I'm so excited to share these blackberry recipes with you!
I tried every one of them at the Driscoll's party and they are really tasty. Plus, I have my first ever giveaway. Somehow I walked away with an Extra Goody bag - so one lucky reader will get it!
Driscoll's Tote Bag, Driscoll's Fruit Colander,
NEW Cookbook from Rick Rodgers, a Driscoll's Apron,
and a Driscoll's Flash Drive with all the recipes,
and a Coupon for berries worth $5.00
Retail value: priceless (hee hee)
Scroll to the end to see how you can win.
Back to the recipes.....
My favorite of the evening was the tartlet. And you're not going to believe this. There was goat cheese in the tartlet and I didn't even know it because you mix it with cream cheese. Even though I liked it, I won't use any goat cheese when I make this because I'll buy the wrong kind and it will taste like barn. I'll just go with cream cheese all the way. 'Cuz you know me and all things goat. Blech.
I would totally make all five dishes for Christmas except my sister-in-law is hosting and she doesn't eat pork. So that won't work. And I'm not sure the kids will eat fennel. I know they would like the tartlets and dessert.
I'll have to have a little dinner party so I can make this fabulous spread.
Chef Rick added one more side dish to the menu which was Mashed Sweet Potatoes. My friend
Rachael is not a sweet potato fan and she told the chef she wanted to roll around in the potatoes.
I'm pretty sure that means she liked them. I know when my dogs roll around in stuff it means they are happier than happy. Not that Rachael is a dog or anything.
This isn't turning out like I hoped.
Moving on.....
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| Blackberry Cobbler Cocktail |
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| Savory Cheese Tartlets wih Blackberries |
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| Roasted Fennel |
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| Pancetta-Wrapped Pork Roast with Blackberry Sage Compote |
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| Blackberry Pear Cobbler with Almond Granola Topping |
The contest. I almost forgot.
Two ways to enter.
1) Leave a comment here. Tell me your favorite Christmas tradition.
2) Tweet this post. And leave a second comment that you tweeted.
Thanks and good luck, Mom. I mean good luck everyone!
I will draw the winner on Friday, December 9th.
Now on to the Blackberry Recipes from Rick Rodgers and Driscoll's Berries:
Blackberry
Cobbler
Serving Size: 1 cocktail
Number of Ingredients: 7
5 ripe blackberries, plus extra for garnish
10 ripe blueberries
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 oz. simple syrup
1 1/2 oz. Bulldog Gin
1/2 oz. Crème de Cassis
Splash of Yellow Tail Bubbles (Champagne)
In a mixing glass, muddle 5 of the blackberries with the
blueberries, lemon juice and simple syrup.
Add the Bulldog Gin and Crème de Cassis. Top with ice and
shake vigorously.
Pour into a tall glass and top with the Yellow Tail Bubbles
(Champagne). Stir from the bottom up.
Garnish with the remaining blackberries.
Savory Cheese
Tartlets with Blackberries
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes plus chilling and
cooling
Servings: 24 tartlets, 8 to 12 servings
Number of Ingredients: 15
Filling:
5 oz. rindless goat cheese, at room
temperature
3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. honey, preferably full
flavored, such as chestnut or thyme, warmed
Cream Cheese Dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into
tablespoons, at room temperature, plus more for pans, if needed
3 oz. cream cheese, cut into
tablespoons, at room temperature
Combine flour and salt in a food
processor fitted with metal chopping blade and pulse to combine. Add butter and cream cheese and pulse
about 10 times, until mixture begins to clump together. Gather up dough and shape into a thick
disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and
refrigerate until chilled and easy to handle (about 2 hours).
Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Have
ready two 12-cup miniature muffin pans (each cup measuring 1 7/8 inches across
the top and 7/8 inches deep), preferably nonstick. If the pans are not nonstick, lightly butter them.
Divide dough into 24 equal pieces. Place one piece in each muffin cup. Using fingers, press dough firmly and
evenly up sides to make a pastry shell.
(A wooden tart tamper can help the job go quickly.) Freeze 5 minutes.
Mash goat cheese and cream cheese together in a medium bowl
until smooth. Add egg, yolk,
minced thyme, salt and pepper and whisk until combined. Spoon equal amounts of filling into
chilled pastry shells.
Bake tartlets until crust is golden brown and filling is
puffed (about 25 minutes). Let
cool for 10 minutes in pans.
Remove tartlets from pans and transfer to a wire cake rack to cool
completely.
Just before serving, lightly brush tops of tartlets with
about 1 tablespoon of honey.
Arrange berries on top as desired.
Drizzle with the remaining honey.
Sprinkle with the thyme leaves and serve.
Pancetta-Wrapped Pork
Roast with Blackberry-Sage Compote
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 ½ hours
Servings: 6
Number Ingredients: 17
Pork Roast:
1 (2 ½ to 3 lb.) boneless pork roast, excess
fat trimmed
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. minced fresh rosemary
1 tsp. minced fresh sage
1 tsp. coarse salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
14 to 16 slices (not paper-thin)
pancetta, about 4 oz.
