"I’ve always been partial to strawberries and Brie for a quick dessert, so I thought it would be fun to go in a slightly different direction," says life member Carol Hagen. Five weeks of experimenting produced the perfect combination: strawberries, mascarpone cheese, pistachios and a touch of tangerine. "This is an easy, tasty and pretty little dessert."
8 oz. mascarpone cheese*
2 tablespoons tangerine or orange juice
2 teaspoons grated tangerine or orange peel
1 lb. medium strawberries, stems removed
1/4 cup roasted salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
1. Combine mascarpone cheese, tangerine juice and tangerine peel in small bowl. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours to blend flavors.
2. Place strawberries, point-side up, on work surface. Make 2 cuts in each point to form an "X," being careful not to cut all the way through. With pastry bag fitted with small star tip or small spoon, fill each strawberry with about 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture; sprinkle with nuts.
About 18 strawberries
PER STRAWBERRY: 60 calories, 5 g total fat (2.5 g saturated fat), 1.5 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 15 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, .5 g fiber
TIP *Mascarpone cheese is a double- or triple-cream cheese from Italy. Look for it in the dairy section of the supermarket or in Italian markets. If unavailable, substitute an equal amount of cream cheese.