Strawberry & Chocolate Parfaits By Wholehearted Cook (Recipe inside)
JANUARY
Summery Strawberry Tart
By Iron Chef Shellie
Shellie Froidevaux is a food stylist,
photographer, graphic designer and cook.
Food. All about the food. Shellie is dedicated
to food, experienced in creativity, a lover of
travel and obsessed with collecting styling
props. She is always on the look out for
something new, something that might spark
inspiration for her next project or collaboration.
@ironchefshellie
JANUARY
Monday
Tuesday
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2017
Wednesday
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Summery Strawberry Tart
By Iron Chef Shellie
Sunday
1 New Year’s Day
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
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1 roll, store bought shortcrust pastry, thawed
600g mascarpone cheese
120g icing sugar, sifted
Zest of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 lemon
300ml thickened cream
3 x 250g punnets Victorian Strawberries, halved
Meringue kisses to decorate, optional
Edible flowers to decorate, optional
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Method:
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1. Preheat oven to 200°C or 180°C fan-forced.
2. Line a greased 22cm round, loose-based fluted tart pan with pastry.
Trim the edges and prick the base with a fork. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. Line the pastry case with non-stick baking paper, fill with baking
weights and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and
bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is just cooked. Allow to
cool in the tin.
4. In the bowl of your standing mixer, combine mascarpone cheese, icing
sugar, lemon zest and juice and beat until creamy. Add cream and beat
on high until you get a fluffy filling.
5. Spread filling into the cooled, empty tart shell, top with halved Victorian
Strawberries and meringue kisses and edible flowers, if using.
Tips: You can whip the cream and cheese mixture and store it in the
fridge until you are ready to assemble the tart to prevent the pastry
from going soggy.
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FEBRUARY
dominic spirli
FEBRUARY
Monday
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Wednesday
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dominic spirli
Dominic has been growing strawberries on his Yarra
Valley family property since 2007. While he started
with zucchinis and tomatoes, his love of strawberry
growing won out and he now dedicates his land to
purely strawberries.
Here's what Dominic shared about his love of
strawberries:
• What’s the best thing about being a strawberry grower?
Working for yourself and being able to enjoy winter
months away with the family.
• What piece of advice would you give your 20 year
old self?
My advice to a much younger farmer would be to
enjoy the satisfaction working for yourself and the
ability to see the results you achieve by working
hard.
• What makes Victorian Strawberries the best?
Victorian Strawberries are the best as they grow in
the perfect conditions of our spring summer months
and our soil conditions.
• What’s the best way to eat strawberries?
Straight from the plant or sliced, sprinkled with
sugar and left in the fridge for a few hours, they get
even sweeter.
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Wandin North
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MARCH
kitchen tips
MARCH
Monday
2017
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
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Selecting Strawberries
The perfect strawberry should be fully coloured, firm, bright,
plump and shiny. Make sure the cap (calyx) is attached,
green and fresh-looking.
Storing Strawberries
6 labour day, WA
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Store strawberries in the crisper drawer of your fridge.
Do not wash berries until just before eating as washing will
add moisture and cause berries to spoil. Strawberries are at
the sweetest when eaten at room temperature.
Freezing Strawberries
Day, ACT
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13 Canberra
8 Hour day, tas
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labour day, vic
Adelaide Cup, SA
The best way to enjoy strawberries throughout the whole
year it is to freeze some for the winter months as an
ingredient. Frozen berries can be used to make jams, sauces,
muffins, cakes, ice-cream and smoothies.
LOVEARECIPE
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So do we. Check out our NEW free e-cookbook, packed
full of delicious ways with the berry best berry of all.
Download it from
✁
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facebook.com/victorianstrawberries
APRIL
peter tacey
APRIL
Monday
3
2017
Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Sunday
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peter tacey
Peter Tacey started growing strawberries in 1986 on
his 10 acre property, Belstack Strawberry Farm,
situated on the banks of the Goulburn River. The
strawberries grown at Belstack were initially grown on
a commercial basis, however, within four years the
farm turned into a tourism operation and is now a
popular 'pick your own' farm where Peter also runs
school tours for local students.