Blackberry-Sage Compote
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. finely chopped shallots
½ tsp. finely chopped garlic
2/3 cup hearty red wine, such as Shiraz
2/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 pkgs. (18 oz.) Driscoll’s
Blackberries
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1 ½ Tbsp. finely chopped fresh sage
¼ tsp. coarse salt
1/8 tsp. crushed hot red pepper flakes
1 ½ tsp. cornstarch (optional)
Pork Roast:
Brush the pork all over with the oil.
Mix the rosemary, sage, salt and pepper together in a small bowl and rub all
over the pork. Unroll each strip
of pancetta – it will look like curved bacon. Arrange half of the pancetta over the top of the roast. Using kitchen twine, tie the pancetta
in place crosswise, leaving the ends of the roast uncovered. Turn the roast over (don’t worry if it doesn’t look neat).
Repeat with the remaining pancetta, trying the roast and tucking in the
pancetta as needed. (The pancetta
can be prepared and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead.) Let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes.
Position
a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Place the pork roast on a roasting rack
in a metal roasting pan. Bake,
rotating the roast every 20 minutes or so for even browning, until the pancetta
is browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the pork
reads 145ºF (about 1 1/2 hours).
If the pancetta is getting too brown, tent the roast with aluminum foil. Transfer the roast to a carving board
and let stand for 10 minutes before carving. Pour the fat out of the roasting pan and reserve the pan.
Blackberry-Sage
Compote:
While the
pork is roasting, make the compote.
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed small skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook,
stirring often, until golden (about 3 minutes). Add the wine and broth and bring to a boil over high
heat. Cook until the liquid is
reduced to about 3 Tbsp. (about 7 minutes).
Add the
blackberries, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, sage, salt and hot red pepper and
cook over high heat, stirring often, until the berry juice has big bubbles (about
7 minutes). The compote should
have some whole berries. Set aside.
Heat the
roasting pan over high heat until sizzling. Add the compote and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned
bits in the pan with a wooden spatula or spoon. If the compote seems thin, dissolve the cornstarch in 1
Tbsp. water, stir into the boiling compote, and cook just until lightly
thickened, about 15 seconds.
Adjust the seasoning with balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, salt and hot
red pepper. Transfer to a serving
bowl.
Snip off
and discard the string from the roast.
Carve crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve hot, with the warm compote.
Roasted Fennel Salad
with Blackberries
Number of Ingredients: 9
Salad:
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus
more for the baking sheet
3 bulbs (12-14 oz. each) fennel
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 pkg. (6 oz. or 1 ½ cups) Driscoll’s
Blackberries
2 oz. Gorgonzola or Danish Blue
crumbles
6 fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish
Honey Balsamic Dressing:
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
½ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Roasted Fennel:
Preheat Oven to 425°F.
Lightly oil a large rimmed baking sheet.
Quarter Each fennel bulb, then cut lengthwise
into ¼ to ½ inch-thick slices, keeping the slices as intact as possible. Arrange fennel on baking sheet,
overlapping as needed. Season with
salt and pepper.
Roast, without turning fennel over, until
lightly browned around the edges and just tender (about 20 minutes). Let cool.
Dressing:
Whisk together vinegar, honey, chopped rosemary,
salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
Gradually whisk in oil until blended.
To Assemble:
Add cooled fennel to bowl with dressing and toss
gently. Gently fold in blackberries.
Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
Divide salad among 6 plates. Top each with equal amounts Gorgonzola
and rosemary sprig. Serve at room
temperature.
Blackberry Pear
Cobbler with Almond Granola Topping
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 ½ hours
Servings: 8
Number of Ingredients: 12
Granola Topping:
Vegetable oil for the baking dish
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup natural sliced almonds
½ cup honey, such as orange blossom
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
Cobbler:
8 firm-ripe Bartlett pears, (about 4
lb.), peeled, cored and cut into 1 in. chunks
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut up, plus
more for the baking dish
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 pkg. (6oz) Driscoll’s Blackberries
Vanilla ice cream for serving
Granola Topping:
Preheat Oven to 350ºF. Lightly oil a 12 by 19 inch baking
dish.
Mix the oats and almonds together in
the baking dish. Whisk the honey,
brown sugar, butter and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Pour over the oat mixture and mix well.
Bake, stirring every 10 minutes,
until deep golden brown and fragrant (about 30 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and let cool. The topping will be crisp when
cooled. (The topping can be stored
at room temperature in a covered container for up to 3 days.)
Lightly butter the same baking
dish. Toss the pears, brown sugar,
butter and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Transfer to the baking pan.
Bake, stirring occasionally, until the pears are juicy (about 30
minutes).
Dissolve the cornstarch and 2
tablespoons of water in a large bowl.
Add the berries and toss gently to coat. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Add the berries and dissolved
cornstarch and mix gently. Return
to the oven and continue baking until the blackberries are warm and softened
(about 20 minutes). Sprinkle with
granola topping and bake for 5 minutes to heat the topping.
Let cool for 5 minutes. Spoon into bowls, top with ice cream
and serve.
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