Tag Archives: Raspberries

Triple Berry Streusel-topped muffins

January 12, 2012 – 8:00 am

In my last post I shared some of the reasons that I love brunch.  One of the reasons that I failed to mention was that I have so many recipes in the “Breakfast/Brunch” section of my recipe collection that I am dying to try!  I need excuses like hosting or attending brunches to make these recipes because while I do eat breakfast everyday, it is usually not something quite as indulgent as most of the recipes that I want to try are.

My mother-in-law made these muffins with fresh blueberries and the reason that I loved them so much was because of how cakey they were.  Fresh berries can be more expensive this time of year so I made these with a frozen berry blend of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries and they were just as delicious.  The really special part is the crumby streusel topping which provides a nice crunch and extra sweetness.

Triple Berry Muffins with Streusel Topping

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: bake breakfast dessert blueberry fruit raspberry muffin

Ingredients (12 muffins)

  • 1 1/2 cups flour, plus 1/3 cup for streusel
  • 3/4 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup for streusel
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 cup berreis (fresh or frozen berries, thawed)
  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease or line muffin pan with liners.

In a large bowl, combine 1 1 /2 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder.

Add oil, egg and milk and mix with an electric mixer until well blended.

Fold in blueberries.

To make streusel, in a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, butter and cinnamon with a fork.

Fill muffin cups 1/2-2/3 full of batter and sprinkle tops with streusel.

Bake 22-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into muffin comes out clean.

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combine dry ingredients for muffins

add oil, egg and milk and mix

fold in berries

combine streusel ingredients in a small bowl

fill muffin pan 1/2-2/3 full

sprinkle the streusel over the batter

bake

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Raspberry Coconut Scones

October 4, 2011 – 8:00 am

Earl Grey and I go way back.  When I have a cup, it is like visiting a comforting friend.  When I need to relax or am chilled to the bone, nothing soothes me like a hot mug of Earl Grey tea with a splash of milk.  I have so many fond memories of having tea with my mom, grandmother and aunts.  And even now when I return home, there is a small group of ladies that my mom and I get together with and drink tea and visit for hours.  As you might expect, I enjoy a sweet with my tea.  Scones are one of my favorite tea party treats.  I love that scones are a bit dry and crumbly because that makes the tea that much more refreshing and rehydrating.  Also, any baked good that not only I, but the majority of society acknowledges as an acceptable breakfast food gets extra points in my book.

I have not met a scone that I did not like, but I particularly enjoy scones with fresh fruit in them.  Again, there is something about the contrast between the burst of fruit juice and the dry scone that is very pleasing to me.  It is for those reasons that I love these Raspberry Coconut Scones.  In my opinion, they are the perfect crumbly scone texture and the tart burst of berry flavor marries so nicely with the subtle sweetness of the coconut.  Who’s up for a tea party?

Raspberry Coconut Scones

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: bake breakfast dessert raspberry scone

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 3 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 6 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 2 eggs, plus 1 egg for wash
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 1 cup rinsed and dried fresh raspberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender, mix in butter until well blended and mixture resembles a coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, cream and almond extract together.

Pour egg mixture into the dry ingredients and combing with a spatula until dough comes together. Gently fold in coconut and raspberries.

Place dough onto floured work surface and gently form into a disc about 1 inch tall. Use a pizza cutter or spatula to cut dough into wedges.

Place scones onto baking sheet. Whisk remaining egg and brush scones lightly with egg wash.

Bake 16-18 minutes until lightly golden brown. Enjoy with tea and good company!

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mix butter into dry ingredients

pour egg mixture into the dry mixture

 fold in raspberries and coconut and place dough onto floured work surface

cut dough into wedges, place onto baking sheet and brush with egg wash

bake and enjoy

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Fruit tart on a steamy summer day

July 20, 2011 – 4:00 pm

The heat has been sweltering here in Minneapolis.  Not to mention the humidity.  When I walk outside and immediately feel like I am in a sauna, rich ooey gooey treats do not sound as appealing to me.  Instead I crave cooling treats with fresh summer fruits.

This fruit tart is one of my husband’s favorite desserts.  I like it because decorating it makes me feel like an artist and it allows me to let my creative juices flow.   The tart starts off with the recipe that I use at Christmastime for cut-out sugar cookies.   When this dough is pressed into a baking sheet, the end result is a perfectly thick and chewy cookie crust.  I top the perfect sugar cookie crust with a cream cheese frosting smear and at that point, it is a blank canvas for whatever fruit toppings I have chosen.  Finally, a simple fruit preserves glaze and it looks like it could grace the cover of a food magazine.  Ok, maybe not, but it really will impress your friends and family!

