An abundance of berries. Red, blue, black, pink, and purple, their deep jewel tones hint at their velvet luxury, their bursting flavor. Not to mention they are gorgeous. Just looking at berries makes me happy! But that could also have something to do with a few things, namely knowing deep in my bones that it is summer and that I’ll be eating them soon.
A few weeks ago, my friend Laura Beth who I took a piece of her chocolate cake from and I did a photoshoot for Metrocurean, a DC everything-food website. It was a fun spread, all about creating a fun summer table centered around a bounty of berries. Then, of course, we ate them.
Check out the article on Metrocurean here. Have a great rest of your week and weekend!
To help rally in spring, I made these little gems the other week. It was a small treat to remind us of the warmer days to come. Since getting used to Portland weather, I had forgotten how spring acts here on the east coast. It’s a bit like a finicky child with a precious, cherub face; cold, crabby, and rainy one day only to be greeted by a warm, sunny, smiling day the next. It goes on like this for about a month and at at least here in DC, the heat always comes faster than anyone expects. In Portland, spring was never ending, leaving people to wonder if summer was only a figment of their imagination. But in each case, tasting as much of the spring season in food is a surefire way to either keep hope alive for warmer days or, revel in them.
Easy Strawberry Tartelettes
Wash and prep the strawberries; toss with vanilla and brown sugar until well coated. Place in the prepared pie dough tartlette pans, with their points or ends sticking up. If you need to halve a few to make them all fit, go for it. Drizzle the remaining brown sugar/vanilla onto each tartlette. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30-40 minutes. Eat warm or cool on their own or topped with a scoop of fresh whipped cream, crème fraiche, or vanilla ice cream.
WARNING: You’ll be able to smell them when they’re nearing done, possibly giving you early and/or intense spring fever. Be prepared to devour.
For the past month or so, I’ve been planning. Spectacular, beautiful, and meaningful eating design events have been playing through my mind’s eye over and over. Interesting, I would think to myself as I watched these scenes unfold before me. And I really couldn’t (and can’t) help it, they just burst into my head. At first, I didn’t judge them. It was fun day-dreaming (the best form of mental exercise there is), seeing what my imagination would come up with next. But then, when I started to question this use of my time, and mainly myself, I started to panic. Literally, worry. And not just a little, but a lot. What does this mean? Why is this happening? Ugh, I thought, talk about putting a damper on things. When this happens, and I’m lucky enough to catch myself at it, I try to frame things in a new light for myself to help me step outside of the issue, ex: If your best friend came to you and confided she’d been having some wonderfully creative ideas popping up, would you dissuade her and her process by asking non supportive probing questions? No.
As it turns out, there is still a lot of MFA left in me. In fact, it’s not going anywhere. That experience, while it will take me the rest of my life to fully digest, did so much for me in the way of coming into my own. While I will be forever grateful for this, there is a lot to sort through still–something I have been putting off for, oh, the past year. Forming my creative self and coming into my own was anything but easy. Doing this under (and do mean under) intense scrutiny, critique, and little to no support would leave anyone wary–not to mention worn out. But the old adage “time heals” is certainly true, especially in this case. Except, it wasn’t my conscious mind per se, that let me know it was alright to start living creatively again, it was my day dreams. It’s amazing what a little rest, recuperation, and a focus on health will do not only to the body, but the mind as well. And those non supportive probing questions I default to asking myself (and inciting panic and immobility)? Just leftovers from a critical juncture in my personal growth. Now that I know this, I can (literally) move on!
Wouldn’t it be nice if life were always a single, aligned package, all wrapped up with a neat little bow–and presented to us for us to unwrap? I used to think so, but now I’m not so sure. Yes, it would make things “easier” in the way of knowing what’s to come exactley and not having any surprises. But it’s those surprises that force us to grow, to think for ourselves, and to live. Life may seem like a bottomless pit while we go through an especially tough time. But once through and can look back, you are undeniably a different, deeper person. That personal experience is priceless and in the end will help shape the future. The trick is, I’ve discovered, is to really understand what we’ve been through in order to know where we are going. I tried and tried to push down the shame and guilt I felt for not “living up to” the standards of my school, my parents, of whomever-I-felt-I-let-down-before; for not “creating” in a way they saw fit, or living my life in a way that they could understand. Cliche sounding, I know. But, it’s even more weird when you realize,
hey, that’s exactley what I’ve been doing.
