DESERTS: SEMIFINALISTEntry `berry' good even if it spilled a littleFreda Feather had told herself maybe she should practice a few times on her semifinalist recipe for The Herald's ``What's Cookin' in Your World?'' recipe contest.After all it was a good recipe but not something she made regularly. But she decided against practicing. Just when everything seemed to turn out, disaster struck. On the way to the contest from her home at 4690 Pine Cone Drive in Hermitage, some of her Fine Friends' Strawberry-Pistachio Crisp spilled before it had a chance to set completely. And most of the crisp was gone, leaving only strawberries behind. Mrs. Feather, whose husband Landis was along for moral and clean-up support, said she would make a few changes to this recipe. ``I think I would probably use more cornstarch and bake it a little longer,'' she said. In the face of adversity, Mrs. Feather stood behind her recipe. As other contestants were preparing to sample her dish, she made sure as many as possible got some crisp and ice cream with their strawberries. ``The ice cream really makes it,'' she said. ``I think it's a little different. It doesn't take pistachio pudding, it takes real pistachios which gives it something special.'' Mrs. Feather had been cooking for years when she finally decided to take the time to take cooking classes _ something she had always wanted to do. So in the 1960s she signed up to take classes at F.H. Buhl Club in Sharon. Since then she has grown a little more adventurous. Now she may not serve a new dish to company, but her husband is pretty willing to taste test for her. ``I'm not afraid to try a recipe if I look at the ingredients and think it would taste good,'' she said. ``I've found a lot of good recipes that way.'' Fine Friends' Strawberry-Pistachio Crisp5 pintsripe strawberries1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Wash, cap and slice berries. Place all but 2 cups into the lightly buttered 9-by-13-inch inch pan. 3. Puree the reserved 2 cups of berries and place in a saucepan. Add sugar and daiquiri mix. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils. 4. Mix cornstarch with water and stir until blended. Add to boiling strawberry mixture and stir until thickened. Pour mixture over berries in baking dish and allow to cool completely. 5. Make topping by mixing flour and sugar together, then cutting in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in the nuts. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the cooled strawberry mixture. 6. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned. 7. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. |
