Food for Thought: Seasonal Recipes

By Alexa Sinatra

Food for Thought is a blog series all about Phipps sustainability efforts surrounding food! From the Edible Garden to Phipps Culinary Arts courses, there is so much to learn about the ways Phipps dishes out sustainable food practices.

Cooking with seasonal ingredients is one of the best ways to be more sustainable in the kitchen! During the springtime, seasonal produce includes strawberries, pineapples, mangoes, kiwi, lemons and more. Read on to learn how to make the perfect seasonal dessert, a lemon curd mousse with strawberry whipped cream! Refreshing, light and flavorful, this dessert is full of everything we crave during the spring. 

Lemon Curd Mousse with Strawberry Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

For the Lemon Curd Mousse: 

• 4 oz softened cream cheese
• 1 ¾ cups lemon curd
• ½ cup heavy cream

For the Whipped Frosting:

• 1 ½ cups chopped fresh strawberries OR 1 cup freeze dried strawberries (1/4 cup powder)
• 1 ¾ cups heavy whipping cream, cold
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

For the Lemon Curd Mousse:

1. Whisk the cream cheese in a medium-size bowl until smooth and lump-free. Add the lemon curd and whisk together until smooth and creamy. Set it aside.
2. Whip the heavy cream in a mixer until soft peaks form.
3. Fold the whipped cream into the lemon curd mixture until just combined.
4. When the berry compote is ready, divide the mousse between dessert glasses/cups, top with a little compote. Chill if you are not ready to serve.
5. When ready to serve, pipe or add a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

For the Whipped Frosting:

To make with fresh strawberries (when strawberries are IN season):

1. Add the chopped strawberries to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh sieve to discard the seeds.
2. Add the puree to a medium sized saucepan and cook over medium heat. Allow the puree to come to a boil and continue to boil, stirring consistently to keep it from burning, until it has thickened and reduce to 1/4 cup, about 15 minutes. To measure, pour the puree into a measuring cup. If it’s more than 1/4 cup, add it back to the pan and continue to cook it.
3. When the puree has thickened and reduced, pour into a small bowl and refrigerate until completely cooled. This strawberry mixture can be made ahead.
4. When cooled, add the strawberry mixture, heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. Be sure to use the full amount of powdered sugar, which helps stabilize the whipped cream.

Chefs note: You can still enjoy this recipe when strawberries are out of season by using freeze dried strawberries instead! Simply add the freeze-dried strawberries to a food processor and grind into a powder then add that, heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar to a large mixer bowl and whip on high speed until stiff peaks form. Be sure to use the full amount of powdered sugar, which helps stabilize the whipped cream.