Old-Fashioned Blackberry Orange Cake (with or without Ground Almonds)

Now that spring is here and the weather has been so divine, it was about time to post something lovely and inspiring. And that's just what I find this old-fashioned orange-blackberry cake to be.

Thought I'd post some shots I took so far that have made us welcome spring:

There's something about this weather that makes a person want to be outside. So take this cake outside with your loved ones after dinner and enjoy the feel of warmer breezes, the sound of birds chirping, and the smell of new grass growing. And yeah, don't forget to bring the allergy medicine.

I have made this cake several times over the last few months and love it. It's particularly good in the morning too with a hot cup of coffee if you can stare out your window in silence for a few moments before the day's activities overwhelm you. This cake makes me nostalgic. It is a simple recipe that, again, reminds me of the kind of dessert my mother or grandmother would make that highlights the season's best fruits.

If you prefer lemon extract instead of orange, you could easily substitute that. Or replace the blackberries with raspberries. Or you could skip the raw sugar topping and make a glaze of powdered sugar and fresh orange or lemon juice to drizzle on top of the cooled cake--there are several possibilities.


OLD-FASHIONED BLACKBERRY ORANGE CAKE (WITH OPTIONAL GROUND ALMONDS)


Serves 6-8

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. fresh orange zest (zest of about 1 orange)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 cup ground almonds (optional-but oh so good!)
• 1 cup fresh blackberries (or slightly more)
• 2 Tbsp. raw sugar, for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350°F.


Combine sugar and butter, then beat for 3 minutes on medium-high speed with paddle. Add in the flour, baking powder, eggs and zest. Scrape bottom of mixing bowl, then continue to mix for 2 minutes at medium speed.

 

Pour this batter into greased and floured tart pan with removable bottom or cake pan with removable sides. Drop berries over the top of the cake as evenly as possible. Then, sprinkle the raw sugar over the berries.

 

Bake cake until it tests done in center or until the cake pulls from the side of the pan, about 50 to 60 minutes depending on oven.

 

Let cake cool for about 10 minutes in the pan and then gently loosen edges of removable tart pan. When cooled, lift from the bottom on the tart pan or simply un-mold the cake pan sides.

 

Dust with powdered sugar or brush with a light glaze of your choice. (totally optional!)

 

This is a delicious cake served with vanilla or blackberry ice-cream. Enjoy!

Whole Grain Cottage Cheese Blender Waffles with Peach Melba Conserve Topping

I love waffles. So much. Baked goods for breakfast are another weakness. However, we always seem to need additional protein with such breakfasts because we get hungry again within a couple hours of eating waffles or pancakes. So, I wondered about trying cottage cheese in my waffles and tried researching online to see if anyone had tried making waffles with cottage cheese. I stumbled upon this great blog: www.gethealthywithheather.com  and also read about trying the batter in the blender. This was my first attempt at making the batter in the blender--now I'm hooked. It's easier to pour them into the waffle maker this way.

You absolutely cannot even tell these are whole grain either (well, I couldn't). And, you will not be able to 'taste' the cottage cheese; so if anyone in your family is averse to it, you can still try it. The waffle recipe below is Heather's recipe with my changes in the italics.

In addition, I love fresh fruit on top of my waffles but the peaches I picked at the orchard a few weeks ago seemed a little spotted. My mom always makes conserves or compote with excess fruit--but I wanted to try making something similar but with maple syrup instead of processed sugar. I LOOOOVED the result of these conserves. If you liked my Quick Blackberry Jam with Agave Nectar, you will probably like this too. Now, I wish I would have made double the peach melba topping, because it was that good!

WHOLE GRAIN COTTAGE CHEESE BLENDER WAFFLES
Adapted from www.gethealthywithheather.com

These waffles are a bit more cake-like, but they crisp up pretty good in the toaster when reheated.

Serves ~4-5

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat PASTRY flour (purchase at Whole Foods or other natural food store)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. flax meal, ground (optional--my addition)
• 2 Tbsp. wheat germ (optional--my addition)
• 1 cup reduced fat cottage cheese
• 4 eggs (I used 3 eggs + 1 egg white)
• 1 cup milk (I used low-fat buttermilk)
• 1 tsp. vanilla (I skipped this because I was out of extract)
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup (optional)

Turn your waffle iron on and begin to heat it up while you make the batter.

Whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder in large bowl (add flax meal and wheat germ, if using).

In a blender combine the cottage cheese, eggs, milk, and vanilla (plus optional maple syrup). Blend until smooth. Gently add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients into the blender. Process JUST until well combined.
Once the waffle iron is ready, coat it generously with olive oil spray. Pour the batter (from the blender) into the hot waffle iron (about 1 cup batter) and cook until your waffle iron lights up as done (or screeches as mine tends to do). Repeat with remaining batter until batter is all used up.

Serve the waffles warm. (Heather suggests almond butter and applesauce and I can't wait to try that next time!)

PEACH MELBA CONSERVES

Makes ~2 jars of conserve (about 26-30 ounces)

• 4 cups fresh peaches, diced and peeled
• 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries, rinsed and dried
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• Juice of 1/2 a small lemon

In a medium pot, bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and let the fruit simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until the juices have thickened and evaporated some (mix the fruit once in a while). Turn off the flame and keep covered until ready to serve over the waffles.
Store covered in the refrigerator. Keeps for several weeks. Extra conserves can be frozen as well. But ours never last that long because this mixture is so delicious over toast or eaten straight out of the jar. YUM!

To serve: Plate 2 waffles for each person with some peach melba conserves and sprinkle with 1-2 tsp. sliced almonds.

Happy Belated Birthday, America!

Hope everyone had a spectacular 4th of July! This post is way too late (been kinda busy), but below is what I made for Independence Day (4th of July).

Every single time I have made this cake, I make it with Ina Garten's recipe (Barefoot Contessa). I highly recommend you guys bookmark her recipe to make for next year. This year, I wanted to simplify my life and used a cake mix (white 18.25 ounce). Then, decided to make it healthier and modified the cake mix directions by omitting the water and replacing it with some applesauce and butternut squash puree (added extra vanilla extract). So then surely, I had to reduce the fat in the frosting. This recipe was my inspiration in lightening the cake. I was surprised that the cake was still good. Even so, with all my more health-conscious alterations, you should still make Ina's cake at some point--it's very, very good. HERE is her recipe. It's also WAY prettier!

By the way, Ina's original frosting recipe is a bit scary if you're trying to eat healthier. So this year, for the frosting--instead of using FOUR sticks of butter and 24 ounces of cream cheese, I used 1 stick of LIGHT butter, and 16 ounces of REDUCED FAT cream cheese (that's two 8-ounce packages of cream cheese). And yeah, it was still quite good! Just something to consider.

Mixed Berry Buttermilk Gelato

Oh Nancy...how I appreciate you. You're a good person. A person who introduces me to recipes that make me happy and a little of a soul mate. I saw this on your blog and I could not resist. But when I measured out my strawberries, I sadly realized there weren't enough, so in went the raspberries and blackberries that were in the fridge. Check out Nancy's gorgeous picture and original post right here.

This is a WONDERFULLY easy and refreshing recipe. MUST, MUST try! You can't taste the buttermilk at all! My husband seemed skeptical at first, but then he said it was 'very good!' It's more like a 'sorbet' than gelato to me, but maybe if I had used a full-fat buttermilk, it may have tasted more like the Italian gelatos I'm familiar with.... Either way, this one is for the books.

One thing to note...the full amount of this recipe did NOT fit my ice-cream maker. I didn't remember reading this on Nancy's blog until I poured it in and then desperately grabbed a straw to suck up the overidge. Boy, am I glad I'm not on a reality tv show because that was, Not. Pretty. I wonder if scaling all ingredients back by 25% would make it fit...? (No, I haven't figured out those proportions yet because I'm too busy eating.) But if you have this kind of ice-cream maker (like mine), then this recipe may overflow your machine as well.

Try serving it in a waffle cone and alternate with vanilla ice-cream. The two flavors are amazing together!

MIXED BERRY BUTTERMILK GELATO

Yield: 8 cups (serving size: 1/2 cup)

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar (next time I may use 1 3/4 cups)
• 2 cups buttermilk (I used low fat, but I think full-fat may be better in this recipe)
• A tiny pinch of salt (optional--but think recipe needed it)
• 5 cups mixed berries of your choice or single berries of your choice (I did strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries--but all strawberry is original version)*

Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan (and salt, if using); bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour into a large bowl; cool completely.

