Black & Blue (Berry) Crisps

Yesterday was a perfect summer day, all blue skies and gentle breeze. My sister was visiting from California for two short days, so we spent our time together laughing and talking and eating, really not doing too much of anything, just sitting in the sun and enjoying each others’ company. I think that’s what

summer’s all about – taking the time to enjoy life a bit and forgetting around all the minutiae that can clog up our lives. We reminisced about the good old days growing up in suburban New Jersey in the 1970’s. My memories of those days are very happy, especially the ones associated with summer. We had a big raspberry

bush in the backyard, and I don’t think anything could ever be as delicious to me as the tart little berries we picked from it. To this day, that particular flavor evokes a flood of good memories. If you have access to freshly picked summer berries, count yourself lucky, and turn them into something simple and wonderful, like a

warm crisp. It couldn’t be simpler to make and when served with vanilla ice cream or gelato, as I did, it’s a 4-star dessert.

Black & Blue (Berry) Crisps

Makes 4 servings

Berries:

1 pint blueberries

1 pint blackberries

1/3 cup (71 g) firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons (14 g) cornstarch

¼ cup (60 ml) tart cherry juice or water

2 teaspoons (8 g) finely grated lemon zest

Streusel Topping:

½ cup (66 g) all-purpose flour

¾ cup (162 g) firmly packed light brown sugar

½ cup (60 g) slivered almonds, toasted

¼ teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

Prepare the berry mixture:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. In a large bowl, toss together the berries, brown sugar, cornstarch, cherry juice (or water) and lemon zest. Divide the mixture among four 8-ounce ramekins or gratin dishes.

Make the topping:

3. In the bowl of a food process, pulse together the flour, brown sugar, almond and salt until the almonds are ground (but not finely ground). Add the butter pieces and pulse until the mixture is crumbly.

Bake the crisps:

4. Sprinkle the topping over the berry mixture in each ramekin. Bake the crisps on a baking sheet for 30 to 35 minutes, until the topping is browned and the mixture is bubbly.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

 

Blueberry-Cornmeal Cakes

I came across some handsome Jersey farm blueberries at my local farmers’ market yesterday, and they didn’t disappoint. Small and sweet-tart, they were several cuts above the generic supermarket

 breed. At first I thought I’d use them in a batch of blueberry muffins, but then remembered I had been meaning to try a recipe from one of my favorite dessert books, The Last Course, by Claudia

Fleming (Random House, 2001). According to Claudia, who is a top-notch pastry chef, her Blueberry-Cornmeal Cakes “have a delicious sugary crust like a muffin top, but unlike muffins, the

crumb is moist, buttery and very tender. The blueberries are studded throughout the batter, and while they bake, they pop, becoming jammy and concentrated.” How could I resist such a

description? The recipe is similar to the one for classic financiers – those small, buttery French cakes – but, with the addition of some yellow cornmeal, these have a slightly crunchy texture. Serve them

with tea, as Claudia suggests, or pair them with ice cream or fresh fruit for dessert. One thing: her recipe claims to yield 12 muffin-size cakes, but it makes more like 22.

Blueberry-Cornmeal Cakes

From The Last Course by Claudia Fleming (Random House, 2001)

Makes 22 muffin-size cakes or 48 2-inch miniature tartlets (the original recipe claims it yields 12 muffin-size cakes, but this is clearly wrong!)

1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter

2 2/3 cups (306 g) confectioners’ sugar

1 cup (89 g) almond flour

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (64 g) cake flour

¼ cup coarse yellow cornmeal

8 large egg whites

Grated zest of ½ orange

1 cup (138 g) blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue to let the butter cook until some of the white milk solids fall to the bottom of the skillet and turn a rich hazelnut brown. Strain the browned butter through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl and discard the solids.

2. Sift together the confectioners’ sugar, almond flour, cake flour and cornmeal. Place the sifted ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. On the lowest speed, add the egg whites and zest; mix until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to medium-low and stir in the browned butter. Increase the speed to medium and beat until smooth. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the blueberries. (The batter can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead.)

3. Butter and flour two muffins tins or 2-inch mini tartlet pans. Spoon the batter into the pans and bake for 18 to 20 minutes (14-16 for the mini tartlet pans), or until the cakes are golden brown around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.