sprinklefingers

wow. i’m gonna say it right now. 2011 might just be the best year for blackberries, ever. i mean, ever. ever. here in oregon i’ve had such good luck with the delicious gems. they’re huge. they’re the perfect balance of sweet & tart. and the farm stands are f u l l of them. hurrah!

a giant flat of blackberries showed up at the bakery and we set about turning them into delicious delights - scones? check. cobbler? check. pie? check. lucky for you i’m willing to share - here’s a recipe for a versatile blackberry filling…turn it into a pie, a cobbler or galette. you choose!

the superstar in this filling is cardamom. if you haven’t baked with cardamom before, you should. the scent falls somewhere between vick’s vaporub and freshly cut eucalyptus - but in the best way possible. when cardamom is mixed with berries & stone fruit it takes on this otherwordly flavor that’s difficult to describe. oh, wait. it’s not difficult, it’s delicious.

get your hands on some blackberries and start baking!

blackberry-stone fruit filling
for cobblers, buckles, pies, tarts - you decide!
enough for:
1 8x8 cobbler or buckle 
10 mini pies
1 9” pie or tart

you need:

• 4 cups large blackberries
• 1 large or 2 small yellow or white nectarines (or yellow or white peaches), pitted and cut into pieces roughly the size of the blackberries. (note: if you use peaches you’ll want to peel them. learn how here!)
• 4 T light brown sugar
• 2 T lyle’s golden syrup
• 2 T freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 T granulated sugar
• 1/2 t cardamom
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• hefty pinch kosher salt
• 2 T cornstarch

make the filing:

1.  in a large non-reactive bowl, mix the fruit together with all of the above - with the exception of the cornstarch - and let sit 3 hours. 
2. after 3 hours, strain the mascerated juices out of the fruit and reserve both the juice AND the fruit.
3. pour the juices into a small, heavy-bottomed sauce pan and set the pan over medium-high heat. 
4. allow the mixture to come to a boil and cook, stirring often, until the juices become thick and slightly caramelized. they will reduce by approximately half. let the juices cool slightly.
5. meanwhile, toss the strained fruit with the cornstarch.
6. once the juices have cooled a bit, pour them over the fruit and fold the mixture together gently.
7. now your filling is ready. pie? cobbler? tart? galette? the choice is yours.

BUT! just in case you can’t decide, here’s some help:

i like to turn this filling into pocket pies. i make a batch of rich & buttery pate brisee and then roll the brisee out and cut it into 4x6” rectangles. i fill these rectangles with a large spoonful of filling (plop the filling towards one end, not in the middle), brush the edges of the dough with egg yolk, fold the dough over the filling, crimp the edges, and bake at 375 for roughly 20 minutes. i like to top the pocket pies with a glaze made of heavy cream & confectioner’s sugar - then a good sprinkle of vanilla sugar. delightful!

oh oh oh! how is it already this late? i should have been in bed an hour ago!

i blame the bbc. their good food site sucked up 100% of my free time tonight.

there are many reasons to love good food. the first being that they call zucchini courgette. the second being their library of blackberry recipes. seriously, bbc? seriously?

and the third reason i love it? the search engine. seriously. i typed in ‘chutney’ and screamed out loud: EIGHTY results for chutney. EIGHTY!

sure all the recipes are written for folks across the pond - but after a few conversions it’ll be a piece of cake. i’ve already picked out what we’re having for dinner tomorrow night. and dessert, too.

thank you, good food.