Place strawberries in a blender and process until smooth. (If seeds bother you, this is the time to strain the puree through a fine mesh sieve or strainer.) Add the berry purée and buttermilk to sugar syrup; stir to combine.

Pour the berry mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Transfer ice-cream to a separate, covered container. Place in freezer and continue to freeze for a couple hours longer before serving.

*If you use just strawberries, this will amount to 4 pints or 2 (16 oz) containers

NOTE: You may have to leave it out a few minutes (like 5-10 minutes depending on how cold your freezer is), because it doesn't harden in the freezer quite a bit.

Raspberry Gratin...Another reason worth turning on the oven...

This dessert is so heavenly--one that I miss during the cold winter. Not unlike like ice-cream, it's not exactly healthy, but it's SO worth the splurge! And I know, I'm all talk about not turning on your oven & then I give you two recipes in a week that require none other than: YOUR OVEN! Forgive me. It's just that it's summer. When else do we get such amazing produce with which to experiment! After this....well, I'll try to stop using the oven. Now, let's turn to the magic that is the raspberry gratin....an adult pudding--decadent, creamy, yet fresh.

The recipe below is Bittman at his finest--simple, elegant, delicious. It's fruit 'robed in creamy custard'. And a LOT lighter than some gratin recipes out there with many, many eggs! It's been at least 6 years since I first made this, but I think of this recipe more often than I ever imagined. 

How can you resist not eating these raspberries?! If you can, this dessert will be worth it. Here are some fun facts on raspberries.

I have loved these fruits from a young age when my grandparents would take us kids up to the mountains.

We used to pick white raspberries and my grandparents would teach my brother and I about bear tracks...to this day, I have a vivid image of my grandmother carrying a heavy load of raspberries in her apron over her skirt and laughing. Here is a picture of my mom with my grandparents in Romania a few years ago.

 The only thing that might make this dessert more decadent is a scraped out vanilla bean. Let me know if you try it that way. One bonus feature of this recipe is that you can prepare most of it in advance the night before or morning before entertaining. Once you fold in the cream, the next day, it only takes 10 or less minutes in the oven!!!

Best part? You can make this with ANY fruit.

 RASPBERRY GRATIN

Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

• 1 cup milk (I used skim)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 egg, PLUS 1 egg yolk
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 cups fresh raspberries, rinsed and patted dry (this is about a 12 ounce container)

Place the milk and cinamon in a small saucepan and turn the heat to medium. When steam rises from the milk, remove it from the heat.

Meanwhile, beat the egg and yolk with the salt until light and foamy. Combine the sugar and flour and beat about half of the mixture into the eggs; add about half the milk and beat again. Add the remaining sugar-flour mixture, beat, then the remaining egg.

Place the mixture in small saucepan and turn to the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring almonst constantly, until the mixture begins to boil; it will thicken almost immediately. Remove the custard from the heat and continue to stir for about a minute or so longer. Cover well and chill thoroughly, at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.

About 20 minutes before you want to eat the dessert, preheat the broiler. Stir about 1/4 cup of the cream into the custard to lighten it. Whip the remaining cream until it holds soft peaks. Fold the cream gently into the custard.

Place the fruit on the bottom of an 8- to 10- inch long gratin dish or an attractive 8-inch square baking dish. Pour the cream mixture over the top and shake the pan a little to distribute it among the berries or fruit. Broil about 4 to 6 inches from the heat until lightly browned on top, about 10 minutes.

Truly, raspberries bathed in creamy, cinnamon custard.

Dole the custard out in pretty cups before serving. Serve immediately. But, we have eaten this dessert cold and it's just as good as when it's pulled straight out of the oven. Enjoy!

Blackberry Basil Yogurt Popsicles

We had a wonderful beach vacation last week. Thanks to my in-laws for our annual trip to Kiawah Island. While there, my mother in law had the cool idea to freeze lemonade in popsicle molds for the kids to take down to the beach. Absolutely, positively BRILLIANT idea for these hot days. The kids were in heaven...and I have to say, I was a bit jealous the adults didn't get any. But then I saw their joy, and it was ok. Just look at how cute they seem from our beach chairs....

