16 July 2008

Cook's treat

I don't really remember when I first heard the term "cook's treat" but I remember the dish. It was a roast chicken...or duck...maybe turkey--it was a bird, I know that much. The TV cook took it out of the oven, placed it on the counter, smiled and surrepticiously cut off a piece and ate it.

"Cook's treat," he said unapologetically.

In my juvenile brain, it translated to "if you cook it, you can take what you want before you actually serve it to your family or guests."

I liked that idea...and greedily put it to regular practise...until My Dear Little Cardamummy caught me. Yeah...she put an end to that. Well, sort of. I still snuck little bits, but made sure they were little and no one would actually notice they were gone.

Now when I have my cook's treat it can be anything from hiding some of the crackling from a roast ham to using up the leftover bits of pastry to make a special little pie.

After assembling the
strawberry cream cake I had bits left over: a few spoons of strawberry sauce, a whackload of strawberry cream, a few leftover sliced berries, and of course the sawed off cake tops.

So I did what any self-respecting cook would do.

I made my own single-serving kindasorta trifle-like pudding...I say kindasorta simply because my home is devoid of sherry...(must remember to pick some up from the LCBO)....trifle isn't really trifle if it doesn't have that teeny little buzz. What a simple and delicious little treat: cake, strawberry cream, a touch of heavy cream, berries and of course that sweet, fruity sauce.

The strawberry sauce is easy enough to put together and really doesn't follow a strict recipe because it's dependent upon the sweetness of the berries, how smooth you want the sauce and how thick you want it. It's loosely based on the strawberry jam I made last summer.

Strawberry Sauce
(yields about one cup)

900g strawberries, washed, hulled and chopped (or mashed, if you want)
3 Tbsp runny honey (or more or less, depending upon their sweetness)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Over medium heat, bring the berries and one tablespoon of honey to a boil, while stirring constantly. Skim off the foam. Taste for sweetness and add more honey if you wish. Stir in the vinegar. Reduce until you have the desired thickness. Store unused sauce in the fridge.

cheers!
jasmine







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19 comments:

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

The balsamic is just the perfect balance to strawberries, and with the honey....oh, yum.

K and S said...

cook's treats are so cool!

Gigi said...

i have never heard of the term "cook's treat". i just love your trifle for one!

Shreya said...

strawberry sauce...such a delightful colour!

Deetsa said...

gosh, those strawberries look REALLY good. Your cook's treat trifle looks like it would taste divine.

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

And boom! There you have the ultimate "cook's Treat" !! Hooray! (any left for me?)

Anonymous said...

Beautiful colors! And I agree with what you said in a previous post - My favorite way to eat fruit is plain. Just washed and savored, as is.

Deborah said...

I love the idea of the "cook's treat". I'm going to start instituting it in my kitchen! And what a perfect sauce to go with your snack!

Ivy said...

At first, I took a "cooks treat" as something super speical that even the best cooks are impressed by. You know like when they say a cook's cook etc...
It's funny though because I usually only eat the scaps of what is left from whatever I make and if it's dinner, I give myself the worst looking plate. Haha.

Helene said...

I am always happy to have a little leftovers or cake trimmings when I bake...never met a crumb I did not like! Very nice and the cake post prior to that one made me want cake really bad!

Jenny said...

I seem to recall that the reason there was "cooks treat" was because frequently that was all the cook got to try of the dish, being too busy with everything else to sit down and eat!

Brilynn said...

I am a strong believer in the cook's treat! Perhaps too much so... I think the cook's treat keeps getting larger and larger...

Deb in Hawaii said...

Love the "cook's treat" idea and your's sounds and looks great. I will have to make the strawberry sauce soon & maybe some crepes to put it on.

Anonymous said...

Woah!!! Gimme that!

Girl, you are outta control up in here with these all of these divalicious sweets. LOL I love it!

giz said...

Love trifle, love when it's as colourful as yours is and well, the buzz, you're right...gotta have buzz (and I'm not talkin' Lightyear)

Patricia Scarpin said...

Jarmine, I so want this sauce over my yogurt.

gail said...

This looks VERY yummy! I'll have to make it ASAP - thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I love the idea of a cook's treat. I once make a tarte tatin that was cooked perfectly, but collapsed into a heap when I turned it out. That was a good week of cook's treats :)

Anonymous said...

Yum! This looks great!

It's funny you mention the "cook's treat." My grandmother used to say that, but only, I think, in reference to the succulent little bits of fat and skin on the tail of a nice, crispy roast chicken.

+Jessie
a.k.a. The Hungry Mouse