Blackberry Breakfast Bars

Whenever our grocery store has a big sale on berries, we stock up. Which is great - who doesn't love fresh berries? - but really puts pressure on me to use them up quickly. Last month we got several containers of blackberries that I tried to use up fast. I ended up making this breakfast bar recipe from Smitten Kitchen, subbing raspberries for blackberries. I also used about a cup of buckwheat flour in place of most of the white flour (I had that on hand from a CSA box from a month or two previously). I think the buckwheat flour has a different cooking quality than white flour, because I cooked these as indicated and they seemed underdone. The flavor was really nice, though, and it was good to find a recipe to use up lots of blackberries all at once. I love the flavor of blackberries, really hate the size and texture of them for some reason.

Zucchini Ricotta Galette

Not a dessert, but this item came out so perfectly that I wanted to keep a record of it here. For a cookout with neighbors over the weekend, I made this zucchini ricotta galette to share. It was delicious! 

Blackberry flummery

I found this recipe last summer and vowed to make it someday, based on the name alone. Blackberries are probably the only fruit out there that I just don't like eating in their original form. Something about their size and the texture really turns me off. But I do like making things with blackberries, because the flavor is so good. So when my store had a crazy sale on them last week, I snatched up a couple boxes, planning to make something with them. Then I remembered I had this recipe from Saveur magazine. It really did come together in 20 minutes - I know this because I raced home from work to make it, and only had 20 minutes of free time before I had to leave to pick up my kids from school. I popped them in the fridge to cool so they'd e ready to eat for dessert.



                                                       

Verdict? I am conflicted. I really, really hate Jell-O, and the consistency of this dessert is just like Jell-O. On the other hand, the flavor is amazing. It's a perfectly sweetened, concentrated blackberry flavor with a hint of lemon. If this was, say, a sauce that you could spoon over vanilla ice cream, it would be excellent. But the fact that it's like Jell-O makes it kind of weird. My husband tried it and agreed. My kids refused to even put a tiny spoon of it in their mouths. (My 23-month old politely said "no thank you" when I offered it to her.) If you are a fan of Jell-O and looking for something with a more sophisticated flavor, this would be the dessert for you.

Spiced buckwheat and walnut jam cake

I was searching for a recipe that called for buckwheat flour, since we got a bag of it in our CSA recently and I needed to find ways to use it up. I found one on a British website that I altered slightly; had to convert the ingredients from grams to cups, and decided to add the jam topping (thinking about this recipe that I have made many, many times before) instead of the cream cheese and blackberry compote topping that was in the original recipe. Voila! Here's what I came up with and I am really happy with it. The cake is sweet, nutty, and light. The strawberry topping pairs well with the spices in the cake. All the flavors are nicely balanced, but if I make this again I would try it with only 1/2 cup sugar, only because I prefer desserts to be not too sweet.



For the cake:

4 large eggs
Scant 1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup buckwheat flour
2/3 cup walnuts, ground
pinch of ground cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
fresh nutmeg
1/2 cup canola oil

For the topping:

1/2 cup strawberry preserves
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses


Heat oven to 350. Use an electric mixer to blend two of the eggs, two of the yolks and the sugar on high until light and fluffy, 4-5 minutes. Sift the buckwheat flour into a medium bowl, mix with the walnuts and spices, then incorporate into the egg mix, a third at a time. Mix in the oil until incorporated.

In large bowl, mix remaining two egg whites to soft peaks, then fold into the batter until just combined. Pour into a round glass buttered Pyrex pie plate and bake 35-40 minutes, until tester comes out clean. Cool completely and then tip onto a plate.

Meanwhile: mix preserves, lemon juice and pomegranate molasses in small bowl. Spread over cooled cake.

Tahini and halva brownies

These are hands-down my new favorite dessert. But they are definitely too indulgent to make regularly. The original recipe - by Ottolenghi - is in grams, so I had to convert it to cups, and then I halved it when I realized I didn't have enough butter and chocolate. However, my brownies came out great. In fact, even though the recipe is halved, it still yielded 16 two-bite brownies. And since they are so indulgent, I think that's an ideal quantity. I sprinkled more halva on the top than Ottolenghi recommended, and it melted into a layer over the top of the brownie; almost like a halva "icing." It is so delicious.

1 stick butter, cubed
4oz unsweetened Baker's chocolate
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
salt
1/3 cup tahini paste
2/3 cup halva, chopped (I used pistachio halva; came out great)

Preheat oven to 350.

Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate and the butter; let cool slightly.

Whisk the sugar and eggs until pale and creamy. Fold in chocolate mix, and then fold in flour, cocoa, walnuts and a pinch of salt. Pour into an 8x8" Pyrex lined with foil and spread in an even layer.

Dollop the tahini on top of the batter, and swirl in with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the chopped halva on top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until top is crisp and toothpick inserted into batter comes out with crumbs sticking to it.

                                 

 

Almond Cake with Cardamom and Pistachio

This New York Times recipe hits a couple of my flavor obsessions: almonds and pistachios. I was at the end of both my almond extract and my cardamom supply, so I had to supplement a little bit with vanilla extract (about 1/2 teaspoon) and cinnamon (1 teaspoon). I didn't have confectioner's sugar, so to get the chopped pistachios to stick on the top of the cake, I made a swirl of honey and then sprinkled the nuts on top. I love finding recipes that don't require any butter. This one is sweet and nutty and so flavorful. Everyone loved it, even the kids. Will definitely make this one again.

                               

 

Chocolate Caramel Matzo Crackers

One important lesson that Elena is learning at her school, is what I predict will be a lifelong love of challah bread and matzoh crackers. She devours both! She came food shopping with me over Passover, and when she saw boxes of matzoh on display, insisted that we buy some. We had a bunch leftover, so I was glad when this chocolate caramel cracker recipe popped up on my FB feed. It was super quick and easy to make. I sprinkled sea salt and flax seeds on top. Highly addictive!