America's Test Kitchen's Strawberries and Grapes with Balsamic and Red Wine Reduction

For my Easter meal I try to keep my dishes light ad not overly heavy. However, when I come to fruit dishes I always end up at a loss as to what to do besides a fruit salad or boring fruit plate. This year I tried a new recipe using a reduction from The Complete America's Test Kitchen Cookbook.

This is the first recipe that I have made using a balsamic reduction, so I was a little apprehensive about how it would turn out, especially since it was Easter. However, the prep turned out to be very easy and the instructions in the cookbook straightforward and helpful. The ingredients are very basic and easy to find at any supermarket.

I was very impressed how easy this recipe was to follow and how great the recipe tastes. My two year old ate all his fruit and then commenced to steal all my strawberries as well. My mother-in-law had never had a balsamic fruit reduction before and she is now converted to the idea. However, my husband thought it was good, but a little bit of basil would have complimented the strawberry-balsamic flavor.  I would definitely use this recipe again.


This recipe can be found on page 441 of The Complete America's Test Kitchen Cookbook. It can be purchased on Amazon. 

America's Test Kitchen's Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar-Pecan Streusel

I love sweets, but my husband tends to go for salty snacks, so if I make a cake it sits until half of it gets thrown away. Coffee cake is one thing that we can both agree on, but I tend to make the same recipe over and over. This Easter I tried a new recipe from The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook.

I made this recipe before everything else on my Easter menu so that it had time to cool completely, even so it crumbled when sliced. I would, therefore, recommend letting the coffee cake sit for a decent amount of time to ensure even cutting. The ingredients for this recipe are basic and were easy to find at any grocery store.  The prep was more time consuming than similar recipes, with multiples appliances needed. For a normal day this would be fine, but since it was a big holiday meal, it did create quite a bit of a mess. The one change that I made to the recipe was to bake it in a bunt rather than a tube pan. I prefer the look on the table of the bunt shape for holiday gatherings.

This was a quality coffee cake. The streusel filling gives the cake a unique quality and it isn't overly sweet. I would make this recipe again, just probably not for a holiday meal, since it creates a bit of a mess.


The recipe can be found on page 441 of The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook. The book can be purchased on Amazon.