Here’s what Peter shared about his love of strawberries:
17 Easter Monday
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• What piece of advice would you give your 20 year
old self?
Find a good mentor and gain as much life experience
in growing, business skills and marketing before
starting at someone else's expense.
• What makes Victorian Strawberries the best?
Victorian Strawberries are a spring, summer and
autumn fruit - which is the perfect time of year to
enjoy them.
• What’s the best way to eat strawberries?
Straight from the patch.
Kialla West
✁
10
• What’s the best thing about being a strawberry grower?
I enjoy meeting all the wonderful people who love
consuming strawberries and seeing the look on their
faces after tasting our bio dynamic and organically
grown fruit.
MAY
Strawberry Cheesecake &
Strawberry Lamington Shakes
MAY
2017
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
1 mayLabourday,Day,nt QLD
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Strawberry Cheesecake Shakes
Makes 4
You will need 4 x 250ml tall glasses
Ingredients:
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20g melted butter
2 Marie biscuits, finely crushed
4 tbsp strawberry topping
1 x 250g punnet Victorian Strawberries, washed and hulled
200g cream cheese
500ml milk
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds removed
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Method:
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1. Place melted butter onto a saucer, and biscuit crumbs onto another
saucer. Dip the rim of a tall glass into the melted butter, rolling it to
coat about 5 mm, then dip carefully into the biscuit crumbs to adhere to
the butter.
2. Drizzle a small amount of topping onto the inside of the glasses and
swirl gently. Set glasses aside in the fridge to chill.
3. Place the strawberries, cream cheese, milk and vanilla bean seeds into
a blender, and process until smooth.
4. Pour carefully into the chilled glasses and serve with coloured straws.
For added fun, top with fairy floss and extra biscuit crumble.
Strawberry Lamington Shakes
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Makes 4
You will need 4 x 250ml tall glasses
Ingredients:
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Method:
1. Dip the glasses rim in coconut cream and press into the coconut. Set
glasses aside in the fridge to chill.
2. Place the strawberries, coconut cream, milk and ice cream into a
blender, and process until smooth.
3. Pour carefully into the chilled glasses and serve topped with toasted
coconut and strawberries.
4. For added fun, break chocolate into shards, gently warm and press into
coconut to serve.
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4 tbsp chocolate topping
1 x 250g punnet Victorian Strawberries, washed and hulled
100ml coconut cream
400ml milk
4 scoops choc chip ice cream
Toasted coconut to serve
JUNE
Two Cheese & Strawberry Toasties
JUNE
Monday
2017
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
1
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Two Cheese & Strawberry Toasties
Serves 2
Ingredients:
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1 x 250g punnet Victorian Strawberries, washed and hulled
4 slices thick cut crusty bread
2 bocconcini, sliced
1 ripe pear, sliced
Fresh basil leaves, washed and torn
4 slices Swiss style cheese
20g butter
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Method:
s birthday
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(excluding QLD & wa)
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1. Thickly slice the washed strawberries and pat dry. Place 2 of the bread
slices on a board and top each with bocconcini, sliced strawberries,
pear, basil leaves and finally Swiss style cheese. Top with the second
bread layer.
2. Preheat a large pan and add butter. Panfry each toastie for 4 minutes on
one side, then gently flip and panfry the other side until golden brown
and the cheese is gooey.
Serve with fresh rocket tossed in balsamic vinegar.
colourful fun
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Keep the kids busy these holidays, plus teach them about
the journey of the strawberry.
Download our colouring page at
www.vicstrawberry.com.au
✁
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JULY
Hazelnut crusted tart with strawberries,
brie and sage BYGEORGIA FROMGEORGEATS
Georgia from georgeats
Georgia has always been a food lover and
started her blog as a way of chronicling her
way of eating She loves brunching, good
food good coffee, travelling, and a bit more
brunching.
@georgeats
JULY
Monday
2017
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
31
Saturday
Sunday
1
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Hazelnut crusted tart with strawberries,
brie and sage
Ingredients:
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Tart base:
1 cup hazelnut meal
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup tapioca flour (also called arrowroot flour)
50g butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
5g chopped sage
Filling:
20-30 sage leaves (5-10g depending on your taste) plus extra to serve
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup (250g) deli style firm ricotta
1 egg
1/2 cup of milk
100g good quality brie
1 x 250g punnet Victorian Strawberries
Pinch of salt and pepper
Method:
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1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the tart base until a
dough forms.
