Blackberry Custard Torte

I've recently returned from my annual summer vacation in Maine. I love Maine. And I love that the blackberries are always ripe when I visit in August. This year, my mom had a brand new kitchen for me to bake in (she had a kitchen remodel done just a month after my visit LAST August) and a family friend invited me over to his house to pick wild blackberries. My five year old and I headed over and I picked enough (I say I, because he decided after picking about 3 berries that he was done and then found a spot in the shade) to fill a large berry basket.

Mom's request was this particular recipe, a blackberry torte which she told me she had made once, years ago. After a bit of hunting, we found the particular recipe she was after and my helper and I went to work.

First of all, I love cooking in Mom's kitchen, because she has all kinds of cool vintage kitchenware. Secondly, after years of baking in her very dark kitchen (it is a U-shaped kitchen with a single window) with walnut colored cabinets, it was like a dream to bake in her newly done space. Not just the color was changed, but the whole configuration of cabinets, making a much more efficient workspace. I had been looking forward to it all year! (Yes, strange things excite me)

So, let's get down to the recipe...

It is from the June/July 2000 issue of Taste of Home, and can be found online here.

Ingredients:

Dough will be very pasty and sticky

Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup cold butter (1 stick)
1 egg

Custard Filling:
3 egg yolks
16 oz sour cream
1/2 sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, divided
whipped cream

Combine flour, sugar and baking soda. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until crumbly. Add in the egg, stirring with a fork, until the dough forms a ball. It will be very sticky.  In an ungreased springform pan, press the dough on the bottom and up the sides, being careful not to leave any gaps. I found using a silicone spatula, slightly greased to keep the dough from sticking to it, worked really well.


In another bowl, combine the egg yolks, sour cream, sugar and vanilla, mixing until just combined. Spread half of the blackberries over the crust dough, then pour the filling over the top, spreading until smooth. Bake at 325F for 90 minutes. Center will be almost set and will fall after cooling. Once cool, add the remaining blackberries to the center of the torte.

To serve, remove the outside of the springform pan. Slice and add a dollop of whipped cream. Serves 14-16. Enjoy!

Spiced Blackberry Jam

I just love blackberries. I remember when I was growing up in Maine, they grew abundandtly (and still do) and you could pick them just about anywhere.  We had a campground that we always stayed at in the summer and the campsites were lined with raspberry, blackberry and black raspberry bushes.

One of the things I really wanted to make this summer was blackberry jam.  My grandmother did a lot of canning and made blackberry jam and it's always been one of my favorites.  It's just a little bit more tart than other berries and just so, so good.

Other than knowing that my grandma's jam was amazing, I just don't have the recipe for it.  So I searched a bit until I found a jam recipe than sounded good.  I finally found one at www.foodinjars.com.

Spiced Blackberry Jam
(adapted from www.foodinjars.com)


8 cups blackberries
4 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
freshly grated nutmeg
Juice of 1 lemon
1 packet liquid pectin

First off, prepare your jars.  This recipe made nearly 7 half pints for me.

Mash the blackberries.  If you want a seedless jam, you'll need to mash them up and put them through a fine strainer to remove the seeds.  I like the seeds in my jam, so I left them in.

In a large stock pot, add the berries and the sugar and bring to a simmer.  Add in the spices and lemon juice and bring to a boil.  Stir frequently to prevent burning and sticking.  Once the jam starts to thicken, add the pectin and return to a boil for 5 minutes.  I used my candy thermometer to monitor the temperature.  When it reached 220, I did the cold plate test (take a plate or bowl that's been in the freezer and put a dollop of jam on it.  When it gels, it is ready) and it was perfect.

Ladle jam into prepared jars, wipe rims, cover and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

I love the flavor of this jam.  The cinnamon and nutmeg give it just a nice little kick.  I don't think I'll be sharing this particular batch with anyone.

Summertime Dessert Series: Triple Berry Clafouti

Aren't these just gorgeous?  They are perfect and slightly tart.  My mouth is watering just writing this

My little munchkin and I spent an hour in the blazing California sun, in order to gather what amounted to about six pounds of beautiful, tart blackberries.  These berries are destined for all sorts of delectable treats.  Since we also had some beautiful raspberries to use up and I picked up another big tub of blueberries at Costco, I decided to try a dessert I have wanted to make for awhile, but hadn't gotten a chance to do: a clafouti.

Fresh from the oven!

According to Wikipedia, a clafouti is "a baked French dessert of black cherries arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter. The clafoutis is dusted with powdered sugar and served lukewarm."  This is obviously a deviation from that, but the idea is still the same.  This recipe is adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and calls for a mixture of 3 cups of berries.  I did a cup each of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries.

Triple Berry Clafouti
2/3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup soured milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup each blackberries, blueberries and raspberries


Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking or baking spray.

Mix berries together in the pie plate.  Combine all ingredients except the berries in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.  Add in a dash of salt.  The batter will be very thin.  Pour the batter over the berries in the pie plate.

Bake for 50-55 minutes (I baked mine for 50 minutes and it was perfect) or until the top is puffy and lightly browned.

Serve warm with either a light dusting of powdered sugar or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This is nice for a summer dessert or brunch.  It tastes best when it is fresh from the oven!

This post is linked to:

Sweets for a Saturday

This Chick Cooks