It’s even weird now to say out loud. But, I’m excited because I can take action and do something about it.
All of this thinking and multiple realizations later, (of course) I found myself in the kitchen. My focus was on these oat bars and trying to find one that I could make over and over again, to have as a staple snack in the house. Crunchy, chewy, layered with texture and pizazz, I want no ordinary oat bar. So I recipe tested until I found the winner. Of course (and this ALWAYS happens!) Heidi Swanson‘s power bars won out. She is incredible, seriously, incredible. And her recipes, well, they are all over-the-top incredible too. So you know what to expect from these oat bars then–sheer amazingness. The other blueberry oat bars were delicious too, don’t get me wrong. But they were actually more like a dessert than a grab-and-go kind of thing I was looking for. I’d make them again for sure and the filling options could be endless (substitute the blueberries for pumpkin, cherries, apples, you name it…). So really, it was a win win for us all.
Happy recipe trying (and meditating)!
Cranberry Ginger Power Bars, via Heidi Swanson
1 1/4 cups walnut halves (5 ounces) 1 1/2 cups puffed brown rice cereal 1 1/4 cups rolled oats 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped 1/2 cup oat bran 3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger 1 cup brown rice syrup (see Note) 1/4 cup natural cane sugar (see Note) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly spray an 8-by-11-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant and golden, about 9 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Transfer the walnuts to a large bowl. Add the puffed rice, rolled oats, cranberries, oat bran and ginger and toss well.
In a small saucepan, combine the brown rice syrup, cane sugar and salt and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the syrup into the rice-oat mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Transfer the warm mixture to the prepared baking dish and pack lightly with a spatula greased with cooking spray. Let cool for at least 45 minutes before cutting into 16 bars.
The cranberry-walnut bars can be wrapped individually in plastic wrap or waxed paper and kept in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Blueberry Oat bars, via Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
1 pint blueberries 1/4 cup agave nectar 1/4 cup apple juice 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with enough water or juice to form a smooth paste
3 cups oatmeal* (regular, not instant) 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 6 ounces unsweetened applesauce 6 tablespoons (3/8 cup) agave nectar 6 tablespoons (3/8 cup) water 1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 375F. Oil an 8×8-inch baking dish.
In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, agave nectar, and juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, stir in the vanilla and the cornstarch mixture. Continue to stir as the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.
Put 1 1/2 cups of the oatmeal into a blender and grind it to a fine powder. Pour it into a medium-sized mixing bowl and add the remaining oatmeal, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Stir in the apple sauce, agave nectar, water, and vanilla, and mix well.
Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing well to cover the bottom of the pan. Spoon the blueberry filling over the batter, and cover the blueberries with the remaining batter.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.
I’ve been searching for a good tasting, healthy, snacky, oat bar. Something that I can make a batch on Sunday, individually wrap (even stick in my freezer) and grab and go. Ideally, I’d like it to have a little bit of crunch and something that will stick to the ol’ ribs, not just fill me with carbs. And not be packed with white sugar, but still satisfies the sweet flavor. So, I did some preliminary searching on the inter-webs and found a few recipes. The first one of the “oat-bar search series” I’m sharing with you was from a website that I come across every now and then, Kath Eat’s. She’s a nutrition consultant like myself and has a huge resource of good recipes.
