Strawberry Hazelnut Bars

A fan of Culinate, I find myself on the site often looking up and queing recipes as well as writing the occasional blog or thought. A recent blog on home remedies became a finalist in a blogging contest and my prize could not have been more perfect ... "Rustic Fruit Desserts." Last night some friends gathered for a late-night picnic and an evening of free Shakespeare in the park. My contribution to this party? Dessert, of course! There were first strawberries from the market. And I wanted to incorporate them somehow into a cupcake. Maybe I was just more interested in baking cupcakes and knew the strawberries had to be used before yet another pint would be lost to my laziness.

A recipe in "Rustic Fruit Desserts" was found for cherry almond bars. I had neither cherries nor almonds. But I had strawberries and hazelnuts and another little secret ingredient. The strawberries were cooked and the crust was assembled and it was placed in my oven. Set to cool on my table and then in the fridge it sadly did not set enough for it to be transported to the picnic. Instead the friends were invited over for a post-play treat.

On the way back to my apartment we talked about various other confectionary delights ... everything from a banana coconut cake I had made to brownies to the later Franken-cookie creation combining the left over brownies and a cookie recipe (lovingly referred to as "brookies.") It was a great evening. Not just because I was surrounded by people who loved the sweets I had tinkered together for them but because the rain had held, the sky was clear, there was great food, wine, and entertaining Bard-speak.

Little by little, with each new confection, I am feeling more and more the baker. I need no title. I need no certification. I am an amateur, surely. And I have a world of just basics to learn. But I am a baker.