Recipe of the Week: Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

Nope, you didn't stumble into Bizzaro world. Yup, you read that title right. As it turns out, someone came up with the best idea since strawberries went ON your cheesecake. Why, oh why, didn't we think of this??? No time to dwell on that...let us just be thankful that someone did!

And while we're handing out thanks, we really must give a shout out to Twitter. We know some people are loath to get on board with the thought-truncating machinations of that most ubiquitos of social media options... but guess where we found this recipe? Seriously, we can no doubt live without knowing what Ashton Kutcher had for breakfast, but we're pretty sure we can't live without cheesecake stuffed strawberries! So thank you Twitter, thank you @localinseason and thank you @nutmegnanny!


Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

You need:

• 1 pound large strawberries
• 8 oz. block cream cheese
• 3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (may also use almond or lemon, depending on your preference)
• Graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

1. Rinse strawberries and cut around the top of each strawberry
2. Remove tops and clean out insides, a paring knife works well
3. If you want strawberries to stand up-right for presentation, cut a bit off the bottom
4. Set berries aside
5. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla
6. Put cream cheese mix in a piping bag and fill strawberries (be sure let some 'overflow' the top
7. Put graham cracker crumbs on a plate
8. Dip tops of strawberries in the crumbs until fully coated
9. Enjoy!

Find more great fruit and produce recipes on Ruma's web site!

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Always have fresh fruit on hand - join Ruma's Royal Fruit Club or purchase a monthly plan for a friend! Shipping is FREE

Recipe of the Week: Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse

It's Bastille Day and it's raspberry season, so we thought we'd honor both occasions this week by celebrating with a delectable raspberry white chocolate mousse! Your family and friends will be storming the kitchen for second helpings. (Sorry, we're as weak in the face of wordplay as we are in the face of dessert.)

As if being super yummy weren't enough, this mousse has a bonus feature. It can also be used to fill or ice a cake! Franc-ly (sorry) we think it would be best to try both! Ouiiiiiiiii!


Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse

You need:

• 10 ounces fresh raspberries
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur
• 1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
• 1 drop red food coloring

Directions:

1. Process berries in a blender or food processor until smooth
2. Strain mixture into a small bowl and discard seeds
3. Add the sugar and liqueur and stir until sugar dissolves
4. In a heavy saucepan on low heat, warm 1/4 cup of the cream and the white chocolate
5. Stir chocolate constantly until it melts
6. Let mixture cool until it is lukewarm
7. Stir in one tablespoon of raspberry sauce and the drop of food coloring
8. Transfer mixture into large bowl
9. In a medium bowl, whip remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream to soft peaks
10. Fold into melted chcolate mixure, one-third at a time, until no streaks remain
11. Layer into parfait dishes and serve with the sauce

Find more great fruit and produce recipes on Ruma's web site!

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Always have fresh fruit on hand - join Ruma's Royal Fruit Club or purchase a monthly plan for a friend! Shipping is FREE

Recipe of the Week: Frozen Fruit Pops

New England or not, we think it's now safe to say summer is truly here. (If it snows next week, feel free to blame us.) One of the things we love best about this season is the amazing abundance of berries! Between the blueberries and the raspberries, it sure gets wild in our neck of the woods once the calendar flips to July.

This week we wanted to bring you a recipe that not only highlighted some of summer's best berries, but served as a tasty way to cool off. We think we've found it with these super simple ice pops - featuring three kinds of berries along with bananas and yogurt, they're also bursting with nutrition!



Frozen Fruit Pops

You need:

• 2 cups fresh blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and sliced bananas, mixed
• 2 cups plain or vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 8 small paper cups
• 8 popsicle sticks

Directions:

1. Place the berries, sliced banana, yogurt and sugar into a blender
2. Cover and blend until fruit is chunky or smooth, as desired
3. Fill paper cups 3/4 full with fruit mixture
4. Cover the top of each cup with a strip of aluminum foil
5. Poke a popsicle stick through the center of the foil on each cup
6. Place the cups in the freezer for at least 5 hours
7. To serve, remove foil and peel off the paper cup

Find more great fruit and produce recipes on Ruma's web site!

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Always have fresh fruit on hand - join Ruma's Royal Fruit Club or purchase a monthly plan for a friend! Shipping is FREE

Recipe of the Week: Grilled Peaches

 IT. IS. ON!

We're talking about summer, we're talking about the grill and we're talking about peaches!

For a minute there it looked like we had entered into some strange weather wormhole and wound up back in November - but hey, that's New England  for you! Like the hardy breed we are, we hung in there and we're feeling pretty good about the prospect of some REAL summer weather sticking around for a bit.

And just to show we're serious, we're busting out a recipe that screams summer. Sure, these days you can get your hands on peaches for most of the year, but they never taste as good as they do in the summertime. Take it a step further and put that juicy little Georgian on the grill and it's like the culinary equivalent of the last day of school, the fourth of July, fireflies and dips in the ocean all rolled into one!

And, to top it all off, this one's as easy as a Summer breeze.


Grilled Peaches

You need:

• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black peppercorns
• 2 large fresh peaches, halved and pitted (don't remove skin)
• 2 1/2 ounces fresh crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

• In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the white sugar, balsamic vinegar and pepper
• Simmer until liquid has reduced by one half (it should become slightly thicker)
• Remove from heat and set aside
• Preheat grill for medium-high heat
• Lightly oil the grill grate
• Place peaches on the prepared grill, cut side down
• Cook for about 5 minutes or until flesh is carmelized
• Turn peaches over, brush tops and sides with the balsamic glaze and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes
• Transfer the peach halves to individual serving dishes, sprinkle with blue cheese and drizzle with remaining glaze

Find more great fruit and produce recipes on Ruma's web site!

___________________________________________________
Always have fresh fruit on hand - join Ruma's Royal Fruit Club or purchase a monthly plan for a friend! Shipping is FREE