So fast forward to the present: we're back and I got my hiney on Amazon faster than Wienergate made the news...Ok, so that may be stretching it; however, I received my popsicle molds in 2 days (this does bring me to the point of 'Amazon Mom'--if there are any newish moms out there, check it out--wish I'd heard about it sooner. Here's a link.)

My daughter was ecstatic to open and play with these cute molds--they are made by Orka. After reading a lot of popsicle reviews, I decided to go with a quality brand in a smaller size (2 oz) so they can be easily eaten by a 2 year old (and portion control for the mom). Hey, it's summer here from May to October....anything keeping a person cool should be justified.

So while staring inside the fridge (for the tenth time today) and looking out at the basil growing on the porch, I remembered this amazing blackberry-basil flavor combination crisp I made from Barbara Kingsolver's book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

My child is not as big of a yogurt fan as I'd like her to be, so sneaking Greek yogurt into a 'treat' was starting to sound better and better. And local honey got used as a natural sweetener...

And thus, the healthy blackberry basil yogurt popsicles were born. Can't wait to try this recipe with strawberries or raspberries and mint or basil.

BLACKBERRY BASIL YOGURT POPSICLES

Makes 5-6 (2 oz) popsicles

• 1 (12 oz) container blackberries, rinsed and patted dry (OR 1 pint strawberries, cored and quartered)
• 1/4 cup honey (agave nectar or raw sugar would work well too)-I used 1/3 cup & it was quite sweet
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• small handful of basil leaves (amounts to a 1-2. Tbsp chopped basil)
• 1 tsp. freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice
• *7-8 ounces (~1 cup) Greek-style yogurt (I used fat-free, but any kind is fine) 

Bring the blackberries, honey, basil, vanilla extract, and orange or lemon juice to a simmer in a medium sauce pan. Simmer for approximately 5-8 minutes, or until blackberries are very soft or bubbly. Place fruit mixture into a food processor and pulse a few times, until the fruit mixture is almost pureed, but not completely liquified.

If desired (sort of recommend this actually if you hate berry seeds), push the puree pieces through a fine mesh sieve and discard seeds. Chill the berry puree in the refrigerator until cooled.

Stir the yogurt into the blackberry mixture until combined. Pour the puree into molds and freeze for at least 8 hours, or overnight. To remove the popsicles from the molds, run some warm water over the outside of the mold until you can gently pull/wriggle the popsicle out.

*You can also use regular vanilla yogurt and omit the vanilla extract.

 
And after an unfortunate spillage incident after the third serving, we learned that even the dog loved these popsicles.

Salt-Kissed Buttermilk Cake

Oh my goodness. This cake is SO good! It's actually pretty healthy as far as 'cakes' go--but that's because it's a more rustic, homey cake. The kind you want to eat with coffee in the morning. The kind you linger over after dinner while looking over at a view....the kind you wat to try with different kinds of fruit, the kind you give to your kids because you figure it won't kill them....a cake that instantly becomes a family favorite and you feel has always been something you've made.

When I first saw this cake on Heidi's blog (http://www.101cookbooks.com/), the raspberries she used in the batter drew me in....and then I began a love affair with desserts that were made with fleur de sel at restaurants. Brownies, truffles, ice-cream..you name it...seems like everything is better with salt--you don't get that sick, cloying sweet taste that sticks in your throat. So the coarse salt and raw, shiny sugar crystals really will seem like they are kissing the cake!

This cake has a wonderful crispness in the crust and would adapt well with many fruits or flavor combinations. The buttermilk gives it incredible flavor...mellow, tart....like you can't put your finger on what it is but you keep wanting to come back for more. And the lemon zest works well with the saltiness. The whole wheat pastry flour gives the cake a wondeful crumb texture that still manages to stay together instead of fall apart and yet the cake is still moist with only 1/2 of stick of butter. I like it as much as I like my Romanian tart cherry cake and for different reasons. Thank you Heidi for such a delicious, comfort treat....I may even make another one this weekend with different fruit!

Please try this recipe. I dare say it will make you happy.

