When I created sass & veracity more than four years ago, it was to give myself a space to write about my life as it relates to food — with just the hint of a smirk on my face.  The chances of my being completely serious about it never occurred to me at the time even though I’ve always been someone who is passionate about food.   I wanted to be light-hearted about it all, never expecting that I would be writing precise directions for recipes or searching for just the right light to shoot photos of the food we ate on a day-to-day basis.

What I did expect was stories — stories connected to life’s often pivotal moments and weaving it all together.  Stories about pregnancy and Monday night post Lamaze class burritos.  Sunday morning hamburgers and Charlie Chan. Or stories about why cold yams and spilled milk will always remind me of one of my grandmothers.  Biscuits and old boyfriends, raw shrimp cocktails and romantic dinners at home, and an old, dear doggo who loved tortilla chips.  Stories just like that.  And in the process, I thought perhaps I’d keep myself (and my best friend) focused on a diet we’d promised ourselves we’d go on, thinking if it’s written down, then we’ll stick to it.

Right.  When pigs fly.

I also thought that considering the number of cookbooks I own and food magazines subscribed to, trying new recipes and talking frankly about them would be a fun diversion.  After all, it’s what I’d done for years minus a food blog.  With my youngest son just beginning high school at the time, and mulling over a stay-at-home-mom status for the first time in my life, I knew I’d look forward to that diversion.  There was no real hustle bustle in our small family of three, no school lunches for little kids to pack, and nary a picky eater in residence to cater to.  Instead, my life-long affection for cooking would continue to grow, fueled by new found time to experiment with flavors I’d not tried before, and techniques I’d been too busy to find time to learn.  So I rolled up my sleeves and got busy.

But something happened along the way.  As seemingly hundreds of millions of new food blogs have appeared — okay, thousands? –  I began to feel as if a current I hadn’t anticipated was pulling me along with it.  If discovery is in order — and it should be — then heading in an unexpected direction could constitute quite an adventure.  But there’s a huge difference between looking around and feeling as if one is on a freeway during rush hour in LA instead of a lazy river paddling a kayak, or on a mountain trail, hiking through the trees.

Give me the river or mountain trail on any day.

So it makes sense then, that I’d enjoy cooking from Simply Scandinavian:  Travelling in Time with Finnish Cuisine and Nature by Tero Kallio and Kimmo Saira.  It’s a breath of fresh air.  Although my husband and I enjoy traveling, we’ve never been to Scandinavia, so our knowledge of this area of the world and its cuisine is lacking.  If asked about what marks the region’s cuisine as being unique, I’d struggle to come up with an idea outside of the ebelskivers we enjoyed in Solvang, CA many years ago, the Finnish Pulla I once made, or more realistically, the food displayed in Marcus Samuelsson‘s beautifully photographed book, Aquavit.  It’s all new to me.

At first glance, Simply Scandinavian looks like something I’d expect to see on a coffee table instead of a kitchen — especially my kitchen.  I’m not the neatest cook. Its glossy pages of large photographs featuring seasonal flora and fauna mingling with those of fresh ingredients featured in recipes would need to be protected from my splashing and stirring to preserve its beauty.

As much as the book features dishes “faithful to the Scandinavian tradition,” influences from other regions are acknowlegded as are the effects of interesting times in history where ingredients were affected by war shortages.  With an open mind I scanned the ingredients lists to get an idea of just how different this cuisine might be, surprised by what I found.  Many recipes included ingredients I’ve never heard of and had to do a bit of research on to begin to consider what might be substituted.  Vendace, sal ammoniac, cloudberries, swede, and most unusually, beestings, were all ingredients I googled.  Other ingredients such as reindeer, moose, birch sap, treacle, and rose hips were more familiar, but perhaps not as easily found in San Diego for a home cook wanting to sample Scandinavian dishes.

