Roasted Summer Vegetables with Cannellini Beans and Wilted Arugula

This recipe is extremely easy, super delicious, and a fantastic way to use up that summer bumper crop. Here I have only used tomato, zucchini, red onion, and garlic, but eggplant, yellow squash, and bell pepper would be excellent additions. This can be simply dressed with aged balsamic vinegar, but I have included in this recipe the quick blender pesto I prefer for it. This recipe is vegan, unless you top it with parmesan like we did…Similarly, if you feel the need to add an animal protein, tuna or shrimp would be great choice, but I think this dish is plenty substantial as it is.

Ingredients:

Makes 2 large entree portions, or 4-6 sides

For Salad —

– 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

– 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

– 1 medium zucchini, roughly diced

– 2 medium red onions, peeled and cut into eighths

– 2 tsp. dried thyme

– 1 head of garlic, divided and peeled

– 2 cups fresh arugula

– 1 1/2 c. precooked or canned cannellini (white) beans

– Salt and pepper to taste

For the pesto —

– about 15 fresh basil leaves

– 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

– 1 Tbsp. water

– scant 1/4 c.  pine nuts, walnuts, or pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Place tomatoes, zucchini, and red onion in a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with thyme and salt and pepper (I recommend 1 tsp. of salt, and 1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper). Toss until vegetables are well and evenly coated

3. Cook vegetables in oven at 350F for 15 minutes

4. Remove pan from oven and add garlic cloves, stir gently to mix well

5. Return pan to oven, reduce heat to 225F and roast for at least one hour, stirring vegetable occasionally

6. Remove vegetables from oven, add fresh arugula and beans

7. Return pan to oven until arugula is wilted and beans are heated through, about 5 minutes

8. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired. I served mine over fresh romaine

For the pesto:

1. Place basil, water, olive oil, and nuts into a blender or food processor

2. Blend until smooth. Yup, it’s that easy….

We had ours with some crusty french bread and a little sprinkling of parmesan. With a glass of Chardonnay. It was the perfect summer dinner.

“Creamy” Cilantro-Lime Dressing

This is a delicious and summery vegan dressing that can not only be used for salads, but is also fantastic as a marinade, as a sandwich topping, or as a dip for fresh vegetables. Plus, its “creaminess” comes from pureed tofu so this dressing packs a little protein punch too!

Ingredients:

Yield: Approximately 1 cup of dressing

– Juice from one lime (about 1/8 c.)

– 2 Tbsp. white vinegar

– 1 dash each cumin, coriander, and cayenne

– 1/2 c. fresh cilantro leaves, stems removed

– 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

– 3 oz. (usually 1/4 block) firm tofu

– Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a blender or food processor combine lime juice, vinegar, seasonings, and cilantro. Blend well.

2. While blending slowly add your olive oil — it is very important to do this slowly so that the dressing can emulsify.

3. Transfer dressing to a separate container and rinse blender

4. In your cleaned blender combine the tofu with about 3 Tbsp. of water. Blend until smooth — you may have to add a little bit of water, check the consistency

5. Mix the pureed tofu into the cilantro-lime dressing. Serve. Will keep in a covered container for about one week.

Peach Layer Cake

With bits of fruit mixed right into the cake batter, a layer of freshly made preserves, and nectar-sweetened cream cheese frosting, this cake is about as peachy as it gets! And yet, the flavor is not overwhelming — sweet and summery and bright — this Peach Layer Cake is sure to delight and impress.

My darling daughter, Harriet, turned one this week. Sigh. Despite all of my cynicism pre-motherhood, I am totally one of those moms who likes to take a million pictures of their child wearing ridiculous outfits…So needless to say, I had my heart set on getting one of those cliche pictures of baby covered in cake and frosting at her first birthday party. However, the thought of loading baby up with the metric ton of sugar found in most birthday cakes was cause for hesitation, even despite the insanely adorable mental image I’d been nurturing for weeks of Harriet’s sweet little face plastered in pink frosting. I decided to compromise: there would be cake, but it would at least have plenty of fruit in it. So, cake + frosting + fruit = healthy…right? Right!

