Blackberry rye financiers and going crazy with ingredients

I know many people hate to go to the grocery store, but I must confess that to me that is a lot of fun (you can go ahead and call me crazy, no hard feelings). :)

My husband finds it funny that I can get really, really excited about a beautiful fruit or certain new products – a couple of weeks ago I saw a jar of lemon marmalade on the shelf and screamed at him “LOOK AT THIS!!” from the other side of the aisle – it is a good thing he knows me well and does not mind being stared at by strangers. :)

Another discreet moment *ahem* happened months ago, when I saw these teeny tiny blackberries in the supermarket – they looked so adorable I had to bring them home. My idea was to eat them with yogurt for breakfast, however they were really sour, even for me. So half of them became a crumble and the other half were added to these financiers, in which I replaced the all purpose flour for fine rye flour (the flour I mentioned here). It was such a beautiful combo of flavors I was very happy with the result – not to mention how cute the financiers look. <3

Blackberry rye financiers
own recipe

¾ cup (75g) almond meal
2 ½ tablespoons (25g) fine rye flour (the same kind I describe here)
½ cup (70g) icing sugar, sifted
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
3 egg whites (84g)
1/3 cup (75g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 teaspoons Amaretto
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (90g) small blackberries

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond meal, rye flour, icing sugar, cinnamon and salt. Whisk in the egg whites. Whisk in the butter, Amaretto and vanilla until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Butter eight 100ml-capacity molds or mini muffin pans.
Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the top. Divide the berries among the pans, placing them on top of the batter and pushing them slightly into the batter. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden and risen – a skewer in the center should come out clean.
Cool in the pans over a wire rack for 5 minutes, then carefully unmold and transfer to the rack, cooling completely.

Makes 8

Lemon blackberry cake - perfect for spring

If it is a problem for me to make banana cakes, I could never say the same about lemon cakes, right? ;)

It is very rare for me to not have lemons around, especially because I use them for many things other than cakes, and I love them so much that my husband brings a couple of lemons home every time he goes grocery shopping.

Adding frozen berries to cakes is a great idea as we’ve seen here on the blog lately, and in this case the blackberries give a whole new dimension to a simple lemon drizzle cake – a moist, tangy cake as easy to eat as it is easy to make (mine was gone pretty fast). :)

Lemon blackberry cake
slightly adapted from the stunning and delicious Indulgent Cakes

Cake:
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
125g unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
½ cup (50g) almond meal
125g sour cream*
150g frozen blackberries, unthawed

Drizzle:
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice
½ tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 21.5x11.5cm (8.5x4.5in) loaf pan (6-cup capacity), line it with baking paper and lightly butter the paper as well.

In a large bowl, combine sugar and lemon zest and rub with your fingertips until sugar is fragrant. Add butter and using an electric mixer, cream the ingredients together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and scrape the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla. Fold in the flour, baking powder, salt, almond meal and sour cream. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with half the berries. Cover with the remaining batter, smooth the surface then sprinkle with the remaining berries. Tap pan over surface to settle the mixture.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Set aside for 10 minutes and in the meantime make the drizzle: combine lemon juice, water and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 2 minutes.
Pour the hot syrup over the cake, then cool completely in the pan. Carefully unmold, peel off the paper and serve.

Serves 8

One fantastic rye pastry, two tarts: leek and cheese galette and plum and blackberry galette

One of the things I find most magical and fascinating about cooking is that even if you’ve been doing it for a long time – in my case, nearly 25 years – there always something new to try, or a new way to try something you already love: food is dynamic.

After making those delicious jam bars with rye flour, I began searching for other ways to incorporate the beloved ingredient in my baking and saw these beautiful apricot galettes in one of my favorite books (and one of the most beautiful I own, too). I like Amber Rose’s approach to food and everything I had made from her cookbook had turned out great until then, so I was really looking forward to trying her rye pastry.

It was a revelation.

As I ate pieces of the galettes, first the savory, then the sweet, I was mesmerized: how could that be so delicious?

Making the pastry was easy using a food processor, and as I rolled and folded it I kept thinking that the result would be a very flaky pastry, which is something I love – it indeed turned out flaky, and so tasty. Divine, actually.

When I placed the two little packages of pastry in the fridge for their final rest, I saw the leeks I’d bought for soup and had a sudden urge: instead of making two plum tarts, why not make one sweet and one savory? Dinner and dessert with one pastry recipe = perfection. :)

I cooked the leeks with some white wine (me and my love for booze) and paired it with cheese for the savory galette – it turned out amazing. The plum tart was really good, too. The rye pastry, besides being flavorsome and flaky, was great paired with both savory and sweet fillings. The recipe is a keeper and I hope you give it a go – I cannot wait to make it again with different fillings: tomatoes, goat’s cheese and thyme is a combo I would love to try with this pastry, and I bet that apples and pears would be lovely with it, too.

