MangiaMore: BLUEBERRY summer dessert

RER 6.29.15

Crumble, cobbler, brown betty, crisp, grunt, slump, buckle… whatever it’s called… we made a blueberry summer dessert. This hybrid treat has elements of each of these semi-distinctive (but maddeningly similar) summer favorites like the doughy biscuit parts of a cobbler and the crunchy sweet topping of a crisp.

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RER 6.28.15

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RER 6.28.15

In many ways our blueberry concoction is most like a brown betty. A brown betty has the saucy warm fruit in between layers of yummy crumbs. Whatever we made has sweetened cooked blueberries squeezed between a soft cobber-like airy dough on the bottom and a crisp candy like streusel topping. Our whatchyamacallit had the best of both worlds (and is the perfect base for large amounts of ice cream) using two separate recipes for the bottom and for the topping.

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AJR 6.28.15

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The tart tang and tiny pop of the blueberries complemented the layers surrounding the fruit filling. The streusel topping studding the sea of blueberries softened with sugar and time mirrored the bursting quality of the dark skin of the berries. It crunched with the texture of crystallized and browned sugar, similar in effect to the feeling of changing berries on the tongue. While the cloud-like cake resting at the bottom of the dessert recalled the inside meat of the fresh blueberries, it was lush, fluffy, smooth and light.

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These three disparate layers came together to make a textural playground, the rise and fall of feelings and varied profiles. And the combination happens to be perfect for Independence Day (which is just around the corner) or your next backyard barbecue. A blueberry whatchyamacallit screams summer!

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6.28.15

RER 6.28.15

MangiaMore: CHEESECAKE(s)

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RER 7.30.14

In honor of National Cheesecake Day last Wednesday, I went in.

My sister announced one of the most important days of the year by saying “july 30 = national cheesecake day. get on it.” She was so direct, but so correct. So I got on it. I couldn’t just make one plain cheesecake —it’s a celebration! Many mini cheesecakes. Done.

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RER 7.30.14

I’ve made cheesecake before. I went wild with a sinful salted caramel cheesecake pie for Thanksgiving last year. Not a super run of the mill, plain old cheesecake, that’s just not me.

This time, I dared to make four flavors with different add-ins or toppings using the Philadelphia Mini Cheesecake recipe.

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Blueberry Lemon

For this little gem, I added a little bit of fresh lemon juice to the filling. Um, yum. This made the heavy cake feel a little lighter and fresher, like summer. And the blueberry lemon compote topping took advantage of beautiful summer blueberries. The combination of the smooth cheesecake and that sweet and tart fresh compote was absolutely lovely.

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Oreo Sprinkle

We had Oreos. And we had sprinkles. Boom. Oreo sprinkle cheesecake. My mother questioned my sprinkle addition, but I was baking and I wanted sprinkles. I saw them at the very top of one of our cabinets, next to the cookie cutters, food coloring and extracts, and I went with it. I wanted to add some fun and color to these babies. Even though they look a little funny and silly, they had just the right amount of chocolate to tone down the sweetness from the base, graham cracker crust, and explosion of rainbow sprinkles.

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White Chocolate Strawberry Swirl

I’m going to say right now, swirling is not my forte. I was hoping that these would turn out pretty and refined, but they didn’t. Boohoo, they still tasted bomb. Melted white chocolate chips went in the filling and heated strawberry jam (Bonne Maman is my jam!) was “swirled” in with a knife. Can’t say they look superb but they are pretty darn tasty.

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Caramel Almond

Well, mostly just almond. I failed at the caramel. Oh well, t’was super delicious anyway. This little guy had some ground almond mixed in with the graham for the crust and some golden Disaronno in with the creamy filling. This might have been a favorite within my test group, for its simplicity. Just yum.

Do anything special for National Cheesecake Day? Like, I dunno, stuff your face with sexy cheesecake…

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7.30.14

MangiaMore: BLUEBERRY pie

RER 7.4.14

Let’s just get this straight, right off the bat— I am not entirely sure I like blueberries or blueberry pie and I am not entirely sure I liked this blueberry pie. This was my first time making blueberry pie, and perhaps even tasting homemade (well almost) blueberry pie. With all that said, our pie was decent— the filling was pretty tasty, but the store-bought crust was far less than tasty.

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RER 7.4.14

RER 7.4.14

My boyfriend wanted to make one of these fruit pies for the 4^th of July festivities and I got excited. I like to bake new things and eat baked things. We kind of just picked the first recipe we saw, and used it as the base. Boyfriend wanted to add a few extras: lemon zest, lemon juice and mint. I was like, why the heck not.

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It resulted in a very floral filling. The tangy blueberries melted to sweetness once cooked, while the lemon brought back the tart memories. Though subtle, the mint created a rounded edge, adding to the floral brocade.

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The pie was nice, but it was easy to tell we cheated. The crust was just not on the same level as the layered filling, lacking depth, character and love. Unfortunately, that purchased crust was the downfall of the pretty pie, tainting both texture and flavor to displeasure. Next time I make a pie, I will definitely go all out Martha and construct a homemade crust.

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RER 7.4.14

What did you bake for America’s Birthday? Have you been taking advantage of the delicious seasonal fruits? Anything good or out of the ordinary I should try with summer season fruits or veggies? Would love to hear from you!

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7.4.14

RER 7.4.14