Out West and Cherry Berry Pie

A trip out west, some Daytrotting, a puppy named Garp, bug bites, a dilapidated farmhouse turned art gallery, a rock and roll show in a barn, and a family reunion capped off with a cherry berry pie that was baked in an unfamiliar kitchen then served to familiar folks, with this no-churn ice cream and devoured in seconds.

Where is your summer taking you? I'd love to hear.

Cherry Berry Pie
Sweet cherries and tart berries are combined to make this super summery pie. I used my favorite pie crust recipe, but feel free to use your own favorite recipe if you have one.

For the Crust
This crust comes to you from Brandi Henderson of I made that! and The Pantry at Delancey where she teaches a class called "How to be a Pie Ninja" and she is not messing around. Brandi uses a technique called fraisage which creates long sheets of buttery flakes throughout the dough instead of little pockets of butter. Delightful!

12 oz pastry flour 
8 oz cold butter 
4 oz ice water 
1t apple cider vinegar 
1/2t salt 

1. Mix the flour and salt together, then pour the whole lot on a large cutting board or countertop.
2. With a bench scraper, cut in half of the butter until it is the size of lima beans, then cut in the other half of the butter until it is the size of quarters. Add the apple cider vinegar to the water.
3. Using your fingers, flick the water on to the butter flour mixture and gently fold it in with your bench scraper. You have added enough water when you can pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it together without it falling apart.
4. Then, get this, you smear the butter into the dough. With the heel of your hand push a section of the dough down and away from you. Congratulations, you have just created a sheet of butter which is going to turn delicious flaky crust. Scrape your sheet off of the board and place it in a bowl to the side. Repeat until you have worked through all of the dough, pushing it down and away from you in sections. Once you've gone through all of the dough gently remove it from the bowl, press it together, then split it in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and form into a disk. Chill the dough for at least one hour before using. I chilled mine overnight.

If this sounds confusing, check out the link above for a really helpful photo tutorial.

For the Filling

1 pint blueberries
1 pint blackberries
2 pints sweet cherries, pitted and roughly chopped
2-4 ounces sugar, depending on the sweetness of your fruit
zest of one lemon
2T lemon juice
1.25 ounces flour
1/2t almond extract
pinch salt
pinch freshly grated nutmeg

For the Topping

1 egg, beaten
A few tablespoons of coarse sugar like turbinado or light demerara

To Assemble and Bake

Preheat oven to 450º 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. In a large bowl,  combine the fruit, sugar, lemon zest and juice, flour, almond extract, salt and nutmeg. Toss gently to combine. Fill the prepared pie shell with the berry mixture and top with the second crust, crimp the edges and cut a few vents. Alternately, you can top the pie with a lattice-style crust as I've done in the photo above. Here is a link to a great photo tutorial on Simply Recipes. When I make a lattice topped pie, I like to use nice thick strips of dough, the strips pictured above are about 1'' wide.
4. If the crust seems soft or warm, slide the whole pie into the fridge or freezer for about 15min before you bake it. When you are ready to bake 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 15min on the lowest rack of your oven, then lower the oven temp to 350º and bake for 40-50min or until the crust is deep golden brown and the berry juices bubble. Cool at least 2 hours before serving, preferably more.

Raspberry Coconut Fool and a Few More from the Farm

I hope you don't mind if I share a few more snaps from my raspberry picking day. I guess I really am a city kid now because that day in the fields thrilled me to the core. I can't help it, I am a fruit nerd and it has been an unusually fruitful summer so far in Apt. 2B (I also love puns, sue me). Don't worry I'll reward your patience with a super simple summertime recipe for a vegan and gluten-free fool (pictured above) and how I used the rest of my raspberries at the end of this post, sound good?






I picked about five pounds of raspberries two days before I packed up and headed out of town for over a week, so I had to make use of the berries right quick. Here's my raspberry scorecard (á la Autumn Makes and Does).