These bars are packed with flavor. For the dried fruit, I used dried blueberries, coconut, and golden raisins and they were fantastic together. They are all hugged by a cinnamon finish, leaving a pleasant aroma on your palate and nose. There is no added sugar in these either, which I liked. All the “sweet” comes from the dried fruit and it definitely works. In fact, the bit of salt that is added to the batter initially hits the tongue on first bite, very subtlety. But what it does is sets you up for the lovely and languid bursts of sweet you get from the fruits, and even the coconut (the coconut is not “sweetened” per se, but is considered part of the sweet-flavor family). My one complaint is the texture. They are made with egg, which makes them a bit chewy, spongy even. Texturally, I am looking for something that is a little bit crisp on the outside, and has a delicious pull to its chew. Sometimes I like things breaking off in my mouth with a satisfying crunch, but for the oat bars, my mind is craving crunch with some satisfying chew. If you have any favorite oat bar recipes, please I’d love to hear about them!
Cheers!
Baked Oatmeal Snack Bars, recipe from Kath Eat’s
Ingredients
1.5 cups rolled oats 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) 3/4 cup dried fruit (Kath used 1/4 cup cranberry trail mix, 1/4 cup raisins, 1/4 cup chopped dried “just banana” from TJ’s; I used 1/2 cup dried blueberries, 1/4 cup golden raisins, and 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut shreds)) 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp kosher salt 1.25 cups milk (regular, soy, almond, rice…) 1 egg or egg substitute 1 tsp vanilla
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350* 2. Mix dry ingredients. 3. Mix wet ingredients. 4. Pour wet into dry. Stir to combine. 5. Pour into a 9×9 baking dish either coated in cooking spray or lined with parchment. 6. Bake for 40 minutes. 7. Cut into 9 squares.
Makes 9 servings . Each bar is appx. 165 calories, 3 grams fiber and 5 grams protein.
You can double the recipe and use a 9×13 baking dish. While delicious, the only sweetness in these comes from the dried fruit. Add in 1/4 – 1/2 cup brown sugar if you like.
The variations are endless: cranberries, coconut, all kinds of dried fruit, nuts, etc.
Food is so inspiring. Especially during these months of abundance, when gardens and orchards seem to be overflowing with their bounty. When I saw all the different varieties of plums at the market last week, I couldn’t help myself. I bought one of each color (or each variety). They ranged in the most beautiful jewel tones I have ever seen. From amethyst to ruby, black opal to peridot, the vibrancy and deep richness of these colors were seducing. At home, I was even more happy when I put them all on a plate together. They happily stared back at me in their vibrant coats, slightly glistening in the morning light. I left them there for a few days, just enjoying their beautiful colors in my kitchen, until I realized that they needed to be eaten together. As one. In a tart.
For this tart, I used the flaky pie dough recipe from Baking with Julia (Child, that is. Have you seen the DVD of her showing you how to do this? It’s fantastic and utterly Julia. Try renting it from your local library!). She is a big proponent of lard–and I must confess–this does help quite a bit with the texture and overall exceptional quality of the dough. If you do use lard, or some sort of shortening, just make sure it’s non-hydrogenated. But for the fruit filling, I went with my instincts–no real recipe, per say. The colors spoke of their flavor, their tight skins hinting at their juiciness. And although the plums were a little tart (not a bad thing when baking fruit!) I just added a scoop of local raw honey, then a few dribbles of vanilla, tossed it together, and baked.
Margit, one of this year’s pietopia winners, pointed me in the direction of a fantastic book by Nigel Slater called Appetite. In it, he describes a recipe as a living thing, “something allowed to breathe, to change its nature to suit our ingredients, our mood, our desires.” Food can really let us tap into our most inward expressions, things we can sometimes have a hard time connecting with for one reason or another. Slater encourages his readers to take in the spirit of the recipe, and to recognize that our ingredients, feelings, and hunger are not variables that can be subjected to a strict formula and “laid down in tablets of stone.” Break the rules, follow your appetite.