Okay, so this may not be exactly healthy, but it is seasonal, it is delicious, and it does indeed have lots of fruit in it…for whatever that’s worth. This recipe is my own — created by combining about 5 diverse recipes (none of which was for peach cake) with a little guesswork and a lot of luck, but I will definitely be making it again soon — it was a big hit.

Ingredients:

– 5 c. fresh ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 7 medium peaches, plus one for decorating, if desired)

– 1 c. sugar

– 4 c. flour

–  2 tsp. baking powder

– 2 tsp. baking soda

– 1 tsp. salt

– 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

– 1 c. butter, room temperature

– 1 c. brown sugar

– 2 eggs

– 1 tsp. vanilla

– 2/3 c. milk

– 1/3 c. sour cream

– 2 8oz. packages of cream cheese, room temperature

– 1 c. powdered sugar

Directions: 

1. Prepare your peaches. Peaches should be ripe, but not overripe. Try to dice them into fairly small bits, but don’t worry yourself too much — the fruit will break down quite a bit throughout the cooking process

2. Put peaches into a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and cook with 1/4c. water

3. Stir frequently and bring to a boil

4. Add 1/4 c. of the sugar, stir well, return to a boil. Remove from heat

5. Preheat oven to 350F

6. In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg

7. In a separate bowl (use an electric mixer if you have one) cream together the remaining 3/4 c. of sugar, the brown sugar, and the butter

8. Add eggs, one at a time, to the creamed butter/sugar

9. Add vanilla, milk, and sour cream to the liquids and mix well

10. Add your dry ingredients to the wet. Mix well

11. Fold in 1 1/2 c. of your cooked peaches

12. Grease and flour 4 cake/pie tins (You can do this in batches if you don’t have enough tins)

13. Distribute batter evenly amongst tins

14. Bake in oven at 350F for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer or knife inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean

15. Allow cakes to cool for 20-30 minutes before (carefully!) removing them from tins.

Now, for the frosting…

16. Measure out 1 c. of your cooked peaches, trying to include as much of the juice from the pan as possible. Put peaches with juice into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth

17. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat both packages of cream cheese until smooth and creamy and free of lumps

18. Add powdered sugar, beat well

19. Add blended peach puree to frosting and mix well. (You can also add food coloring if you like — I added two drops of red plus three yellow to make a “peach” colored frosting)

20. Make sure that your cakes are completely cooled. Transfer the first one to a cake stand or serving platter

21. Using a sharp, serrated knife carefully create a flat work surface by shaving any rounded part of the cake, as shown below. You can also flip each cake upside-down — using the bottom of each cake as your flat surface as you work your way through the layers. I usually evaluate each as I go along

22. On the top of your first cake, heap about 1/4 of your frosting and spread just to the edges

23. Place your second cake directly onto of your first

24. Create your smooth surface, then spread the remainder of your cooked peaches (you should have about 3/4-1c. left) over the top of the second cake

25. Place your third cake directly on top of your second, create a smooth surface, and then cover with an additional 1/4 of the frosting

26. Place your final cake on top of the third

27. Cover top and sides of cake evenly with frosting

Don’t stress if your cake doesn’t look perfect — it takes lots of practice. As you can see, my frosting skills need a lot of work!

You can slice an additional peach if you’d like to decorate the top. Peach candies would also be a really cute way to decorate.

I think Harriet liked her cake….

This is one of those things that I actually think tastes even better the day after you make it — the preserves saturate the cake beneath it making it super moist and yummy….Enjoy!

Spiced Orange and Fig Preserves

Figs, like dates and apricots, are one of those fruits that many of us are familiar with in its dried form (or its cookie form for those of us who grew up believing that eating sleeves of Fig Newtons was a healthy way to snack), but that we rarely have the opportunity to eat fresh. This is mainly because fig season is so short, but also because figs do not thrive in most places in the States and are extremely perishable.

