The best part about the seasonal changes for me is the different variety of fruits that Pakistan has to offer. Season may not be very distinguished in my neck of the woods aka Karachi, where all four seasons just kind of blur into one okay-not-so-hot-or-cold year round phenomena. But the one thing I absolutely adore about spring, second only to the festival of ‘Basant’, is that it brings my absolute favorite fruit and unarguably the best kind of berry to exist, strawberries!
Chocolate covered strawberries, cream and strawberries, strawberry roll ups or just the plain old fruit, honestly I can’t even begin to list down all the ways you can enjoy this tiny red delicacy. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. I have chosen my three go to strawberry desserts I can whip out anytime for a party, potluck, tea or just to satisfy my cravings, that I’ll be sharing with you all.
1. Strawberry and Jell-O Mosaic Dessert
What you need:
- Strawberry jello- 1pack
- Cream- 2 packs
- Strawberries –half kg, chopped
- Gelatin- 3 Tbs
- Sugar-as needed
- Ring cake mold
What to do:
- Prepare the strawberry jello as suggested on the back of the pack and cool to set.
- Once cooled, cut it into cubes and set aside.
- Whip some cream, adding sugar as needed, till it forms soft peaks.
- Mix 3 tablespoons of gelatin in 1 cup of hot water and stir till it dissolves. Add this to the whipped cream and mix.
- Separate in two bowls and to one of them, add ¾ cups of the chopped strawberries.
- Now add your jello cubes to the ring mould, making sure to spread them out as well as high on the edges.
- Line the left over strawberries on the sides and bottom of the mould as well.
- Now add the cream mixture that has no strawberries, to this mould gradually. You may also add only half of this at a time and freeze in between to make sure the jello and strawberries don’t move too much from the surfaces of the mould.
- Freeze this mixture for 15 minutes before adding the second half the cream mixture that has the strawberries.
- Now let this mixture set in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours.
- Run a warm knife around the inside edge of the mould to loosen the dessert and flip it over
- Enjoy a delicious and visually appeasing dessert!
2. Strawberry Delight
What you need:
- Victorian sponge cake
- Cream- 1 pack
- Mixed fruit cocktail- 1 can
- Strawberries- as required
- Sugar- to taste
- Red jello
What to do:
- Whip some cream and add sugar to it as per taste, until it forms soft peaks.
- Mix strawberries and a drained can of mixed fruit to the cream and stir it all together.
- Prepare the strawberry jello and cut to the shape of your choice.
- Add half of this jello to the cream mix.
- On a dish, lay out pieces of the sponge cake and add the liquid from your fruit can to saturate the cake.
- Add cream mix to this dish and level out the top.
- Add the rest of the jello decoratively to the top and serve cold.
3. Strawberry Breakfast Granola
What you need:
- Granola bars-1/bowl
- Greek yoghurt
- Strawberries- as requires
What to do:
- Crush some granola bars and add to a bowl.
- Add a good helping of Greek yogurt on top and as many strawberries as you want.
- This is a perfect and nutritious start to your day and requires barely any time to prepare.