3. Gently spray a rectangular tart tin with olive oil (I used a 35cm x 12cm
tart tin but this quantity also works for a circular tart tin) and press the
tart mixture gently into the mould, ensuring there are no holes in the
bottom. Trim off any excess dough and set aside. Poke some holes into
the tart using a fork, to allow air to pass through whilst cooking.
4. Pop the tart base in the oven for 10-15 minutes on a baking tray - there
might be some butter bubbling up once you take it out, but don't panic.
That's what the baking tray is there for.
5. While the base is cooking, take a medium bowl and combine the ricotta,
chopped sage leaves, egg, olive oil, milk, and seasoning, and mix well.
Set aside.
6. Chop the strawberries any way you choose (I chopped them into little
circles) and cut the brie into slices. Set aside.
7. Once you have removed the tart base from the oven and allowed it to
cool, pour the filling into it (while still on the baking tray) and top with
layers of brie, followed by the strawberries. Give them a light spray
with olive oil, and pop it into the oven for 30-45 minutes, depending on
your oven. I turned my oven to grill for five or so minutes at the end for
some colour, but watch it carefully because you can end up with some
very burnt strawberries!
AUGUST
Richard Mitchell
AUGUST
Monday
7 picnic day, NT
2017
Tuesday
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Richard Mitchell
Richard started growing strawberries 20 years ago and
purchased Ellisfield Farm in Red Hill back in 2010.
Initially a cherry farm, Richard has been slowly
converting to strawberries over the last six years. The
climate and rich, red clay soil of his Mornington
Peninsula farm is well suited to strawberry growing
and constantly produces a high quality fruit.
Here’s what Richard shared about his love of
strawberries:
• What’s the best thing about being a strawberry grower?
Seeing my hard work come to fruition.
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• What piece of advice would you give your 20 year
old self?
Go back to school and learn more about IT, it's such
an integral part of business today.
• What makes Victorian Strawberries the best?
The taste, texture and appearance. The varieties we
grow stand up to the rigours of production and
distribution and Victorian Strawberries are certainly
the taste of summer.
• What’s the best way to eat strawberries?
With ice-cream!
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Red Hill
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SEPTEMBER
Strawberry, Radish and broad bean salad
SEPTEMBER
Monday
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Tuesday
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2017
Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
Saturday
Sunday
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Strawberry, Radish and broad bean salad
Serves 4 - 6
Ingredients:
Dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves
Salad:
2 cups frozen broad beans
1 green or yellow zucchini
1 stalk celery
6 radishes, washed
1 x 250g punnet Victorian Strawberries, washed and hulled
4 large lettuce cups
Micro herbs to serve
Method:
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1. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar and tarragon in a large bowl.
2. Place broad beans into boiling water and cook for 3 - 4 minutes.
3. Using a peeler, peel ribbons of zucchini and celery. Add ribbons to
boiling water and blanch quickly, then drain well.
4. Toss vegetables in dressing and allow to cool. Slice radish and
strawberries thickly, and toss into broad bean mix.
5. Place a large lettuce cup or leaf on a serving plate, fill with salad mix
and scatter with micro herbs.
6. Serve with crusty bread.
health fact:
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Family & Community
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✁
day, act
Strawberries are chock full of goodies - natural vitamin
C, fibre, folate and potassium. Strawberries also have a
low GI so their carbohydrate is absorbed slowly.
OCTOBER
Rick d’angelo
OCTOBER
Monday
Tuesday
30
31
2017
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Rick d’angelo
Sunday
1
Rick has grown up around strawberry farms his whole
life. Together with his wife, Linda, they have been
growing strawberries since 1997 and prior to that he
worked with his parents on their strawberry farm.
Here’s what Rick shared about his love of strawberries:
day,
2 Labour
act, nsw & sa
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Queen’s Birthday, QLD
• What’s the best thing about being a strawberry grower?
For me, the best thing about growing strawberries is
watching the plant grow from a runner to producing
the final product that is ready for market.
