Red Fruit Galettes

I know it's coming to a close, but here's a hot tip for summer: keep a batch of pie crust in your fridge or freezer at all times. Then, when you spot some pretty fruit at the farmer's market, you'll always have something to tuck it into at the ready.

Just about the easiest thing you can make with fruit and pie crust is a galette. Galettes are casual open faced tarts and their charm is in their imperfections. It's okay if the fruit leaks all over the baking sheet and there is no futzy crust crimping for the folks who find that part of pie making frustrating. I even know someone who likes to make them at 3AM after a night of drinking, so you know they are easy.

These particular galettes were born when I had lots of little bits of different fruits left over from another project and I used roughly equal amounts of sour cherries, red currants and raspberries. This particular combination of red fruits turned out visually stunning and totally delicious, but don't feel limited by these fruits! You can make a galette with just about any fruit you have hanging around.

This is more of a formula and a process than a recipe that needs to be followed to the letter so feel free to swap the crust or the fruit or the jam for anything you like. And it's the best kind of recipe to have in your back pocket for all those times when you just need dessert last minute. Get invited to dinner? Galette. Going to a picnic or barbecue or rooftop party? Galette. Celebrating a birthday? Galette. Tuesday? Galette.

Happy Summer!

Red Fruits Galettes
yield 2, 9-inch galettes

Feel free to swap out my pie crust for your favorite recipe, but please make sure to bake the galettes until they are deeply golden brown and caramelized. Say no to soggy crust!

Crust

12 ounces all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
9 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4 ounces ice cold water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to cut in half of the butter until it is the size of peas, then cut in the other half until it is the size lima beans. Some of the butter will be completely worked into the flour, but you should have lots of visible pieces of butter in the dough too. Add the apple cider vinegar to the water and make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Use a gentle hand or wooden spoon to mix the water into the flour until just combined. If the dough seems very dry, add more water a couple of teaspoons at a time. You have added enough water when you can pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it together without it falling apart. Press the dough together, then split it in half, form into discs and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least one hour before using, or overnight.

Filling

about 2 pounds of assorted red fruits (raspberries, cherries, sour cherries, sweet cherries, currants, etc)
1 3/4-2 3/4 ounces granulated sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit (for example: currants will need more, sweet cherries less)
4 ounces apricot, raspberry or strawberry jam
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
pinch salt
1 tablespoon flour (only if the fruit seems very juicy)

1 egg beaten with a pinch of salt for egg wash
1 3/4 ounce crunchy sugar like demerara or turbinado for sprinkling

Work with one piece of dough at a time and on a floured surface, roll the dough into a roughly 13'' circle, 1/4-1/8'' thick. Transfer the rounds to two large, parchmentlined sheet pans. Store in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

Pit the cherries and remove the currants from their stems. In a large bowl, rub the lemon zest and salt into the sugar. If you're using flour, now's the time to add it. Add the fruit to the sugar mixture and toss gently to combine. 

Remove the pastry from the fridge and spread each round with about 4 tablespoons of jam, then divide the fruit evenly between the disks, leaving a 1 1/2'' border around the edges. Fold the edges of the pastry over the filling and gently brush the egg wash between the folds to seal. Chill the formed tarts until the dough is very firm.

While the tarts are chilling, preheat your oven to 400º. When the tarts are nice and cold, remove them from the fridge, gently brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle the pastry and the fruit with coarse sugar. Bake until the fruit juices bubble and ooze and the pastry is a deep golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool before serving.
 

Caramelized Rhubarb and Yogurt Ice Pops

This time of year I love making rhubarb compote or jam to eat with my morning yogurt. For these treats, I took my favorite breakfast and turned up the flavors to turn it into a tart and tangy dessert. First, I caramelized the rhubarb with a bit of honey to add some depth of flavor. By the way, have you ever tried making fruit caramel sauce? It's so, so good! This strawberry caramel sauce is a perfect ice cream topping. But, let's get back to the pops at hand because then, I swirled honey and vanilla bean seeds into the yogurt which tastes delicious and has the extra bonus of looking totally beautiful and fancy.

I first imagined this recipe as cool and creamy frozen yogurt, but forgot to put my ice cream canister in the freezer, doh! So, I went with the next best option, dusted off my popsicle molds and layered the rhubarb and yogurt in those instead. They are the perfect, late spring treat: creamy, sweet, tart and cooling, all in one.

