follows)

Prepare toppings in advance. When ready to start grilling, brush the bread slices lightly with oil. Grill bread on each side until lightly grill-marked and toasty, and serve with a choice of toppings.

Artichoke & Garlic Jumble
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 (13.75-oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced lemon zest
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Toss ingredients together well.

Goat Cheese & Chive Smear
Makes 1 1/2 cups

4 ounces chevre-style, soft goat cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives

Place chevre and cream cheese in a mixer with a paddle attachment and whip until fluffy. Gently fold in chives.  Copyright © 2003, Kathy Casey Food Studios®

Citrus Rosemary Chicken & Veggie Skewers
Serves 4

4 Citrus Rosemary Seasoned Skewers
1/2 cup white wine
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 12 pieces (1 1/2-inch chunks)
8 cherry tomatoes
8 slices (about 1-inch thick) zucchini or 8 tiny baby squash
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak skewers in white wine for 10 to 15 minutes.
Thread onto a skewer in the following order: chicken-tomato-zucchini, using 1 piece of each. Repeat 1 more time and then add 1 more piece of chicken to secure the vegetables. Repeat with remaining skewers.
Let sit for 10 to 20 minutes in refrigerator.
Lightly brush skewers on each side with olive or vegetable oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place on a preheated medium-high grill and cook skewers until chicken is cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
Recipe © Callison’s Seasoned Skewers – created by Kathy Casey

For more great recipes that I created with Seasoned Skewers visit www.seasonedskewers.com

Strawberry season on it’s way, and what better to craft out of these ruby beauties than pie! Oh, but what’s that you say? You can’t make pie? You are afraid of making crust?

Pie does not have to be as hard as everyone makes it out to be. The Strawberry Rhubarb Rustic Tarts are a great pie for a beginner due to its hand-formed shape – so don’t worry it’s supposed to look rustic! Fear of crust be gone! This recipe uses a little vinegar in the crust – making for a bit of crust magic. But the true secret to a great crust is not to over-handle it!

The next recipe is a bit more advanced – it is for Pink and Puffy Strawberry Chiffon PIe – an old school style pie. Whipped cream and whipped egg whites are folded in to the strawberry mixture making for a super fluffy filling.  

Both recipes are wonderful to feature the summer’s lush strawberries.

Strawberry Rhubarb Rustic Tarts
Makes 4 individual tarts
Be sure to read recipe through before starting.

Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds (optional)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into small chunks
1 large egg, beaten
2 tsp. cider vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp. ice water

Fruit Filling
2 cups quartered strawberries and 1 cup thinly sliced rhubarb OR 3 cups total of any fresh berries
6 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. flour

To make the crust: Mix the flour, poppy seeds, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and, with a pastry blender or clean hands, combine until mixture forms pea-sized particles. In a small separate bowl, mix together 1 Tbsp. of the beaten egg (reserve the rest for egg wash), vinegar and ice water. Stir into the dry mixture with a fork, mixing until liquid is just incorporated. (If dough is too dry, add more water, 1 to 2 teaspoons at a time.) Form dough into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for 10 to 20 minutes.

To make Fruit Filling: Right before assembling the tarts, place fruit in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar and flour. Set aside and toss together after you have rolled out the dough.

To assemble and bake tarts: Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut dough into 4 equal portions. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, press the portion into a flat round disk. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 1/8-inch-thick, 6- to 6 1/2-inch circle, pressing in sides as needed to keep it round. Cover with plastic while you roll out the remaining pieces.

Divide filling evenly among the rolled tart shells, heaping it in the center of each. Gather up the crust edges around the filling, bringing about 1 1/2 inches of the dough over the fruit and pinching it as needed to make an open-face tart. Be careful not to get any holes in crust. If this happens, pinch shut.

With a spatula, carefully remove each tart to a lightly pan-sprayed or parchment-papered baking sheet. Whisk 1 teaspoon of water into the reserved beaten egg and lightly brush the dough of tarts. Sprinkle the tart tops lightly with sugar.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling; cooking time will vary with different ovens. Recipe from Kathy Casey Cooks Favorites-Copyright © 2002 by Kathy Casey.

