Strawberry Flummery
Strawberry Flummery
Flummery means "meaningless compliments or nonsense." The word is also used for a sweet dessert, similar to a pudding or mousse. Flummery was an antiquated dessert enjoyed in Ireland, England, and Wales, which is why we say this dessert is from the United Kingdom. Originally, it was made from oatmeal, soaked in water, and then boiled down to release its starch and become thick and gelatinous. It would then be eaten for breakfast. By the 1800s in Britain, the dish was made with almonds or cream. Later, flummery became known as any type of soft-set dessert. Even fruit molds were sometimes called flummery. In the United States, flummery is a soft pudding-like dessert made from fruit and topped with cream. We've made ours with strawberries!
Happy & Healthy Cooking,
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- dice :
to cut foods into small pieces of equal size so that the food is cooked evenly or looks uniform and pleasant when used in the recipe.
- knife skills :
Bear Claw (growl), Pinch, Plank, and Bridge (look out for trolls).
- pulse :
to process just short of a purée in smooth, rhythmic bursts of power with a blender.
- thicken :
to make a liquid mixture thicker by adding a thickening agent, like flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot powder, or by reducing the amount of liquid through boiling.
Equipment Checklist
- Large saucepan
- Cutting board + kid-safe knife
- Dry measuring cups
- Liquid measuring cup
- Small bowl
- Citrus juicer (optional)
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
Strawberry Flummery
- 4 C fresh strawberries **(for STRAWBERRY ALLERGY sub blueberries or raspberries)**
- 1/2 C sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 C water
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 2 T cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
- 3 T cold water
Food Allergen Substitutions
Strawberry Flummery
- Strawberry: Substitute blueberries or raspberries.
Instructions
Strawberry Flummery
dice + measure + combine
Dice 4 cups of fresh strawberries into small pieces (rinse and remove stems and leaves first). Measure 1/2 cup sugar, 1 pinch of salt, and 1/2 cup water and combine in a large saucepan on your stovetop.
simmer + stir + boil
Put your saucepan on low heat and simmer the berry mixture, frequently stirring, until it breaks down and becomes liquid. Then turn your heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil. Keep an eye out so that the strawberries don't burn!
squeeze + mix
Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon and set it to the side. Measure 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and mix together with 3 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl.
thicken + stir
Add the cornstarch and water mixture to the boiling strawberries and let the mixture thicken. Then stir in the lemon juice and simmer for 1 more minute.
transfer + cool
Transfer the flummery away from the heat and let it cool while you make the Sweetly Whipped Cream (see recipe)!
Hi! I’m Strawberry!
"Hello! I want to introduce myself. I'm Strawberry—and I have my very own month—May! I'm great in desserts, breakfast foods, snacks, salads, and fragrances. I like to be a part of picnics and holiday celebrations. So combine me with blueberries and bananas (or whipped cream, vanilla pudding, or white cake) for a red, white, and blue dessert for Independence Day in the United States or Bastille Day in France."
History
- The garden strawberry as we know it was first bred and cultivated in France in the 1750s. It was a cross between a Virginian strawberry and a Chilean strawberry.
- The ancient Romans believed strawberries had medicinal powers. So they used them to treat everything from depression to fainting to fever, kidney stones, bad breath, and sore throats.
- Native Americans made cornbread with crushed strawberries and cornmeal; this is how strawberries were introduced to Colonists and served as an inspiration for the invention of strawberry shortcake.
- In some parts of Europe, people once believed elves could control how much milk cows produced and that the elves loved strawberries. So farmers tied baskets of strawberries to their cows' horns as an offering to the elves.
- California produces about 80 percent of the strawberries in the United States. Strawberries have been grown in California since the early 1900s.
- Americans eat an average of three and one-half pounds of fresh strawberries per year. In one study, more than half of seven to nine-year-olds picked strawberries as their favorite fruit. They're nature's candy!
Anatomy
- The strawberry isn't a true berry but is called an accessory fruit. Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds outside their skin, about 200 on each berry. And, to be super technical, each seed on a strawberry is considered by botanists to be its own separate fruit!
- The strawberry plant is a perennial and can last for a few years, producing fruit each year.
How to Pick, Buy, & Eat
- Some varieties of strawberries are easier to harvest than others. To pick a strawberry from its plant, grasp the stem just above the berry between your pointer finger and thumbnail and pull with a slight twisting motion.
- To store fresh strawberries, place them whole and unwashed in one layer in a plastic or glass storage container and put them in the refrigerator. Wait to clean them until you are ready to eat them, as rinsing them quickens their spoiling.
- Strawberries can be pickled! Especially when you pick them green or unripe. If your berries are overripe, make jam!
- Strawberries can be puréed into smoothies or milkshakes and baked into tarts, pies, cakes, and tortes. Or, roast them and serve over ice cream and berries. You can also dehydrate and mix them into granola or purée raw strawberries and freeze them into yogurt pops. Dip them in chocolate or drizzle them with cream. Strawberries are incredibly versatile—the fruit we wait all year to enjoy once summer weather hits!
Nutrition
- Strawberries are a HUGE source of vitamin C, especially when eaten raw! One cup of strawberries contains 113 percent of our daily recommended value. Vitamin C is excellent for the heart, bones, and teeth. When we cut ourselves or break a bone, vitamin C comes to the rescue to help repair our tissues.
- Strawberries contain natural fruit sugar, called fructose. However, fructose is better than table sugar (white sugar) because it comes packaged with other vitamins, nutrients, and fiber from the rest of the fruit. Plus, the fiber in fruit helps slow down the effects of sugar in our blood.
What in the world is Flummery?
- Flummery is a pudding-like dessert popular in the United Kingdom from the 17th to 19th centuries. An English poet and author, Gervase Markham, wrote about flummery in a 1623 book, and said that the dessert was referred to as "wash-brew" in parts of Great Britain, and in other parts as "flamerie" or "flumerie." During that time, oatmeal would have been a main part of the dish. Current recipes often consist of fruit or fruit jelly, cream, and a thickening agent, such as cornstarch or gelatin. Flummery is called "jelly whip" in Australia.
Let's Learn About the United Kingdom!
- The United Kingdom (UK), officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is a country in western Europe. Its constituent countries* include England, Scotland, and Wales on the island of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the northeastern part of the island of Ireland. (*A constituent country is part of a larger country.)
- The total area of the United Kingdom is 93,628 square miles with over 67 million people. That is almost the size of the state of Oregon; however Oregon's population is only six percent of the UK's population.
- The UK government is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. The official and national language is English, and several regional languages are recognized, too, such as Scots, Cornish, Irish, Welsh, and Scottish Gaelic.
THYME for a Laugh
Why were the little strawberries upset?
Because their parents were in a jam!
THYME for a Laugh
What is a scarecrow’s favorite fruit?
Straw-berries!
That's Berry Funny
What do you call strawberries playing the guitar?
A jam session!
