Mixed Berry Almond Cobbler

Mixed Berry Almond Cobbler

Berry filling:

6 cups mixed berries fresh or frozen

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons pure almond extract

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 egg

1 teaspoon pure almond extract

4 tablespoons  crumbled almond paste

1/4 cup sliced almonds

2 tablespoons diced butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss berries with the filling ingredients and place into a 7×11 / 2quart baking dish.

In a bowl combine the dry ingredients for the topping except the sliced almonds. Mix until combined. Stir in the egg, cream , almond extract and almond paste. Stir to combine. Place topping in dollops over the berry filling. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top. Evenly distribute the diced butter over the topping. Bake for about 30 minutes or until filling is bubbling and topping is golden brown.

Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce

Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce

Crust

2/3 cup crushed amaretti cookie crumbs

3 tablespoon butter, melted

1 tablespoon sugar

Filling

2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

zest from 1 lemon

zest from 1 orange

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Sauce

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

zest from one lemon

3 tablespoons water

Butter a 7-inch spring form pan . Wrap the entire pan with foil up the sides. This is to prevent any water getting into pan during baking.

Using a large piece of foil , roll up jellyroll fashion and form a ring. This will be the rack for the bottom of the slow cooker. Place in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Combine all the crust ingredients and press int the bottom of the prepared pan. Place the crust in the refrigerator .

In the bowl of a food processor , beat together the cream cheese, ricotta and sugar just until smooth.

Add the eggs, one at a time , blending until incorporated. Add the lemon and orange zest, lemon juice and vanilla and blend until combined. Pour mixture into prepared crust.

Pour 1 cup hot water into the bottom of the slow cooker where the foil ring has been placed. Place the cheesecake on top of foil ring. Cover and cook on high for about 2 hours or until cheesecake is set around the edges. The center will be slightly jiggly. Remove from slow cooker and allow to cool completely. Place in refrigerator to chill several hours.

Make the sauce by combining 1 cup of blueberries, lemon zest and sugar in a saucepan. Whisk together the cornstarch and water and add to the pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sauce begins to thicken but the berries are not broken down. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining berries. Set aside to cool completely.

Remove the cooled cheesecake from the pan. Top the cheesecake with the blueberry sauce.

 

Bumble Berry Pie

 

2 disks pie dough to fit 9 inch pie plate or puff pastry

1 cup blueberries

1 cup blackberries

1 cup raspberries

1 cup strawberries

1 cup chopped rhubarb

1 cup peeled and chopped granny smith apples

1 cup sugar or more depending on sweetness of berries

1/2 cup flour

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Sanding sugar for top of crust

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a 9 inch pie plate with pie crust. Combine all fruit with sugar , flour and lemon juice. Place into line pie plate and top with crust either lattice top or full crust. Brush top crust lightly with cream and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Place pie on foil covered baking sheet and bake in in oven for 15 minutes at 425 degrees and then reduce to 325 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes or until filling begin thicken and bubble and crust becomes golden. Let cool at least 45 minute or until firm.

Coconut-Lemon-Blueberry Cupcakes with Lemon White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting and Lemon Curd

Cupcakes:

2 1/3 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup butter,room temperature

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 eggs,room temperature

zest from 3 lemons

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 cup milk, room temperature

1 cup coconut

1 cup blueberries

Glaze:

juice from 1 lemon

1/2 cup powdered sugar

White Chocolate Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 oz. white chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 (8 oz.)package cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

2-3 tsp. milk

zest from 2 lemons

4 cups powdered sugar

Lemon Curd:

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

zest from 1 lemon

1 1/4 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup butter, cut into chunks

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12)count muffin tins with cupcake liners.

In a bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder; whisk. In a bowl of a mixer cream together the sugar and butter. Add egg one at a time until well combined. Add the lemon zest and vanilla; blend. Alternately add the flour and milk , ending with the flour. Blend just until combined. Fold in coconut and blueberries. Scoop evenly into the 24 muffin cups. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Remove from oven . Allow to cool 5 minutes in pan then place on wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze:

Whisk ingredients together until completely mix together. Poke wholes into the tops of the cupcakes using a toothpick. Brush the lemon glaze on the tops of the cupcakes; set aside.

Lemon Curd:

In a heat proof bowl whisk together all the ingredients except the butter. Place bowl over simmering water making sure bottom of bowl doesn’t touch the water,stirring constantly over simmering water until thickened. remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Set aside to cool completely.

Lemon White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a bowl of a mixer combine the cream cheese and butter; cream until fluffy and combined. Add the zest and cooled melted chocolate; blend. Add the vanilla and milk; blend. Beat in slowly the powdered sugar until well combined and fluffy.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe the frosting evenly on each cupcake. Using a small spoon make a divot on the top of each cupcake and place a dollop of lemon curd in the divots; Top each cupcake with a fresh blueberry and sprinkle with coconut.

