Berry Delicious Desserts: Part 2

Easy Berry Cobbler
America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

Serves 6


This cobbler is topped with store-bought sugar cookie dough, making it quick and easy to prepare. Of course, you can use homemade sugar cookie dough. Of course, you will only use half of a normal sugar cookie dough recipe, so bake cookies or freeze the remaining dough. Don't be tempted to use more than 8 oz of cookies dough- it will not cook through in the center.

2 pounds of frozen blueberries, strawberries, and/or blackberries
1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz) plus 2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch
8 ounces sugar cookie dough (see note above)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon zest (my addition!)

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large rimed baking sheet with foil.

Microwave the berries in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate until hot, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring half-way through heating. Note: if the berries are fresh, reduce the time in the microwave, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain the berries through a fine mesh strainer, discarding all but 1/4 cup of the juice. Toss the hot berries, reserved 1/4 cup juice, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and cornstarch together in a large bowl. Add lemon zest here, if using.

Spread the berries into the warm pie plate and place it on top of prepared baking sheet. Pinch off teaspoon-sized pieces of the cookie dough and arrange them evenly over the top of the filling (the filling should still be hot). Toss the remaining 2 teaspoons sugar with the cinnamon and sprinkle over the dough.

Bake the cobbler until the filling is bubbling and the dough is golden brown and cooked through in the middle, about 25 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Serving suggestions: serve with whip cream or vanilla ice cream. Also, substitute half the blueberries with peaches. That would be a fantastic combination!

To Make Ahead

The baked cobbler can be held at room temperature for up to 30 minutes before serving.

Berry Delicious Desserts: Part 1

With all the berry picking this summer, I have been need of good recipes for all of them! Aside from jam and blueberry muffins, I determined it was just the right time for a berry tart!


I followed this recipe exactly as printed, and I had no problems.



Easy Fresh Fruit Tart

Cooks Country, 8/2007

Turbinado, a coarse raw sugar, works especially well in place of the granulated sugar sprinkled on the pastry. Although we liked a mix of berries, virtually any ripe fruit—alone or in combination—will work here. Smooth jelly (rather than chunky jam or preserves) is a must for this recipe.

Serves 4 to 6

1	(9 1/2 by 9-inch) sheet puff pastry , thawed overnight in refrigerator
2	teaspoons sugar
1/8	teaspoon ground cinnamon
4	ounces cream cheese , softened
1/2	cup plus 2 tablespoons strawberry jelly
1	teaspoon vanilla extract
3	cups fresh berries

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Unfold thawed pastry onto baking sheet and, following photos at right, prepare pastry shell.

Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle mixture over inside of tart shell. Transfer to oven and bake until pastry and sugar are deep golden brown, 15 to 22 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool at least 1 hour.

While crust is baking, stir softened cream cheese, 2 tablespoons jelly, and vanilla in bowl until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Mixture can be made up to 2 days in advance; stir well before using.)

Spread cream cheese mixture over inside of cooled tart shell. Place remaining jelly in large microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high power until jelly melts, about 30 seconds. Add berries to bowl and toss gently until coated with jelly. Spoon berries over cream cheese mixture and refrigerate until jelly is set, at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Serve.


STEP BY STEP: Turning Puff Pastry into a Tart Shell

1. Brush a 1/2-inch border along the edges of the pastry with water. Fold the long edges of the pastry over by 1/2 inch, then fold the short edges over by 1/2 inch.	2. Working lengthwise, lightly score the outer edge of all folded edges of the tart shell with a paring knife.
3. To prevent the center of the tart from puffing up in the oven, poke the dough repeatedly with a fork.

Puff Pastry: One of my new favorite things

Pâte feuilletée [literally, layered dough] – pat fe-yeah-teh – is the French for puff pastry, a fine and versatile pastry used in many pâtisseries and baked good: from mille-feuilles to flans. It consists in a basic dough, the détrempe – deh-tramp – spread with a good share of beurre manié – bear man-yeah –, then successively folded and rolled out; hence the layer part of its French name. Puff pastry can come in one of three ways: 1) store bought, easy to defrost and use; 2) homemade hard way- long and painful process; or 3) an apparently easy and tasty way.

While browsing the internet for other puff pastry recipes, I stumbled across another blog called Fab Frugal Food. Donna, the blog's keeper, posted her own recipe for puff pastry which I am eager to try this weekend. She has tried to make her own 30 times, and finally settled on this recipe. Talk about my kind of woman!

5 MINUTE HOMEMADE PUFF PASTRY

1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces cream cheese, cold
8 ounces unsalted butter, cold
1 tablespoon cold water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place flour and salt in a food processor. Cut cream cheese and butter into small cubes and add to food processor. Pulse in 1-second pulses for about 8 to 10 pulses, until small crumb stage.

Turn processor on and stream in the water, just for a few seconds until the dough begins to come together in a ball. Flatten dough into a small disc, wrap in plastic wrap and then refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Fold dough over itself in thirds. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness again.

Cut into shapes as desired and bake on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake near top of of oven for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on size of shapes, until light golden brown, watching closely the last few minutes so as not to burn.

