The votes were tallied by five judges, and by a three-point margin, Agoura Hills resident Winona Krieger was named the winner of the Strawberry Smack Down on Saturday at the California Strawberry Festival in Oxnard, according to the Ventura County Star. Her strawberry lasagna took first place, said the Star.
"I decided to call it lasagna because it has mascarpone and ricotta cheese and it's layered like a lasagna," Krieger told the Star.
The judges decided that Kreiger's creation just edged out the more substantive crepes with mascarpone and a splash of fino — a Spanish sherry — created by Olivia Smith, said the report. The lasagna won with a score of 136 to 133, after both dishes were judged for creative use of strawberries, presentation, texture and taste, according to the Star.
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And here is the winning recipe, according to the VC Star:
STRAWBERRY LASAGNA
For a gluten-free (but less crunchy) option, use rice paper instead of wonton wrappers when making this recipe created by Winona Krieger of Agoura Hills. Substitute Splenda for a sugar-free alternative.
Ingredients
2 to 3 cups canola oil, or enough to cover the bottom of a large fry pan at a depth of about 1¼ inches
2 12-ounce packages wonton wrappers
2 cups powdered sugar, separated
2 baskets strawberries, cleaned and cored
½ cup fresh orange juice
1 orange, peeled and seeded
¼ teaspoon natural flavor pineapple blend extract, such as Silver Cloud brand
3 tablespoons cherry or strawberry flavored gelatin (powder)
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 pint whipping cream
¹/ cup superfine granulated sugar
2 teaspoons Madagascar vanilla
16 ounces ricotta cheese
16 ounces mascarpone cheese
¹/ cup brown sugar
Directions
1. Heat the oil in a frying pan. When ready, fry the wonton wrappers individually, maintaining their square, flat shape. Remove wonton wrappers from the oil and place on paper towels to drain. After they have cooled a bit, dredge the wrappers in 1 cup of the powdered sugar.
2. Keep a handful of whole berries aside for garnish, then place the rest of the strawberries in a blender. Add orange juice, seeded orange, pineapple extract and remaining 1 cup powdered sugar and process just until mixed.
3. In a clean coffee cup, mix the flavored gelatin powder with the boiling water, stirring with a fork as the water goes in. Add gelatin to the strawberry-orange mixture and process again just until blended. Set aside in the freezer.
4. In a large mixing bowl whip the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in the superfine granulated sugar and vanilla extract. Set about 1 1/2 cups aside for garnish. To the remaining whipped cream mixture, fold in the ricotta cheese. Transfer the whipped cream-ricotta mixture to a zip-lock bag and snip off a small portion of the corner for use as a pastry bag.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the mascarpone cheese and brown sugar. Transfer the mixture to a zip-lock bag and snip off a small portion of the corner for use as a pastry bag.
Assembly
1. Arrange the pastry bags and container of strawberry-orange mixture next to a large serving platter. Place six wonton wrappers on the platter. Squeeze a spiral of the whipped cream-ricotta mixture onto the center of each wonton wrapper, drizzle with the strawberry-orange mixture and top with another wonton wrapper. Top the new layer of wrappers with a spiral each of the mascarpone-brown sugar mixture and a drizzle of the strawberry-orange mixture. Repeat, alternating between the ricotta and mascarpone mixtures, until you run out of wonton wrappers.
2. Garnish with dollops of the reserved whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Serve with the remaining strawberry-orange mixture in case anyone wishes to add more to their dish.