Rye pastry (enough to make both tarts)
slightly adapted from the beautiful and delicious beyond words Love, Bake, Nourish: Healthier cakes and desserts full of fruit and flavor

120g rye flour
120g all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
175g unsalted butter, cold and in small cubes
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
7-8 tablespoons ice-cold water
1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork, for brushing

Plum and blackberry filling
adapted from the same cookbook

4 plums, each cut in eighths
½ tablespoon honey
pinch ground cinnamon
8 frozen blackberries
demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Leek and cheese filling
own creation

1 large leek, white part only, sliced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ tablespoons white wine
60g gruyere, grated
1 tablespoon finely grated pecorino or parmesan, for sprinkling

Start by making the pastry: place the flours, salt and sugar in a food processor and blitz to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the vinegar and half the water and pulse until a dough starts to form – add more water if necessary, but do it gradually. Form a ball with the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Unwrap the dough, place on a lightly floured surface, and roll into an oblong shape about 20x28cm (8x11in) - don't worry if the dough is still a little crumbly; it will come together with the rolling.
Fold the dough into thirds (as if you were folding a letter), roll out to its original oblong shape, and then fold into thirds again. Repeat the process, then divide the dough in half, wrap each in plastic wrap and return to the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.

When ready to make the tarts, place each piece of dough onto large piece of baking paper and roll into a rough 25cm (10in) circle. Transfer each to a baking sheet.

Fruit tart: put the plums in a bowl with the honey and the cinnamon and toss to combine. Arrange the fruit on the center of the dough, top with the blackberries and drizzle with the juices left in the bowl (if there’s too much, use only half to avoid a soggy crust). Carefully fold one edge in towards the center of the fruit and continue folding all the way round, bringing the edge of the pastry towards and over the filling. Place the sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes – in the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

Savory tart: heat the butter and oil in a large nonstick frying pan. Add the leeks and cook until fragrant and beginning to turn golden, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, add the wine and cook until it evaporates, 2-3 minutes. Cool.
Arrange the gruyere on the center of the dough, top with the cooled leeks, then fold one edge in towards the center of the filling and continue folding all the way round, bringing the edge of the pastry towards and over the filling. Place the sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes – in the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

Brush the tarts with the egg wash (only the pastry). For the sweet one, sprinkle with demerara sugar. For the savory one, sprinkle with the pecorino.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Both tarts are delicious both warm and at room temperature.

Serves 4 (each)

Hazelnut blackberry financiers made with "safely" acquired berries

I was never an athletic child: while my brother and cousins liked being outside playing soccer or riding their bikes, I much preferred being inside, reading my comic books or writing stories. I was never able to do a cartwheel, and up to this day I haven’t learned how to ride a bike (you can go ahead and laugh, now). :)

One of my cousins, who was my age, was quite the opposite: she used to play with the boys, rode her bike with her hands in the air and could even climb trees. Her parents had a mulberry tree in their back yard and I loved eating the berries, but could never reach them; my cousin was kind enough to climb the tree and fill a small bucket with the berries for us to eat together - on the ground, safely, of course. :D

When I went berry picking with my friend Valentina years ago and saw blackberry bushes I thought “hey, this is so much easier!”, only to notice, a couple of steps forward, that the bushes were covered in thorns. :S

I think I should stick with buying berries at the supermarket, right? That is a lot safer. :) Having them in the freezer is great for when the baking urge strikes: here, the blackberries are paired with hazelnuts and the result is really delicious financiers.

Hazelnut blackberry financiers
adapted from the always delicious Simply Bill

85g hazelnut meal (finely ground hazelnuts)
135g icing sugar, sifted
55g all purpose flour, sifted
pinch of salt
5 egg whites
95g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
170g frozen blackberries, unthawed
icing sugar, for dusting

In a large bowl, combine the hazelnut meal, icing sugar, flour and salt. Stir in the egg whites until just combined. Stir in the melted butter and the vanilla. Cover and refrigerate the batter for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter and flour ten 100ml capacity mini cake or muffin pans.
Pour the batter in the pans, then top each with 3-4 berries, pressing some down into the batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden - the financiers should spring back when touched.
Cool in the pans for 2 minutes, then carefully unmold onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with icing sugar to serve.
Financiers are best served the day they’re made, but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Makes 10