Recipes are wonderful frameworks, places that we can see how others are combining flavors and textures. But they don’t need to be always followed strictly by the book. Even with baking, there is wiggle room for adding or simplifying recipes and tastes. Pie dough, in particular, becomes something that you follow the recipe in the beginning, but then you get to know it with your hands. How the feeling of the butter and the flour should be between your fingers, how a little bit should taste on your tongue. The recipe simply helps get you to that place of certainty with your own hands. Do you ever find yourself stressed out in the kitchen because you missed an ingredient, didn’t follow an instruction to the T, or didn’t stir the dry into the wet all at the same time? Try starting with something simpler in nature. Something that doesn’t take ten pots and twelve bowls to make. Something that speaks to you because you want to taste that specific flavor. And it doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, sometimes the more simple the recipe is, the easier it is to over-under do something, because there are less ingredients. But that’s OK. Take a deep breath and try again. And taste it along the way! You’ll be amazed by your results.
Summer Plum Tart 6-8 summer plums, varying colors and shapes 3 tablespoons fresh honey 1 capful of vanilla extract 1 carton fresh raspberries
Wash, slice, and throw out the pits of the plums. Toss them with the honey, vanilla, and raspberries. Set aside.
Julia’s Flaky Pie Dough 5 1/4 cups pastry flour or all purpose flour 1 tablespoon sea salt 1 1/2 sticks (6 oz) cold unsalted butter 1 3/4 cups shortening (non-hydroginated, Spectrum is a good brand) or lard 1 cup ice water
To make the dough by hand, mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and, using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut it into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Be patient–this takes a while. Break up the shortening and add it in bits to the bowl. Still working with the pastry blender or fingers, cut in the shortening until the mixture has small clumps and curds. Switch to a wooden spoon and add the ice water, stirring to incorporate it. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold it over on itself a few times–don’t get carried away. The dough will be soft, but it will firm sufficiently in the refrigerator.
To make the dough in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, put the flour and salt into the bowl and stir to mix. Add the butter and mix on low until it is cut into the dry ingredients and the mixture looks coarse and crumbly. Add the shortening in small bits and continue to mix on low. When the mixture is clumpy and curdy and holds together when a small bit is pressed between your fingers, add the water and mix only until it is incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and fold it over on itself two or three times, just to finish the mixing and to gather it together. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or as long as five days.
Note: Julia spent so much time on her recipes, perfecting them, each word a necessary step, in order to give people a chance to make food delicious in their own homes. Notice how she wants you to really look at it (clumpy, curdy) and to feel it (press between your fingers) in order to understand what it is your are doing. Give it a try! Getting your hands dirty is not only rewarding, but fun. And you can always wash them when you are done:).
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick and fit it into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Press a little of the overhang against the edge of the pan so that it produces a small ledge protruding over the inside of the pan. Place partchment paper down in the center then pour in a lot of dried beans until it is very full. This will help keep the sides of the tart on the sides, instead of sliding down to the center. Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool while you make the filling or check your email.
After slightly cooled, pour the fruit filling into the center, making sure to get all the juice from the bottom of the bowl. Bake at 375 F for about 40-45 minutes, or until the fruit is nice and juicy, maybe even a little crisp on some of the edges. Enjoy!
ps–for some more fun photos of Pietopia this year, check out the Portland Farmer’s Market Flickr link! There are some really good ones 
.
The Pacific Northwest constantly and consistently amazes me. The abundance of fresh, flavorful foods that show up either on my own table and on friend’s tables makes me unbelievably thankful for it all. The abundance of berries, fresh salmon, peaches, apricots, heirloom tomatoes, garden herbs, and leafy vegetables are stunning–when you stop and think about it. My good friend and co-kitchen-conspirator, Leela, just got back from a nine month tour with her new husband around the world (lucky girl!). She and I are hosting a Taste the Place booth prior to the Pietopia event on August 5th at the Buckman Farmer’s Market. The entire premise of Taste the Place is to taste what grows locally here in Oregon. August is a great time for this because berries are in full force and stone fruits are hanging like gems from branches. But we decided to put a little twist on tasting the place and bringing some global flavors into the mix. Her trip was a total inspiration of sights, sounds, people–not to mention foods, tastes, flavors, textures! Her motto was “leave no masala dosa, bowl of bun, or bite of bakalava behind!”—now you understand why she is one of my favorite people in the world! Her enthusiasm and ability to enjoy life, in it’s present state, is contagious.
