Local Love: Strawberries and Chamomile Mint Cream

In celebration of strawberry season, we asked Amanda Wilens,  blogger at Amandawilens.com to create a delicious spring inspired recipe for us highlighting our first homegrown fruit of the year.

Strawberry season is my favorite time of year. It means summer is here, days last longer, and sweet delicious treats. You can do so many delicious things with strawberries. I love baking them into pies, chopping them on top of salads, basically adding them to all my recipes.

And at Eckert’s you can actually pick your own strawberries. This way you can pick all the perfect berries you want. Once you’ve picked your berries (or purchased them pre-picked in the shop) I have the perfect easy recipe for you and your friends and family this summer. It’s so tasty and easy but will definitely impress.

The final recipe will take under 20 minutes to put together, but you will need to start your recipe the night before (or at least 4 hours in advance).

Infused Whipped Cream
·         1 pint whipping cream
·         4 tablespoons chamomile flowers (tea opened from bag)
·         2 Tbsp powdered sugar

Macerated Strawberries
·         16 oz (1 package) of strawberries
·         1 Tbsp granulated sugar

Base and Topping
·         1 package of graham crackers

Infused Whipped Cream – Instructions
1.      Pour whipping cream into a glass or metal bowl. Mix in the chamomile flowers.

2.      Cover and place bowl in the refrigerator. Let sit for 8-12 hours.

3.      Pour cream through a sieve and use a rubber spatula to ensure you can get as much cream as possible. Discard the chamomile flowers.

4.      Place cream and powdered sugar into the bowl of your mixer.  Using the whisk attachment on medium speed whisk cream until peaks have formed.

Macerated Strawberries – Instructions
1.      Wash, dry, haul and slice strawberries. Place strawberries in a glass bowl with sugar and stir and coat thoroughly.

2.      Cover bowl and place in the refrigerator for minimum of 2 hours, can be done overnight as well.

Strawberries and Chamomile Cream – Assembling Instructions
1.      Place package of graham crackers into a bowl and crush with a spoon. Create medium to small crumbles (you can also use a blender or processor).

2.      In dessert cups or bowls pour a base of graham cracker, top with macerated strawberries (and juice), add infused whipped cream. Then top with a few more berries, graham cracker crumbles and mint.

3.      Serve and enjoy!