Triple Berry Cobbler

We love berries, fresh or frozen, it doesn't matter to us. This recipe was created using frozen berries because they are readily available year around and often are far more flavorful than the fresh berries available for such a limited time during the summer. The juice that is drained off the thawed berries makes for a more flavorful cobbler, I think, than using water alone. A touch of nutmeg and allspice add a subtle change of flavor, and, of course, a scoop of vanilla ice cream tops it off perfectly. Blessings...

Recipe:

Biscuit topper:

1 cup unbleached flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup cold butter
1/4 cup 1% milk
1 egg

1. Place berries in a sieve over a bowl to collect the juice while the biscuit topper is being prepared.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients for biscuit topper in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Measure milk in a 1-cup measure. Add egg and blend with a fork until well-combined. Add to dry mixture and stir just until combined. Set aside.

Berry Filling:

5 cups frozen mixed berries, thawed (see note)
1/4 tsp. allspice
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup juice from berries, add water, if necessary, to make a cup of liquid. Set berries aside.
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium saucepan, measure allspice, sugar and cornstarch; stir to combine. Whisk in cup of juice from the berries. Cook and stir sauce over medium-low heat until mixture comes to a boil; boil and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, or until thickened. Remove pan from heat.
3. Stir in lemon juice and berries. Cook and gently stir over medium-low heat for 5 minutes until berries are warm. Pour into casserole. Drop biscuit topper onto berries in 6 mounds.
4. Bake for 25 minutes or until biscuits are a golden brown color and cooked through. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Yield: 6 servings
277 calories
6.5 gms. fiber
Tip: If you are unsure as to whether or not the biscuits are done, gently lift the center biscuit with a spoon to see if the underside is cooked or still appears doughy. If the biscuit appears doughy, continue to bake another 5 minutes.
Note: I use 1 16-ounce bag of mixed berries and 1 cup of raspberries to make the 4 cups of berries needed.

This recipe was adapted from "Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook".

Berry Sundaes

Frozen berries take on new life when mixed with a little sugar and cornstarch to become an ice cream topping. This recipe is easy and the topping is low in calories, high in fiber and a wonderful way of getting another serving of fruit into the diet. Of course, the addition of whipped cream causes the fat and calorie count to go way up, but what's a sundae without whipped cream? Blessings...

Recipe:

1 16-ounce pkg. frozen mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1. Drain juice off berries and add water to make 1/2 cup liquid.
2. In a medium saucepan stir together the sugar and cornstarch; whisk in juice until smooth.
3. Cook over low heat whisking constantly until mixture thickens and just comes to a boil. Set aside to cool, about 15 minutes.
4. Spoon berries into sauce being careful to not add more juice that may have drained off while they sat. If the sauce seems too thick to you, add a bit more of the juice.
5. Spoon sauce over vanilla ice cream and top with sweetened whipped cream.

Yield: 2 cups
114 calories per 1/2 cup serving
7 gms. fiber
Note: This sauce would also be good served over pound cake, shortcake or angle food cake.

Fresh Berry Sundaes

This past weekend my market was running an ad for fresh raspberries for $1.25 a basket. Well, I was in hog-heaven and bought four baskets for hubby and I to enjoy. In Idaho, these little beauties are usually $2.99 - $3.99 for a 6-oz. basket, so I'm careful about when I purchase them. When I got home, I washed and sugared the berries, mixing them very gently and left them to sit and create their own juices while I prepared our dinner.

To serve, I spooned about 3/4 cup berries over 2 scoops of French Vanilla Ice Cream and topped with whipped cream. Yummy!

I think other berries, or maybe fresh sliced peaches would also be very good. A wonderful fruit dessert, almost guilt-free, right? Blessings...

White Chocolate Mousse with Berries

This recipe is yummy! I hadn't made this mousse in a number of years, so decided to give it a try again this week. I was pleased with how easy it is to put together, with only five ingredients, and such a lovely looking dessert.
Enjoy this wonderful mousse for one of your family meals soon.

Recipe:

1 cup whipping cream
2 tbsps. sugar
1 pkg. (3 oz.) lite cream cheese, softened
3 sqs. (1 oz. each) white baking chocolate,
   melted
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries or 2 cups rasp-
   berries or blueberries

1. In a mixing bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add the
    sugar, beating until stiff peaks form, set aside.
2. In another mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add melted
    chocolate and beat until smooth. Fold in whipped cream.
3. Alternate layers of mousse and berries in parfait glasses, ending with berries.
4. Garnish with additional whipped cream and a berry, if desired. Refrigerate

Serves 4
Note: Strawberry Soup recipe is posted on post dated 4/10/12

Berry Pie

The dessert I served for our dinner Saturday evening is a variation on a pie recipe I got out of my 2000 "Taste of Home Annual Recipes" cookbook. The original recipe comes from The Elsah Landing Restaurant in Illinois and is called "Ozark Mountain Berry Pie". It is wonderful! My variation is simply to cut down some on the lemon juice and use thawed, frozen berries, rather than fresh. I also had some leftover pie crust in the freezer, but didn't have enough for a two-crust pie, so I made it a deep-dish pie this time. It worked out just fine and saved me precious time.

Some of the thawed, frozen berries cook down and get soupy, but the flavor is wonderful and in these leaner times a bit more practical. We ate the pie warmed up a bit in the microwave with French vanilla ice cream on the side. This is comfort food at it's best. Blessings...

Ozark Mountain Berry Pie:

1-1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
3/4 cup cold water (include juice from the drained thawed berries)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1- 16 oz. pkg. frozen mixed berries, thawed
2 cups frozen blueberries, thawed
pastry for double-crust 9" pie

1. In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch.
2. Drain juice from berries and combine with water to make 3/4 cup. Stir liquid and lemon juice into sugar until smooth.
3. Add berries; stir gently. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat; cool.
4. For deep-dish pie, I used an 8" x 8" Pyrex baking dish. Pour the berry filling into the pan and cover with crust. I brush my crusts with milk and sprinkle with sugar crystals. It looks pretty when done. Be sure to cut through the crust with a knife to make slits for venting the hot steam. If you are making a double-crust pie, line the pie pan with the bottom pastry. Add filling. Roll out remaining pastry; make a lattice crust. Seal and flute edges.
5. Cover edges loosely with foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Remove foil; bake 40 - 50 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool completely. You may need to re-cover the pie with foil if it starts to brown too much.

Serves: 6 - 8