• What piece of advice would you give your 20 year
old self?
You should be enjoying what you do.
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• What makes Victorian Strawberries the best?
Victorian Strawberries are full of flavour and the
sweetest over our growing season.
• What’s the best way to eat strawberries?
Strawberries should be eaten fresh, fully ripe: just
as they are.
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Coldstream
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NOVEMBER
Strawberry Ripple Ice Cream
NOVEMBER
Monday
Tuesday
2017
Wednesday
Thursday
1 Viseason
ctorian strawberry 2
begins
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
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Strawberry Ripple Ice Cream
Makes 1.5L ice cream
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
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1 x 250g punnet Victorian Strawberries, washed and hulled
1/3 cup castor sugar
1 tbsp Grand Marnier or fresh orange juice
1L good quality commercial vanilla bean ice cream
Toffee Praline:
1 cup extra castor sugar
2 cups chopped hazelnuts
Extra 250g punnet Victorian Strawberries, washed and hulled to serve
Method:
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November is Victorian
Strawberry Month. Visit
www.vicstrawberry.com.au
and discover fun ways to
celebrate.
✁
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1. Place the strawberries, sugar and Grand Marnier into a heavy based
saucepan and simmer until the sugar is dissolved completely. Set aside
to cool, then puree and place in the refrigerator until cold. Remove the
ice cream from the punnet, soften slightly and fold in the chilled
strawberry puree. Refreeze until firm.
2. To make toffee praline place extra sugar in a small heavy based pan and
allow to dissolve completely and cool slightly. Sprinkle hazelnuts onto a
lined baking tray, drizzle with cooled sugar (toffee) and allow to set
hard, then crack into shards.
3. To serve, scoop ice cream into balls and serve in cones, sprinkle with
toffee praline and strawberry topping . Great for birthday parties!
4. To make sundaes, place some extra chilled puree in the base of a tall
sundae glass. Top with fresh strawberries, then a big scoop of the
Strawberry Ripple Ice Cream. Top with more fresh berries, then another
scoop of ice cream and sprinkle with toffee praline. Serve immediately.
DECEMBER
Strawberry Choc Santas
DECEMBER
Monday
Tuesday
2017
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
1
2
3
Strawberry Choc Santas
Makes 10
Ingredients:
1 x 250g punnet Victorian Strawberries, washed
2 tbsp hazelnut spread
1/2 cup firmly whipped cream, (or beaten cream cheese)
Method:
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1. Carefully cut the strawberry calyx (green) off each strawberry in a
straight line. This will be the base of your Santa. Cut each strawberry
tip off about 1/4 of the way in - this will make each Santa “hat”.
2. Place the hazelnut spread and cream into separate small piping bags.
3. To assemble poke a hole in the centre of the Santa body (a chopstick is
good), and fill with hazelnut spread. Place calyx cut end on a serving
plate. Carefully top this with a little whipped cream, and pipe on two
more hazelnut dots for eyes, and a tiny piece of strawberry for a nose.
Top with Santa's “hat” piece of strawberry and finish with a small dot
of cream for his pompom. Repeat with all the strawberries and serve.
DID YOUKNOW?
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26 boxing day
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Strawberries are a member of the rose family and are the
only fruit with seeds on the outside.
✁
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Strawberry & Chocolate Parfaits
By Dani Venn, The Wholehearted Cook
Serves 8
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Setting Time: At least one hour
Cook Time: 30 minutes, plus cooling
Ingredients:
Strawberry Chia Pudding:
3/4 cup chia seeds (preferably white)
2 cups coco quench milk or almond milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup or rice malt syrup
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
2 x 250g punnets Victorian Strawberries, hulled
Chocolate Paleo Granola:
50g almond meal
200g mixed raw nuts, crushed
(almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews)
100g pepita / pumpkin seeds
100g sunflower seeds
1/2 cup flaxseeds (ground or whole)
1 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons cacao powder
1/2 cup cacao nibs
100g desiccated coconut
200g coconut flakes (large, unsweetened)
Syrup:
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup boiling water
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
2 teaspoons salt flakes
2 x 250g punnets Victorian Strawberries, hulled, cut in half
700g natural coconut yoghurt
Method:
1. To make the chia pudding, place chia seeds, milk, sweetener
and vanilla bean in a mixing bowl and stir with a fork or
whisk to combine. After five minutes, stir or whisk again so
the mix doesn't get lumpy.
