berries Archives -

April 12, 2017

Berry Breakfast Cookies

We are back home again, finally. After a several days skiing with my sister’s family out in Colorado, we managed to get ourselves stranded at the Denver airport for four long days as a result of the Delta chaos. It was frustrating, stressful, and definitely inconvenient, but admittedly fun and bonding all at the same time. The kids thought it was exciting to be stuck at the airport hotel, and we pretty much lived off of Einsteins Bagels and Jamba Juice for four days with airline vouchers. Not exactly my favorites, but the kids loved it.

June 2, 2015

Crackly Crust Mixed Berry Cobbler

We hosted a small Memorial Day gathering with some extended family last weekend and this is the dessert I had planned to make. I tweaked and tested the recipe ahead of time to make sure it would be just the way I wanted. And then because I was trying to clean the house, practice instruments with the kids, set the table, and prep the rest of the meal all at the same time, I sadly botched up the dessert. I inadvertantly added too much butter, left the milk out completely, and while the end result was edible, it was not this. This cobbler (and not the one I ended up making for Memorial Day) has a unique crackly crust which makes this dessert rustic and beautiful at the same time. The secret to the crackly crust is sprinkling with the top with a layer of sugar and then drizzling hot water over the sugar, melting it right before it goes in the oven. The method is a bit odd, but it works. While the cobbler is baking, the sweet biscuit layer develops a thin, delicate, and slightly crunchy crust. The crust will remain crunchy and crackly for about a day. After it has been chilled and refrigerated, it loses a bit of the crunch, although it is still delicious. Serve with ice cream or greek yogurt. I have greek yogurt in the photos here, but Ryan’s vote is for the ice cream.

Crackly Crust Mixed Berry Cobbler

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

2 pounds mixed berries, about 8 cups (any combination of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries)
2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot
3 tablespoons natural cane sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
½ cup + 3 tablespoons natural cane sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons whole milk
¼ cup hot water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large mixing bowl, use a wooden spoon to gently combine the berries, cornstarch or arrowroot, sugar, and lemon juice. Transfer to an 8x8 baking dish.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat together butter and ½ cup sugar on medium high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture and mix on medium speed until evenly crumbly. With the mixer running on low, gradually pour in milk and beat for another minute, until batter is light and fluffy.
Dollop batter over berry filling and use a knife or offset spatula to gently spread batter evenly over the berries. Sprinkle remaining 3 tablespoons sugar over the batter. Drizzle hot water over the sugar, melting it right before it goes in the oven.
Bake for 70-80 minutes, until golden brown and crackly. Let the cobbler sit for at least 30 minutes to set before serving. Serve with ice cream or greek yogurt.

Notes

adapted from A Boat, A Whale, and A Walrus

June 26, 2014

Berries with White Chocolate Mascarpone

My baby girl turned 5 over the weekend and to celebrate we had a little backyard tea party for her and a small group of friends. Birthday parties usually completely overwhelm me, but this small gathering was just right this time. All of the food could be prepared ahead of time and it was so fun to watch the girls enjoy themselves.

I had a some leftover mascarpone cheese from when I made a double recipe of Turkey Spinach Taquitos so I used it to make a half batch of these Berries with White Chocolate Mascarpone parfaits. The white chocolate mascarpone comes together in minutes and it makes for such a pretty and elegant dessert. The girls loved getting their own individual portions and it was first thing they wanted to eat. If you don’t feel like assembling parfaits or have extra white chocolate mascarpone leftover, it’s also a great fruit dip. I’ve served this in a bowl alongside some strawberries and sliced peaches. With the abundance of fresh fruit now available, it a perfect simple summer dessert!

Berries and White Chocolate Mascarpone

Serves: 10-12 mini parfaits

Ingredients

6 ounces white chocolate, broken in pieces
1 8-ounce container of mascarpone cheese
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
fresh raspberries and blackberries

Instructions

Set a small glass mixing bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water and place the chocolate in the mixing bowl. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the glass bowl from the heat and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
While the chocolate is cooling, whisk the mascarpone, whipping cream, and vanilla together until smooth.
Add the melted white chocolate and whisk again until smooth.
Transfer the white chocolate mascarpone mixture to a piping bag or a plastic ziploc bag with a corner cut off.
For individual parfaits, alternate a layer of berries with a layer of white chocolate mascarpone, ending with berries.

Notes

barely adapted from Bon Appetit