Berries bolster summer treats

(Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Cake is not too sweet)

It's blueberry season here in the valley and there's nothing I like better than heading to a local farm and picking flats of this fabulous fruit.

That is, of course, unless it's 100 degrees in the shade and a 100-percent humidity, which was the case when a friend and I headed out with high expectations a week ago. No matter, though, as we are troopers and managed to fill up a flat before we melted into oblivion.

(Fresh blueberries are loaded with antioxidants and vitamins)

Mead Orchards in Tivoli is a lovely pick-your-own farm here in the Hudson Valley. We loaded up on blueberries, which are packed with antioxidants, high in vitamin C, low in calories and a good source of dietary fiber. M and I have been eating them every which way we can and I managed to fill up a couple gallon bags for the freezer to enjoy through the winter. Blueberries are so versatile. They are great eaten plain or in recipes both sweet and savory.

Today's Busy Cook in the Poughkeepsie Journal features recipes using blueberries in savory dishes, including an onion marmalade and a chard saute.

I saved the sweet recipes for here, courtesy of McClatchy-Tribune.

I made the Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Cake over the weekend and it was delicious. I love just about anything with cornmeal and lemon. Add blueberries to the mix and I've got a winning combination. Likewise, the berry tart with lemon curd is a must-try soon.

Not one to leave recipes alone, I changed the cake recipe up a bit, adding some lemon zest, cinnamon and nutmeg to the topping, a little vanilla to the cake, increasing the cornmeal to 2/3 cup and cutting back on the flour (about 3/4 cup). I never have buttermilk in the fridge when I need it, so I quickly made some by adding a 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice to a 1/2 cup of milk and let it sit for a bit.

It was a bit tricky to unload the topping onto the cake after it had cooked for 15 minutes; the berries pretty much ended up in the center of the cake. Then I found I had to cook it longer than 25 minutes more because the center was soupy. The edges were starting to brown, so I covered them with tin foil and returned the cake to bake another 15 minutes or so.
There was no need to flip the cake over onto a plate to remove the parchment and then back again. I made the parchment a little wider than called for so that the edges ran up the sides. These "sides" then served as handles to easily lift the cake from the pan.



It was so worth the effort. I would make this cake again and again. The cake is not too sweet and paired famously with a cold glass of prosecco on a warm summer eve.

The other recipes call for other berries and cherries, which come summer, I cannot get enough of. So enjoy the season's harvest by making something a little sweet for dessert.

Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Cake

Serves: 10
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

1. 1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
2. 1/4 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
3. 1 teaspoon baking powder
4. 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
5. 1/4 teaspoon salt
6. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
7. 1 cup sugar
8. 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
9. 2 large eggs at room temperature
10. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
11. 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

Topping

1. 1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and well dried
2. 1 tablespoon sugar
3. 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly butter a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment cut in a circle to fit the pan, lightly flour the sides, and tap out the excess.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well blended. In a mixing bowl, with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest on medium high until well blended and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until just blended. Add the lemon juice with the second egg (the batter will appear curdled; don’t worry). Fold in half the dry ingredients, then the buttermilk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the topping.

• In a small bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar and flour. Using a fork, mix the ingredients, lightly crushing the blueberries and evenly coating them with the flour and sugar. After the cake has baked for 15 minutes, slide the oven rack out and quickly scatter the blueberries evenly over the top of the cake (discard any flour and sugar that doesn’t adhere to the berries). Continue baking until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, another 23 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let the cake cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan. Using a dry dishtowel to protect your hands, lay a rack on top of the cake pan and, holding onto both rack and pan, invert the cake. Lift the pan from the cake. Peel away the parchment. Lay a flat serving plate on the bottom of the cake and flip the cake one more time so that the blueberries are on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

From Fine cooking Magazine, September 2006 issue. Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

Nutrition information per serving: 240 calories (30 percent from fat), 8 grams fat (5 grams sat. fat), 39 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 160 mg sodium, 60 mg cholesterol, 1 gram fiber.

(Freshly picked cherries are great in summer cobblers/Gannett News Service photo)

Cherry Berry Cobbler

Serves: 8 (1/2-cup servings)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

You can use any combination of berries and cherries in this recipe.

