Category: Desserts

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Fresh Blackberry Buttercream

My celebration of blackberry season continues with this fantastic buttercream recipe that highlights this delectable fruit that grows everywhere here in the Seattle area. The picture above features this frosting on a light and fluffy vanilla cupcake, cored and filled with a tart blackberry filling, which is a great contrast to the sweet, sweet buttercream.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 1/2 tsp. Lemon Juice
  • 3/4 cup Fresh Blackberries
  • Approximately 4 cups Powdered Sugar*

*The volume of powdered sugar needed to get this to a good consistency for piping will depend on just how softened your butter is and how juicy your berries are, so follow your instincts.

Directions

  1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, blend together butter, lemon juice, and blackberries.
  2. DON’T PANIC! The fat in the butter and the juice in the berries will not really combine until you start adding the sugar. Keep calm and carry on!
  3. Add powdered sugar one cup or less at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition, until the mixture is a proper consistency for piping.
  4. Enjoy on your favorite cake, cupcake, or in a graham cracker sandwich for a quick, sweet treat!
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Blackberry Crêpes

It’s blackberry season here in the Pacific Northwest! Hooray! When you return from berry picking with purple fingers and a few scratches, and you’re looking for a quick recipe that makes the most of your toil, this is just the ticket.

Ingredients

Crêpes

  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1-1/2 cups Whole Milk
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
  • 1/4 tsp. Salt

Filling

  • 4 cups Fresh Blackberries
  • 1 cup White Sugar
  • 2 tbsp. Corn Starch
  • 2 tbsp. Butter

 

  • Powdered Sugar to garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to warming temperature (170 – 180 degrees) and insert a heat-proof plate.
  2. Lightly oil a skillet with rounded sides* and place over medium heat.
  3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, blend together flour, milk, eggs, oil, and salt until completely combined and smooth.
  4. Pour a little less than 1/4 cup of batter into hot, oiled skillet.
  5. Immediately lift skillet and tilt in a circular motion to distribute batter as widely, thinly, and evenly as possible across the bottom of the pan.
  6. Return the skillet to the heat.
  7. When the top of the batter is no longer shiny throughout, carefully insert a thin spatula underneath and flip.
  8. Cook for an additional minute, and then turn crêpe out onto warm plate in the oven.
  9. Repeat steps 4 through 8 until all the batter is cooked. (Makes 8 – 10, depending upon the size of your pan and how skillful you are at swirling the batter.)
  10. Rinse blackberries, and place in a medium-sized sauce pan over medium heat.
  11. In a small bowl, combine sugar and corn starch.
  12. Add corn starch mixture to blackberries and stir to combine.
  13. Cook and stir frequently until blackberry mixture thickens.
  14. Remove blackberry mixture from heat and add butter in small clumps.
  15. Stir until butter is melted and well combined.
  16. Assemble crêpes by spooning a generous scoop of blackberry filling in a long strip onto each crêpe, and folding the sides of the crêpe over the filling.
  17. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

*A 10-inch or larger, light-weight, non-stick pan works great for this. Unless you fancy a sprained wrist, you definitely don’t want to use a heavy cast-iron skillet as you will be lifting the pan and swirling the batter to distribute it evenly.

Sneaky Trick: Wiping the warming skillet with a paper towel to evenly distribute the oil and avoid pooling will help the crêpes brown evenly. If you can hear the batter sizzle when you put it in the pan, you’re using too much oil.

 

A little encouragement…

If you’ve never made crêpes before, I guarantee you that the first one you attempt will be a disappointment. It will be too thick, or stick to the pan, or break, have chunky batter, or even singe. Be brave and keep trying! After a few attempts, you will get the hang of it. And, crêpes are so versatile that you will be making them for every meal before you know it.

