Whole Wheat Blueberry (Almond) Bread

Summertime brings lots of fresh fruit to my apartment - or rather, it brings me to berry patches which results in me bringing home lots of fresh fruit. While I use some of the fruit quickly - eaten fresh with yogurt, stirring into scones, mixing into lemonade, or making preserves for future peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - I also store a lot in the freezer to pull out for later. A few weeks back, I was craving some blueberry bread, but wanted something healthier than the muffin-type breads I've made in the past. This loaf fits the bill - whole wheat flour, rolled oats, reduced oil content - and, of course, lots of juicy blueberries. I made the recipe twice over, once in a large loaf with only blueberries, and once in mini loaf pans with both blueberries and almonds. Both came out delicious!

Whole Wheat Blueberry (Almond) Bread (1 large loaf or 3 mini loaves)

2/3 c. packed brown sugar

3/4 c. skim or 1% milk (or try with almond milk, if you are lactose unfriendly or just want a different flavor)

1/4 c. applesauce

1/4 c. canola oil

2 eggs

2 1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. rolled oats

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, allow to thaw for 15-30 minutes)

1/2 c. almonds (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease either 1 8-9" loaf pan or 3 mini-loaf pans.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, milk, applesauce, and eggs.

3. In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, stir until just combined.

5. Fold in blueberries (and almonds, if desired). Pour into prepared pan(s).

6. Bake at 350F for 45-55 min or until a toothpick comes out clean. (I found that the smaller breads took about 45 minutes and the larger bread took about 55-60 minutes). Remove bread from the oven and allow to cool for ~10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn out onto a wire rack to continue cooling.

7. Slice and serve with a bit of butter, homemade preserves, or just on its own.

Black Raspberry Freezer Jam

And finally the berries come to an end...late Sunday afternoon, I put several bags of blueberries, raspberries, and black raspberries into the freezer for later berry exploits. But before I did that, I tried my hand at freezer jam. After letting the jam sit for the requite 24 hours needed for set, I had some tonight for dinner (on a PB&J sandwich) and found the jam to be quite thick and very mild in flavor - delicious!

This recipe comes from inside the Sure-Jell pectin package and uses less sugar than traditional jam recipes - if you make it, be sure to get the "pink box" of Sure-Jell (for less and no sugar needed recipes), not the regular "yellow box." The recipe calls for red raspberries, but based on my trial with black raspberries, it works just as well for those!

Black Raspberry Freezer Jam (~ 6-8 cups)
4 cups crushed black raspberries (about 3 pints before mashing)
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 box Sure-Jell for Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes Fruit Pectin
1 cup water
clean plastic or freezer-safe glass containers with tight-fitting lids

1. Crush raspberries using a potato masher, about 1 cup at a time, until amount of crushed berries measures 4 cups. Do not puree berries - there should still be some chunks of fruit.

2. Combine sugar and pectin in a large saucepan and stir until thoroughly combined.

3. Add water to sugar and pectin and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute and remove immediately from heat.

4. Quickly stir crushed berries into hot sugar and pectin mixture until thoroughly mixed.

5. Pour jam into prepared containers, leaving about 1/2 inch space at top for expansion during freezing. Cover containers.

6. Let containers stand at room temperature for 24 hours, until jam is set. Refrigerate for up to three weeks or freeze for up to one year (thaw in refrigerator).

Raspberry-White Chocolate Scones

Berry bonanza continues with this post - in which I attempt to recreate a raspberry-white chocolate scone from Longbottom Coffee and Tea in Hillsboro, OR. I can't be certain that I've replicated that particular scone, but these did come out quite good! If you happen to be in the Portland area and have a chance to swing by Longbottom, be sure to try their scones - the marionberry are also delicious.

Raspberry - White Chocolate Scones (~12 large or ~24 small scones)
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
1 egg
1 T. vanilla extract
2 cups fresh raspberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
raw or granulated sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375F and line 2 cookie sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. In a separate mixing bowl, combine milk, yogurt, egg, and vanilla extract.

3. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and stir until just combined and moist.

4. Stir in raspberries and white chocolate chips.

5. Drop batter by scoops onto prepared cookie sheets. For large scones, use about 1/3 cup better per scone. For small scones, use about 3 T. batter per scone. If desired, sprinkle with raw or granulated sugar.

6. Bake 25-30 minutes at 375F, until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Remove cookie sheets from oven and cool for about 5 minutes, then remove scones to wire rack to finish cooling.

Blueberry Muffins

Still working through the berries from Friday's picking expedition - this time, making fresh blueberry muffins for Sunday morning breakfast. These came out moist and slightly dense, chock full of juicy berries, and perfect either on their own or with just a small bit of butter. They are delicious served warm right out of the oven and hold up well for serving the following day, too.

Blueberry Muffins (~18 muffins)
3 cups flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
10 T. butter, softened (1 1/4 sticks)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 375F and grease (or line with baking cups) approximately 18 muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a separate large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each until mixture if fluffy.

4. Add half of dry ingredients to butter and sugar mixture, then add a third of the yogurt, stirring after each addition only until just mixed. Continue by adding half of remaining dry ingredients, a third of the yogurt, the remaining dry ingredients, and the remaining yogurt.

5. Fold in blueberries and stir until just mixed.

6. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 to 3/4 full. If any muffin cups are not filled with batter, fill about halfway with water (this will even out baking).

7. Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Remove muffin tins from oven and cool for about 10 minutes, then remove muffins to eat or to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Raspberry-Peach Smoothie

The berry parade continues with this quick and easy berry and yogurt smoothie. If you don't happen to have raspberries or peaches on hand, you can use blueberries, blackberries, mango, or whatever other fruits you do have. You can also spruce it up with a variety of mix-ins, depending on how sweet you'd like it (e.g., honey), if you want a boost of protein and vitamins (e.g., wheat germ), or some extra spicy kick (e.g., ginger).

Raspberry - Peach Smoothie (~ 4 servings)
1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt
1 cup fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1 cup fresh raspberries
ice (if desired)
mix-ins (if desired)

Combine yogurt, peaches, and raspberries (and any ice and desired mix-ins) in a blender and blend until smooth (about 30 seconds). Pour into a glass and enjoy! Left-over smoothie can be stored in the refrigerator (covered) for a day or so.

Fresh Berries - Raspberry Lemonade and Berry Topping

Since 4th of July falls on a Saturday this year, Friday was a holiday for most folks around here. And for once, the weather in the DC area was gorgeous - temperatures hovered in the 70s or just at 80 for most of the day, the humidity was low, and the sun was shining. Which means it was perfect weather for going berry picking. This time around, I decided to try a new farm, Larriland Farm in Woodbine, MD. Larriland uses integrated pest management, so their fruits generally have much less pesticide burden than other farms. In addition, Larriland has a large selection of fruits and veggies for people to pick. I didn't get around to everything that was in season yesterday, but I did get about 15 pounds of berries - blueberries and three varieties of raspberries (black, purple, and red).

I'll be posting a number of berry recipes resulting from this haul in the coming day. [UPDATE: Recipes are now posted for raspberry-peach smoothie, blueberry muffins, raspberry-white chocolate scones, and black raspberry freezer jam.]

For starters, here are two fairly easy recipes that I'll be bringing to this evening's Fourth of July celebration.

Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade
I can't claim all the credit, since I found this recipe in the July issue of Martha Stewart Living. However, I have switched the proportions around a bit. Also, Martha suggests spiking with vodka, if that's your style.

Raspberry Simple Syrup
4 cups water
2 cups fresh raspberries (I used a mixture of black, purple, and red raspberries)
1 3/4 cups sugar

Sparkling Lemonade
2 quarts lemonade (homemade or storebought)
1 liter sparkling water
Raspberries and mint for garnish

1. Bring water, raspberries, and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and gently mashing berries as you stir.

