HOME & LIVING
B2 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
STRAWBERRIES
Continued from Page B1
Brush with 1 tbsp of cream and
sprinkle with 1 tbsp of sugar.
Bake for 20 minutes, until the
top is golden and fi rm. Let cool
slightly then transfer to a rack
to cool, sugar side up.
Beat the cream with the
vanilla and remaining 1 table-
spoon sugar to soft peaks.
Cut the shortcake in half,
horizontally, and transfer the
bottom half to a plate. Spoon
the berries and juices on top.
Top with about two-thirds of
the whipped cream and cover
with the pastry top. Serve the
remaining whipped cream
alongside it.
STRAWBERRY
MARGARITA
The following recipe is adapted
from “What’s Good,” by Peter
Hoff man. In the book, he
features a black pepper simple
syrup, but you can use a regular
one for a more classic drink. If
you want to enhance the pep-
periness, coat the glass rim with
a mix of sugar, salt and crushed
black pepper.
Makes 2 drinks
10 large strawberries, hulled
4 ounces blanco tequila
2 ounces simple syrup,
preferably black pepper
simple syrup (see Note)
2 ounces fresh lemon juice
In a cocktail shaker, mash the
strawberries with a spoon or
muddler, but don’t purée them.
Pour in the tequila, simple
syrup, and lime juice. Add ice
and shake well. Pour into rocks
glasses.
Note: Simple syrup is made
by mixing equal amounts of
very hot water and sugar until
the sugar is dissolved. (Boil,
if necessary.) Let cool before
using. For black pepper syrup,
add 2 tbsp crushed pepper for
every 1 cup of water and sugar,
and strain before cooling.
STRAWBERRY
JAM
(STORAGE)
The following recipe is adapted
from Food52. The butter, says
Merrill Stubbs, the website’s
co-founder, helps make the jam
crystal clear.
Makes about 1 quart
4 cups hulled, quartered
strawberries
2 1/4 cups sugar
Pinch of salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons cold,
unsalted butter
In a medium, heavy sauce-
pan, combine the strawberries,
sugar, salt, and lemon juice.
Simmer over low heat, stirring
frequently, until the jam is
thickened and set. To test it, put
a spoonful on a very cold plate;
it shouldn’t quickly melt out.
Off the heat, stir in the butter.
Spoon the hot jam into hot,
sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch
of room at the top.
If storing in the refrigerator,
let cool, then refrigerate for up
to 3 weeks.
TUESDAY, JUNE 29, 2021
CONDIMENTS
Continued from Page B1
1/2 small red onion, chopped
4 large cloves garlic,
peeled, cut in half
1-2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1-2 canned chipotles in adobo,
removed from sauce
1 teaspoon fi ne salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1. Use kitchen shears to
cut stems off of 2-3 ounces
dried chiles. Cut chiles open
and scrape out seeds. Discard
seeds and stems. Use the
shears to cut the chiles into
1/2-inch pieces. You will need
about 1 generous cup of chile
pieces.
2. Put 2 cups extra virgin
olive oil into a large sauce-
pan. Heat over medium until
warm — not hot, certainly not
smoking.
3. Add 1/3 cup chopped
dry roasted peanuts, 1/4 cup
chopped pecans, 1-2 table-
spoons sesame seeds, 1/2 of a
Eberly Film Labs-The Daily Meal/TNS
Peanutty salsa macha.
chopped small red onion and 4
cloves garlic to the heated oil.
Cook, stirring often, until the
garlic turns golden, 5-10 min-
utes. The garlic should not burn
and the oil should not smoke.
4. Stir in chopped dried chiles.
Remove from heat. Let cool to
room temperature, about 45
minutes.
5. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar,
1 chipotle chile, 1 teaspoon
salt and 1/2 teaspoon dried
oregano.
6. Carefully transfer mixture
to a blender container (work in
batches if necessary). Use on/
off turns to fi nely chop all the
solids. Do not puree. Taste and
adjust seasoning, adding more
vinegar, chipotle and salt as
desired.
7. Transfer to small covered
containers. Use at room tem-
perature. Store in the refriger-
ator for up to several weeks.
Let stand at room temperature
to allow oil to warm up before
using.
Strawberries stand in for tomatoes
Sweet berries are
perfect for a
summer bruschetta
By GRETCHEN MCKAY
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Is there anything more
wonderful than strawberry
season?
The crop has started to
come in at local farms and
if you’re like me, the race
is on to eat and preserve as
many of these sweet and
luscious berries as possible
in the coming weeks. Rip-
ened under sunshine and
picked at the peak of fresh-
ness, local berries are a
far cry from the mass-pro-
duced strawberries you
fi nd throughout the year in
plastic clamshell containers
at grocery stores.
Because they’re sweet,
strawberries lend them-
selves toward dessert. Short-
cake is a given, along with
strawberry crisp, strawberry
pie and strawberry freezer
jam.
In this recipe, the ber-
ries stand in for tomatoes in
a sweet and tart bruschetta
appetizer.
Most bruschetta is made
with toasted bread, but I like
to fry the ciabatta slices in
a little olive oil so they’re
super-crispy. You can
use either fresh ricotta or
shredded fresh mozzarella
as the base and a tangy bal-
samic glaze sweetened with
honey drizzled on top. (My
little sister has an apiary in
her backyard in Bethesda,
Maryland, so I lucked out).