Blackberry and almond upside down cake + a memory from long ago

The first upside down cake I ever saw was a pineapple one made by Ofelia on TV – I believe it’s fair to say that she was the Brazilian equivalent to Julia Child and I loved her cooking show when I was younger (11-12 years old, to be more precise). Back then, her show was aired weekday mornings, while I was at school, but my brother would tape it every day for me – you might think he did that out of sheer kindness but in fact he did it because he knew that I would cook and bake all those delicious recipes as soon as I got home. :D

Many years later, when I started blogging, I saw Martha’s gorgeous cranberry upside down cake and fell in love with it, but unfortunately fresh cranberries do not exist here in Brazil. That image got stuck in my head, though, and after that I ended up making upside down cakes with other flavors, but I have to say: this blackberry version, a recipe from DH magazine, is the prettiest and tastiest of them all.

Blackberry and almond upside down cake
slightly adapted from the always amazing Donna Hay Magazine

450g frozen blackberries
1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar, divided use
125g unsalted butter
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
slightly heaping ¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
½ cup (50g) almond meal
2/3 cup (160ml) buttermilk*

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 20x7cm round cake pan (do not use one with a removable bottom or the juices will escape), line the bottom with a circle of baking paper and butter the paper as well.
Place the blackberries on paper towels and let them thaw slightly while you make the cake batter.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, 180g of the sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, almond meal and buttermilk and beat on low speed just until incorporated. Set aside for a moment.
Cover the bottom of the baking paper with the blackberries and sprinkle with the remaining sugar (70g). Spoon the batter over the berries, then bake for about 50 minutes or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for about 2 hours or until just warm. Carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate, remove the pan, then the paper.
Serve it on its own or with whipped cream.

* homemade buttermilk: to make 1 cup buttermilk place 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a 240ml-capacity measuring cup and complete with whole milk (room temperature). Wait 10 minutes for it to thicken slightly, then use the whole mixture in your recipe

Serves 8-10

Little fig and blackberry pies + "Sid & Nancy"

One of my goals for last year was to use my cookbooks more often and I am very pleased with how it turned out – I did use them a lot and intend to keep doing that. For 2012 I have a new goal: to watch more movies, especially the ones I, for some reason, did not watch in the theater.
I started off with “Sid & Nancy” – because of my Oldman-being-nominated frenzy – and well, one could say I started with the right foot: not only is the movie really good – deals in a very raw way with a very raw subject – but it also shows that this man was born to be an actor; he develops the character in such way that I had mixed feelings about him throughout the movie, and he adds, very subtly, a layer of frailty to Sid Vicious that one probably wouldn’t expect to see on a punk. I don’t need to tell you about the perfection of his visual transformation because that is something he’s done in every single movie he’s made so far. I really liked “Sid & Nancy” but drama is always my first movie option; if you’re a comedy kind of person think twice before watching it.

***

I live in an apartment and (unfortunately) do not own an orchard like Nigel Slater, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy his delicious recipes – these wonderful pie recipe comes from “Tender II”; the pastry is so good and easy to work with that figs and blackberries do not need to be your first option for the filling – apples with a sprinkling of cinnamon is what I have in mind for the fall. :)

Little fig and blackberry pies
slightly adapted from the absolutely beautiful Tender, Volume 2 (mine was bought here)

Pastry:
1 2/3 cups (233g) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (46g) icing sugar, plus a little extra for dusting
pinch of salt
½ cup + 2 tablespoons (140g) unsalted butter, cold and diced
1 large egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
200g blackberries – I used frozen, slightly thawed
4 large figs
2 tablespoons honey
juice of 1 lime
2/3 cup (66g) almond meal

Lightly butter four 10x5cm (4x2in) deep tartlet or mini cake pans. Set aside.
Place flour, icing sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and blitz to combine and remove any lumps. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the yolk and the vanilla and process just until the dough starts to come together. Transfer dough to a large piece of plastic wrap and bring it together into a disk, then into a fat cylinder. Chill for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Rinse the fruit, roughly chop the figs, and toss with the blackberries, honey, lime juice and almond meal.
Cut the pastry into four, then flatten each piece on a floured board and use to line the tart pans, leaving the excess pastry overhanging the edges. Pile the filling into the tart cases, then loosely fold over the pastry – it should not meet in the center, but instead leave a gap through which the fruit is visible.
Place the tarts on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the pastry is very golden and the fruit is bubbling. Dust with a little icing sugar and eat warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 – I made the tartlets using these mini cake pans (with removable bottoms)

Nectarine and blackberry crumble

Last time I posted a crumble recipe here I told you about one movie I loved watching as a kid – this past weekend I finally watched, from beginning to end with no interruptions, my husband’s favorite movie as a kid, “Stand by Me”; it amazes me how someone who directed this movie and “Misery” is also responsible for “Rumor Has It…” – that’s life, I guess. :)

To go with the subject above another crumble recipe – this time I’m using nectarines, which are in season here now.