2. Strain mixture into a storage container and cool syrup. [Save the mashed berries to eat with yogurt or ice cream.]

3. In a large pitcher or punch bowl, combine raspberry syrup, lemonade, and sparking water. Serve over ice, garnish with fresh raspberries and mint.

Berry Topping (for angel food cake, pound cake, or ice cream)
4 cups berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice

Lightly toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Serve berry topping over cake or ice cream and top with whipped cream.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Pie

A few weeks ago one of my friends down in South Carolina posted pictures of strawberry picking with her girls - and gosh those berries looked delicious! Well, strawberries are finally in season here in the DC area, and last weekend I went strawberry picking at Homestead Farm in Poolesville, MD and stocked up on fresh strawberries.* I used most of my berries (about 12 cups worth) for two strawberry pies - the remainder (about 4 cups worth) I froze. Two notes about this pie recipe: (1) the chocolate is completely optional - if you don't want a chocolate layer in the pie, it will come out delicious with just the fruit; (2) because the berries aren't cooked, the pies will be quite juicy - so be sure to eat within a day or two of making!

*Homestead has a great selection of fruit throughout the summer - check out some of my blackberry and peach (another peach) recipes from last year's haul.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Pie (~ 8 servings)
1 pie crust
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water
6 cups strawberries, hulled
2 T. fresh lemon juice
2 T. butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 c. chocolate chips (I prefer dark chocolate - but white, milk, or dark will all work)

1. Prepare and bake a single pie crust, cool. I suggest using a store-bought frozen crust that is already formed into a pie plate for ease of preparation, but if you like to make your own crust, follow your favorite recipe.

2. Puree two cups of berries. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and water. Stir in berry puree, lemon juice, and butter. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly (up to one hour).

3. Melt chocolate chips. [There are many ways to do this. One of the easiest is to fill a large pyrex measuring cup with boiling water and set a small bowl with chocolate chips on top of measuring cup. As chocolate softens, stir until smooth and liquid.] Pour chocolate over bottom of pie crust, forming a thin layer - use a spoon to spread if necessary.

4. Add 2 cups of berries to pie crust and pour half of puree mixture over berries. Add remaining berries and puree mixture. Refrigerate until cooled throughout, at least 4 hours.

5. Slice and serve. Top with whipped cream or ice cream!

Blackberry Pie

At the berry patch today, we were dreaming of many potential treats while picking blackberries. While some of the group headed home to can, I decided to use some of my berries in my first attempt at making a lattice-top pie. Aside from a few oddly-sized strips, it turned out quite tasty!

Blackberry Pie (8 servings)
2 refrigerated pie crusts
5 cups blackberries (or other berries)
3/4 cup sugar (or 9 packets Splenda + 3/8 cup sugar)
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Place one pie crust in bottom of 9-inch pie plate.

3. Mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon, sprinkle ~ 2 tablespoons on pie crust.

4. Toss berries in remaining dry ingredient mixture until well-coated, then dump into pie crust.

5. Cut second pie crust into 1/2-inch wide strips. Place strips across top of pie in woven lattice pattern. Trim strips to size of pie, then fold extra crust from bottom over and seal edge of pie.

6. Bake 50 minutes. If desired, place foil around edge of pie to protect crust edge - remove halfway though. After removing pie from oven, cool on a wire rack.

7. Slice and serve - top with ice cream or whipped topping!

Fresh Berries and Peaches

This morning several of us went out to Homestead Farm in Poolesville, Maryland to pick blackberries, peaches, and nectarines. Picking fruit is one of my favorite weekend outings - and today was no exception, as you can see from the photos! I got lots of fruit and after several hours of baking, cutting, and bagging, I've ended up with...

• 1 blackberry pie
• 1 peach-ginger crisp
• 9 cups of frozen blackberries
• 21 cups of frozen peaches
• 3 cups of frozen nectarines
• lots of fresh berries, peaches, and nectarines for snacks during the week

Stay tuned for more pictures and recipes for the pie and crisp!

In the meantime, take a look at my freezer...