Moving to the Lowcountry of South Carolina my husband and I were used to the fertile earth and amicable growing conditions of Virginia and our first year here attempted to sow our garden with as little thought to fertilizer and pH levels as we had in previous years. Big mistake. What few plants actually yielded fruit were extremely disappointing: our tomatoes never fully ripened, and even our watermelons were mealy and flavorless. Our sole source of horticultural joy has come from the massive and abundant fig tree in back of our house, which we had absolutely nothing to do with planting…

Fresh figs are incredibly luscious and sweet and are an excellent source of dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamins A, C, and E.  Eating a fresh fig is a study in texture — the toothsome resistance of the skin, velvet juiciness of the flesh, and crunchiness of the seeds. The fig is sensual too, conjuring images of Adam and Eve preserving their modesty only with fig leaves and stands of hair, and when figs become ripe they are purple and swollen and leak a milky substance from their base. I also always think of Hermann Hesse describing Kamala’s lips (in Siddhartha) as being the color of “a freshly cut fig.” What a lovely image….

Anyway (apparently I’m feeling a bit loquacious today), if you can get your hands on fresh figs, do so. They are delicious to snack on, a great way to dress up salads or baked chicken, and are absolutely divine transformed into preserves. This recipe makes a wonderful gift and is a delightful addition to any cheese plate, pairing especially well with funky, robust blues and mellow goat cheeses.

 

Ingredients:

Yields 24 oz. preserves

– One whole orange

– 4 c. fresh, sliced figs

– 4 Tbsp. filtered water

– 1 Tbsp. minced ginger

– 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

– 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

– 1 vanilla bean, scraped (optional)

– 3/4 c. honey

– 2 tsp. fruit pectin*

*Pectin is a thickening agent, usually extracted from citrus fruits or apples and is available in many grocery stores and most health food stores.

 

Directions:

1. Wash and rinse your jars; let stand in hot water. Meanwhile, boil your lids and rings in a large pot to sanitize. Let stand in hot water also.

2. Zest your orange.

3. Chop orange, removing remaining peel, seeds and membrane

4. Remove stems from figs and chop. You do not need to remove skins

5. Place orange, figs, and water in a medium-sized saucepan and cook over low heat

6. Add ginger and spices. Scrape in vanilla, if using. Bring mixture to a boil.

7. Measure out honey. Stir pectin into it, then add mixture to boiling fruit. Stir vigorously for 2 minutes to dissolve pectin.

8. Return to a boil, then remove from heat

9. Remove your jar lid and ring from your large pot and return water to a boil

10. While waiting for water to boil fill your jar(s) to 1/4” of top and wipe clean. Do not overfill or jar will not seal properly.

11. Screw on lid (with ring) tightly. Place jar into boiling water to cover. Boil for 10 minutes. Add 10 minutes boiling time for each additional jar.

12. Remove jar (carefully!) from water. Let cool. Check seal — lid should be sucked down/un-popped.

13. Label and enjoy! Jam should last about 3 weeks once opened.

 

I put one of the jars of preserves in a gift basket I gave to my sister for her birthday, along with a big hunk of blue cheese, a sheep’s milk cheese washed in Prosecco, a goat cheese, fresh pear, toast points, and some baked goods:

I’m a total geek when it comes to birthdays, and a firm believer that nothing can compare to a thoughtful handmade/homemade gift…

 

 

Best Blueberry Pancakes

Blueberry pancakes are the perfect lazy Sunday breakfast, though, I would gladly eat these for dinner any night of the week…These pancakes are substantial and yet somehow light at the same time, and showcase one of summer’s best fruits.

 

Ingredients:

Makes about 1 dozen pancakes, depending on size

– 1 c. flour

– 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

– 1/2 tsp. salt

– 2 Tbsp. sugar

– 1 egg, beaten (or 1/4 c. applesauce)

– 1 c. milk (or almond milk) — 1/4 c.  more can be added if you desire thinner pancakes

– 4 Tbsp. melted vegetable shortening or butter

– 3/4 fresh blueberries

*ingredients in parentheses are for vegan recipe

 

Directions:

1. Heat skillet or griddle over medium heat

2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar

3. In another bowl, add milk to beaten egg and mix well

4. Stir melted shortening or butter into milk-egg mixture

5. Combine flour and liquids at once and beat until perfectly smooth

6. Fold in blueberries

7. Grease griddle

8. Using a soup ladle or 1/4 measuring cup, pour batter into center of heated pan

9. Bake until you see air bubbles appear on the top of the batter, then flip until both sides are golden brown

10. Continue with remainder of batter

11. Serve immediately with maple syrup, fruit reduction, honey, butter, or jam

12. Enjoy!

Adapted from The Modern Family Cookbook, 1942

Decadent Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (with vegan options)

When I asked my stepson, Mason, what dessert he would like for me to make he took the question very seriously. After much conflicted deliberation and mind-changing he decided upon Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. (It was between that and Coconut Cream Pie…so maybe that’s next.) I don’t think I had ever even tasted a real Pineapple Upside-Down Cake (outside of a shot glass, I mean), let alone made one, but after eating a piece of this (okay, more like six pieces…) I am certain I will be making this again. Soon.