Nectarine and blackberry crumble
adapted from the absolutely beautiful Tender, Volume 2

3 nectarines, pits removed, coarsely chopped
generous ½ cup blackberries – I used frozen, unthawed
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon corn starch

Crumble topping:
½ cup (70g) all purpose flour
2 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
2 ½ tablespoons (35g) unsalted butter, room temperature, chopped
2-3 tablespoons flaked almonds, lightly toasted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Have ready two 1-cup (240ml) capacity ovenproof ramekins or cups.
In a small bowl, mix the nectarines, blackberries, sugar and corn starch. Divide equally between the ramekins.
In a medium bowl, place flour, sugar and butter and, using your fingertips, rub the ingredients together until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the flaked almonds and mix. Sprinkle over the fruit mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden and fruit is bubbling.
Serve with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream.

Serves 2

Pastel vasco with blackberry compote

I have been using my cookbooks a lot more lately and there’s one person to be “blamed” for that: my baking buddy, the lovely Susan. :)
Putting my cookbooks to good use was one of my New Year’s resolutions and I’m glad it’s one I’ve been able to keep.

This cake has become one of my favorites: it’s already filled when you remove it from the oven and the rum smell is just wonderful; the batter is not very sweet cake – and I think that’s why it goes really well with the compote. I did not toast the cake slices as the recipes calls for, but only because it was gone before I had the chance to. :)

Now I want to know if Susan liked the cake as much as I did - I've had a quick look of her stunning cake and that is making me drool already. :)

Pastel vasco with blackberry compote
from Sunday Suppers at Lucques

Blackberry compote:
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean
1/3 cup (80ml) water
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 heaping cups (300g) blackberries – I used frozen, slightly thawed
2 tablespoons brandy

Pastel vasco (cake):
2 ¼ cups + 1 tablespoon (325g) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (212g) granulated sugar + a little extra for sprinkling over the cake
14 tablespoons (196g) unsalted butter, melted + 3 tablespoons (42g) unmelted
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (60ml) fresh orange juice
1 cup heavy cream, to serve

Start by making the compote: pour the sugar into a medium saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and use the back of the knife to scrape the seeds into the sugar. Add the water and bring to a boil over medium heat, without stirring. Cook about 10 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture in an amber caramel color.
While the sugar is caramelizing, stir 2 tablespoons of water into the corn starch in a small bowl. Set aside.
When the sugar has reached the desired color, add half the blackberries and the brandy to the pot – be carefully for the mixture will spit. The sugar will harden. Continue cooking for 3-5 minutes, without stirring, over medium-low heat, until the berries release their juices and the sugar dissolves. Strain the berries over a bowl and pour the liquid back to the saucepan. Transfer the cooked berries to the bowl and stir in the remaining uncooked berries. Bring the blackberry caramel back to a boil over medium heat and slowly whisk in the corn starch mixture, a little at a time. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens. Pour the thickened juices over the berries and stir to combine. Set aside to cool completely.

Now, the cake: sift the flour and baking powder together. Set aside.
Whisk 3 eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the sugar, melted butter, rum, vanilla extract and orange juice. Fold in the dry ingredients, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F, generously butter a loaf pan*.
Pour ¾ of the batter into the prepared pan, and spoon ¾ cup blackberry compote over it. Top with the remaining batter, letting some of the berries show through.
Beat the remaining egg and brush some of it over the batter. Sprinkle with a handful of granulated sugar over the top. Bake for about 1 hour, or until risen and golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (I used a long, thin knife so it would reach the bottom of the pan).
Let the cake cool completely in the pan over a wire rack. Unmold, and then cut into little less than 2cm (¾ in) slices, and butter lightly on both sides.
Warm the remaining compote in a small saucepan over low heat.
Heat a griddle or large cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Toast each slice of cake lightly for a minute or two each side, until it’s golden brown and crispy. Arrange the slices on a plate, spoon the warm compote over and serve with a small pitcher of cream.