Fruit Tart

by Mercedes Porter

Keywords: bake dessert snack fruit cream cheese cookie

Ingredients

For the crust

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 3/4 cups flour

For the cream cheese frosting

  • 1 package cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla

For the glaze

  • 1/4 cup apricot or peach preserves
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

For the crust

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Combine flour and baking powder in medium bowl

With mixer on medium speed, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy

Add eggs and vanilla

Add dry ingredients in three additions, scraping down sides of bowl as needed (DO NOT chill this dough)

Roll out dough onto floured surface and then press dough into baking sheet

Bake 12 minutes or until lightly browned

For the cream cheese frosting

Mix cream cheese and vanilla using mixer and then add sugars; mix until smooth and creamy

For the glaze

Heat preserves and water in saucepan stirring until combined

Strain through mesh strainer to remove and fruit pieces from preserves

Cool

Assembly

After crust is completely cooled, spread frosting onto crust

Arrange fruit (be creative-this is where it becomes your work of art!)

Drizzle cooled glaze over fruit

Can be refrigerated or served immediately

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And the best part is that when you are finished there is inevitably going to be left over fruit and maybe just a spoonful of frosting……

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Nectarine berry galette after a fresh catch

July 5, 2011 – 8:00 am

My dad recently returned from a fishing trip in Alaska.   Last weekend we were at the family lake cabin again and got to indulge in his fresh catches.  While dinner was being made, I was thinking about dessert (you know me and my sweet tooth).  I wanted something light and refreshing to compliment the lovely fresh fish and I did not want to go to the grocery store.  With plenty of fresh fruit around, I decided to make a galette.  The beautiful thing about this dessert is that you can make it with whatever fresh fruit you have on hand regardless of the time of year.  In the fall and winter it is wonderful with apples or pears and in the spring and summer the sky is the limit:  peaches, plums, nectarines, berries, etc.  So while preparations for the fish feed were underway,

I whipped up my favorite pastry dough, pâte brisée, sliced some nectarines, rinsed some berries and while we devoured the fresh salmon and halibut, dessert baked in the oven.  To top of this simple summer delight, I made some ginger whipped cream.

Pâte brisée                      (Recipe from Martha Stewart)

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice water
  1. Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined.    Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 5 seconds.
  2. Drizzle water evenly over mixture. Pulse until mixture just begins to hold together, about 10 seconds. (Dough should not be wet or sticky.) Press dough into 1 large disk (for mini pies) or 2 small disks (for large pie), and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.

(I was at the lake cabin and therefore did not have a food processor so I used my hands which worked just fine.)

Roll out dough on floured work surface

Place dough onto parchment-lined baking sheet

For the filling:

  • 4 cups of your fruit of choice
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar

Mix ingredients and pour or arrange fruit over pastry crust

 Fold crust over partially covering fruit working in a circle

Brush top of pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar

Bake at 450° for 20 minutes or until golden brown

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream (for my ginger whipped cream, mix 1 cup whipping cream, 1 tsp ginger paste and 1/2 cup powdered sugar with a mixer until medium to firm peaks form)

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Summer cocktails: Peach Sangria and Raspberry Mojitos

July 2, 2011 – 8:00 am

Summer not only has me craving fresh fruit in my desserts, but also in my cocktails.  I was given an idea for a drink with fruit in it at that 30th birthday party that I was telling you about a few weeks ago.  My version is like a white peach sangria with a little bubbly to top it all off.

White peach sangria

  • 1 bottle white wine (I prefer Sauvignon Blanc)
  • 3 cups fruit such as peaches, berries, mangoes (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 bottle sparkling peach wine

Place fruit in a pitcher and pour wine over fruit.  Let fruit soak in the wine for 2-3 hours.

Pour wine with fruit into glasses, top with sparkling peach wine and enjoy!

One of my favorite cocktails is a mojito.  Sometimes I am a purist and like my mojitos to be traditional with just mint, lime and rum, but other times I like to mix it up and add some other fruity flavors.  Tonight it was raspberry and they were the perfect cool and refreshing drink for a beautiful summer night.

Raspberry mojito (adapted from Surdyk’s Liquor & Cheese Shop Summer Drinks)

  • 1/2 ounce fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp fine sugar
  • 5 mint leaves, plus more for garnish
  • Crushed ice
  • 4 ounces raspberry juice (or a blend of juices including raspberry)
  • 2 ounces white rum
  • 1 ounce club soda
  • Raspberries for garnish
  1. Put lime juice and sugar in glass and stir until sugar is dissolved
  2. Add mint leaves and crush or muddle them against the side of the glass with back of a spoon or muddler (this releases the mint oils)
  3. Fill the glass with crushed ice
  4. Add fruit juice, rum and club soda and stir
  5. Garnish with raspberries and mint

CHEERS!!!!

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