We each came up with a cool summer smoothie drink for people to sample at the market. Check her’s out here. I toyed with a blackberry orange blossom smoothie and a raspberry rosewater smoothie. The blackberry orange blossom was fragrant-heavy and smooth–it’s personality was tall, dark, guarded, and heavily perfumed. Maybe the blackberries didn’t pack enough punch, or maybe I’m just used to the sweet fruitiness of marionberries (not the ex-mayor), but it became all orange blossom and no berry. Even when I tried adding just 1/4 or an 1/8 of a teaspoon, it hit me in the top part of my nose and crept down the back of my throat no matter what I tried. By the end, I could have been just so used to smelling it, that I was over anticipating it and thinking it was too much. I think there’s potential here with this smoothie, but, it wasn’t the one for me. The raspberry rosewater smoothie, on the other hand, was like drinking a glass of smoothie-elegance. I am partial to rose–I love how they smell, how they look–the whole package. And the beauty of this flavor combination is that not one overpowered the other–they harmonized one another. The raspberry notes came first and then the subtle rose water essence followed suit. I added a touch of raw honey and this was my chosen contender!
Fear not, the blackberry certainly has it’s place in my heart and palate. I used it on a summer pizza the other night–fresh basil, heirloom yellow tiny tomatoes, fresh garlic, and fresh blackberries (all came from the farmer’s market), buffalo mozzarella, and an olive oil base….. I trail off here because words cannot describe this pizza’s deliciousness. And, I’m salivating. Thank you, summer.
Cheers!
Raspberry Rosewater Smoothie 2/3 cup fresh raspberries 1 tablespoon raw honey 1/2-1 teaspoon rose water 2 ice cubes 1/2 cup-3/4 cup filtered water
Blend until smooth, enjoy!
Versatile, seasonal, and low-cost. Those words are music to my ears! Especially when it comes to fantastic tasting summer salads for the many BBQ’s, get togethers, and parties the warmer months spur on. I’ve been really enjoying two salads in particular: a pesto pasta heirloom tomato salad and a wheat-berry spinach salad. Pesto is super versatile and is the perfect playground for imaginative flavor combination. You simply start with a green base: basil, mint, Italian parsley, or spinach to name a few. Then you add in a little zest: fresh garlic, scallions, red onion, green onion, etc. Next, you might want to bulk it up a little, try: pine nuts, fresh crumbly parmesan (Trader Joe’s sells some of my favorite Parmigiano-Reggiano), sun-dried tomatoes, etc. Of course, don’t forget the olive oil, nothing less than 1/4 cup will do–it needs to be nice and juicy. And there you go! This particular pesto salad I used Italian Parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and olive oil. It was fresh, summery, and delicious! Next time, I think I may try adding some Parmesan too, just to mix it up a little.
Parsley Pesto 1 bunch fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley 4 cloves fresh garlic 4 sun dried tomato halves, soaked in hot water for 15 mins 1/4 cup olive oil salt and pepper to taste optional 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Pulse in your food processor until a past, fold into pasta (I used Oreccheti pasta, one of my favorite shapes). Add sliced heirloom tomatoes and stir. Serve and enjoy!
Wheat berries are one of my favorite grains. I love their chewy texture and how satiating they are! I also love them because their flavor expands and develops the better you chew them. As someone who tends to eat on the fast side (or more like wolfing down food! I just get excited I guess), this has been a great food to eat for me to meditate a little more on the amazing range of flavors and textures a food can provide. Wheat berries tend to be more of a winter food, however, I’ve found that using them in cool summer salads have been great. I like the tangy flavor of the feta mixed with the subtle sweetness of the wheat berry and the green crunch of the fresh spinach. A dollop of olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon, a little pepper and wha-la, summer wheat berry salad!