Garden Inspired: Chicken Saltimbocca

This week in my menu planning I decided to use the fragrant sage and basil we have in our second container garden. Sage served as my inspiration for this recipe. I followed Cook's Illustrated's recipe with a few substitutions: I used thin sliced country ham instead of prosciutto; dried parsley instead of fresh; 3 teaspoons/1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice instead of 2 teaspoons.

Honestly, I was surprised how flavorful, quick and delicious this dish turned out. My husband raved about the flavor! And he had seconds.

Serving ideas: Serve with french bread, roasted garlic, roasted asparagus or green beans, mashed or baked potatoes or even yummy risotto.

Chicken Saltimbocca

Serves 4. Published March 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.

Buy cutlets that are approximately 5 to 6 inches long. If the tip is too thin, trim back 1 to 2 inches to make the cutlet of uniform thickness. If cutlets are unavailable, you can make your own with four (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see “Cutting Your Own Cutlets,” related content). Although whole sage leaves make a beautiful presentation, they are optional and can be left out of step 3. Make sure to buy prosciutto that is thinly sliced, not shaved; also avoid slices that are too thick, as they won’t stick to the chicken.

1/2	cup unbleached all-purpose flour
	Ground black pepper
8	thin-cut, boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (about 2 pounds), trimmed of ragged edges as necessary (see note)
1	tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves , plus 8 large leaves (optional)
8	thin slices prosciutto , cut into 5- to 6-inch-long pieces to match chicken (about 3 ounces)
4	tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4	cups dry vermouth or white wine
2	teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
4	tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 4 pieces and chilled
1	tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Combine flour and 1 teaspoon pepper in shallow dish.

2. Pat cutlets dry with paper towels. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off any excess. Lay cutlets flat and sprinkle evenly with minced sage. Place 1 prosciutto slice on top of each cutlet, pressing lightly to adhere; set aside.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until beginning to shimmer. Add sage leaves (if using) and cook until leaves begin to change color and are fragrant, about 15 to 20 seconds. Using slotted spoon, remove sage to paper towel-lined plate; reserve. Add half of cutlets to pan, prosciutto-side down, and cook until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook on other side until light golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to wire rack set on rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and cutlets, then transfer to oven to keep warm while preparing sauce.

4. Pour off excess fat from skillet. Stir in vermouth, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until reduced to about 1/3 cup, 5 to 7 minutes. (Note: leave heat on medium or medium high in order to simmer off the extra liquid. I found it took longer when I put the heat on low.) Stir in lemon juice. Turn heat to low and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Off heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Remove chicken from oven and place on platter. Spoon sauce over cutlets before serving.

Step-by-Step

Saltimbocca Made Simple

1. FLOUR CHICKEN ONLY
No need to flour the prosciutto before sautéing, just the chicken.

2. SPREAD SAGE FLAVOR
Sprinkling the cutlets with sage and topping with prosciutto distributes flavor evenly.

3. FORGET THE TOOTHPICK
Searing the cutlets prosciutto-side down first helps the ham stick.

4. MAKE SAUCE
Stir the vermouth into the pan, reduce, and finish with butter. Spoon over cutlets.

Summer Berries: Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Last summer, I was introduced to strawberry picking out in Southern Maryland. While last fall, my husband and I joined a group of friends from our church to go apple picking! As a native Texan, I have never picked my own produce before, and after these two experiences, I was hooked.

This summer alone I have picked over 40 pounds of fresh strawberries, red, purple and black raspberries and blueberries. With all these berries laying around our house, I am now in search of good recipes for all of them. This blueberry muffin recipe is my favorite so far.



Blueberry Streusel Muffins
From Cooks Country, Published June 2007

To prevent a streaky batter, leave the blueberries in the freezer until the last possible moment. Wyman's brand frozen wild blueberries are our first choice, but an equal amount of fresh blueberries may be substituted.

Makes 12

Streusel
1 1/4	cups all-purpose flour
1/3	cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3	cup granulated sugar
1/2	teaspoon ground cinnamon
	Pinch salt
7	tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
Muffins
4	tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for preparing muffin tin
2	cups all-purpose flour , plus extra for preparing muffin tin
1	large egg
1	teaspoon vanilla extract
1	cup granulated sugar
1	teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2	cup buttermilk
1	tablespoon baking powder
1/2	teaspoon salt
1 1/2	cups frozen blueberries

1. For the streusel: Combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt in bowl. Drizzle with melted butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened and mixture forms large chunks with some pea-sized pieces throughout.

2. For the muffins: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 12-cup muffin tin. Whisk egg in medium bowl until pale and evenly combined, about 30 seconds. Add vanilla, sugar, and zest and whisk vigorously until thick, about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in melted butter; add buttermilk and whisk until combined.

3. Reserve 1 tablespoon flour. Whisk remaining flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Fold in egg mixture until nearly combined. Toss blueberries with reserved flour and fold into batter until just combined.

4. Divide batter in muffin tin and top with streusel. Bake until light golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out with few dry crumbs attached, 23 to 27 minutes. Cool muffins in tin for 20 minutes, then carefully transfer muffins to rack to cool completely. (Muffins can be stored in airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.)