1. 2 cups pitted sweet cherries, rinsed
2. 1 cup blackberries
3. 1 cup blueberries
4. 1 cup raspberries
5. 3 tablespoons cornstarch
6. 5 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
7. 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
8. 1 cup all-purpose flour
9. 2 teaspoons baking powder
10. 1/4 teaspoon salt
11. 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
12. 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon reduced-fat milk
13. Light whipped topping or vanilla ice cream for serving, optional

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Pit the cherries in a large bowl. Lightly rinse all the berries. Add them to the cherries. Sprinkle the fruit with the cornstarch, 4 tablespoons of the sugar and the lemon zest.
• Pour the mixture into a 9- inch-b y-12-inch oval baking dish.
• Mix the flour with 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in 1/2 cup of the milk to make a very soft dough.
• Drop the dough by spoonfuls on top of the berry mixture. Dampen your hands with some remaining milk, and spread out the dough to cover most of the fruit. Brush the top of the dough with the rest of the milk. Sprinkle the surface with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake the cobbler for about 35 minutes, or until it is golden brown and the berries are bubbling. Serve warm with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream.

Adapted from www.bonappetit.com.

Nutritional information per serving: 222 calories (32 percent from fat), 8 grams fat (5 grams sat. fat), 37 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 201 mg sodium, 20 mg cholesterol, 4 grams fiber.

Mixed Berry Tart with Lemon Curd Filling

Serves: 8 (4-inch tarts)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

The pastry dough is easy to work with in this recipe. If you don’t have individual tart pans, you can use a 10-inch tart pan and make one tart. These tarts get a deep lemony flavor from the lemon curd. Serve the tarts individually or cut them in half to serve more.

Dough:

1. 2 to 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2. 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, well-chilled, cut into small pieces
3. 1 large egg, lightly beaten
4. 2 tablespoons sugar
5. 1 tablespoon chilled heavy cream or half-and-half
6. 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
7. 1 teaspoon salt

Lemon filling:

1. 1/2 cup heavy cream
2. 1 cup Lemon Curd (see recipe below)
3. 4 cups mixed berries such as fresh raspberries, blueberries and blackberries

• Have ready eight 4 3/4-inch fluted tart pans with removable bottoms.
• In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, place all the dough ingredients and pulse until the dough starts gathering together in big clumps. If the dough is too soft, add more flour a tablespoon at a time. Turn the dough out onto a counter and gather it together.
• Shape the dough into an 8-inch log and divide it into eight equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll a piece of dough into a 5-inch round. Gently press the dough into a tart pan. Repeat with the remaining dough. Put the tarts on a baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut out eight roughly 6-inch-square pieces of foil and spray one side lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Line each tart with a square of foil, oiled side down, making sure the top edge of the tart is covered. Place a handful of pie weights, raw rice or dried beans into each lined tart. Transfer the tarts (still on the baking sheet) to the oven and bake until the crust turns golden brown and starts to pull away from the sides of the pans, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool the tarts on the baking sheet on a rack for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the lining and weights. Let cool completely on the baking sheet on the rack.
• In a medium bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Add the lemon curd and gently fold together with a rubber spatula until combined. Divide the mixture among the pastry shells and smooth the filling with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Carefully remove the outer rings and bottoms of the tart pans and arrange the tarts on a large platter. Top each tart with a mixture of raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries and serve immediately.

Cook’s note: You can combine the lemon curd and whipped cream and hold the filling for about two hours in the fridge. The shells can be baked a day ahead (store the cooled shells in an airtight container); fill them shortly before serving. The baked shells also freeze well; thaw before filling.

Adapted from Fine Cooking magazine, July 2006 issue.

Nutrition information per serving: 560 calories (61 percent from fat), 38 grams fat (23 grams sat. fat), 51 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams protein, 340 mg sodium, 205 mg cholesterol, 3 grams fiber.

Lemon Curd

Makes: about 1 3/4 cups
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes (plus chilling time)

1. 3 large eggs
2. 2/3 cup sugar
3. 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 large lemons)
4. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5. 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until well blended. Combine the sugar, lemon juice, butter and lemon zest in a small (1- to 2-quart) saucepan. Heat over medium-low until the butter has melted. Don’t let the mixture come to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk the lemon mixture into the beaten eggs. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook gently over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with the whisk, until the mixture thickens and reaches at least 160 degrees, about 5 minutes. Don’t let the mixture boil.
• Let the lemon curd cool briefly before transferring it to a heatproof container. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the curd and poke a few holes in it with the tip of a knife—this will keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely chilled. The curd will continue to thicken as it cools.

Cook’s note: The curd will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for up to a week.

From Fine Cooking magazine, July 2006 issue.

Nutritional information per 2 tablespoons: 50 calories (54 percent from fat), 3 grams fat (1.5 grams sat. fat), 5 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 10 mg sodium, 30 mg cholesterol, 0 grams fiber.