Strawberry Sandwiches
How do you like your strawberries? Uncooked thank you very much and picked from my family’s orchard back home. I’m still not over them as I can still smell them from this distance of 600 km and imagine their luscious taste and a flavour that takes me in an imaginary world of strawberry grass, strawberry drapes and strawberry hats.
I’ve been thinking about the reason why strawberries have on me the effect that the madeleines had on Proust. My imaginary strawberry world made me realize that a certain dose of childhood is involved in this. Still I can’t put my finger on it and I don’t mind it being rather vague. What I’m positive about is that a long time ago I had an object (don’t know what) that had a cute strawberry face sticked on it. I remember the face and I suspect the object might have been a heart-shaped wallet that I would wear like a necklace. One of my first wallets maybe….although I don’t remember having any money in it so I might have been quite little.
One of these days I got strawberry homesick and had to settle for a bought pint. I started thinking about various ways of making a delicious cake with them only to realize that I actually like them better uncooked. This is how this delicious simple sandwich was born.
I’m sending it over to Nutriferia’s Berrylicious roundup event. Oh, I’m so looking forward to a berry extravaganza! I think this is my favourite theme until now. Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoyed the chocolate theme too 
, but berries besides being delicious they have the gift of giving me such a refreshing energy. I can almost feel the vitamins going to my body’s cells 
. Don’t forget to participate until 15 June.
Ingredients (for 12 sandwiches)
- • 12 cocoa biscuits (you can use cookies too)
- • 5 strawberries
- • Fresh mint leaves
- • 30 raw, unsalted almonds (2 for each sandwich and 6 for the décor)
For the cheese layers
- • 250 g/ 8.8 oz fresh farmers’ cheese
- • 1 medium egg yolk
- • 2 Tbsp sugar
- • 8 g/ 0.3 oz vanilla sugar (you can use ¼ tsp vanilla extract instead)
For the chocolate glaze
- • 40 g/ 1.4 oz unsalted butter
- • 3 ½ Tbsp sugar
- • ¾ Tbsp cocoa powder
- • 30 ml/ 1 fl oz milk
Using a spatula mix well all the ingredients for the cheese layers and divide the mix into halves. Use the first half to fill 6 silicone muffin cups ¼ full. Microwave them on 500W for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool a few minutes before carefully removing the cups. Turn them upside down on kitchen towels to absorb the extra moist. Repeat the steps for the second half of the mix.
Slice up the strawberries and prepare the mint leaves.
If you care a lot about the presentation, I would advise you against using my chocolate glaze as is because it wasn’t as I remembered it to be, it was more of a delish sauce than a glaze. You need a thicker version, otherwise it might fall on the cheese layer and make it less appealing to the eye. To make the glaze just mix all its ingredients in a small pot and cook on low to medium heat (stirring occasionally) until it thickens and the right consistency is obtained.
Assemble the sandwiches starting with the biscuit layer at the bottom, then the cheese layer, the strawberry slices, the almonds and finally spoon some chocolate glaze over the strawberries and almonds. Decorate the plate with strawberry halves, almonds and mint leaves.
Enjoy the simple things in life 
holy gracious!! your photo is amazing!! i could actually image the taste from here. i agree with you strawberries are better eaten as it is! what a great entry for this event..
31 May 2008 at 14:54I also agree with both of you about eating strawberries! Mmmm these bits shout for beeing eaten. Yum!
31 May 2008 at 17:58That is gorgeous looking!
31 May 2008 at 21:01Your photos are stunning! I can almost taste those strawberries now!
31 May 2008 at 21:04Wow, your photos are gorgeous! The colors pop from the screen. Looks absolutely delicious.
31 May 2008 at 23:41Super super super job Lore, good photos and the photos…………like the others I can smell them from here.
01 June 2008 at 00:41These look so incredibly good. Love your pictures!
01 June 2008 at 04:53chocolatey, cheesy, fruity, and nutty. my verdict: move over, grilled cheese–there’s a new sammich in town!
01 June 2008 at 12:13What amazing photos Lore and what a cute idea for a sandwich! I love everything about it. Thanks for participating and see you at the roundup.
