Blackberry Cobbler: More Yummy Summer Desserts

This recipe comes from Meryl Freeman, a faithful, kind friend from church. My husband and I had a picnic on the National Mall with Meryl and her husband, Ted, earlier this summer. She spent that afternoon picking wild blackberries growing around her neighborhood and then threw them together to create this delicious, yet simple, blackberry cobbler.

***Picture to come, once I make this recipe tomorrow***

BLACKBERRY COBBLER

Serves 6

4 cups blackberries

1 egg

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

6 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 Tablespoon lemon juice (fresh is best)

Fresh whipped cream, if desired

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place 4 cups fresh blackberries in a lightly greased 8 in. square baking dish; sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. lemon juice.

Stir together 1 egg, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup flour until mix resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over fruit. Drizzle 6 Tbsp. melted butter over topping.

Bake for 35 min. or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Let stand 10 min. Serve warm with whipped cream.

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.

Persian Desserts: Baklava

At my work, I am helping plan and coordinate a fundraiser this weekend. I throughly love planning all the details to try to assure a smooth party. For this party, we are having Persian appetizers and desserts. Shopping around for the appetizers has proven to be quite a challenge. Everything is so expensive! Thus, I decided to try and make my own...for the fun of it.

Last night, I attempted my first baklava. It turned out okay, yet slightly doughy in the middle. So today, I tried another recipe with my own several twists. If any of you actually know me, you know that I am a huge fan of America’s Test Kitchen/Cooks Illustrated/Cooks Country. While I love their recipes, some of them are over the top and have unnecessary steps. Hence, I have adapted their baklava recipe for a great dessert. If you have two hours of time, try it! You will not be sorry.



Baklava
Adpated from Cook’s Illustrated, Published March 1, 2004.

Makes 32 to 40 pieces.

A straight-sided traditional (not nonstick) metal baking pan works best for making baklava; the straight sides ensure that the pieces will have nicely shaped edges, and the surface of a traditional pan will not be marred by the knife during cutting, as would a nonstick surface. If you don’t have this type of pan, a glass baking dish will work. Make sure that the phyllo is fully thawed before use; leave it in the refrigerator overnight or on the countertop for four to five hours. When assembling, use the nicest, most intact phyllo sheets for the bottom and top layers; use sheets with tears or ones that are smaller than the size of the pan in the middle layers, where their imperfections will go unnoticed.

Sugar Syrup
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
3 strips lemon zest , removed in large strips with vegetable peeler
1 cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves
1/8 teaspoon table salt

Nut Filling
8 ounces blanched slivered almonds OR 8 ounces pecans
4-8 ounces walnuts
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt

Pastry and Butter
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), melted, and cooled slightly
1 pound frozen phyllo , thawed (see note)

Lightly roast the nuts in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, flipping nuts over half-way through.

While nuts are in the oven roasting, prepare your sugar syrup. For the sugar syrup: Combine syrup ingredients in small saucepan and bring to full boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that sugar dissolves. Transfer to 2-cup measuring cup and set aside to cool while making and baking baklava; when syrup is cool, discard spices and lemon zest. (Cooled syrup can be refrigerated in airtight container up to 4 days.)

For the nut filling: Pulse pecans (or almonds) in food processor until very finely chopped, about twenty 1-second pulses; transfer to medium bowl. Pulse walnuts in food processor until very finely chopped, about fifteen 1-second pulses; transfer to bowl with almonds and toss to combine. Measure out 1 tablespoon nuts and set aside for garnish. Add cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and salt; toss well to combine.

To assemble and bake: Brush 13- by 9-inch traditional (not nonstick) baking pan with butter. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Unwrap and unfold phyllo on large cutting board; carefully smooth with hands to flatten. Following illustration 1 below, and using baking pan as guide, cut sheets crosswise with chef’s knife, yielding two roughly evenly sized stacks of phyllo (one may be narrower than other). Cover with plastic wrap, then damp kitchen towel to prevent drying. Note: I used wax paper instead of plastic wrap, which I found to slip too easily, causing the phyllo to get too wet.