2. Place Victorian Strawberries in a blender with 1/4 cup of
water and blend until you achieve a strawberry puree. Add
this to the chia pudding and stir through. Divide mixture
between serving glasses, or store in the fridge in a mixing
bowl for at least one hour or until you are ready to make
your parfaits.
3. To make the granola, pre-heat fan-forced oven to 180
degrees. Prepare two large baking or roasting trays lined
with baking paper.
4. Combine almond meal, crushed nuts and seeds, cacao,
cacao nibs, desiccated coconut and flakes into a large
mixing bowl and mix well with your hands to combine.
5. Place coconut oil in a small saucepan, if solid, over low
heat and allow to gently melt. Once melted add brown rice
syrup, maple syrup, water, vanilla and salt and mix well to
combine.
6. Add syrup to the mixed nuts and seeds and mix well to
combine so that mixture is evenly coated.
7. Divide mixture into the two baking trays so that granola is
evenly spread. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes, then
using a metal spatula, stir granola to ensure even cooking.
Place back in oven for a further 10 - 15 minutes, granola
should smell toasty and chocolatey. Remove from oven and
allow to completely cool before serving or storing in an
air-tight container.
8. To make your parfaits, add about 3/4 cup of chia pudding in
the base of a wide glass or jar, line strawberries around
the jar next and fill with a few more strawberries then top
with a generous serving of coconut yoghurt then finish a
crunchy layer of chocolate granola.
Dani Venn
The Wholehearted Cook
Dani Venn is a Melbourne based
celebrity cook, most widely known
for her time as a finalist on
MasterChef Australia.
@thewholeheartedcook
from paddock to plate
1
2
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In Autumn,
the paddocks are
ploughed & the soil
is hilled up to form
beds.
The beds are covered
in black plastic &
holes are cut in
readiness
for planting.
In winter,
the bare rooted
strawberry plants
are planted by hand
into the holes in the
black plastic
5
4
The newly planted
When the
runners grow over
strawberries are ripe,
winter & begin
they are picked and
flowering & producing packed into trays.
fruit in October &
November.
6
7
8
9
The picking trays
are then loaded onto
a trailer and taken to
the packing shed.
The berries are
then placed in the
coolroom to reduce
their temperature.
Then only the best
berries are hand
packed into punnets.
These punnets are
put into trays and
onto pallets, ready
for loading onto a
truck to take to
market.
Supermarkets
and greengrocers
purchase the
strawberries from
the market, so we
can all enjoy
Victorian Strawberries.
About the Industry
Strawberries were first commercially grown in
Victoria during the early 1900's.
The Yarra Valley was the first place to experience
strawberry production as migrant families began to
settle on the outskirts of Melbourne, particularly in
those areas with rich fertile soils. Today there is
close to 100 strawberry farms within Victoria, and
they spread from Portland in the south west to
Wodonga in the north east. However, the majority
of farms, 75 percent, are still located within the
Yarra Valley, a short 45 minutes from Melbourne's
CBD. Back in the 1950's strawberries were only
distributed through the Melbourne market, that
was until Gordon Chapman took the first
consignment of strawberries to the Sydney market
on the back of a basic flat tray truck in the 1960's.
Times have changed and now Victorian
Strawberries are distributed to markets throughout
Australia's eastern seaboard and exported
throughout Asia. They are now transported in
refrigerated trucks so they reach consumers in
perfect condition.
2017 victorian strawberry calendar
Celebrating Victorian Strawberry growers and their delicious harvest
january
april
july
october
february
MAY
august
november
MARCH
june
september
december
A selection of tempting recipes and mouth-watering images from
the Victorian Strawberry Industry Development Committee.
With helpful cooking tips, fun facts and information on Victorian Strawberries,
this calendar features large clear grids to keep your dates and events on track.
www.vicstrawberry.com.au
www.facebook.com/VictorianStrawberries