Caramelized Rhubarb and Yogurt Ice Pops
yield, 6-8 popsicles, depending on size

2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/4 cup honey, plus 2 tablespoons honey (or more to taste)

2 Tablespoons water

2 cups 2% greek yogurt
1/4 cup milk
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

Add the 1/4 cup honey and water to a saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and cook until lightly caramelized, about 2 minutes. Add in the chopped rhubarb and turn the heat down to medium. Cook the rhubarb, stirring occasionally until the rhubarb is very soft and falling apart, about 7 more minutes. Chill the rhubarb mixture thoroughly.

Whisk together the yogurt, milk, vanilla bean seeds and 2 tablespoons honey in a bowl.

Fill layer the chilled rhubarb mixture and yogurt in ice pop molds. Freeze until solid, 4 hours or overnight.

Berry Rhubarb Pie with Lard Crust

Last summer, I was obsessed with this crust. This summer, I have turned to this one instead, but just to make sure I had all of my crust bases covered I tried a leaf lard and butter combo crust which for some is the holy grail of pie dough. It was wonderfully tender and flaky with really nice flavor thanks to the butter, but to be perfectly honest, I thought the texture was very similar to crust made with shortening. I'd love to hear if any one else has made pie crust with lard and has a different opinion on the matter, please feel free to share your experience in the comments below!

For the filling, I went with a sweet-tart combination of rhubarb and dark berries. I find that blueberries and blackberries make fine accompaniments to rhubarb (much better than sticky-sweet strawberries) but a handful of raspberries or currants would also be wonderful addition to the mix if you have them around. These photos got lost in the shuffle, so I actually made this pie about a month ago during the height of rhubarb season, but I can still find rhubarb (although much less of it) in my local market and I hope you can too.

I've heard the super processed lard available in grocery stores can be unpleasantly "meaty" in flavor so if you'd like to attempt a lard crust of your own, check your local butcher shop or farmer's market for leaf lard. If you live in NYC you can find leaf lard at Flying Pigs Farm's stand at the Union Square or Grand Army Plaza Greenmarkets.

Berry Rhubarb Pie with Lard Crust
The lard in this dough makes for an exceptionally flaky and tender finished crust, substitute non-hydrogentated shortening for a vegetarian dough that is equally tender or substitute your favorite crust recipe. This is a no crust-judgement zone. Also, I found that this dough was soft and a bit tricky to work with, so I rolled it out between two pieces of parchment paper.

For the Crust
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

12.5 ounces all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 ounces cold leaf lard
1/2 cup ice water

Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Use a fork or pastry blender to cut the cold lard into the mixture until it is well combined. Add the butter and cut in until there are pieces ranging from the size of peas to the size of lima beans. Make a well in the center and pour in the ice water. Using a rubber spatula, work quickly to distribute the ice water into the mixture without over mixing. If the dough seems dry or crumbly, add more water one tablespoon at a time. Dump the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide into two pieces. Form each piece into a disk and wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least one hour before rolling. I prefer to refrigerate my crusts overnight.

For the Filling

1 lb rhubarb, chopped into 1/4'' pieces
1.5 lbs mixed black and blueberries
7 ounces sugar (1 cup)
pinch cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
zest and juice from 1 lemon
2 ounces flour (about 1/4 cup)

Combine the flour, sugar, spices and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add the rhubarb, berries and lemon juice and toss gently to combine.

For the Topping

1 egg, beaten
A few teaspoons of coarse sugar such as turbinado or light demerara

To Assemble and Bake

Preheat oven to 400º

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of the dough into a 12'' circle about 1/8'' thick and place it into a 9 or 10 inch pie pan. Place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the pie.
2. Roll out the other piece of dough into a 12'' circle about 1/8'' thick and place it in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling.
3. Fill the prepared pie shell with the berry mixture and top with the second crust, crimp the edges and cut a few vents. OR If you've got some extra time and you'd like to make a scalloped crust like the one pictured, crimp the bottom crust before adding the filling, then use a 1 1/2'' round cutter to cut circles from the second pie crust. Starting from the outside, arrange the dough circles in slightly overlapping, concentric circles on top of the filling.
4. Slide the whole pie into the fridge or freezer for about 15min before you bake it to firm up the crust. When you are ready to bake, carefully and gently brush the top of the pie with a beaten egg and sprinkle with a healthy dose of coarse sugar.
5. Put the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 15 minutes on the lowest rack of your oven, then lower the oven temp to 375º and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is deep golden brown and the juices bubble. Cool the pie completely before serving.

