Today is a good day. It is the first day I’ve been able to make something in the kitchen in over a week! And after several weeks of what seemed an endless list of things to finish, I am finally seeing the light at the end of the (MFA) tunnel.

So I decided to make something exceedingly springy, borderlining on a summer dish– Berry Napoleons. It has been especially wet and cold (45 degrees F!) here in Portland the last few days and I am more ready than ever for some sunshine. This morning, while being teased by the sun peeking out through the clouds, I started wondering if I could conjure sunlight through everyday activities such as baking or cooking. With absolute optimism, I rode my bike to the local grocery and bought 2 pounds of fresh strawberries, too many black berries, creme fraiche, and some phyllo dough. Sun, berries, sun, berries…became my mantra as I rode home, opened my bag to an intoxicating smell of strawberries, turned on the oven, and got to work.

What became the end result was a delightful spring dessert, colorful, fresh, and full of surprises. I made a blackberry compote to drizzle over the layers of berries and crispy sweet pyhllo dough. A smattering of creme fraiche whipped with a little sugar rounded out the acidity of the berries, complimenting their sweetness and elevating their flavor. It reminded me of another dish I usually make this time of year where I mash fresh strawberries and a splash of heavy cream with a fork in a deep plate and let sit out on the kitchen counter for a few hours. This lets the flavors intermingle and makes your entire kitchen smell like a fresh strawberry patch! That might have to be next on my list of things to make…

And the sun finally did come out, for over an hour, and that’s bliss for most pacific northwesterners this time of year:).

Berry Napoleon
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
3-4 tablespoons melted butter or canola oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1-1/2 cups fresh blackberries
3 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cold water
2 cups mixed fresh berries, such as blueberries, blackberries, red raspberries, and/or sliced strawberries
1 teaspoon water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a non-greased baking sheet, place the first piece of phyllo dough and brush melted butter on top, place another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with brown sugar. Continue this until 8-10 sheets of dough have been used. Cut the dough into pieces on the pan, slicing about 6 times cross wise and 2-3 times length wise, it will make somewhere around 18 rectangle size pieces. Bake for 10-12 minutes. It’s really nice when it gets crispy. It becomes an exceptionally light, sweet cracker.

In a medium size sauce pan, place blackberries, orange zest and juice. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes until the berries are broken apart and very juicy. Pour the contents from the pan through a metal strainer, using the back of a spoon to squeeze out the rest of the juices from the pulp. Place back in pan. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water, mix well, and add to the blackberry juice on low heat. Whisk well until it thickens. Turn off heat.

Take a piece of the sweet, crispy phyllo and place at the bottom of a dish. Heap on top cut berries. Drizzle some of the blackberry sauce over the berries, add a small dollop of creme fraiche, and either top the berries with another piece of phyllo or stick one coming out the side of the dish (like I did, I just didn’t want to miss looking at the beautiful colors of the berries!) and enjoy!