SALT-KISSED BUTTERMILK CAKE

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (Heidi says not to try with white whole wheat flour-texture not as good)
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup fine-grain natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk (I used low fat with no problems)
• *1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled a bit (If you melt this in the microwave-watch, as it can explode)
• zest of 2 lemons

 For Topping:

• 1 cup of raspberries (more if you like)--I used blackberries, but any berry could work
• 3 Tbsp. large grain raw sugar (like a Turbinado sugar or Demerera sugar)
• 1 tsp. large grain salt (I used a smoked champagne sea salt I never know what to do with)

Preheat oven to 400F degrees, racks in the middle. Grease and flour (or line bottom with parchment paper) one 11-inch tart/quiche pan. Alternately, Heidi has done this cake in a 9x13-inch rectangular baking dish - just keep a close eye on it after it has been baking for 20 minutes.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and sugar and salt in a large bowl. In a separate smaller bowl whisk together the eggs and the buttermilk, whisk in the melted butter, and the lemon zest. Pour the buttermilk mixture over the flour mixture and stir until just combined - try not to over mix.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, pushing out toward the edges (Yes, not like a typical batter than you drop in and it is more liquid-like and easily goes to the sides--this one you gently coax to the edges with a spatula). Now drop the berries across top. Heidi says she likes to smush them a bit between her fingers before letting them fall to the cake - no so perfect looking and the juices meld with the sugar (and that's what I did too).

Sprinkle the cake with the large grain sugar and then the salt. This is what it looks like going in the oven (SO PRETTY! YUM!)

Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until cake is set (or a toothpick in the center comes out clean), and a touch golden on top.

Serves about 12 (super funny--Heidi, let's talk about this, shall we? Between my husband, myself, and a 2 year old, we devoured half of it in one evening.)

*Heidi's note: I melt the butter for this cake, so sometimes while I'm at it I just keep going and brown it - this adds an entirely different deep buttery flavor. If you go this route, strain out any solids and let the butter cool a bit before stirring it into the egg-buttermilk mixture. As I mentioned up above - feel free to experiment with other types of seasonal berries and fruit. The coup de grace is a floppy dollop of sweet, freshly whipped cream on the side.

Easy, Healthy, Fast Multi-Grain Waffles With Mixed Berries

A few years ago, my mom had cancer--Burkitt's Lymphoma to be exact. Pretty rare and pretty awful. Through the grace of God, today she is in remission. Anyway, since then, mom started subscribing to the AICR Health e-recipes and forwarding recipes to me like the one below. To see a list of AICR's publications and sign up, here's a link.

We have been loving them for several years now--they're not that much harder to make than using store bought mix ones. Enjoy them with the amazing berries that are about to be in season.

This was the first time I ever prepared the batter the night before and made them the next morning. Worked amazingly well--so I would recommend doing that if you have overnight guests and want to simplify your breakfast routine. If I'm really ambitious, I premix the dry ingredients and store them in a ziplock bag until I need to them. I often double the recipe and wrap each waffle in plastic wrap and freeze. Some mornings, we just pop them in the toaster right from the freezer to re-crisp.

MULTI-GRAIN WAFFLES WITH MIXED BERRIES

Adapted from American Institute for Cancer Research

Serves 4

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 2 Tbsp. toasted wheat germ
• 1 Tbsp. sugar (raw sugar is preferred)
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Pinch of salt
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups assorted fresh or frozen thawed berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries
• Maple syrup or low-fat vanilla yogurt, if desired

**Feel free to add 1 tsp. vanilla extract or ground cinnamon or even  2 Tbsp. chopped nuts to the batter (I sometimes do)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the first 10 ingredients. Let the mixture stand several minutes to thicken. (Add additional buttermilk to thin the batter if needed.) Coat a waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and preheat.

When the waffle iron is ready, ladle the batter into the center of bottom grid until it spreads to within one inch of the edges. Close the cover and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.

Place the waffles on a plate; cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Repeat with more batter. Place the waffles on serving plates. Spoon the berries over the top, drizzle with pure maple syrup (if desired) and serve immediately. Can be served with low-fat vanilla yogurt too!

Options: Serve these waffles as a dessert with low-fat frozen yogurt. Or double the recipe and freeze individually. Reheat in a toaster oven and serve with yogurt, nuts, or fresh fruit. Try other fruits such as bananas, mandarin oranges, and mangoes.

Makes 4 servings or 4 waffles.

My little girl was incredibly happy to have waffles for breakfast.