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Lemon Meringue Pie

What’s not to love about this time-honored dessert? It’s one of my all-time favorites. I’ve amped up this traditional recipe with a bit of extra lemon juice, a ton of fluffy meringue, and a lightly sweetened crust. The only down-side is the long cooling time required between preparation and om nom noms, but it’s definitely worth the wait.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/3 cup Shortening
  • 2 tbsp. White Sugar
  • 3-4 tbsp. Ice Cold Water

Filling

  • 3 Egg Yolks
  • 1-1/2 cups White Sugar
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp. Corn Starch
  • 1-1/2 cups Water
  • 3 tbsp. Butter or Margarine
  • 3/4 cup Lemon Juice

Meringue

  • 5 Egg Whites
  • 1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
  • 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 9 tbsp. White Sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl or stand mixer, blend together flour, salt, sugar, and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. Slowly add water and mix until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and is fairly moist.
  4. On a heavily floured surface, roll dough into a large circle of a suitable size for your pie tin. (I’ve been known to make this pie in a round cake pan instead, to accommodate lots of filling and meringue.)
  5. Turn rolled dough out into pie pan and flute or crimp as desired.
  6. Prick the dough several times with a fork, on both the bottom and sides.
  7. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until light brown.
  8. Remove crust from oven and set aside.
  9. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.
  10. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks and set aside.
  11. In a medium-sized saucepan, mix together sugar and corn starch.
  12. Add water and place the saucepan over medium heat.
  13. Stir constantly and be patient! It will seem as if nothing is happening, and you will start to lose hope, and then suddenly the mixture will start to turn translucent, thicken, and bubble.
  14. Once bubbling, boil for 1 additional minute.
  15. Put a large spoonful of the hot corn starch mixture into the egg yolks, and quickly mix together.
  16. Stir egg mixture into corn starch mixture, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  17. Remove from heat, and add butter or margarine and lemon juice.
  18. Mix until butter or margarine has melted and lemon juice is completely incorporated.
  19. Pour filling into baked crust. Use a rubber spatula to get every delicious drop into your pie. (Then lick the spatula. Yum!)
  20. In a large bowl or stand mixer, whip egg whites, cream of tartar, and vanilla until foamy.
  21. Gradually add sugar and whip until stiff and glossy.
  22. Pipe meringue on top of filling, ensuring that the meringue is touching the crust all the way around, and the filling is completely covered.
  23. Bake in preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes, until meringue is light brown.
  24. Cool for at least 2 hours before transferring to refrigerator.
  25. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.*

*I know this is difficult, and that the pie with all of it’s lemony-fluffy-goodness is calling to you from the fridge, but cutting into this pie before it has completely set is a decision that is sure to lead to disappointment.

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Buckeyes

I was introduced to these by a friend’s mother when I was just twelve years-old, and have loved them ever since. They’re like the freshest, richest, most decadent peanut butter cup you’ve ever tasted. This recipe makes about sixteen Buckeyes, and it’s an easy recipe to double, or even triple. Be careful though: It’s easy to eat the entire batch!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1/4 cup Butter or Margarine (softened)
  • 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2 cups Powdered Sugar
  • 2/3 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 2 tbsp. Shortening

Directions

  1. In a large bowl or stand mixer, blend together peanut butter, butter or margarine, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
  2. Mix until completely combined into a large, slightly crumbly lump.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, and lightly spray with cooking spray.
  4. Roll dough into round balls, about 1-inch in diameter, and place on prepared baking sheet.
  5. Refrigerate balls for at least 30 minutes.
  6. In a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening on medium heat, stirring frequently.
  7. When completely melted and smooth, remove saucepan from heat.
  8. Remove baking sheet from refrigerator, and dip balls into melted chocolate. Use a toothpick to remove them if the chocolate it too hot.
  9. Return balls to baking sheet, and reserve remaining chocolate. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
  10. Re-heat chocolate if needed. Remove baking sheet from the refrigerator and dip the balls into melted chocolate a second time.
  11. Return balls to baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  12. Serve, taste, and vow that you will never buy another plastic-wrapped peanut butter cup again!
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Peach Cobbler