Wheat Berry Salad 1 cup wheat berries, boiled in 4 cups water for 70 mins on low 1 package of feta cheese (I say the more the better, but this is total personal preference) 1 clove fresh garlic or 1 scallion, minced 1 bag or package of fresh baby spinach 1/2 small lemon juice 1/8 cup olive oil salt and pepper to taste
Wash wheat berries in a strainer until the water runs clear. Boil 4 cups water and add the washed berries, cook on low heat for 70 minutes. Strain berries from cooking water and transfer to a bowl. Add feta, garlic or scallion, spinach, lemon juice, and olive oil and stir. Let sit for a few minutes to let the spinach soften just a bit. Serve at room temperature and enjoy!
I made the avocado cake again and decorated the top with fresh raspberries (from my Aunt’s garden) and fresh strawberries (from Mt. Hood). I like cake.
Andrew and I went on a trip through Central Oregon for the holiday weekend. Oregon never ceases to amaze me–the coast is so beautiful but central Oregon has sun (and more sun!), desert, fantastic hikes, views of the Cascade’s that will blow your mind, and cute towns with good brew pubs. We first went to Crater Lake. We tried to go last year but the lake was hidden beneath a thick blanket of smoke from smoldering forest fires (they happen naturally from lightning). So we went again to get the full majestic and breathtaking views it has to offer.
Looks a lot like the Caribbean! Crater Lake’s water is clear and amazing.
We also went to Bend and Smith Rocks. The desert was beautiful–hot sun, but the air was cool. The temperature did not rise above 78 degrees F. We camped there then drove home the following day on some scenic back roads.
From left: Mt. Bachelor, The Three Sisters, Mt. Jefferson.
Andrew took this photo!
We stumbled upon these beautiful falls and a lake most appropriately called Clear Lake. Row boats beckoned us, so we went out on the lake for a break from our drive. This alpine lake was a gem to stumble upon!
Cheers for summer!
It’s strawberry season–the sweet tangy flavors of these berries always get me ready for long, lazy summer days. On Sunday I made a rustic strawberry galette with fresh berries from the farmers market. It oozed, splattered, splashed, and dripped all over our plates, chins, and shirts until we had eaten it all. It was accompanied by a huge dollop of fresh whipped cream (made with a hint of vanilla) and it was pretty amazing.
Today is also my birthday. I usually make my own cake each year for no other reason than, I like to bake. There are not too too many times throughout the year that one can go all out and make huge cakes–I get torn between just doing it and then having a lot of waste–my guilt with the waste usually rings in first, so I back off and wait for those special occasions. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t mind someone else baking a cake for me because that would be amazing as well! But there are a few specific, special people in mind that would blow all our minds with a fabulous cake: Kiija + Brent, Drew, & Ellen. I’m just sayin’ 
.
Now I’m off to do whatever it is we do on our birthdays: what we want to do! For me, that’s taking a jog, reading my huge stack of health books (thanks, Mom!) that I specifically asked for and enjoying immensely (I can’t seem to get enough of the nutrition/health reading…), maybe bake a cake, teach a yoga class, and generally just have a good day. I hope you have a fantastic day today too! Cheers!
Strawberry Galette
For the dough: 2 cups non-bleached all purpose flour 12 tablespoons cold butter 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Preheat your oven to 400 F. In your food processor or in your mixer with the paddle attachment (I’ve also just used my hands for this), mix all the ingredients together until the butter is pea-sized in shape. Put in the fridge for up to 2 hours if the butter seems too soft. It’s a good idea to keep it in the fridge anyway while you prepare the strawberries.
Strawberry filling: Cut up about a pound and a half of fresh strawberries. Add maybe a tablespoon of brown sugar–if the strawberries are on the tart side, add a little more, but if they are super sweet and wonderful, a tablespoon or less is fine. Add a capful of vanilla extract. Toss everything in a bowl until well coated. Set aside
Roll out the dough in a irregular circle-like shape until it’s approximately 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the dough to your baking sheet or stone. Add the berries to the center then gently start folding the sides up to keep everything in the middle. If there are large cracks, you might want to dip your finger in a little water to seal them. Inevitably, some juices will escape, but you want to try to keep as much of those juices inside–they make it taste the way it does! Aka: amazing. You can dip a pastry brush in either milk or heavy cream and brush the top dough parts to give it a golden crust when it comes out. Sprinkle it with some turbino sugar too if desired, then, absolutely enjoy.