Following illustration 3, place one phyllo sheet (from wider stack) in bottom of baking pan and brush until completely coated with butter. Repeat with 7 more phyllo sheets (from wider stack), brushing each with butter.

Following illustration 4, evenly distribute about 1 cup nuts over phyllo. Cover nuts with phyllo sheet (from narrower stack) and dab with butter (phyllo will slip if butter is brushed on). Repeat with 5 more phyllo sheets (from narrower stack), staggering sheets slightly if necessary to cover nuts, and brushing each with butter. Repeat layering with additional 1 cup nuts, 6 sheets phyllo, and remaining 1 cup nuts. Finish with 8 to 10 sheets phyllo (from wider stack), using nicest and most intact sheets for uppermost layers and brushing each except final sheet with butter. Following illustration 6, use palms of hands to compress layers, working from center outward to press out any air pockets. Spoon 4 tablespoons butter on top layer and brush to cover all surfaces. Following illustration 7, use bread knife or other serrated knife ( I just used a sharp paring knife) with pointed tip in gentle sawing motion to cut baklava into diamonds, rotating pan as necessary to complete cuts. (Cut on bias into eighths on both diagonals.)

Bake until golden and crisped, about 1 ½ hours, rotating baking pan halfway through baking. Immediately after removing baklava from oven, pour cooled syrup over cut lines until about 2 tablespoons remain (syrup will sizzle when it hits hot pan); drizzle remaining syrup over surface. Garnish center of each piece with pinch of reserved ground nuts. Cool to room temperature on wire rack, about 3 hours, then cover with foil and let stand at least 8 hours before serving. (Once cooled, baklava can be served, but flavor and texture improve if left to stand at least 8 hours. Baklava can be wrapped tightly in foil and kept at room temperature up to 10 days.)

1. Cover phyllo to keep moist.

2. But phyllo to fit in pan.

3. Butter bottom layers.

4. Spread nut Filling.

5. Butter more layers.

6. Compress layers.

7. Cut into diamonds, then bake.

8. Pour syrup over cut lines and garnish each piece with nuts.

Summertime Desserts: Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake
Adapted from Lise Zinck and Betty Crocker

I can think of no other dessert I love better in summertime. Please enjoy this easy and delicious strawberry shortcake recipe during strawberry season. For DC residents, it will be over in just a few weeks!



2 quarts strawberries
1 cup sugar

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening/crisco or butter (I use unsalted butter)
1 cup milk

Rinse strawberries in cold water. Hull and slice or quarter strawberries. (Note: slicing strawberries will make them go further.) Place strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with one cup of sugar, stir, and let stand at room temperature for one hour. Use a potato masher to crush about 1/4-1/3 of the strawberries.

CAKE: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease and flour round 9 by 2-inch cake pan. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Cut in shortening throughly with a pastry blender or two kitchen knives until mixture looks like coarse meal. Stir in milk-you may not need all of it- until just blended. Pat dough into greased pan.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

TO SERVE: Let cake cool slightly, remove from pan, and cut into 8 pieces. Spoon strawberry mixture over cake, making sure to moisten cake with sugar strawberry juice :) You may top with whip cream if you can handle the extra calories.

Yield: 8 servings

Lemon Bars: Part 2

Lemon Bars

Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

I love this recipe! If you like tart desserts, this recipe is for you!

Prep Time: 10 min

Inactive Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 55 min

Level: Intermediate

Serves: 20 squares or 40 triangles

CRUST

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt or pinch of table salt

FILLING

6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill.

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Lemon Bars: Part 1

Lemon Squares
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

I admit I do not like chocolate, except for the outside of oreos. All the rest of the chocolate in the world repulses my poor taste buds. I have tried to like it, but I cannot stomach it. However, I do like to bake with chocolate of all sorts, and I have some knowledge of what most people like. I come from a large family- eight of us in all- all of us are quite honest, blunt when need be and even when there is no need. Needless to say, my four younger brothers, older sister, mother and father have all tried my baked goods throughout the years, sharing their opinions openly and honestly. Now, my husband gets that wonderful opportunity, and in our first year of marriage, he has twenty extra pounds to show for it! All in all, I love lemon bars, and I have tried at least 6 different recipes to find the perfect lemon bar. This recipe below seems to be the greatest hit among friends and family- smooth and not too tart!