There are a ton of different cobbler recipes out there, which might be why there are so many mediocre cobblers. This is a pet peeve of mine: Don’t try to make a dessert with some fruit and a sloppy pie crust and call it cobbler. If you want pie crust, bake a dang pie! Yeesh. This recipe, however, is authentic cobbler perfection! It’s delicious with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or even crème fraîche, and so delectable you might want to go ahead and double this recipe right now.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup White Sugar
  • 1 tbsp. Corn Starch
  • 1/8 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
  • 2 cups fresh peaches (peeled, pitted, and sliced)*
  • 1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tbsp. White Sugar
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 3 tbsp. Shortening
  • 1/2 cup Whole Milk

* You can also substitute 16 oz. of frozen peaches if peaches aren’t in season, or if the fruit flies got to the ones you left on the windowsill to ripen. Just start cooking at medium low and gradually raise the heat to medium high as the peaches defrost.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Spray four, 8 oz. ramekins or a medium-sized baking dish with cooking spray.
  3. Combine peaches, 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a medium-sized sauce pan.
  4. Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture just begins to boil.
  5. Remove from heat and spoon into prepared baking dish(es).
  6. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, 1 tbsp. sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  7. Add shortening and cut into flour mixture until it resembles very coarse meal.
  8. Add milk and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix. It should be lumpy.
  9. Spoon large dollops of batter over fruit, being sure to leave room between the batter and the edge of the dish(es).
  10. Place ramekins or baking dish on a baking sheet lined with foil, as bubbling over is a definite possibility.
  11. Bake in preheated oven for 20-24 minutes, until batter is golden and peaches are bubbling.
  12. Serve while still warm, or reheat before serving if prepared beforehand.
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Crème Brûlée

This classic recipe is one that most folks only enjoy when they go to a fine restaurant, but it’s so easy to make that I’m surprised it’s not found at the local food cart as well! Thick, creamy, and not too sweet, this dessert has universal appeal, plus you can show off by caramelizing the sugar with a torch while your dinner guests watch in amazement!

Ingredients

  • 6 Egg Yolks
  • 5 Tbsp. White Sugar (divided – 4 Tbsp. in the custard, and 1 Tbsp. for the caramelized topping)
  • 1/2 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 2-1/2 Cups Whipping Cream
  • 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
  • Fresh Fruit to Garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Coat ramekins with a light coating of cooking spray. (Note: This recipe fills four 4-inch, 8-ounce ramekins perfectly, but it can also be made in one large baking dish; just be sure to choose a dish with straight vertical sides of an appropriate size.)
  3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat egg yolks, 4 Tbsp. sugar, and vanilla until well blended and creamy. Set aside.
  4. In a medium to large saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium heat until just before it begins to boil, stirring frequently to prevent any of the cream from cooking to the bottom of the pan.
  5. Remove cream from heat, and slowly pour into egg mixture while beating.
  6. Continue beating until well combined.
  7. Return egg and cream mixture to saucepan over low heat. Cook and stir constantly for 3 to 5 minutes until it begins to thicken and coat the spoon.
  8. Place prepared ramekins on a baking sheet, and pour egg and cream mixture into ramekins.
  9. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until the custard is firm to the touch on the top, but is still jiggly.
  10. Allow to cool to room temperature, or refrigerate for later serving.
  11. When it’s time to serve, combine 1 Tbsp. white sugar and brown sugar.
  12. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the top of the custard and gently spread into a thin coating.
  13. Use a cooking torch to caramelize the sugars until golden to dark brown. (Note: If you have a sensitive smoke detector, do this step under a kitchen vent on a high setting. This does have the potential to smoke a bit while caramelizing.)
  14. Garnish with fresh fruit and serve!

Sneaky Trick:  If your oven tends to heat food inconsistently, place the ramekins in a baking dish partially full of hot water instead of on a baking sheet. This will help the custard cook more evenly.

Bonus Sneaky Trick:  When separating your eggs, you can save the whites for later use in an egg-white omelette or for meringue. Egg whites can be frozen and thawed with no deleterious effects. Just don’t defrost them in the microwave…  trust me.

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