Organized by seasons, each section of Simply Scandinavian provides recipes for appetizers, main courses, and desserts.  A simple vegetable “Summer Soup” caught my eye as did the “Strawberry Meringue,” both of which would be lovely to enjoy at this time of year.  The “Cep Pie” sounds fantastic, but I’ll have to substitute mushrooms available here, so I’ve tagged that one for another time.  “Karelian Stew” which includes beef sirloin and pork loin with vegetables in beer laced with allspice berries is also on my list of recipes to sample.  Many of the main course recipes include allspice as well as some sweetness provided by a syrup, or fruit, so I decided to begin with “Loin of Pork, Cauliflower Puree, and Dark Beer Gravy” which called for treacle, a syrup.  But I’ll post that another time.   “Blueberry Cheesecake” is perfect to try now since blueberries are so plentiful and the recipe required no cooking — something that appeals to many home cooks.

Blueberry Cheese Cake

Ingredients

Base:

200 g (7 oz) digestive biscuits

80 g (2.8 oz) butter

Filling:

1 litre (8.4 cups) blueberries — ***see notes below

100 ml (3.4 fl oz) water

5 sheets gelatin

600 g (21 oz/1.3 lb) cream cheese

400 ml (13.5 fl oz) double cream

200 ml (6.8 fl oz) (4/5 cup) sugar — ***see notes below

1-1/2 tablespoons vanilla sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

icing sugar

Directions

Crush the biscuits into crumbs using a food processor.  Mix with the melted butter into an even paste.  Press the paste into the bottom of a dish with a detachable base covered with baking paper.  The biscuit base should be approximately 5 mm (0.2 inch) thick.

Pour the water and blueberries into a saucepan.  Pulp the berries with e.g. a pestle  Boil for a while.  Strain through a coffee filter, this gives you a clear blueberry juice.  Pour the juice back into the saucepan.  Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for about five minutes.  Squeeze the water out of them and add them to the blueberry juice at a low temperature.  Wait until the gelatin melts.  Allow to cool.

Whip the cream.  Mix the cream, cheese (*see notes below), sugar, lemon juice, blueberry juice and whipped cream.

Stir until the mixture becomes evenly purple.  Cover the biscuit base with the mixture.  Smooth over the surface of the mixture with a spatula.  Allow to rest in its dish in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight.  Decorate with blueberries and icing sugar.

Recipe Notes:

• If you’ve never cooked from an international recipe, then having a kitchen scale is invaluable for many reasons.  It makes it very easy to create the recipe without having to do conversions yourself, but more importantly, it provides a way to make sure that the English measurement and its international conversion is accurate.  There were some discrepancies printed in the original recipe.
• ***The recipe calls for 1 liter or “8.4 cups” of blueberries, but  1 liter = 4.3 US cups — about 50% less than what the recipe states.  And since this recipe is calling for the juice of the blueberries to be used, I immediately worried about ending up with a thin mess so went with the 1 liter measure for the whole blueberries.
• The recipe mentions that the blueberries should “boil for a while.”  I allowed the juice to boil just until reduced to 2 cups of juice.
• There’s a liquor store not too far from our house that has a convenient selection of British pantry items — like Mcvities digestives — but I went with the gingersnaps in my own pantry.  I’d used them in a cheesecake before and knew they would work out just fine. Most often, I bake the crushed cookies after they’ve been pressed into the pan before adding the filling.  But in this recipe, there’s no baking involved and the crust — although discoloring due to the intense color — holds up fairly well.
• On the gelatin sheets:  there are 10 sheets to 1 oz of powdered gelatin, so 5 sheets equal 1/2 oz of powdered gelatine.  I added water to it to soften it before mixing it into the blueberry juice.
• Once the gelatine had dissolved into the blueberry juice, I poured it mixture into a different container to allow it to cool to room temperature.  The recipe directions instruct “allow to cool.”
• ***I used extra fine sugar and did notice the recipe called for “fl oz” for what is normally a dry ingredient.  I used the ml measure and forged ahead.
• Instead of vanilla sugar, used 1 tablespoon of liquid vanilla.
• I allowed the cheesecake to set overnight before piling on the blueberries and sprinkling with powdered sugar.
• The flavor is fresh, fruity, and pleasant.  The texture is more like that of a chiffon pie, and although the cream cheese is tasted, it’s not as strong as what I’m accustomed to in a traditional cheesecake.
• Speaking of the cream cheese:  the directions include another typo, I believe.  There should not be a comma between “cream” and “cheese.”  At first I wondered about whether there was a quantity of cream not listed which wasn’t whipped.  A technicality, but an important one should someone think to add liquid cream to the filling ingredients.
• To release from the pan, apply a very hot, damp cloth to the exterior of the pan until light pressure on the bottom allows you to push it upward.  It stores nicely in the fridge, and even travels well should you want to share it with others.
• I’d love to try a mixture of berries or perhaps other fruit — like mangos — or if cloudberries grew here in San Diego, that would be perfect.
• Lovely recipe!
• I was not paid to review this book, and the opinions I’ve expressed about it are my own.

