fruit

My husband looks forward to the annual Strawberry Festival downtown, because you can buy a big serving of homemade strawberry shortcake for $5.00. That sounds a bit steep, but it hits the spot when you’re stuck in an office the rest of the year. (Plus, it’s a fundraiser for some good cause.) There’s just something about the aroma and flavor of fresh, sugared strawberries, combined with the old-fashioned biscuit-like shortcake, that announces “Summer’s here!” Yum!

thanks to QuintanaRoo for the beautiful photo!

I love the classic combination of apples, cinnamon, and pastry. I don’t care whether it’s pie, turnovers, fritters, dumplings, or crisp. It’s all delicious! Here is a lovely photo of an apple pie pocket. I love the tender bits of apple spilling out of the perfectly browned pastry crust. The only thing I might add would be whipped cream or icing on top of the pastry (I have a thing for icing), or ice cream beside the pastry.

Of course, I wouldn’t say no if you offered it to me just like this, either…

photo by Mrs. Maze - thank you!!

If you’ve never tried coconut sticky rice with fresh, ripe mango, you have been missing out on a real treat. I am a die-hard chocoholic, but this is one non-chocolate dessert that is just as tempting and delicious as a death-by-chocolate layer cake with hot fudge sauce and shaved chocolate curls. Seriously, if I had a choice between the two, I would have a really hard time making a decision. (Guess I’d have to take both! ha ha)

There is just something so perfect about the sweet, soft mango (champagne mango is my favorite), the delicate, slightly chewy rice, and the smooth, fragrant, coconut milk sauce (with just a hint of saltiness). It’s heavenly.

Thanks to chocolate monster mel, from the Philippines, for sharing her photo under the Creative Commons license!