Chopped fresh mint and
shredded fresh basil add a
pop of green. The end result
is both bright and fresh and
a perfect way to kick off a
summer dinner or happy
hour. Truth be told, they
also make a mighty fi ne
breakfast.
STRAWBERRY
AND CHEESE
BRUSCHETTA
F OR BALSAMIC GLAZE
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1-2 teaspoons honey
F OR BRUSCHETTA
1 pint (2 cups) strawberries,
destemmed and cut
into halves or quarters,
depending on size
1 tablespoon thinly
sliced fresh mint
1 tablespoon thinly
sliced fresh basil
2 teaspoons olive oil,
plus more for pan
1/2 baguette or ciabatta,
sliced into rounds
1 cup fresh ricotta or fresh
mozzarella, shredded
Flaky sea salt, such as
Maldon, for garnish
Make balsamic glaze: Pour
vinegar and honey into a small
pot or saucepan and bring to a
gentle boil over medium heat.
Reduce heat to medium-low and
let simmer, stirring occasionally.
Cook until the vinegar thickens
and is reduced by half (about 20
minutes). It will look glossy and
be thick enough to coat the back
Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS
Fresh strawberries drizzled with a balsamic glaze make a great top-
ping for bruschetta.
of a spoon. Pour in to a glass con-
tainer and set aside to cool.
In a small bowl, toss strawber-
ries with the mint, basil and 2
teaspoons olive oil. Set aside.
Add a glug of olive oil to a
large frying pan set over medi-
um-high heat. (I used cast iron).
When oil is hot, add bread slices
and fry until golden and crispy,
then fl ip with tongs and cook for
another minute. (You may have
‘Children should be seen and not heard’: Why this
misunderstood parenting aphorism deserves another chance
By JOHN ROSEMOND
Tribune News Service
I wrote a book sev-
eral years ago, “Grandma
Was Right After All,” in
which I deconstructed the
25 most popular parenting
adages of a bygone era.
They included: “You
made this bed, so you and
only you will lie in it,” “I
knew if I gave you a long
enough rope, you’d hang
yourself,” and “You will
have to stew in your own
juices over this.” An entire
parenting philosophy was
expressed through the
adages in question, most
of which are now extinct
because the philosophy in
question has gone by the
wayside, to the detriment
of us all.
Nearly all of these
adages are misunderstood
today. But surely the single
most misunderstood par-
enting aphorism in the
history of humankind is
“Children should be seen
and not heard.”
It actually originated
in 15th century England
and applied only to – gasp!
– young girls, who were
thought to have nothing to
say worth hearing. Grad-
ually, however, it was
expanded to include young
boys as well, for which we
are all grateful.
“Children should
be seen but not heard”
was ripe for demon-
izing, and demonized it
was by America’s mental
health community, which
claimed that its popular use
refl ected a general disdain
of children.
That may have been
true of the Augustine cler-
gyman who fi rst penned
it, but by the time I heard
it, circa 1954, its meaning
had, shall we say, evolved.
It simply meant that
when in a room otherwise
occupied by adults holding
conversation, children were
to listen (be seen) but not
interrupt (be heard).
In other words, we were
to know our place. It was
a very civilized arrange-
ment, actually, and no one
my age whom I’ve que-
ried on the subject has ever
expressed feeling disdained
upon hearing it. In fact, we
boomers tend to rue that all
too many of today’s parents
seem to lack the mettle to
tell their children, in no
uncertain terms, what their
place is and to stay there.
The almost inevitable
result is children who,
through no fault of their
own, are irritating.
Have you noticed what
almost invariably hap-
pens when children are
allowed to participate in
adult conversation? Given
license to talk, they don’t
stop talking, which is in
no one’s best interest,
including their own.
Today, the adage could
be applied to parents who
tend to overprotect and
overmanage their chil-
dren. These zealous folks
are usually known as “heli-
copter parents,” albeit I
think “Cuisinart parents”
more accurately refl ects
the dance of codependency
that’s being performed.
The few and far between
parent of 60-plus years
ago – anxious, hovering,
micromanaging, enabling
– has become ubiquitous
today, a clear refutation
of Darwin’s theory that
only functional attributes
are perpetuated. In those
glory days, parents were
to provide adequate super-
vision, but at a reasonable
distance. If a mother could
hear her children, they
were probably too close,
which explains my moth-
er’s insistence that in any
weather other than a light-
ning storm or hurricane, I
was to be outside, out from
“underfoot” – yet another
parenting word that has
fallen out of usage.
By the way, “underfoot”
was synonymous with
“annoying,” and I knew it
— and I am today a better
person for knowing it. I
trust that my friends agree.
Visit family psychol-
ogist John Rosemond’s
website at johnrosemond.
com; readers may send
him email at questions@
rosemond.com; due to the
volume of mail, not every
question will be answered.
to add more oil if you do this in
batches.) Remove to a platter.
Spread each slice of bread with
a heaping tablespoon or two of
ricotta or shredded mozzarella
cheese. Top with a spoonful of
strawberries, then drizzle with a
little balsamic glaze. Garnish with
a sprinkle of fl aky sea salt and
serve.
Serves 4-6.
— Gretchen McKay
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“Children should be seen but not heard” simply meant that when in a room otherwise occupied by adults
holding conversation, children were to listen (be seen) but not interrupt (be heard), says family psychol-
ogist John Rosemond.
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