Notes on what I learned about the ingredients found in Simply Scandinavian:

• Beestings, a primary ingredient for the “Beestings Brulee” recipe is essentially colostrum, or the liquid mammals secrete before milk is produced.  Here is a great piece on cooking with colostrum from a New Zealand small farms website.
• Nettles are used to make a pesto sauce in one recipe, and although I’ve heard others in the food world discuss their favorite method for preparing nettles, I’ve only seen them while hiking in our local mountains with 6th graders who were cautioned about steering clear of them. to avoid a painful rash.  They’re called stinging nettles, and interestingly enough, are considered a noxious weed in California.  From what I’ve read, soaking them before preparing them removes the “sting.”
• Treacle is a syrup produced in sugar refining, much like Golden Syrup.
• Vendace, a fresh water fish found in colder regions of the world can be one of many varieties of whitefish such as this one, and is considered endangered in some areas.
• A swede is a rutabaga, or “yellow turnip.”
• I found a source for reindeer or caribou meat online, but would rather not link to it.  It’s amazing what one can find on line, isn’t it?
• Sal ammoniac has been used in baking to produce crispness in cookies as well as to make a salty licorice candy popular in Scandinavia.

 Other sources featuring recipes from this cookbook:

Melecotte — “Beetroot Burgers“

mommie cooks — “Simply Scandinavian:  A Cookbook Review”

Mastering Finnish Cooking – Finnaussity — “Simply Scandinavian”

cook your dream — “Simply Scandinavian and Rye Canneloni”

As the rest of the food world in the northern hemisphere is beginning to notice the gold and amber in leaves, refreshing dampness in the air, and hope to soon realize their desires for large pots of savory delicacies or comforting treats made of apples and cinnamon, I’ve decided that a bit of lime and blackberries are in order.  After all, the southern hemisphere is just now packing away flannels and sweaters, perhaps wanting bright flavors that conjure a dreamy afternoon spent in a place perfect to accomplish not much of anything.  I wouldn’t mind that about now, sitting here with slippers and a sweater wrapped about myself, our windows snapped shut earlier than I can remember in years. October will be here in a couple of weeks, and still the warm fall days I expected to make up for a summer that never really was, have still not arrived.  The air here is damp as well, and the salt-tinged breezes blowing in from the ocean tend to be brisk, making my evening walks a good time to breathe deeply, taking it all in.  It’s good weather for taking stock, and thinking about what might be if one can put her mind to it — always a good thing.

Some would say cupcakes are always a good thing as well, but I’m not sure I agree, not completely understanding the semi-maniacal swoon inducing craze  over what amounts to a bite or two of cake.  A sometimes too precious thing that, if you’re not careful, will land frosting side down when you least want it to, spoiling the perfect swirl of creaminess that, when the first big bite is taken, often ends up in your nose.

Not exactly precious, but definitely hilarious.  A redeeming quality.

Key Lime Blackberry Swirl Cupcakes

2 c. all-purpose flour

1-1/4 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 c. butter

1-1/4 c. sugar

2 lg. eggs

2-1/2 T key lime juice

1 T lime zest

3/4 c. buttermilk

seedless blackberry jam*

For the frosting…

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1-1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 T lime zest

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a standard 12-cup muffin pan

In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sugar until creamy, then add the eggs one at a time, beating each until well-blended.  Add the zest and mix well.  In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk, the final third of flour being added last.  Mix well.