Mascarpone Cream Tart with Fresh Fruit

For all of its shortcomings (unbearable heat and humidity), summer is my very favorite time to be a baker. I am so inspired by the amazing variety of fruit available during the summer months, so when I was tasked with making some desserts for a photo shoot a few weeks ago, I knew that fresh fruit tarts would be just the thing. I used my favorite sweet tart shell from Dorie Greenspan filled with a luxurious mascarpone cream that I developed a few months ago when a friend tasked me to make her wedding desserts, then I topped it with heaps of the most beautiful berries I could find. I love recipes like this cream because they are a great, neutral base to showcase whatever fruit is in season. Now that we are later into the summer, I think some sliced stone fruit tossed in lemon juice or assorted cherries would be lovely. As always, use whatever is in season and beautiful at your local market.

Mascarpone Cream Tart with Fresh Fruit

Sweet Tart Dough
adapted from Dorie Greenspan
for 1, 9'' or 10'' tart

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons cold, cubed butter
1 egg yolk
2 Tablespoons water

1. In the bowl of a food processor or with a pastry blender, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas. Add the yolk and pulse then stream in the water and mix until the dough starts clump together.
2. Lightly butter your tart pan or pans and gently press the crumbly dough into the pan. Make sure to evenly coat the bottom and the sides while being careful to not compact the dough too much. Alternately, you can pat the dough into a circle, wrap it in plastic, and chill it for 2 hours. After 2 hours, roll the dough in between two lightly floured pieces of parchment paper into a 12'' circle and gently lay it into the pan, making sure to press the dough gently into the sides and bottom of the pan.  You may have a bit of extra dough, save it just in case you have to repair any cracks later on. Use a fork to poke holes in the bottom and sides of the dough. Freeze the tart shell(s) for 30min.

3. Preheat your oven to 375º and bake the tart shell(s) on a baking sheet (no need for pie weights) until it is lightly golden 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil repair any cracks that may have formed with your leftover dough, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool the shell on a rack while you prepare the rest of the tart.

Mascarpone Cream
This cream is a heavenly combination of whipped pastry cream, whipped cream, and mascarpone cheese. I use the pastry cream recipe exactly as written on BraveTart.com so I have linked to it below instead of reposting the entire thing here.
yield, one 10'' tart

2 cups vanilla pastry cream, I used Stella aka Brave Tart's Pastry Cream
8 ounces heavy cream
8 ounces mascarpone cream

1. Prepare the pastry cream and chill thoroughly.
2. Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the chilled pastry cream until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the mascarpone and whip until well combined. Fold in the whipped cream and chill the mixture until ready to use.

To Assemble
For the tarts above I used blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, currants, figs and gooseberries, but use whatever is fresh and beautiful in your market.

3-4 cups assorted fresh fruit
Prepared Tart Shell (recipe above)
Mascarpone Cream (recipe above)

Gently spread the mascarpone cream into the tart shell (you may have a bit extra) and top with fresh fruit. Serve immediately. This tart is best on the day that it is made, but it will last a day or two in the fridge if you don't mind a soggy crust.

Berry and Apricot Galettes with Saffron

 

    

Summer is time to keep it easy. Eat dinner outside on makeshift tables, hang with friends, and eat dessert off of paper towels instead of plates because who has time to do dishes when there are sunsets to watch and Campari and sodas to drink? Summer is even the time to not stress when your photos are all mysteriously crooked and the lab gets dust all over your scans, ahem...

I made these galettes a few weeks ago for just such an occasion and yes, I know, this recipe is cheating a little bit because I used the same rye pastry (I made a big batch and stored some in the freezer, which I highly recommend!) I used for these strawberry guys, but this time I filled the tarts with a combination of blueberries, blackberries, and rosy cheeked apricots dusted with just a bit of saffron. They were the perfect end to a summertime meal and the pastry was sturdy enough that we didn't even have to use plates to eat them, bonus.

Berry and Apricot Galettes with Saffron
adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce
yield 2 medium tarts
I added a few saffron threads to these tarts which was a lovely and unexpected touch, but if you don't have access to saffron, the tarts are wonderful without it.

