Category Archives: Fruit

Would You Pay Nearly $20 A Pound for Strawberries?

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Harry's Berries -- the Ferrari of strawberries.
Harry’s Berries — the Ferrari of strawberries.

Gulp, I did (cough, cough).

And, yes, willingly so.

Let me explain: For years, I’ve heard various chefs rhapsodize about the sweetness of Harry’s Berries strawberries, grown by the Oxnard, CA farm that was founded in 1967 by Harry Iwamoto.

Last October when I happened to be in Southern California, I spied the Harry’s Berries stand at the Santa Monica farmers market. Of course, at that time of year, their strawberry crop was done. Even so, when the fresh berries are in season, the folks manning the stand advised to come early, as they typically sell out in the first hour. Holy moly!

I didn’t leave completely empty-handed, but contented myself with a jar of jam made from their strawberries. It was delicious, too, with a lovely floral sweetness to it.

Grown by a family-owned farm in S. California.
Grown by a family-owned farm in S. California.

Fast-forward to now, when I saw Harry’s Berries strawberries available for delivery via Good Eggs, I pounced. Even at $19.99 for a 1-pound clam shell.

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Butter Up, Part II: Dressed Up Tater Tots

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Tater tots get dressed up with an easy garlic-Parmesan-date butter.
Tater tots get dressed up with an easy garlic-Parmesan-date butter.

Tater tots. Even the name evokes an immediate smile, not to mention joyful memories of being a child.

That’s more than enough reason to stash a bag in your freezer at all times.

Another?

This recipe for “Tater Tots Tossed in Hot Date! Butter.”

As always, they get baked in the oven until super crunchy all over. Then, the magic happens: They get tossed in a garlicky, herbaceous butter with dried dates to boot.

The recipe is from “Hot Date!” (Chronicle Books, 2025), of which I received a review copy.

It’s by Brooklyn-based Rawaan Alkhatib, a cook, writer, and artist of Palestinian and Indian descent. She even illustrated the book with her own exuberant watercolor paintings.

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A Salute to the Small, But Mighty, Kumquat

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A quick and easy, sweet and tangy kumquat sauce dresses up salmon.
A quick and easy, sweet and tangy kumquat sauce dresses up salmon.

In the world of cookbooks, “Citrus, Illustrated” (Chronicle Books) takes up little space.

This compact cookbook, of which I received a review copy, is the size of my outstretched hands and contains all of 35 recipes.

So, in this wisp of a book that spotlights citrus of all sorts, I felt it only appropriate that I hone in on the smallest one: kumquats.

Plus, I think they’re adorable looking, and are so beguiling with their topsy-turvy flesh that’s acidic and rind that’s sweet. Frankly, I just love popping one whole into my mouth to enjoy its burst of flavor.

This fun little book is by George Geary, who was an award-winning pastry chef for a decade with the Walt Disney Company.

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Rapturous Strawberries ‘N’ Cream Cookies

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Made with freeze-dried strawberries and velvety white chocolate.
Made with freeze-dried strawberries and velvety white chocolate.

There are cookbooks that offer up small snippets here and there of the author’s life.

And there are culinary memoirs of lengthy prose that are rather miserly when it comes to including but a few recipes.

“Will This Make You Happy” (Chronicle Books), of which I received an early review copy, is a welcome hybrid that debuts in March, and is already available for pre-order.

It brims with more than 50 recipes But more so, it warms the heart as it demonstrates how the simple act of baking can be so profoundly transformative.

The book was written by Tanya Bush, a Brooklyn-based writer, editor, and baker, who co-founded the publication Cake Zine. She is the pastry chef at Little Egg in Brooklyn, where her crullers have won a devoted following. No slouch in the writing department, she earned an MFA in creative writing from Hunter College in New York City.

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It’s Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake Prime Time

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A super simple cake that bakes up souffle-like on top, and creamy pudding-like on the bottom.
A super simple cake that bakes up souffle-like on top, and creamy pudding-like on the bottom.

Jessica Merchant wasn’t kidding when she wrote that this “looks like nothing but tastes like everything.”

Her “Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake” might never win a beauty award, but this light-as-air creation will floor you with its fathomless wallop of zingy citrus taste.

This easy-as-can-be cake is from her newest cookbook, “Easy Everyday” (Rodale), of which I received a review copy.

The creator of the How Sweet Eats blog, Merchant offers up 100 effortless eats. This is a woman who believes dinner should never take more than 45 minutes to prepare, and breakfasts and lunches should be ready in a snap.

That’s evident in recipes such as “Whipped Cottage Cheese Protein Pancakes” (throw everything in a blender to make the batter in seconds), “Fire Roasted Lentil Lunch Soup” (saves time by using canned lentils), “Sticky BBQ Meatballs with Herbed Smashed Potatoes” (makes use of your favorite prepared barbecue sauce), and “No Bake S’Mores Pie” (the filling is made on the stovetop).

This pudding cake is one of those magical concoctions where the batter separates as it bakes so that the top turns fluffy like a souffle — without the anxiety of actually making one — and the bottom becomes creamy like a cross between pudding and curd.

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