- Most of the five pounds of berries went in to this killer Raspberry Currant Jam that I am looking forward to eating all year long.
- Then I took a few pints and canned some Raspberry Syrup using Marisa's recipe for strawberry syrup from the Food in Jars Cookbook subbing raspberries for strawberries, naturally.
- There were a few handfuls eaten out of hand (ahem, every time someone opened up the fridge and spotted the berries) or tossed into smoothies.
- I made a quick tart with a scrap of puff pastry topped with a few spoonfuls of raspberry currant jam and a generous handful of raspberries and currants sprinkled with coarse sugar. Easy and so good.
- And last, but certainly not least came this fool which is just about the easiest dessert I've ever made. The only drawback is that it does require some advance prep, but just a little. All you have to do is remember to chuck two cans of full fat coconut milk in the fridge the night before you want to make these delicious, creamy (and vegan!) desserts. Easy, easy, easy.


Oh, and one last thing before we get to the recipe. A few months ago the fine folks at Houzz.com asked me to share how I make the most out of my city kitchen. So, I sent off some photos and this week Apt. 2B is featured as the kitchen of the week! I have to warn you, it is small and artificially lit, but it is mighty! 

Check out the feature here.

Raspberry Coconut Fool (Vegan)
serves 6-8
This dessert is best prepared and served immediately. If it sits too long the raspberries and coconut cream will begin to separate.

3 cups raspberries (about 2 pints) plus a few more to garnish
1 3/4 ounces sugar plus 1 tablespoon
2, 14oz cans full fat coconut milk (chilled overnight!)
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1/2 teaspoon rose water (optional)
toasted coconut flakes to serve (optional)

1. Gently mash two cups of the raspberries and 1 3/4 ounces sugar in a medium bowl, set aside while you whip the cream.
2. Remove the top layer of cream from the cans of coconut milk, being very careful not to get any of the liquid below. Place the cold cream in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl and whip on medium high until the cream thickens and stiffens to a whipped cream consistency, about medium peaks. Whip in the remaining tablespoon of sugar, vanilla or almond extract and rose water (if using).
3. Fold the raspberry mixture into the whipped coconut cream.
4. To serve, layer the coconut raspberry mixture with the fresh raspberries in clear glass dishes. Top with toasted chopped coconut if desired and a few berries. Serve immediately.

Raspberry Currant Jam

A trip upstate a few weekends ago to help some friends build a clay oven (more about this exciting development later!) quickly turned into a raspberry picking spree after we saw a sign on the side of the road advertising U-Pick berries. I don't think I've even seen raspberries sold in anything larger then a half pint since I moved to the East Coast so as soon as we pulled over I grabbed a basket and booked it out to the fields with my pals. 

We walked up and down the raspberry rows and picked and picked until our arms were scratched from the brambles and our fingers stained from the fruit. It was a glorious summer day and I couldn't help but smile to myself and dream up all of the ways I was going to use the pounds and pounds of raspberries I was picking. Growing up, a corner of my parent's garden was always dedicated to the raspberry bushes that my dad grew from sad little twigs and the smell of raspberry jam boiling away on the stove (a few times per summer) is a smell I haven't experienced in years. When I got home, I knew that a batch of jam was my first order of business.



My mom always made a simple jam with raspberries, sugar and pectin. She never bothered to strain the seeds out so I don't either, but I have adapted the recipe so it no longer requires pectin. I also threw about a pint of tart red currants to add a bit of zing to the jam but by all means, if you can't find currants where you live, you can certainly just use raspberries. If you'd like to make your batch of jam a bit more refined feel free to strain the seeds and be warned that you'll end up with a smaller yield, maybe six half pints instead of seven. 



Raspberry Currant Jam
yield, roughly 7 half pints jam

8 ounces red currants (or raspberries if you can't find currants)
40 ounces raspberries
32 ounces sugar
juice of 2 lemons

1. Add the raspberries, currants, sugar, and lemon juice to a large, wide, non-reactive pot.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. As the jam comes to a boil, skim the foam that rises to the top of the pot and discard.
3. Raise the heat to high and boil for 10-20 minutes or until set, being careful not to let the bottom scorch. Begin checking for doneness at 10 minutes. I generally use the wrinkle test to check for doneness with this type of jam, but if you like numbers you can cook it to 220ºF. If you prefer seedless jam, quickly transfer the cooked mixture to a mesh strainer and force as much as the jam through as possible, discard the seeds and proceed with canning.
4. Pour the jam into sterilized jars, then process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.