Are there things that I would do differently? There are: I would probably make the whole thing from start to finish in a 10” cast iron skillet, so that the pineapple had a chance to caramelize a bit more and have a little more texture; I’d use brown sugar in the pineapple/cornstarch mixture to get a richer, deeper, more caramel-like flavor; I would use pineapple rings in the decorative first layer with the maraschinos to get that classic Pineapple Upside-Down Cake look. But regardless of the type of pan it was made in, what kind of sugar I used, or how pretty it was, there is no doubt that this was one darn delicious cake. Not only did my husband say that it was one of his favorite things I have ever made, but nary a crumb was left of it 24-hours later! With only three people in the house… I think it’s safe to say we liked this cake…and that a few pounds were gained between the three of us….

Ingredients:

– 1 c. sugar (or 1/3 c. brown sugar, 2/3 c. white)

– 3 Tbsp. cornstarch

– 20 oz. crushed pineapple

– 2 Tbsp. melted butter or Earth Balance/butter substitute

– 1/2 c. maraschino cherries

– 1 2/3 c. flour

– 1/2 tsp. salt

– 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder

– 1/3 c. vegetable shortening

– 2 eggs, beaten (or 1/2 c. applesauce for vegan version)

– 1/2 tsp. vanilla

– 1/2 c. milk (or almond milk for vegan)

Directions:

1. Mix 1/3 c. of sugar with the cornstarch. Add juice drained from the pineapple  (about 3/4 – 1 c.)

2. Cook in a saucepan, stirring constantly until sauce boils and becomes glossy and clear:

3. Add drained pineapple and melted butter/butter substitute. Mix well and remove from heat

4. Drain cherries and arrange in whichever pan you’d like to use. I used a 9” spring-form cake tin, but you could use a large skillet or a regular cake pan, even a casserole dish or bundt tin would work

5. Cover cherries with pineapple mixture

6. In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder

7. Cream the shortening with the remaining 2/3 c. sugar and the eggs (or applesauce). Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla.

8. Add the flour mixture and the (almond) milk alternately to the creamed shortening, ending with the flour. Mix well.

9. Pour batter over pineapple, smooth evenly to cover

10. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 35-40 minutes. The center of your cake should be golden and barely springy when gently pressed with fingertips

11. Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 minutes

12. Turn onto a serving plate and let cool another 10-15 minutes. This part is important — the still hot pineapple juice will seep down into your cake, making it super moist and, well, pineapple-y….This part of the cooling process also allows your pineapple layer to set a bit. I rushed this part; as you may be able to tell from the pictures…

13. Carefully remove pan from cake

14. Serve warm. Do yourself a favor and throw some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream up on this beast….you won’t be disappointed….

Adapted from The Modern Family Cookbook, 1942

Peach-Poppyseed Fruit Kuchen

Kuchen is the German word for cake, though it is used to describe an assortment of desserts and pastries. This recipe for Peach-Poppyseed Fruit Kuchen is indeed cake-like, but truly has more in common with bread. With coffee or tea this lemony kuchen makes a perfect summer breakfast; with fresh whipped cream it is a lovely light, and health-conscious, dessert.

Ingredients:

– 2 1/2 c. flour

– 2 Tbsp. butter

– 1/4 tsp. salt

– 2 Tbsp. sugar

– Zest from one whole lemon

– 3/4 tsp. fast-action dried yeast

– 1 egg, beaten

– 2/3 c. warm water

– 2 Tbsp. poppyseed, prepared dessert filling (available in the baking aisle of most grocery stores)

Topping:

– 1 lb. fresh peaches – about three large fruits (though really you could use any stone fruit in this recipe and it would be fantastic)

– 2 Tbsp. butter

– 2 Tbsp. raw or demerara sugar

Directions:

1. Put the flour in a large bowl. Rub 2 Tbsp. butter in with fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. Stir in the salt, sugar, zest, and yeast.