Blueberry Gingerbread with Hard Sauce

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. mace

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup molasses

2 cup fresh blueberries

Hard Sauce

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 cup  powdered sugar

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons Dry Sherry

1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×9 square pan and set aside.

In a mixer bowl, beat butter until creamed and add the brown sugar a little at a time. Continue to beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time; blending well between additions. Beat the fresh ginger in mixture. In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and mace; whisk until combined. In a 2 cup measure add the buttermilk and baking soda. Beginning and ending with the flour add buttermilk and flour mixture to the butter mixture. Do not over beat. Quickly stir in molasses and fold in 1 cup blueberries. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the center.Be careful not to over bake.

Meanwhile, make the hard sauce. Combine all the ingredients for the hard sauce until blended together well. Spoon hard sauce over a square of warm Blueberry Gingerbread and sprinkle remaining blueberries over it.

Very Berry Bread Pudding for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Why not?

 

10 cups cubed day old bread

3 eggs

7 egg yolks

1 2/3 cups sugar

1 vanilla bean, split and seeds, seeds, reserved

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

6 cups half-and-half

2 cups fresh mixed berries, whatever is in season

1/2 cup sugar for topping

In a 9×13 inch baking dish, spread out  bread cubes. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs with the 1 2/3 cup sugar together until combined. Add the vanilla bean seeds, vanilla extract and half-and-half; combine ingredients well. Pour over the top of the bread crumbs. Pres down the bread some that custard mixture covers the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 8 hours to 24 hours. When ready to bake remove plastic wrap and sprinkle berries on top and sprinkle with the 1/2 cup sugar.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place the pudding in the oven and bake about 1 1/2 hours or until just set in center. Test by poking with knife. If when poke with knife the cut fills with custard , pudding needs a little more baking until custard no longer fill indentation but still moist. Remove from oven and allow to set for 2 hours before serving. Serve warm or cold.

Berry topping

4 cups mixed berries, large berries sliced

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

about 1/2 cup sugar, depends on sweetness of berries

1 tsp. almond extract

In a small sauce pan add 1 cup berries, sugar and lemon juice. Cook until sugar is melted. Fold in remaining berries and almond extract. Serve over pudding.

Fruit Tacos welcome in Spring and Summer.

Fruit Tacos

Taco Shells:

1/3 cup almond flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

3 eggs

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp orange blossom water

2 tablespoons superfine sugar

1/2 cup flour, sifted

2 tablespoons butter, melted

 

Assorted in season soft fruit

Sweetened whipped cream

Mint for garnish

sweetened fruit puree, strained for the sauce

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Mix the almond flour and powdered sugar in a bowl. Add 1 egg.

Separate the remaining 2 eggs and add the yolks to the almond flour mixture. Beat until pale yellow and thick. Stir in vanilla and orange blossom water.

Whisk the egg white to stiff. Gradually add the superfine sugar beating whites until stiff and glossy. Fold in a third of the meringue into the almond flour mixture, then fold in half of the flour. Repeat again with a third and the rest of the flour; then remaining meringue. Pour melted butter around the outside edge and fold in.

Drop about 3 tablespoons of batter for each taco shell on the lined baking sheets. Only have 3 taco shells well spaced per sheet. The recipe makes 6 shells.Even out the batter with the back of a spoon but don’t spread out. The batter will spread while baking.

Place in preheated oven and bake for about 6 minutes or until the shells are set and pale golden.

Remove from oven . Using a thin flat wide spatula, loosen the shell and gently fold in half to form a taco shell. Allow to cool in slightly in your hand and place on wire rack. You must work quickly while shells are still warm enough to form.

Once shells are cool, spread fruit preserves if desired and pipe whipped cream inside top with berries. Serve with fruit puree sauce.

Very Berry Mini Cheesecake Bites are great used for sweet appetizers and can easliy be turned into savory as well.

Very Berry Mini Cheesecake Bites

1 (8oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature

1 egg , room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. lemon zest

1/4 cup sugar

seedless raspberry jam

Mixed Fresh berries, black berries, blueberries, raspberries

12 vanilla wafer cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly butter a 12 hole mini cheese cake pan. Place a vanilla wafer in each slot; set aside.

In a stand mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar. Add the egg, vanilla and zest; blend until well combined. Evenly divide into each of the 12 indention’s.  Using a 1/4 tsp. measure, spoon raspberry jam on top of each cake. Place a whole blueberry on top of the jam. Using a spoon , push the jam and berry into the center of each cake. Smooth the tops. Place in oven and bake for about 14 minutes or until set. The tops will fall as they cool. Remove from pans after they have cooled for about 20 minutes. Place on rack to continue to completely cool. Using a thin knife , slide it under the each cake to remove the metal disc. Dollop a small amount of jam on top of each cake and decorate with the mixed berries.

For savory bites, substitute crackers for vanilla wafers, sauteed vegetables for garnish and chutney replacing the fruit jam in this recipe. Use fresh herbs to brighten it up.