It is important that both the filling and crust are warm when assembling the bars in step 4; this ensures that the lemon curd filling will cook through evenly. Be sure to zest the lemons before juicing them.

CRUST
1 1/4 cups (6 1/4 oz) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 oz) confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened

FILLING
7 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1 cup (7 oz) plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup grated fresh lemon zest (about 4 lemons)
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3 tablespoons heavy cream (you can substitute light/table cream, but I do not suggest half and half- I made that mistake last time around trying to make a healthier recipe)
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with a foil sling and grease the foil. To make a foil sling, cut about 12-inch length extra-wide heavy-duty foil (I use regular foil, and it works just fine); fold cut edges back to form 7 1/2-inch width. With folded sides facing down, fit foil securely into bottom and up sides of 8-inch-square baking pan, allowing excess to overhang pan sides. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. FOR THE CRUST: Process the flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt together in a food processor to combine, about 3 pulses. Sprinkle the butter over the top and pulse until the mixture is pale yellow and has the texture of coarse sand, about 8 pulses. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake the crust until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Note: if you do not have a food processor, you can easily use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredient mixture.

3. FOR THE FILLING: While the crust bakes, whisk the egg yolks and eggs together in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the granulated sugar until combined, then whisk in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Add the butter and cook over medium heat, stirring consistently, until the mixture thickens slightly and registers 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes. Strain the mixture immediately into a bowl and stir in the cream.

4. Pour the filling over the warm crust. Bake the squares until the filling is shiny and opaque and the center jiggles slightly when shaken, 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

5. Let the bars cool completely in the pan, set on a wire rack, about two hours. To speed up the cooling process, I put the lemon bars in the refridgerator. Loosen edges with paring knife and lift bars from baking pan using foil extensions; cut bars into 16 squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving. You can store the leftover lemon bars in the fridge for up to 3 days, but they do not normally last that long around my house.

1. Line pan with foil sling, then coat with cooking spray.

2. Press crumb mixture firmly and evenly into pan.

3. Pour filling into prebaked crust and spread into corners.

Birthday Cake

Ingels' Strawberry Cake

This cake was my favorite as a child (and maybe still as an adult)! My mother would faithfully bake me this rich, delicious cake every single birthday for me. In college, I would often make it for friends' birthdays and other celebrations. I hope you enjoy this simple yet delectable dessert!

1- 3 ounce box of strawberry jello

1/2 carton of 10 oz. frozen strawberries, thawed to room temperature

1 box of white cake mix

4 eggs

1 cup cooking oil (I tend to use vegetable or canola)

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease three 9-by-1 1/2-inch cake pans with vegetable shortening, dust cake pans with flour, and tap out excess.

In small bowl, dissolve jello in 1/2 cup hot water, stirring rapidly with a fork or whisk. Add 1/2 box of strawberries to jello and beat with mixture. Blend cake mix and oil in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix on lowest speed to blend, about 60 seconds. With mixer still running at lowest speed, adding eggs one at a time. After all eggs added, increase speed to medium, and blend well. Decrease speed to low again to fold in jello and strawberry mixture.

Divide batter equally between prepared cake pans; spread to sides of pan and smooth with rubber spatula. Bake at 350 degrees in three greased and floured round cake pans. Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack. Cool cakes to room temperature before frosting, 45 to 60 minutes.

Glaze:

1 stick of butter

1/2 box of frozen strawberries, thawed to room temperature

1- 16 oz box or less powdered sugar

Melt butter in sauce pot over stove on medium heat; monitor carefully as not to burn the butter. Remove from heat when melted. Stir in sifted confectioners sugar, getting out lumps with a slotted spoon. Add strawberries, and continue to work out those lumps!

Poke each layer of the cooled cake with toothpicks.Begin by adding glaze to bottom layer, middle layer and finishing with the top layer. Concentrate on the top layer and leave the pretty strawberries to decorate the cake.