1 recipe rye dough, recipe below
1 1/2 pounds apricots
1 cup blueberries
1 cup blackberries
1/2 cup apricot jam
2-4 tablespoons sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads (optional)
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
zest from one lemon
pinch salt

1 egg
4 tablespoons coarse sugar for sprinkling

To assemble

1. Divide the dough into  two pieces. Work with one piece at a time. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a roughly 15'' circle, 1/8'' thick. Transfer the rounds to two large, lined sheet pans. Store in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
2. Gently tear the apricots in half and discard the pits.
3. In a large bowl, rub the vanilla bean seeds, saffron threads and lemon zest into the sugar. The sugar should turn slightly yellow and smell wonderful at this point.
4. Add the fruit into the sugar mixture and toss gently to combine. Prepare an egg wash by beating an egg in a bowl with a tablespoon of water.
5. Remove the pastry from the fridge and spread each one with about 4 tablespoons of jam, then divide the fruit evenly between the disks, leaving a 1 1/2'' border around the edges. Fold the edges of the pastry over the filling and gently brush the egg wash between the folds to seal. Chill the formed tarts until they are firm, 30-40min.
6. While the tarts are chilling, preheat your oven to 375º. When the tarts are nice and cold, remove them from the fridge, gently brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
7. Bake until the fruit juices bubble and ooze and the pastry is a deep golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

Rye Rough Puff Pastry
adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce
yield, pastry for 1 large, 2 medium or  4-6 small tarts

I won't lie, the rye pastry takes a bit of work to put together but man is it good. It's my new favorite base for fruit desserts that I plan on using all summer long. Kim Boyce recommends "turing the dough"twice for this recipe, but I wanted a few more flakey layers so I gave it an extra turn. If you are going to use this dough to make a traditional pie, I suggest just doing the two turns.  Once you get the hang of making the dough, I suggest making a double or triple batch so you can have it at the ready for all of your summer pies, tarts, and galettes like these guys.

4.25 ounces rye flour
4.25 ounces all purpose flour
1/8 ounce salt
1/2 ounce sugar
6 ounces cold butter cut into chunks
4 ounces ice water (may need a little less or more than this)
1t apple cider vinegar

1. In a large bowl, mix the flours, salt and sugar together. Add in the butter and quickly rub it into the flour mixture with your fingers. You want the butter to break up into small pieces the size of peas to lima beans.
2. Combine the water and apple cider vinegar in a measuring cup. Make a well in the flour/butter mixture and slowly stream the water into the dough while mixing gently. Mix until the water is evenly distributed and the dough holds together when you squeeze it. It will look dry, and that's okay, just as long as it holds together when you squeeze it. If it is too dry, add a bit more water.
3. Dump the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, gather the wrap tightly around the dough and refrigerate it for at least an hour or overnight.
4. After it has chilled, unwrap the dough and place it onto a lightly floured board. Pat the dough into a rough square, then roll it into an 8'' x 11'' rectangle. The dough will be a bit rough and crumbly and that's okay! With the long side of the dough facing you, gently fold the dough into thirds. Then turn the dough so the seam is at the top and parallel to your body. Repeat this process 3 more times then wrap the dough in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days before using.
If the rolling/turning sounds confusing, here is a great photo tutorial for making rough puff pastry on Food52.  Their method utilizes 6 "turns" of the dough, which isn't necessary for this recipe but it will give you a great idea of what the rolling process looks like.

Out of Town & Strawberry Rye Galettes

About a week ago I hopped in a car with two fine ladies and one fine pooch (also a lady) to head upstate to pick strawberries and search for a bit of summer adventure. We fortified ourselves with giant iced coffees and drove about two hours north to a little no-frills farm in the Hudson Valley where we picked berries to our hearts' content, then headed down the road to grab lunch from a burrito trailer. On the drive home we took a detour to pick wildflowers which unexpectedly led us to Bear Mountain where Mazie the dog had her first experience with open water (mixed reviews) and we saw some goslings taking a swim (thumbs up all around). All in all, a banner day.

I rode home in the front seat with a half-flat of warm fragrant berries on my lap and I dreamt up all of the ways I wanted to use them, which only took a few days once I got home. I made a few frozen treats (the first one was posted earlier this week), preserved some, and then baked the last pound of them into these little galettes. I usually don't really like strawberries in baked goods because I think they get a bit soggy, but because these tarts were baked without a lid in a nice hot oven the strawberries roasted and caramelized in such a lovely way. And this pastry, this pastry! I used it last year for a few rhubarb treats and I have no idea why I forgot about it until just now because it is such a perfect (and easy to work with) dough to wrap up all kinds of fruit. 