3. Add the beaten egg, prepared poppyseed, and enough water to make a soft dough.

4. Knead well on a clean and lightly floured surface for at least five minutes — dough should be smooth and elastic.

5. Put the dough back in to the bowl and cover with a piece of oil cling-film. Let rise at least 1 hour, or until doubled in size. It is very important that you place the bowl somewhere warm or the dough will not rise.

6. Once risen, tip dough out onto a floured surface and knead well again. Press dough into a buttered spring-form pan or a loose-bottomed flan tin. I used a 9” pan, but if you have a larger one (like 11”) I think it may better suit this kuchen to be a little thinner.

7. Halve, stone, and thickly slice the peaches. Arrange them over the top of your dough.

8. Leave uncovered to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size

9. Preheat oven to 400F

10. Brush the fruit with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar

11. Bake in oven at 400F for 15 minutes

12. Remove from oven, cover with foil, reduce heat to 350F and bake for another 35-40 minutes.

13. After finished baking, removing from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Using a knife or thin spatula loosen the edges and remove kuchen from tin.

14. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle extra sugar over top, if desired.

15. Serve warm or cold, cut into slices. This is especially good warm with some sweet cream butter slathered over it…but then again, what isn’t?

 

Adapted from The Bread Book by Sara Lewis

Raspberry Jam

This recipe for Homemade Raspberry Jam is not only delicious, but surprisingly quick and easy to make. Raspberries won’t be in season much longer, so preserve some while you can!

This recipe is for a small batch of jam, but you could certainly multiply the measurements to make larger quantities.

Ingredients:

– 2 cups of mashed raspberries

– 1/2 c. honey or 1 c. sugar

– 3 Tbsp. water

– 1 tsp. fruit pectin*

 

*Pectin is a thickening agent, usually extracted from citrus fruits or apples and is available in many grocery stores and most health food stores.

 

Directions:

1.  Select the jar you wish to put your jam in. It can be a mason jar, or an old pickle or jelly jar — whatever you have available. This recipe will yield about 16 oz. of jam, so you do want whatever jar you choose for this to be pint-sized.

2. Wash and rinse your jar; let stand in hot water. Meanwhile, boil your lid and ring in a large pot to sanitize. Let stand in hot water also.

3. Wash and mash your raspberries. You can use a pestle, fork, a hand-juicer — whatever you have handy!

4. Put fruit into a saucepan with the water and cook at medium heat, stirring frequently. Bring to a boil

 

5. Measure out honey or sugar; thoroughly mix pectin into sweetener

 

6. Add pectin-sweetener mixture to boiling fruit. Stir vigorously for 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin.

 

7. Return to a boil and remove from heat

 

8. Remove your jar lid and ring from your large pot and return water to a boil

 

9. While waiting for water to boil fill your jar to 1/4” of top and wipe clean. Do not overfill or jar will not seal properly.

10. Screw on lid (with ring) tightly. Place jar into boiling water to cover. Boil for 10 minutes.

11. Remove jar (carefully!) from water. Let cool. Check seal — lid should be sucked down/un-popped.

12. Label and enjoy! Jam should last about 3 weeks once opened.

Jam-Filled Sandwich Cookies

 

These may be the most delicious thing I’ve ever made. If not, they’re definitely close to the top of the list. Of all of the sweets in the world, sandwich cookie-type-things are definitely amongst my favorites. Whoopie Pies, French Macarons, Oreos….I’m salivating just typing this. Though not as refined  (or anywhere near as difficult to make) as the macaron, these jam-filled cookies are elegant in their own right, and certainly just as delicious. Shoot, I’d take one of these over a whole sleeve of Oreos any day! You wont believe how incredibly easy these are to make — especially if you opt to use store-bought or pre-made jam.

 

Ingredients:

– 12 oz jam of any flavor. I used the Sweet Plum and Blueberry Jam that I made a couple of weeks ago, but peach, raspberry, apricot, or strawberry would be wonderful choices too — get creative!

