Bountiful berries
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
It’s picnic season! What a great time to get out into the Flint Hills to see the wildflowers, baby cows and butterflies, and pack along a nice lunch for the trip?
We’ve got some very nice berry recipes today that can go along on your picnic, perhaps even when you go to the Symphony in the Flint Hills this weekend.
Berries don’t need a whole lot done to them to be tasty. I have a bowl of cherries on the table for constant snacking these days, and can’t wait for the blueberries to start showing up.
Berries are full of vitamins, and several have a good amount of fiber, too. You can eat them raw, juice them, bake them, freeze them ... and the list goes on. Start by making a nice, juicy berry pie!
VERY BERRY PIE
1 9-inch pie crust
2 cups blueberries
2 cups raspberries
1 cup blackberries
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
Whipped cream for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Spread 1/3 of the sugar mixture on the bottom of the pie crust and add the fruit. Top the mixed berries with the rest of the sugar mixture. Bake for 45 minutes and cool slightly before serving.
This next recipe is quick and easy. The tart lemon curd balances the sweet berries and sponge cake. I can’t seem to find an official term for the cakes, but they’re the little round ones with a circular indentation that look like they are made from the same recipe as a Twinkie. It would be even better if you made it from scratch, but some of us don’t have all the time in the world!
LEMON CURD
& BERRY CAKES
4 individual shortcakes
1 jar prepared lemon curd (in the jelly aisle)
1/2 pint raspberries
1/2 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced
Whipped cream
2 tsp. lemon zest
Arrange sponge cake on serving dish. Remove lid from lemon curd jar and heat in microwave 30 seconds on high to warm and loosen. Fill cakes with curd sauce. Top curd sauce with berries, whipped cream and lemon zest. Maybe even a sprig of mint? So fast for something so pretty and tasty!
My mom always macerated her berries in sugar, which made a very sweet but not too healthy treat. Using less sugar and other juices and spices can augment the flavor of the berries without quadrupling the calories.
MARINATED
FRESH BERRIES
2 Tbsp. sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lime
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 pint raspberries
1/2 pint blueberries
1/2 pint strawberries, capped
1 pint vanilla frozen yogurt
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, citrus zests, and water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the citrus juices and vanilla.
Rinse the berries and place in a bowl, halving or quartering the strawberries as needed. Pour the warm syrup over the berries and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Serve marinated berries over a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt. Serves 2.
If you have some berries hanging around, some old bread and a few eggs you can make a colorful bread pudding. The ricotta cheese adds richness. Serve this dish warm, perhaps with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Wow!
BERRY BREAD PUDDING
2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. honey
4 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 cup orange juice
4 cups of bread cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups mixed berries, rinsed
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Turn off the heat, and whisk in the honey.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, ricotta, and sugar. Whisk in the milk, orange juice, butter and honey mixture. Add bread and stir to combine. Gently fold in the berries. Place the ingredients in a 10-inch round (2-quart) baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours and up to 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the pudding until golden on top and baked through, about 40 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon into dishes and enjoy.
It’s Farmers Market season, and that means Cook-Off time. The first two are back to back, June 21 and 25. Saturday we’ll do the very popular pie category (nothing like pie for breakfast!) and Wednesday we’re tasting barbecue sauces.
Just bring a pie between 7:45 and 8 a.m. to the kiosk at Seventh Avenue and Merchant Street — please bring a copy of the recipe, too. Shoppers at the market will taste your creation and vote on their favorite. The winner will receive a gift bag with special culinary treats from Madelynn’s, and also be featured in the following Wednesday’s Emporia Gazette. Madelynn’s has sent us some fabulous self-leveling measuring spoons to include, as well as a couple of jars of goodies.
If you want to compete in sauces, bring a pint with your name and phone number on the lid between 4:45 and 5 p.m. on the 25th. I’ll have crackers for tasting, and the winner will get a special new grilling mat, a long-handled silicon basting brush and some Vidalia Onion barbecue sauce from Madelynn’s gourmet culinary department.
Next week we have a guest column from Dan Ferrell. The summer solstice is approaching. What kinds of dishes do you like to prepare when it’s hot as heck outside? Send your recipes to me and we’ll share them with everybody! That address is murphysmenu@yahoo.com, or 517 Merchant, Emporia. Let’s get cooking!