And in case anyone was wondering, Mazie the dog was an excellent road trip companion and hung out patiently in the shade chewing on sticks while we picked berries to our hearts' content.

Strawberry Galettes

1 large rustic tart or 4-6 small ones

1 recipe rye pastry (below)

1 lb strawberries, whole if they are tiny, cut in half if they are small, quarters if they are large

2 Tablespoons sugar, or more to taste
6 Tablespoons strawberry, rhubarb, or apricot jam

1 Tablespoon flour

zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

1 egg

4 Tablespoons coarse sugar, for sprinkling

To assemble

1. Divide dough into 4-6 equal pieces. On a floured surface, roll each dough ball into a round, 1/8'' thick. Transfer the rounds to two large, lined sheet pans, a few inches apart. Store in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
2. In a large bowl combine the strawberries, flour, sugar, and lemon zest and juice. Prepare an egg wash by beating an egg in a bowl with a tablespoon of water.
3. Remove the pastry from the fridge and spread each one with about a tablespoon of jam, then divide the fruit evenly between the disks, leaving a 1'' border around the edges. Fold the edges of the pastry over the filling and gently brush the egg wash between the folds to seal. Chill the formed tarts until they are firm, 30-40min.
4. While the tarts are chilling, preheat your oven to 375º. When the tarts are nice and cold, remove them from the fridge, gently brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
5. Bake until the crusts are golden, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 and bake until the juices bubble and ooze and the pastry is a deep golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Let cool completely before serving.

Rye Rough Puff Pastry
adapted from Kim Boyce's, Good to the Grain
yield, pastry for 1 large rustic tart 4-6 small ones

I won't lie, the rye pastry takes a bit of work to put together but man is it good. It's my new favorite base for fruit desserts that I plan on using all summer long. Kim Boyce recommends "turing the dough"twice for this recipe, but I wanted a few more flakey layers so I gave it an extra turn. If you are going to use this dough to make a traditional pie, I suggest just doing the two turns.  Once you get the hang of making the dough, I suggest making a double or triple batch so you can have it at the ready for all of your summer pies, tarts, and galettes like these guys.

4.25 ounces rye flour
4.25 ounces all purpose flour
1/8 ounce salt
1/2 ounce sugar
6 ounces cold butter cut into chunks
4 ounces ice water (may need a little less or more than this)
1t apple cider vinegar

1. In a large bowl, mix the flours, salt and sugar together. Add in the butter and quickly rub it into the flour mixture with your fingers. You want the butter to break up into small pieces the size of peas to lima beans.
2. Combine the water and apple cider vinegar in a measuring sup. Make a well in the flour/butter mixture and slowly stream the water into the dough while mixing gently. Mix until the water is evenly distributed and the dough holds together when you squeeze it. It will look dry, and that's okay, just as long as it holds together when you squeeze it. If it is too dry, add a bit more water.
3. Dump the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap, gather the wrap tightly around the dough and refrigerate it for at least an hour or overnight.
4. After it has chilled, unwrap the dough and place it onto a lightly floured board. Pat the dough into a rough square, then roll it into an 8'' x 11'' rectangle. The dough will be a bit rough and crumbly and that's okay! With the long side of the dough facing you, gently fold the dough into thirds. Then turn the dough so the seam is at the top and parallel to your body. Repeat this process 3 more times then wrap the dough in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days before using.
If the rolling/turning sounds confusing, here is a great photo tutorial for making rough puff pastry on Food52.  Their method utilizes 6 "turns" of the dough, which isn't necessary for this recipe but it will give you a great idea of what the rolling process looks like.

Strawberry Ice Pops Two Ways

I went on a strawberry picking adventure last week and I am going to tell you all about it soon, but in light of the heat wave happening in NYC I thought I should share these super easy ice pops with you right away. This is a slapdash kind of recipe that only takes a few minutes to throw together and because the berries are never heated it truly preserves the fresh flavor of summer's finest. All you have to do is slice up some strawberries and throw them in a blender with some sweetener (any kind you like) and freeze. Then, once you've patiently waited a few hours you'll have the perfect treat to enjoy while sweating out the summer on your stoop or fire escape or back yard if you are really lucky.

More strawberry recipes soon!