Fill each paper cup with about 1/3 cup of batter.  Spoon about 1 T of blackberry jam in the center of each, and with a wooden skewer, swirl it into the batter.

Bake until tops are golden and centers set, about 20-25 minutes.  Allow to cool briefly in the pan before removing cups to cool completely on a baking rack.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting by adding all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and beating on medium speed until light and fluffy.  When cupcakes are completely cooled, frost and decorate if desired.

Notes:

• This recipe was adapted from one published in the September 2008 issue of Bon Appetit that was very popular, appearing on the cover and sporting a very green color.  I decided blackberry jam wouldn’t look especially appetizing with a day-glo green happing around it, so no green.
• Fresh blackberries were pretty pricey when I made these back in April, so I used a high quality jam instead.  We’re getting blackberries from Oregon right now and they’re fairly inexpensive.  If you want to make a quick jam to fill these cupcakes, you can use your microwave and a Beatrice Ojakangas recipe I’ve tried quite a few times and used to fill one of my Danish Braids (which are perfect for fall weather, by the way).  Take 2 cups of berries and mash them in a large bowl or pyrex measuring cup safe for microwave use.  The mixture will bubble up quite a bit when it cooks, so the large bowl is important.  Stir in 1 cup of sugar and microwave on high for 10 minutes.  Remove it, stir well, then microwave again for about 5 minutes, or until nearly all the liquid is gone, and the mixture is glossy.  Add 1-2 T fresh lemon juice and stir well. Cool to room temperature before sealing and chilling.  Use it as you would any jam.  Quick and easy!
• Yummy cupcakes.  The flavor combo is fabulous, and it’s a nice spin on an already good cupcake.
• Goodness knows everybody else has their own spin on them, so if you haven’t tried them, what are you waiting for?
• Wait.  Is that a bit of frosting you have in your nostril?

I suppose you could convince me there is a dessert that typifies summer more than shortcake, and you might be able to string me along for a while before I came to my senses to explain delicately that, at least to me,  not much else can compete.

My shortcake memories go back years, but they always begin the same:  with a biscuit.  Not a slice of angel food cake, or pound cake.  A lowly biscuit.  One that, if you’re me,  would normally be found on a plate filled with beans, rice, and coleslaw.  That kind of biscuit.  The one that not much else can compare to when it comes to soaking up juice and binding everything together, whether it’s dessert or not.

Sure, I’ve tried a variety of recipes, combinations of flavors and ingredients, but in the end I’m only truly satisfied with that slightly salty bite of biscuit and the tart sweetness of fresh berries tempered by the richness of cream.  It’s fabulous.

Recently, my husband surprised me with Thomas Keller’s latest book, ad hoc at home.  He’d heard that the man himself would be visiting a local Williams-Sonoma so decided to wait on his lunch hour in a rather lengthy line to get Keller’s signature for me.  Not only was I touched by the gesture, I couldn’t wait to dig into the recipes.

You know what it’s like to get a new cookbook.  You leaf through the pages, savoring each possibility, wondering what might measure up to your expectations without killing yourself on the first attempt:  buttermilk fried chicken…rubbed and glazed pork spareribs…iceberg lettuce slices…No, it was the buttermilk biscuits that got my attention first.  I have to admit I did go back to the iceberg lettuce slices (you have to try his Blue Cheese Dressing), but the biscuits are what I first settled down to make knowing instantly they were destined for berry shortcakes.

Think about it.  They’re perfect for the picnic of all summer picnics — July 4th.  You make them the day before, cool them completely before sealing their crispy freshness away so you can split them and then dollop on some cream and berries that have had a chance to sit for a while to develop a lovely, syrupy juice.

There is an art to this if you want to take some time with it, and if you’d like to consider another ingredient you may never have tried before which is perfect with berries, try mascarpone.  I’m partial to mascarpone, so when I saw that Keller included it in a recipe for peaches and cream, I had to try it giving it my own spin, of course.