There is something about warm weather that makes me crave berries! Berries are one of the only foods that almost all people can enjoy–they have the least amount of allergies associated with them out of all of the food groups and are packed with some pretty amazing nutrients. Think about it, do you know anyone who is allergic to berries? Or who doesn’t like to eat them? I’m sure it’s possible…but it’s pretty rare.
This weekend, I cracked open another favorite cookbook of mine, Janie Hibler’s Dungeness Crabs and Blackberry Cobblers. The book’s name grabbed me at first site, so I decided to try the title’s namesake–blackberry cobbler. I love Hibler’s book because she weaves her recipes with the histories of and stories from the pacific northwest. The book is filled with old photographs from as far back as 150 years ago. You by now probably know that I believe in the power of eating food from recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation and the stories and memories that go with it, as an important part of who we are. It helps us define our selves today as well as understanding our heritage. I love it! Hibler does all this and more with this book, it’s a treasure. This recipe came with a narrative about “blackberryin’ ” as part of most pacific northwesterners summer routine–which, I can attest to, is still true today. During the summer, you will see people pulled off the sides of highways picking blackberries, off of hiking trails with buckets, in local parks eating fistfuls, even foraging down ally’s and side streets. They are rampant here, thank goodness, because we love to eat them!
This was the first cobbler I’ve ever made that did not have a dumpling-like topping. Instead, it uses a traditional but multi-purpose pie crust. I was intrigued–is this going to be like a pie, just without a bottom crust? Yes. In fact, it is–but it is delicious. The crust calls for baking soda and vinegar–this gives it a lightness and flakiness that was wonderful. It was fuller than pie crust, somewhere between that and a very dense biscuit. The berries didn’t need too much–they were freshly frozen so they still held all of their flavor. I used brown sugar instead of white, and only a 1/2 cup, it still turned out nicely sweetened. Next time I might even cut down the sugar to 1/4 and add a little cardamon!
In the next month, I’m going to be opening up a few spots on my blog for sponsorship. I’m looking at companies and people who are just downright good!–they promote green whenever they can, they support local, and they are certified organic. If you are interested in sponsorship, or have an idea for me, please email me! I’m really excited about curating a group of great sponsors, things that I myself trust and use and would be telling my friends and you all about anyway!
Cheers!
Blackberry Cobbler, recipe adapted via Janie Hibbler’s The Blackberry Cobbler Duo recipe
6 cups fresh or frozen blackberries 1/2 cup brown sugar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the berries in a shallow 8-inch baking dish. Toss with the brown sugar and flour. Dot with the butter.
I use Spectrum shortening because it is non-hydrogenated (meaning it hasn’t been super altered and your body can actually digest it without serious long term repercussions) and they have a great farm system where they employ small farmers in South America who grow the palms for oil. Plus, it always works well in my baking! Key!
Pastry dough for the top
This makes enough for 2 double crusted pies plus 1 single crust–I halved it and then added just a little less from that even…
5 cups all purpose flour 2 1/2 cups non-hydrogenated shortening 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons salt 1 egg 1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar
In the bowl of an electric mixer place the flour, shortening, baking powder, and salt. Break the egg in a 1-cup measuring cup and add the vinegar. Beat with a fork to break up the egg. Fill with cold water not quite to the top and stir again. With the mixer at low speed, slowly pour in the liquid and blend the ingredients until they form a ball. Roll out enough dough for the cobbler if you’ve made the whole amount, or just roll out all of the dough if you’ve halved the recipe, to about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick. If you have remaining dough left over, you can save it by wrapping it in plastic wrap or putting it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator–keeps up to about a week.
Lay the rolled out dough over the pan and using the rolling pin roll over the top hitting the edges so you can easily peel off the excess hanging over the sides. Brush the top of the pastry with milk or cream. Sprinkle the top with some sugar, then bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown. Serve it warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.