Strawberry Vanilla Ice Pops
yield, about 6 depending on the size of your molds

This method would work with any berry that you have laying around so feel free to experiment. The only thing i wouldn't do is put whole pieces of fresh fruit in the pops. It looks pretty, but I find the icy chunks kind of unpleasant to eat.

1 pound strawberries washed and hulled
2-4 Tablespoons sweetener (honey, sugar, maple syrup, or agave) depending on the sweetness of your fruit
juice from 1/2 a lime
seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
tiny pinch salt

Slice the strawberries and toss them with the sugar, lime, vanilla, and salt. Let the berries macerate for about 15 minutes then blend the mixture thoroughly. Taste the mixture and adjust the sweetness if necessary. Strain the mixture to remove the seeds if you like, I didn't bother. Pour into your ice pop molds and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Buttermilk Variation

Add 1/3 cup buttermilk to the blended strawberry mixture then freeze as desired. Alternately, add buttermilk to half of the strawberry mixture and make striped ice pops like these.

Roasted Strawberry and Mascarpone Ice Cream

Phew! It has been a wild couple of weeks over here and I am just coming up for breath. Highlights include: a few days on my first TV set, a couple of trips out of town, shooting for some new clients (!), a trip to the impound lot (doh!), and some of spring's first (and finest) berries. It seems like it is shaping up to be a great year for strawberries around these parts. I only say so because I found quarts of them for a very reasonable price at the Greenmarket last week. I have tentative plans for a strawberry picking adventure in the next few days, which means you should keep your eyes peeled for lots and lots of strawberry recipes around these parts. Have a great weekend everyone, eat some ice cream if you can swing it!

Roasted Strawberry Mascarpone Ice Cream
adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
yield about 1 quart
I've made quite a few of Jeni's ice creams and they have all been killer. The recipe is a bit complicated and you will have to dirty quite a few dishes to put it together, but don't let that hold you back. You will be rewarded with smooth, creamy ice cream packed full of strawberry flavor.

For the Roasted Strawberries

1 pint strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375º

Stem and slice the strawberries, then combine them with the sugar and lemon juice in an 8'' baking pan. Roast for 8-10 minutes or until the strawberries are just softened and releasing their juices. Let the berries cool for a few minutes, then puree them in a blender or food processor. Measure 1/2 cup of puree that will be used in the ice cream and reserve the rest for another use.

For the Ice Cream Base

1 1/2 cups  plus 2 Tablespoons whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons corn starch or tapioca starch
1/4 cup buttermilk
4 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1. Mix the 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. In a separate bowl, whisk the mascarpone and salt until smooth.
2. Combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar and corn syrup in a large saucepan (at least 4 quarts). Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium high heat and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in the cornstarch mixture.
3. Bring the mixture back to a boil and cook, stirring constantly until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
4. Gradually whisk the hot mixture into the mascarpone and salt and stir until smooth. Stir in the reserved strawberry puree and buttermilk. Chill the mixture over an ice bath (or in the refrigerator for a few hours) until completely cold.
5. Pour the base into the canister and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Spoon the mixture into a storage container and dollop a few tablespoons of the reserved roasted blueberry puree on top. Gently swirl it into the base, cover the container with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Gingered Blackberry Cobbler and a Few Favorites

Here are a few things I've enjoyed from around the internets this week and a bonus recipe for a sweet and spicy blackberry cobbler that I made towards the end of my Seattle trip. When life hands you blackberries and you've already made 10 jars of jam and a crisp and you don't have time to let pie dough chill, make cobbler! It is one of those multi-purpose desserts that's not too sweet, making it perfect for breakfast the next day.

- Shae's beautiful post about the terroir of Alaskan blueberries and the jam she made. If you've ever had them, you already know that Northwest blackberries have a distinct terroir of their own.
- Kimberley's lovely words about running and returning
- Some tips on bread management from the always inspiring Rachel
 - A killer circus birthday party with warm cotton candy, a striped cake, and a hot dog bar from Ashley
- I wish I had known about this cocktail from Erin when I had my bounty of blackberries. Campari has been my drink of choice all summer. I guess I'll need a new drink soon, any ideas?
- This series of intimate performances from the Newport Folk Festival, in the ruins of a fort no less
- Lil Bub because if you haven't, you should

Have a great weekend.