If you’re thinking that it may not travel well, think again.  With a few recycled jars filled and kept in an ice chest, you’ll be able to turn out the perfect summer dessert for your July 4th holiday, courtesy of inspiration from Thomas Keller, of course.

Mixed Berry Shortcake with Lemon Mascarpone Cream

For the biscuits…
2 c. cake flour
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t + 1 tsp. kosher salt
1 T baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 lb. unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
1-1/2 c. buttermilk
2 T unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the chilled cubes of butter and with your fingers, “pinch” them into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse meal with chunks no larger than the size of small peas.  Add the buttermilk and with a wooden spoon, gently stir and “lift” the mixture, slowly working in the flour until all dry ingredients are dampened.  The mixture will be quite wet.

On a surface lightly dusted with flour, pour out the dough and with flour dusted hands, pat out a 3/4″ loose rectangle.  Dust a glass or biscuit cutter with flour and press into the dough, removing each piece onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Gather the bits and pieces together gently and press to repeat the process until all the dough is used.

Lightly brush the dough cutouts with buttermilk and bake for at least 15 minutes or until biscuits are a golden brown in color.  Remove the biscuits when done to a rack to cool completely.

For the lemon mascarpone cream…

4 lg. eggs, separated
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. mascarpone or cream cheese, room temp.
1 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

With a standing mixer, whip the egg whites until they are foamy.  Add half the sugar gradually with the motor running until stiff, glossy peaks form.  Scrape out into a bowl and reserve.

In the same mixer bowl, add the egg yolks and the remaining sugar and whip until the mixture is very pale and thick.  Whip in the mascarpone until well blended and scrape into a large bowl to reserve.

Clean the mixing bowl and whip well, and pour in the heavy cream.  Whip until soft, medium peaks form.  Add the lemon zest and juice and mix. Add this creamy mixture to the egg yolk mixture by thirds, carefully mixing to lighten it before the next third is added.  Add the whites a third at a time, folding carefully so as not to deflate them.  When all are incorporated, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight if possible.

For the berries…

6 oz. blackberries
6 oz. blueberries
8 oz. strawberries
2 T raw sugar
balsamic vinegar

Hull the strawberries and quarter them.  Add the blueberries and blackberries to a large bowl and mix with the strawberries.  Sprinkle over 2 T raw sugar and gently toss.  Splash with balsamic vinegar if desired and cover, allowing to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.

To serve, split a biscuit, dollop on a large spoon of lemon mascarpone cream, then pour over the berries and juice.  Cap the dessert with a biscuit top and serve.

Notes:

• This recipe was inspired by Thomas Keller’s ad hoc recipes.
• I loved these biscuits.  Keller makes them in a food processor, but I’m so used to just pinching the butter between my fingers, I didn’t bother to get out my Cuisinart.
• The key to the butter is to cut it into small squares and briefly freeze them.  The butter needs to stay as cold as possible when mixing.
• These biscuits are salty, and that’s what makes them so good.  Wow.  Definitely brush on the buttermilk before baking.  It makes an amazing crust on the biscuits.
• I guess I should mention if you’ve not already noticed that raw egg goes into this lovely lemony cream mixture, so for those who need notice, there it is.
• Don’t balk on the splash of balsamic vinegar in the berries.  It enhances the flavor perfectly!  If you’re brave enough, add a sprinkle of basil chiffonade and mix it in.  Not only is it beautiful, it’s tasty.
• Truly, decadently light and delicious.
• You might get creative and use small jars to create individual desserts.  The biscuit goes first in the jar then screw on the lid.  When it’s time to serve, the lemon cream and berries can be added.
• If you have to take this dessert on the road, then just pack up the parts in jars and chill well until you need them.

I thought I’d have more time to write at this point in the year, but I’ve been preoccupied by my youngest son’s graduation from high school, as well as planning for a fall trip to the UK — our first official empty nest vacation. Is there such a thing?

Both events provide me an excuse to spend time at my Mac even though one is rarely needed.  Who knew that sifting through 18 years of significant world events, pop culture, family photos and memories could be so time consuming?  Each rediscovered piece of a life gives me pause, and I can’t resist indulging myself more time than is necessary to collect this piece or that to add to a collection that will commemorate my son’s big milestone.  Memories of my own graduation day and those of my two older sons have me counting the years since, amazed at how truly quickly they have passed.

