Seasonal Fruit Salad with Honey-Mint Lime Dressing

It has been amazing weather-wise here in Switzerland. Since I arrived on April 1st, the sun has made sure to shine her rays every. single. day! It has of course rained here and there, but it is never for very long, and it never seems to happen when I walk to and from work. Someone is on my side.

To celebrate the lovely weather, I thought I’d make a bright and colourful fruit salad with a little kick. I regularly make fruit salads with either no dressing or an orange juice dressing, but when I saw this on Tasty Kitchen, I knew I had to try.

I made this salad with ripe mango’s, kiwis, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and pineapple.

For the dressing I threw together honey, lime juice, brown sugar, and mint.

Then I mixed this dressing until everything was well incorporated. Then I poured the dressing on top of the fruit, shared it with some friends, and ate it. I might have had a cocktail with it too…you know you want to too.

Seasonal Fruit Salad with Honey-Mint Lime Dressing
Dressing recipe taken from Tasty Kitchen
Serves 10 people

Ingredients
3 Tablespoons Honey
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Fresh Mint, Chopped
10 cups Seasonal Fresh Fruit: I used Strawberries, Blueberries, Peaches, Kiwis, Mangos, and Pineapple.

Directions:
In a small bowl whisk together honey, lime juice, brown sugar, and mint until well incorporated.
Toss with your bowl of fresh cut fruit and serve.
Garnish with optional mint sprigs.

Individual-sized Strawberry Shortcake

Easter weekend was a blast for me. I baked, I ate, I walked in the sun…I even went four-wheeling! This is why I love going home. Living in the city can be so tiring sometimes and going home for the holidays with family is always a good pick-me-up. I did eat too much chocolate though..oh boy. But alas, this blog post is not about chocolate. It’s about my favorite fruit: strawberries, and their partner in crime: whipped cream.

I knew that making a strawberry shortcake would be the perfect dessert for after Easter dinner. It’s not too heavy, and so perfect for spring. Here’s how I made it..

Ingredients:
Strawberries:
2 pints fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced lengthwise
1/2 cup granulated sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed

Whipped cream:
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar (or your own desired sweetness)

Shortcake biscuits:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tbsp) cold, unsalted butter (cut into small chunks)
3/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Berries and whipped cream:
1. Combine the sliced strawberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl.  Toss gently and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, with a handheld mixer, beat the whipping cream and sugar until soft peaks form.  Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the biscuits.

Biscuits:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.  Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives until the butter is the size of small peas.  Add the cream and incorporate using a wooden spoon until the dough is thoroughly moistened, but not over-worked.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured, nonstick surface and roll into a 1/2-inch-thick disk with a floured rolling pin.

4. Cut the dough into three-inch rounds using a cookie cutter or drinking cup, gently rolling and re-rolling the dough as necessary. (You should have six to eight biscuits, depending on the size of the cutter and the thickness of the dough.)
5. Transfer the rounds to a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow to cool.

Assembly of the shortcakes:
1. Cut each cooled biscuit in half horizontally.
2. Place the bottom half on a plate and spoon the strawberries and whipped cream over it.

3. Place the top half of the biscuit on top of the berries and whipped cream. Add more berries and cream. Serve immediately.