Gingered Blackberry Cobbler
adapted from Cook's Illustrated
yield, 1 10'' pan

For the Filling

32 ounces fresh blackberries, rinsed
3 1/2 ounces sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1-1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger (watch out, it's spicy!)
1 teaspoon lemon zest (meyer lemon if available)
juice from 1/2 lemon

For the Topping

5 ounces all purpose flour
2 ounces oat flour (or finely ground oats or use all purpose flour)
4 tablespoons sugar plus 1 tablespoon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces butter, melted
1/2 cup plain yogurt (full fat if possible)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375º

For the Filling

Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, grated ginger, lemon zest and juice. Add in the blackberries and mix gently to combine. Transfer the mixture to a 9'' or 10'' pie pan and place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Slide into the oven and bake until the filling is hot and bubbling around the edges, about 25 minutes.

For the Topping

1. While the berries are baking, whisk together the flour, oat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter, yogurt and vanilla extract.
2. One minute before the berries come out of the oven, combine the wet and dry ingredients. Stir gently until thoroughly mixed.
3. Carefully remove the berries from the oven and increase the temperature to 425º. Divide the topping into 8 equal pieces and place them gently on top of the berries about 1/2'' apart, they should not touch. Sprinkle the remaining sugar on top of the biscuits.
4. Slide the whole shebang back into the oven and bake until the filling is bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown, 15-18 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Blackberry Rhubarb Crisp

I pick blackberries from the school yard and rhubarb from the side yard. I remember to wear long sleeves and long pants to protect myself from the blackberry brambles, but my hair keeps getting tangled up in the thorns. Later I find a picture of my teenaged self picking blackberries with my best pal, both of us wearing overalls with bandanas tied around our heads*. I cut thin stalks of rhubarb from a forgotten plant and free them from their massive leaves. They are red almost all of the way through. I turn them into summertime crisps. I mix and stir the crumb topping with my hands. I bake them in borrowed ramekins and old jelly jars and they spill all over the baking sheet in the oven. We eat them on my brother's birthday with earl grey ice cream on top, after the babies have been put to bed.

Blackberry Rhubarb Crisp
yield 8-10 individual crisps or, 1 9x13 pan 
A few notes on this recipe: If making individual crisps, you'll want heatproof dishes (ramekins, canning jars, etc) that can hold about 6 ounces. The rhubarb gives the filling a wonderful tartness, which is just about perfect with some ice cream on top. I like a fairly equal fruit to crumb topping, so this recipe makes a generous amount. If you don't want to use it all at once it can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Don't thaw before using, just break up the crumbs and sprinkle them over your dessert before you bake it.

For the Filling

1 1/2 pounds blackberries
3/4 pounds rhubarb, chopped into 1/4''-1/2'' pieces
1 ounce flour
4 1/4 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest (meyer lemon if available)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Crumb Topping

6 ounces softened butter
4 1/2 ounces rolled oats
4 1/2 ounces whole wheat flour (or sub half all purpose)
4 1/4 ounces brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375º

1. In a large bowl, gently toss the blackberries, chopped rhubarb, flour, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract together. Set aside while you prepare the topping.
2. In a medium bowl combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add in the butter and use your hands to work it into the mixture until it holds together in medium clumps.
3. If making individual crisps, divide the filling mixture evenly between 8-10 ramekins, then top with a generous amount of crumb topping. If making 1, 9x13 crisp pour all of the fruit into the dish and evenly sprinkle the crumb over the top.
4. Place the ramekins or baking dish on top of a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any juices) and slide into the oven. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the the topping is golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream on top.


*No doubt an attempt to channel Angela Chase

Summertime in Seattle

Seattle in the summertime just gives and gives and gives and I filled my cup with as much of its northwest magic as I could manage. I wandered through gardens and on the beach. I chased babies who were crawling (!) and teething and finding their voices. I spent a ton of time with family and friends, I ate blackberries (and figs and plums) warm from the sun until I gave myself a stomach ache and then I took them and made two types of jam and crisp and cobbler. Then I had a fancy cocktail at the newly opened Essex, ate A LOT of pastries and had the good fortune to meet the lovely Ashley Rodriguez in person and I have her to thank for my new kouign amann obsession. It was everything I wanted and more, more than I can say.

See you next week with a few summery recipes to end the season right!

p.s. All of these photos were taken with my iPhone and edited with the VSCO Cam App, my personal favorite. Many of them were posted on Instagram, sorry for the repeats if you follow me there. I just loved them too much to leave them off of the blog.