When I become too maudlin,  trip planning commences and the details of deciding which route to take from London, how many nights to spend where, and which pubs might best entice us to stop and sample a pint or two gives me something to look forward to. It doesn’t quite distract me from wondering how it will feel after so many years of having growing boys in my house, to have none.

Oh my goodness.

I’d say it’s time for some ice cream, wouldn’t you?  Or what about sherbet?

Definitely.

Berry Buttermilk Sherbet

6 oz. raspberries

6 oz. blackberries

6 oz. blueberries

1/2 c. raw sugar

1-3/4 c. buttermilk

juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 tsp. cardamom

Add all ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth.  Pour into the container of an electric ice cream maker and run until frozen, but soft enough to spread into a container to place in the freezer.  Seal well and freeze 1-2 hours before serving.

Notes:

• This was adapted from a recipe in the June 2010 issue of Sunset magazine.
• First things first:  Sherbet is pronounced like this. There is no “r” in the second syllable.  But you knew that, right?  Just checking.
• Why is this a sherbet and not a sorbet?  Sherbet contains dairy products, although most often the fat content is quite low compared to that of ice cream.  Sorbet contains no dairy products.
• If the idea of seeds from the berries concerns you, then puree them first and force them through a sieve.  This in not my favorite thing to do, and I don’t mind the seeds, so no sieve and sherbet far more quickly.
• If you wanted to make this without an electric ice cream freezer, spread in a shallow metal baking pan and freeze it for 30 minutes.  Remove from the freezer and using a spatula, scrape the sherbet from the bottom of the pan and then smooth it out again.  Repeat as needed until firm enough to scoop.
• If it hardens too much to scoop, allow it to sit at room temperature about 10 minutes to soften a bit.
• Highly recommended. The berry flavor is intense, the buttermilk provides a pleasant tang, and it’s not too sweet.
• Guaranteed not to make you feel guilty, and much more healthy compared to ice cream.  Think of all those lovely antioxidants!
• OOH-LA-LA bowl below courtesy of a very nice lady who gifted it to me chock-full of fudge sauce.  Thanks, Carolyn!

In the months before my youngest was born, my mother suggested to my husband and I that she live with us to care for the baby after I returned to work.  We’d been looking for a larger house since my two older boys were on the verge of their teen years, and adding a third child meant room to stretch would be important for us all.  She knew I wasn’t looking forward to leaving the baby with a caregiver, and was growing tired of her own job, the hours it required, and the physical pain it caused her.  My husband is a far more easy going person than I could ever be, so he agreed and we changed the focus of our search to a home with four or five bedrooms instead of three.

We happened on to the perfect house one day by misreading the directions I’d written down.  An open house was just concluding and the realtors were preparing to leave.  We thought it looked perfect from the outside, but as soon as we entered — all heading in different directions — we were convinced.  It had only one owner in its 40 year history and was unique in so many ways.  Tucked into a hillside on a half acre shaped like a slice of pie, it faced east and overlooked the mature trees in the valley.  The back property hadn’t been cared for in years, but was a wealth of possibilities;  apricot, plum, tangerine, orange, grapefruit, loquat, and nut trees filled the space. It was perfect.

The year we moved in, the winter rains were especially heavy.  Slowly, the parched hillside turned green and bulbs planted years before began to push through layers of fallen leaves.  Sprigs of grape vines and berry bushes also appeared.  Saturday mornings before sunrise, the baby would wake earlier than I wanted, but it allowed us both some time alone.  With a bottle in his hands and coffee in one of mine, we’d walk up the hill in the early quiet of the day to see what new surprise we might find, finally growing after so many years of neglect. I loved that house.

Our trees often produced more than we could enjoy, so after freezer jam had been made, berries frozen, juice made, and sweets baked, we’d pack it up and set it down by the street with a “Free” sign.  It rarely took long for passers by to stop and help themselves to the produce, emptying the buckets we’d carry back up the hill to fill again.

