The signs are up on East Main Road and scattered throughout Portsmouth: U Pick Strawberries. They seem to appear magically overnight, and for children in the public schools, it is the first sign that the school year is drawing to a close. In this way, you can literally taste summer.
Leading traffic from sign to sign, the arrows give directions to Quonset View Farm on Middle Road in Portsmouth. There, the air is perfumed with the light scent of strawberries. The farm opened for the season this year on June 5, and during strawberry season, the farm remains open from 8am-6pm daily. Currently, the fields are open for exclusively pick-your-own, but as more berries ripen, the option to buy pre-picked berries will become available. The facility is cash-only, so customers should come prepared accordingly. For pick-your-own berries, customers can elect to bring their own containers and weigh them at the farm stand, or they buy official Quonset View Farm baskets or pints.
The farm started over one hundred years ago by Manuel Cotta, and it has stayed a family operation ever since. It is now owned by David Cotta. According to a post from the Portsmouth Historical Society, the Cottas originally started a dairy farm, and in the 1940s it evolved into potato farming, then, later, the family grew pumpkins, Christmas trees, and strawberries to have year-round growing business.
Strawberries have a fleeting season. They ripen early to mid-June, lasting just weeks. It takes a good growing season and a little bit of luck for fresh berries to stay ripe and growing through early July.
There is no shortage of things to do with strawberries. Because of their sweetness, most often they are used in some kind of baked good – strawberry shortcake, crisp, cobbler, muffins, and even, Sandra Cotta, David Cotta’s wife and an employee at the farm, reported to the Newport Daily News, strawberry cream pie. Strawberry jam and ice cream are also homemade summertime favorites for those willing to go picking, and for a slightly savory take, strawberry spinach salads are also a classic way to enjoy the fresh fruit.
For a versatile crowd pleaser, I recommend creating a build-your-own strawberry crêpe station. Crêpes are, essentially, extremely thin pancakes, and often come in two varieties: savory and sweet. Virtually anything can be folded or rolled into a crêpe. A savory option might be a spinach and strawberry crêpe with your preferred cheese (goat, whipped ricotta, or feta are all contenders). For sweet crêpes, a classic is strawberries with mascarpone cream, drizzled with chocolate sauce. For additional sweet options, consider adding more fruit into the crêpes, like bananas or mangos. Alternatively, mix in some fresh lavender into the batter (peak bloom for lavender plants is arriving soon!) and create lavender crêpes with strawberries and lemon curd.
There is no wrong way to make crêpe filling, so it can be fun to experiment with family and friends. For a baseline crêpe recipe, I drew inspiration from Mon Petit Four and Sally’s Baking Addiction. For the mascarpone cream, I was inspired by Eat Drink Love. For lavender infused crêpes, Havoc in the Kitchen recommends ¼ teaspoon of fresh culinary lavender to be put into the batter to make two to three lavender crêpes.
Strawberry and Mascarpone Cream Crêpe Recipe:
For the crêpes:
2 large eggs at room temperature
¼ c butter, plus more for the pan
1 ½ Tbsp granulated sugar
Dash of salt
1 c. flour
1 c. milk, brought to room temperature
¼ c. room temperature water
1 ½ tsp vanilla
For the mascarpone cream:
2 c. heavy cream, very cold
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
2 ¼ tsp vanilla
½ c. powdered sugar
Optional additions:
Mango
Banana
Chocolate sauce
Culinary lavender
Powdered sugar (topping)
Spinach
Whipped ricotta
Lemon curd
Instructions:
- Melt butter in the microwave or on the stove, then set aside for about five minutes for it to cool.
- For the crêpe batter, combine flour, sugar, salt, vanilla, room temperature water, milk, eggs, and butter, and whisk well. The mixture should be smooth. Cover, and let rest in the refrigerator for about an hour before use.
- Meanwhile, make the mascarpone cream by combining cheese, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat on high for about five minutes or until stiff peaks form in the mixture. It should pass the upside-down test, where the cream is thick enough and stiff enough to not fall out of an upturned bowl. You can use the cream immediately, but let it chill while the crêpes are made.
- To cook the crêpes, grease a crêpe pan or skillet with a generous amount of butter over high heat. When it is sizzling, ladle one-to-two spoonsful batter into the pan (enough to thinly cover the bottom) and swirl it around in a circle. The batter on the pan should be thin, almost translucent. Cook for a minute or two, until the bottom is set, and then flip. Cook on the other side for thirty second to a minute, and then transfer onto a plate. Stack the crêpes on top of each other to keep them warm.
- Fill the crêpes with the desired toppings. For the strawberry and mascarpone filling, spread a line of the cream across one side of the crêpe, then spoon quartered strawberries onto it. Roll the crêpe from the stuffed side over. Top with chocolate sauce, dollops of cream, and more strawberries.
This recipe will make 12-14 crêpes. The total amount for ingredients (portioned) is about $20; the cost of each crêpe is about $1.67. .