Quick Blackberry Jam with Agave Nectar

This is a small batch (one big jar or two smaller jars) jam. I made it right before we left for vacation and it is great to have for breakfast with toast (about the only things in our fridge now that we're back). There's something really wonderful about homemade jam...like the comfort of seeing your grandmother. Here's why you should try this recipe:

1. It requires no special equipment besides a pot and a wooden spoon.
2. It uses agave nectar which has been shown to be lower on the glycemic index, thus not raising blood sugar as much as white sugar (basically, sweetness without the sugar rush).
3. It takes about 30 minutes.
4. It will raise toast to new levels of greatness.
5. You can mix a teaspoon or two of it in plain, fat-free yogurt and when you taste it you will think you are a genius.
6. Kiss your regular peanut butter & jelly sandwiches goodbye--this will be way better than grape jelly!
7. You can probably make this with blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries.
8. When the in-laws come to visit, it will probably impress them when served with muffins or waffles. They can make believe they are at a bed & breakfast....with the grandkids. This should be reason #1, actually....

QUICK BLACKBERRY JAM WITH AGAVE NECTAR

• 3 cups fresh blackberries, rinsed and patted dry
• 3/4 cup agave nectar
• **1 tsp. cornstarch
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 tsp. spiced rum (optional--YES, the alcohol burns off. If you have creme de cassis, use that instead!)
• 2 tsp. maple syrup (optional--but good)

In a medium cooking pot, over medium heat, stir the blackberries, agave nectar, AND maple syrup, if using. You can break up the berries (if you wish) with the back of a wooden spoon or spoonula.

Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch with the lemon juice and rum. Pour this mixture over the berry mixture and continue to stir the jam. Leave on the stove for approximately 30 minutes--mixing every few minutes.

The jam should be ready when it coats the sides of the pot and the spoon.

**If the texture is too runny, take out some of the liquid with a spoon and whisk it with a little more cornstarch and then add that mixture to the jam and continue to stir.

Blackberry Farm's Blackberry Cobbler

I don't know if you've ever heard of Blackberry Farm....but this posh Smoky Mountain resort has been featured in many high end magazines, the Martha Stewart show, travel shows, etc, etc. It is on the list of the best resorts in the world and has won numerous awards. This 2,500 acre retreat in humble, Walland, TN is a stone's throw away from my in-laws. Yet, due to the high cost associated with it, my husband and I have never been... But, it hasn't stopped me from googling the farm...I'm fascinated by the gourmet adventure to be had there! They have an on-site bakery, salumaria, wine cellar, creamery, garden, butchery, etc., and they teach cooking classes and host gourmand speakers from all over the world. Sounds dreamy....

If you've been to Costco lately, you will have seen the huge blackberry containers they have available for $3.99! We spend a small fortune in berries for my child there weekly (I reason that when we get her SAT scores back one day, it will have been worth it). This week, sick as I was with the flu (again), I couldn't resist making something cheery on a horribly ugly, rainy day. The blackberry cobbler recipe is one of the signature desserts at Sam Beall's Blackberry Farm.

This is a very quick & easy dessert to make. I loved the buttery biscuit topping on top of the jammy citrus-scented berries. I think you will love this dessert whether it's summer or winter. Serving with ice-cream is purely optional here.

BLACKBERRY COBBLER

Adapted from The Blackberry Farm Cookbook: Four Seasons of Great Food and the Good Life 

Serves 8
 
8 cups fresh blackberries
1¼ cups sugar
Zest and juice of ½ lime
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. fine sea salt
6 Tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled (I used light butter)
¼ cup buttermilk (I used low-fat buttermilk)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, toss together the blackberries, 1 cup of the sugar, and the lime zest. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice and the cornstarch until smooth. Drizzle the lime juice mixture over the blackberry and toss to combine. Scrape the blackberry mixture into a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and set aside. (I'm sure another dish would be fine too)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining ¼ cup sugar. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it is the texture of coarse meal. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the buttermilk into the well and stir with a fork until the mixture comes together.

Crumble the dough evenly over the top of the blackberry mixture. (I recommend placing skillet on a baking sheet to prevent juices from dribbling to bottom of the oven and creating a catastrophe).

Bake the cobbler for 40 minutes, or until the blackberry filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Let the cobbler rest for 10 minutes before serving.