Now, I have to depend on the market for most of what we used to give away, but I have learned recently of many organizations involved in gleaning urban fruit for a variety of purposes.  Whether it’s to gather and donate to those in need, or pluck and enjoy to keep it from rotting on the ground, interest in urban fruit foraging is gathering momentum as we all begin to think more responsibly about food.

I was gifted a big bag of Meyer lemons not too long ago, so had to pair them with the blackberries showing up at the market.  The berries will never compare with those we picked on our hill, but until I find them growing wild in San Diego, I’ll have to be tolerant — or do without.

But then, there is this pie…

Meyer Lemon and Blackberry Chiffon Pie

For the crust…
1-3/4 c. Honey Maid graham crackers (about 12 whole)
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. minced crystallized ginger
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350º F. In a large mixing bowl combine graham crumbs, sugar, salt, and minced ginger. Add butter and stir until mixture is evenly moistened.

Transfer crumb mixture to an 8″ x 2″ fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, and press crumbs firmly and evenly onto bottom and up sides to top of dish. Set on a baking sheet and bake about 15 minutes or until crust is firm and slightly darker in color. Allow to cool completely on a baking rack at room temperature.

When completely cool, spread blackberry jam (see below) over the bottom of the crust.  Add a layer of fresh blackberries over the jam and set aside.

For the filling…
3/4 c. strained fresh lemon juice
3/4 c. plus 2 tablespoons sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 tsp. finely grated lemon peel
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 c. water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1-1/4 c. chilled whipping cream
1/4 c. powdered sugar
2 c. ice cubes (or more as needed)

For the blackberry layer…
1/3 c. seedless blackberry jam
10 oz. fresh blackberries

Combine water and gelatin in a small bowl and allow to soften, about 15 minutes. In a medium sauce pan, add cold water and ice cubes to fill half way and set aside.

In a small saucepan mix sugar, lemon juice, egg yolks, grated peel and salt over medium heat. Whisk constantly until mixture thickens (mixture should mound like curd) and thermometer registers 175º F, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add gelatin mixture, stirring until smooth.

Place saucepan in ice bath, stirring occasionally and refilling ice as needed until filling is cool to touch, about 10 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form, add sugar, and continue to whip until firm peaks form. Fold 1/4 whipped cream into lemon mixture until combined. Fold in remaining cream in 3 amounts.

Pour lemon filling over the blackberry layer, mounding slightly in center. Chill until set, about 4 hours, or overnight.

Notes:

• This pie is plain delicious, not complicated to make, and can be made a day ahead.  What more could you ask for?
• The original recipe does not include the blackberry layer.
• I saw the original recipe in two places with only one crediting Chef John Folse (who has an amazing number of recipes I plan to drool over in the next few days).
• I used a graham cracker crust recipe I’ve tried before in my Key Lime Cheesecake instead of the gingersnaps called for in the original recipe and added the crystallized ginger.  Honestly, I don’t think I could taste the ginger.
• Lemon and blackberry compliment one another perfectly, but what doesn’t go well with lemon?  Raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries are all tasty and would work in this pie.  Or, you could use a mixture.
• I reduced the amount of lemon zest because the amount of lemon juice in this recipe is substantial.  The result is excellent, so I can only imagine that three times the zest would make an extremely tart pie.  Maybe.
• The crust is fabulous with this.  It’s crunchy and holds up against the filling perfectly.  No soggy crust at all!
• It stores in the fridge just fine with no covering.
• Have too many lemons?  Remove the zest and freeze it for later.  Squeeze the juice from the lemons, measure 1 T of juice and pour each into the container of a plastic ice cube tray.  When they’re frozen, pop them into baggies to store.
• Avoid storing your citrus with apples.  It will ripen and mold very quickly!