– 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter

– 1 c. sugar

– 3 Tbsp. lemon zest

– 1/4 tsp. salt

– 2 large egg yolks

– 2 1/4 c. flour

– powdered sugar, for sprinkling

 

Directions:

1. In the bowl for an electric mixer (you can do this by hand, but your arm may get tired!) combine butter, sugar, lemon zest and salt

2. Beat until light and fluffy — 2-3 minutes

3. Add egg yolks and mix well

4. Add flour, one half at a time and beat until well-incorporated

5. Divide dough in half. Form first half into a long log, about 1 3/4” – 2” in diameter. Wrap log in wax paper

6. Repeat step six with second half of dough

7. Chill both rolls of dough in the refrigerator until firm, at least two hours. If you are in a hurry you can place dough in freezer, but let it chill in the refrigerator at least one hour first. Can be done one day ahead.

8. If making your own jam for these cookies, or using the recipe linked above, make it now so that it has time to cool.

9. Once dough has chilled sufficiently, preheat oven to 400F

10. Line baking sheet with wax paper

11. Using a sharp knife, cut dough into thin rounds, about 1/3” thick — you may have to reshape rounds a bit with your fingers — and place on lined baking sheet

12. Bake cookies one sheet at a time on a rack in the center of the oven. Bake for 10 minutes — edges should be golden brown

13. Allow cookies to cool completely, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired

14. Spread as much jam as desired on flat side of cookie, then top with another cookie, thus making a sandwich

15. Try not to eat them all at once….

Super-duper close-up:

Yum….These were so good I had to make my stepson hide them from me….

 

Adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2009

Blackberry Shortcakes with Lemon Biscuits

I was so excited to find what appeared to be ripe, gorgeous local blackberries at the market the other today. Upon getting them home however, I discovered them to be horribly sour. Like, so sour as to almost be inedible. I assure you, my disappointment was immense… Since they couldn’t very well be eaten alone, I figured that the best thing to do was to make something sweet and delicious out of them. Inspired, I decided to do a spin on the classic strawberry shortcake. I love citrus in desserts, and berries with citrus are one of my favorite flavor combinations, so I decided to add lemon zest to the biscuits. The result was a bright, and surprisingly light dessert, and incredibly easy to make.

Ingredients:

Yields 6 Shortcakes

Berries:

– 5 c. blackberries

– 2/3 c. powdered sugar

– 2 Tbsp. water

 

Biscuits:

– 3/4 c. chilled buttermilk

– 2 Tbsp. lemon zest

– 2 1/4 c. flour

– 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

– 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

– 1 tsp. baking soda

– 1/4 tsp. salt

– 6 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter (3/4 stick)

– 1 Tbsp. raw or demerara sugar

 

Directions:

Berries:

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan

2. Stir over medium heat until berries soften and become syrupy — about 10-15 minutes

3. Remove from heat and let cool. Berries should be served at room temperature. Can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated.

 

Biscuits:

1. Preheat oven to 425F

2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper

3. Combine buttermilk and lemon zest in a small bowl

4. In a large bowl mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. Be sure to break up any large clumps of sugar

5. Cut butter into small cubes and add to four mixture

6. Rub butter into flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs

7. Add the buttermilk mixture and combine with a fork until just blended. Dough will be sticky and may seem “loose” but don’t add more flour!

8. Transfer dough to a clean, lightly floured surface. Knead 4-5 times, but be careful not to overwork (over-handling will make your biscuits tough)

9. Pat dough out until about 3/4” thick

10. Using a 3” cookie cutter (you could also use a greased drinking glass or mug if you don’t own a cookie cutter), cut dough into rounds

11. Combine dough scraps, pat out, and cut into rounds until no dough remains. You should have 6-7 in total

12. Place rounds on your lined baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar

13. Bake biscuits at 425F for 15 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean

14. Cool slightly — about 15 minutes

15. Using a serrated knife, cut each biscuit in half. Spread blackberry mixture over each bottom-half, dividing equally. Place top half of biscuits on blackberries, then top each with an equal portion of the remaining blackberry mixture.

16. Top shortcakes with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Serve and enjoy!

Adapted from Bon Appetit, June 2009