Pink & Puffy Strawberry Chiffon Pie
Makes 1 9-inch pie

Crust
1 1/2 cups very finely crushed vanilla wafer cookies
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar

Filling
1 pint fresh strawberries, washed, stemmed and sliced
1/2 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 egg whites*, preferably organic

Garnish
Sweetened whipped cream
Fresh strawberries with stems, sliced in half lengthwise

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

To make the crust: Combine the cookie crumbs (crumbs should be fine, like cornmeal—you can crush them in a food processor or in a plastic bag and then roll with a rolling pin), butter and sugar in a medium bowl and mix well.

Place mixture in a 9-inch pie pan, and press mixture into pan evenly then up the sides and out onto the rim. Bake for about 6 to 8 minutes, then cool crust to room temperature before filling.

To make the filling: Place sliced strawberries and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a food processor and just lightly pulse a couple of times to break up strawberries—do not puree or chop fine. (If you don’t have a food processor, use a potato masher to do this.) Let mixture sit for 20 minutes (no longer!) before continuing.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, stir the cranberry juice and gelatin together. Place pan over low heat and stir until gelatin is just dissolved. Then pour into a large bowl, and set aside to cool.

After gelatin mixture has cooled, add strawberry mixture to it. Place in refrigerator and chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture is partially set—gloppy but not firm. (This takes about 20 to 30 minutes, depending upon your refrigerator.)

When strawberry mixture is partially set, quickly whip the cream in a mixer until stiff and then refrigerate while you whip the egg whites.

In a clean, grease-free mixer bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Then gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the strawberry mixture, then gradually and gently fold in the whipped cream. Quickly mound filling into the baked and cooled pie shell.

Return pie to refrigerator, and chill until filling is firm, at least 3 hours. Garnish with sweetened whipped cream and fresh halved strawberries if desired.

Keep any extra pie refrigerated.

*This pie contains uncooked egg whites, which are not recommended for pregnant women, children, the elderly or anyone with immune deficiencies. However, you could use a pasteurized egg white product, such as “Just Whites” or “Egg Beaters Egg Whites.” (Read the label to be sure the product is designed for meringues.) Copyright © 2002 Kathy Casey Food Studios®

Cherry red. What do you think of? That sexy, glossy convertible, that pair of stilettos, a favorite lipstick, or your Le Creuset enameled cast iron heart-shaped pan?Of course that most evocative of color descriptions is the seductive fruit’s namesake.

Plump, juicy cherries, icy cold, are my idea of the perfect snack. Just sitting around on a hot day popping them in one by one is the start of a wonderful summer. Some friends I know will eat a big bowl of cherries for dinner.

Cherries can appear in any part of the menu, from beverages to baked goods. They can, that is, if you can keep your household from eating them out of hand before you get a chance to make anything with them!

Looking for a stunning seasonal starter? Toss the brilliant, sweet orbs into a salad of tender gourmet greens—with crumbles of soft chevre goat cheese, toasted hazelnuts or walnuts- tossed with a light vinaigrette.

Dessert ideas abound—cherries in rice pudding, in a sauce for vanilla or chocolate ice cream, or topping a creamy cheesecake. We all recognize the names of famous cherry sweets—Black Forest Cake, Cherries Jubilee, Chocolate-Covered Cherries …. And you know shortcakes aren’t just for strawberries. Fresh, pitted cherries tossed with a little sugar and kirsch liqueur make an excellent shortcake filling.

My Summer Cherry Triple Ginger Upside Down Cake will be the perfect ending to a balmy summer night’s barbecue. The method for this cake is reminiscent of French clafouti but is not difficult to make.

Have a cherrilicious summer! ©2008 Kathy Casey Food Studios®

Summer Cherry Triple-Ginger Upside Down Cake

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup packed, brown sugar
1 pound fresh cherries, pitted (about 2 cups)

Batter

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons very finely minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup very finely minced crystallized ginger
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk

Position a rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan, and reserve.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat then stir in brown sugar. Bring to a boil, and then immediately drizzle into the prepared pan. Use a rubber spatula to distribute sugar mixture. Place the pitted cherries evenly around on top of sugar mixture. Set aside.

To make the cake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground ginger and salt, and set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat together the fresh ginger, crystallized ginger, sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs and beat well. Then add flour mixture and milk, alternately, in 2 batches, mixing at low speed after each addition until just combined. Do not over-mix.

Spoon batter evenly over cherries in the pan. Spread batter gently, being careful not to move the cherries around too much. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan on a rack 15 minutes. Run a small knife around edges of pan to loosen cake. Place a large platter or serving plate over cake and invert cake onto platter. Serve warm or at room temperature with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired. ©2004 Kathy Casey Food Studios®