Urban Foraging, Gleaning, and Giving:

• Neighborhood Fruit — Nationwide organization that connects people who want to find and/or share fruit, as well as forage for fruit growing on public property
• Ample Harvest — Organization that helps gardeners with surplus fruit and vegetables donate to those in need.
• Village Harvest — Organization that promotes sustainable use of urban resources by organizing backyard fruit harvesting for donation to the needy as well as provide education about fruit tree care, harvesting, and preservation.  Great backyard orchard resources.
• The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation — FTPF plants edible fruit trees world wide to benefit the environment and its inhabitants
• Fallen Fruit — Los Angeles organization that works to redevelop the idea of community and the relationship between those who have resources and those who don’t
• Veggie Trader — An organization working to put backyard produce to work for the community, the environment, and those in need

This past Christmas, my husband’s sister had the idea to surprise their parents with a trip to England.  For as long as I’ve known my dear father-in-law, he’s wanted to travel there, so it took little effort to consider cashing in our points, and settling in to plan.  It’s been several years since our first trip there, and it remains the only place where I’ve vacationed that I didn’t want to leave.  Although we barely saw London that trip, we did manage to cover about 750 miles driving through Devonshire, Wales, and the Cotswolds.  My husband’s white-knuckled grip never completely adjusted to the need to drive on the opposite side of the road, but we did find maneuvering the roundabouts hilarious after a time, rarely missing a turn off when one was called for.  Although it was equally terrifying to be the navigator on the trip at times, I was more likely to enjoy endless views of rolling green hills and quaint villages, each more picturesque than the last.

As much as we think of scones being breakfast fare here, we only had them once on our trip, and not for breakfast.  We happened into a small restaurant just before closing time in Harlech, Wales, after a day of sightseeing and castle exploration.  We had some tiny scones and other treats with the cream tea the staff was kind enough to serve even though they’d clearly finished for the day.  It was a perfect break considering we’d come from Conwy, in Northern Wales,  early that morning, and were headed to Milebrook House near Knighton on the English border, about 100 km away.  It’s funny to think about now, and I refer to it as Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, but it wasn’t humorous at the time.

Hopefully, the trip I’m planning this time won’t be as hectic.  It should help to have a spry, natty octogenarian with us.

Blueberry Lemon Scones

2/3 c. buttermilk

1 lg. egg

3 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

8 T cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 c. fresh blueberries

1/2 sugar

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Measure the buttermilk, then add the egg and beat well.  In a large bowl, pour the flour, baking powder and soda, and salt.  Whisk to mix well.  Add the cold butter pieces and using your hands, “pinch” the butter through the dry mixture thoroughly until it’s grainy-looking.  Add the blueberries, sugar, and lemon zest using a fork to lightly mix before pouring in the buttermilk mixture.  Toss lightly with the fork, working to dampen all of the dry ingredients without over mixing.  Pour the dough onto a lightly floured counter and with your hands, gather it into a smooth mass.  Make a large ball, flatten it a bit, then divide into 8 pieces.  Gently press each piece into a ball and set on a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for about 35 minutes or until richly brown.  Brush with some butter and sprinkle each with sugar if desired.  Allow to cool about 20 minutes before serving.

Notes:

• This is a more solid dough for scones than what I’m used to working with.  The idea of making a ball of dough is a bit odd, but it works quite well.  I used fresh blueberries, and surprisingly, very few of them were smashed with the handling.  Frozen blueberries would work just fine as well.  Don’t thaw them out — just add them frozen.
• I used meyer lemons for this — they’re sweeter than regular lemons and I was lucky enough to have a few I’d been given.  It always helps to know someone with a lemon tree!
• As much as fresh scones hot from the oven sound, let these sit — even longer than the 20 minutes I did.  They’re very light in texture and although very tasty, fairly delicate.
• We tried some with the melted butter and sugar, and some without.  The added calories aren’t necessary at all.  They’re flavorful enough without either.
• This recipe can be made with plain yogurt or powdered buttermilk as well if you don’t have fresh buttermilk.
• Adapted from Biscuits and Scones by Elizabeth Alston
• The blue plate is old.  The stamp on the back reads:  “Enoch Wood’s English Scenery, Woods Ware, Wood & Sons, England” and is circa 1917.  It’s transferware — pretty if you’re like me and collect blue English dishes, but not especially valuable.