01 June 2008 at 17:08Oh my, sign me up for some of these! Beautiful.
01 June 2008 at 18:00Check out that photo! I feel like I could just reach out and have one of those!
01 June 2008 at 18:51u have strawberries in your backyard !!! gosh how lucky are you ?
i ‘d be making excuses to have strawberries everyday too, if i had them in my backyard 
02 June 2008 at 01:48delicious looking sandwiches u have here
No sense repeating what everyone has already said about the fantastic pictures and the mouthwatering strawberries. You must go over and submit your pictures to the event called “Click”.
02 June 2008 at 04:44Lore, I have to try it, especially the cheese layer someday… love the microwave method! This beautiful strawberry sandwich certainly will cure all the homesick!
02 June 2008 at 17:14Oooooh fresh strawberries Lore!! I adore just eating them fresh too perhaps on a scone for vream teas mmmm
Brilliant photos!!
Rosie x
02 June 2008 at 21:58I love your strawberry sandwiches!! I agree they are the best when they are uncooked and these sound like the perfect snack!
02 June 2008 at 23:50Hmmm strawberries, creamy stuff and chocolate my fav combination
03 June 2008 at 00:39Tremendous! And what beautiful photos! Strawberries are my favourite fruits, I could eat them by the bushel!
03 June 2008 at 06:06Hello! I just found your site and wanted to compliment you on it… it’s fun, well put together, and so pretty!
And I love the strawberry sandwiches… I imagine they could make even store bought pints taste fantastic!
03 June 2008 at 16:36So beautiful! I want some for breakfast!
04 June 2008 at 16:14This is beautiful…and so creative! I love the pictures.
05 June 2008 at 08:41yes i do live in southern france
(lucky me 
tu parles francais, tu as vecu en france? ou bien tu es francaise? moi aussi j’adore les herbes de provence, comme toi j’en utilise partout 
05 June 2008 at 13:47WOW just gorgeous I adore strawberries!! What beautiful photos
Rosie x
09 June 2008 at 16:53Wow, those look amazing! I’m with you on strawberries…there’s something extra special about them!
11 June 2008 at 19:55Wow! Those look delicious. Strawberries are def. my favorite fruit of the season. If only there was a strawberry farm to go pickin’at…
11 June 2008 at 22:12Dhanggit - Thanks sweetie!
Chriesi - They got eaten pretty fast indeed.
My Sweet & Saucy, Elle, Sharon, Kim, Stacy - Thank you guys!
Grace -
Well, I would still need grilled cheese to feed my savoury cravings.
Linda - Thanks for the great berry theme.
Cathy, Deb - Thanks
Kate - I wish I did! I used to have strawberries in my backyard but as I said that was back home.
Giz - Thanks for telling me about Click. I actually know about the event, just that I couldn’t get my ideas to fit the themes. However, this month’s yellow theme is more inspiring.
Gattina - Thanks. You’re right they made me forget that I was homesick….for a while
Rosie - I agree, they’re great with a homemade scone. Thanks!
Deborah and Sarah - Glad you guys like them!
Sam - Thanks! By the bushel?! Now that’s a lot of strawberries :))
Robin - Welcome
and I’m really glad you like Culinarty and the sandwiches too. You have a great blog too, packed with gorgeous photos. I can still see that “cherry jam in a jar” photo before my eyes.
Ann and Emiline - Thanks you guys
Dhanggit - Je ne suis pas française mais le français a toujours été ma langue préférée. C’est pour cette raison-ci que j’essaie ne pas l’oublier :). Oui, je suis allée en France (en Auvergne) pour des cours à l’uni. On y allait 2-3 semaines par an pour des examens.
Rosie - Wow another compliment from you! Thank you very much
Anne - Thanks and welcome
Yes, they’re pretty special for me too.
Alison - Welcome and thanks! Straberry pickin’ is the best, I miss it a lot.
17 June 2008 at 10:57this looks gorgeous!
10 July 2008 at 00:29Thanks Van
11 July 2008 at 22:15