Speedbump Kitchen: June 2010

Michigan is awesome when it comes to fruit. We have everything here, it comes fast and furious, all crammed into 10 weeks. Some years I just have to let some seasons pass me by because I can't get to the fields fast enough. Last year, I bypassed strawberry season, but managed to catch blueberry. This year, I was sure to make it out strawberry picking. Strawberry jam fills our freezer, and we've had strawberry shortcake for dessert and breakfast. I think missing out last year had made this year's harvest even sweeter!

Strawberry Shortcake
Someday I'll come up with a successful 'from scratch' butter-less buttermilk biscuit, until then, I'm happy with Bisquick, the bonus is not having to roll and cut out biscuits!

Biscuits (makes 6-8

2 1/3 cups Bisquick mix
3 T. white sugar
3 T. cold dairy-free margarine cut into cubes (I use Fleischmann's unsalted margarine)
2/3 cup soymilk plus 1T cider vinegar set aside to thicken

1.) Preheat the oven to 350.
2.) Mix sugar into the Bisquick mix,
3.) Cut the margarine into dry mix, blend around using a couple forks until the margarine lumps are pea sized or smaller.
4.) Pour the soured soymilk into the dry mixture. Carefully incorporate the soymilk with a spatula, don't beat or you'll have bricks.
5.) Scoop 1/2 cup blobs of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with sugar.
6.) Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Remove from the pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack.

Simple Dairy-Free Vanilla Ice Cream

20 regular sized marshmallows
3 cups Silk soy creamer
1/3 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
2 T. oil

1.) In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the marshmallows and 1 cup of soy creamer for 1 minute. Remove and whisk well. If the marshmallows are not melted into the cream, keep microwaving 30 seconds at time, mixing between zap until the marshmallows are melted down. Fresh marshmallows are easier than old ones for this.
2.) Add the sugar and the other 2 cups of soy creamer, vanilla and oil. Mix well, chill in the refrigerator or freezer if still warm.
3.) Freeze in an ice cream maker. I have a Cuisinart that works really well.

Crushed Strawberries

1.) I hope you don't need a recipe for this, because I don't have one. I wing it.
2.) Crush a bunch of strawberries by hand or in a food processor.
3.) Add sugar until it tastes about right.

Perfect Easy Dairy-Free Egg-Free Strawberry Shortcake Recipe Perfect Easy Dairy-Free Egg-Free Ice Cream Recipe,

Happy days! School is out. I can exhale. Mornings are now relaxed, time for some coffee cake, and actually drinking my coffee while sitting. It is quite novel to actually drink coffee fresh from the pot and not after the 3rd try re-reheated in the microwave! I really don't know why it has taken me so long to post this recipe. Sometimes the obvious gets overlooked. This recipe has been kicking around the kitchens of Baptist women in Northern Michigan for at least 30 years, first introduced to the region by the pastor's wife, Esther.

In addition to bringing a whole slew of new recipes to our small town, and new playmates for my sisters and I, the pastor and his wife helped start an interesting tradition of children referring to adults in the church as "Aunt" and "Uncle". It took me a while to actually figure out who my real aunts and uncles were within the mix, and I'm sure it confused a few visitors as well. But it did make our church family seem much more so.

This recipe is so great. It is actually egg-free in its natural state, a real boon when a coffee cake needed to happen in a small town on short notice with a bare refrigerator. It's also great because it can be mixed up at night and baked in the AM. Enjoy!

Auntie Esther's Crumb Cake

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. allspice
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 stick dairy-free margarine ( I use Fleishmann's Unsalted Margarine)

1/2 cup soymilk
1 T. cider vinegar

1.) Preheat oven to 350.
2.) Add the vinegar to the soymilk and let thicken.
3.) Mix all the dry ingredients in a food processor or large bowl. Whirl around to mix the ingredients.
4.) Cut the margarine into the dry ingredients. Pulse until well mixed, but not clumping together or blend well with a pastry cutter.
5.) Reserve out 1/2 cup of the crumble.
6.) Pour the soured soymilk into the rest of the crumble mix. Blend around until everything is moistened. It will be thick.
7.) Spread batter into a 9 x 9 pyrex pan.
8.) Sprinkle reserved crumble on top.
9.) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry.

When I make this the night before, I make up the crumble mixture, measure out the 1/2 cup and let it sit at room temp. In the AM, I preheat the oven, make the soured soymilk and go from there like normal.