* since the size of the pan is not mentioned on the book, I made ¾ of the recipe and used a 20x8cm loaf pan

Serves 6-8

Jam swirled muffins

There’s something you need to know: I’m addicted to the blackberry lemon jam used in this ice cream recipe – I’ve eaten it with crackers, poured over panna cotta... I just can’t get enough of it.

I thought the jam would go wonderfully mixed in muffin batter – I don’t mean to sound pretentious, but I was right. :D

Jam swirled muffins
adapted from Dorie's lemon poppy seed muffins

2/3 cup (133g) caster sugar
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup jam of your choice – if too thick, thin it with a little lemon juice (I used this recipe)

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F; butter or spray 12 regular size muffin pans.
In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add sugar and mix. In a large glass measuring cup or small bowl whisk together the yogurt, eggs, vanilla and melted butter until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk lightly with a fork – do not overmix the batter, otherwise you’ll end up with tough muffins. Add the jam and whisk lightly, to keep the marbled effect. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack, cool 5 minutes, then carefully unmold. Let cool completely on the wire rack.

Makes 12 – I halved the recipe, used 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity pans and got 8 muffins

Cheesecake ice cream with blackberry lemon swirl

After very cold weeks we’ve been having 30°C (86°F) days here in Sao Paulo – not very wintery, I admit it, but perfect for ice cream. :)

I bookmarked this delicious recipe last year but never made it during summer – that’s what happens when one has too many recipes on their “to try” list: lots of wonderful ideas to try, but not enough time to do it. :)

I tweaked Natalie’s recipe just a little to use the blackberries and lemons I had around, but she did not mind at all. :)

Cheesecake ice cream with blackberry lemon swirl

Blackberry lemon swirl:
generous ½ cup blackberries, fresh or frozen – I used frozen, unthawed
½ cup (50g) caster sugar
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
finely grazed zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup (60ml) water
1 tablespoon corn starch

Cheesecake ice cream:
112g (4oz) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (200g) caster sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (180ml) whole milk
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 ½ cups (360ml) heavy cream

Start by making the blackberry lemon swirl: combine blackberries, sugar, lemon juice and zest in a small nonreactive saucepan. In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch and add to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a boil and thickens – while you stir, break the blackberries with a fork so they dissolve into the jam.
Let cool completely.

Now, the cheesecake ice cream: in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy and smooth. Add the egg and vanilla, mix until creamy and set aside.
Bring the milk to a boil over medium-low heat. Remove from the heat and add ¼ cup of the milk to the cream cheese mixture and mix until combined and smooth. Continue with 2 more quarter cups of milk and then add the entire mixture back to the pan with the rest of the milk.
Stir over medium-low heat until thickened slightly (should take around 3 minutes). Remove from heat, strain mixture and cool for 10 minutes. Combine the zest, heavy cream and cream cheese mixture together then refrigerate for 1 hour. Pour into your ice cream machine and freeze according to manufactures instructions.
When ice cream is thickened and finished freezing, slowly pour in the blackberry lemon syrup and let ‘swirl’ a few times in the machine before turning off - you can also do this by creating layers of the ice cream to a container and adding the syrup between layers , then swirl with a knife a few times.

Serves 6-8

Free form cherry and blackberry pies

I got a little carried away with all the beautiful cherries available at this time of the year and ended up buying tons of them: some I ate – delicious! - and some were transformed into baked goods. :)

After some email talk with my friend Ana Elisa – she’d been deciding on whether or not to buy a food processor – I decided to buy one, too. I’ve been using it a lot and even regret not buying it earlier – making the pastry for these tarts was dead easy using my newest toy. :)

Free form cherry and blackberry pies
adapted from Donna Hay magazine

1/3 cup (75g) unsalted butter, cold and chopped
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
½ tablespoons caster sugar
1-1 ½ tablespoons iced water

Filling:
1 cup cherries, pitted and halved
1 cup blackberries
1 ½ tablespoons corn starch
2 ½ tablespoons caster sugar
finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
2 tablespoons almond meal
1 tablespoon caster sugar, extra

To make the pastry, process butter, flour and sugar in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. While the motor is still running, add enough iced water to form a soft dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To make the filling, place the cherries and blackberries in a bowl, sift over the corn starch and add the sugar and lemon zest. Toss to combine.
Divide the pastry in half and roll each piece on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick. Place the pastry on a large baking sheet lined with baking paper and sprinkle with the almond meal. Pile the berry mixture into the middle of each pastry disc and sprinkle with the extra sugar. Fold over the pastry to form an edge, partially enclosing the berries. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until pastry is golden and crisp.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 2