Blueberry Red Wine Sorbet

If you're like me, the last few days have been spent doing your best to cool off. We're in the midst of a heat wave in this normally cool city, so I went to my kitchen full of fresh fruit and put together the perfect cure.

Imagine the deepest magenta sorbet full of the freshest blueberry flavor combined with the earthy richness of a good red wine and the slight subtle backnote of spice. What you get is a light and refreshing cold slush that will leave you more than satisfied after a light summer meal. Or even after a substantial grilled menu, come to think of it.

Blueberries are the treasured fruit of a healthy diet and are found in abundance just about everywhere. As the temperatures rise this season, ice cream, sorbet and granita seem the perfect antidote. There are dozens of fabulous recipes full of wonderful ingredients to try, so let’s get started!



Bench notes:
- Crème de cassis is a wonderful liqueur made from black currants in the Burgundy region of France. I use Chermette. The liqueur lends a bit of sweetness and a rich berry depth to the sorbet base. Crème de cassis was originally produced by 16th century monks as a cure for disease and wretchedness. Incidentally, it is the favorite drink of Agatha Christie’s fictional detective, Hercule Poirot!
- I sometimes throw a sprig of rosemary in the simmering wine. It adds a delicious herbal backnote.



Blueberry Red Wine Sorbet

3 C fruity red wine, such as zinfandel or merlot
2/3 C water
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, sliced lengthwise and seeds scraped
1/4 C crème de cassis liqueur
2 T lemon juice, to taste
4 cloves
4 black peppercorns
2 pints fresh blueberries (about 4 C)

Combine wine, water, sugar, vanilla bean, cassis, lemon juice, cloves and peppercorns in a large saucepan over low heat. Simmer for about 25-30 minutes. Strain out the spices and vanilla bean. Cool.

Blend some of the liquid and blueberries in a food processor or blender until blueberries are smooth. Pour into a fine mesh strainer placed over a large bowl. Keep processing in batches until you have the entire mixture liquefied and strained. Taste for more lemon juice. Chill in covered container overnight.

Freeze the blueberry mixture in your ice cream maker. Pour into a container, cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap and place the lid on tight. Place in the freezer to firm up.

Oatmeal Shortcake with Plums

My obsession with oatmeal continues. And it can only be matched by my current obsession with plums. Until figs arrive (I’m hearing perhaps next week!), I have been buying lots of plums along with all the other wonderful stone fruit available now. And since shortcake seems to be the fun and fast dessert of the moment, it’s time to give this great combination a try.

As with the Cornmeal Shortcake with Peaches I posted a couple of weeks ago, this comes together fairly quickly but you do have to be gentle when mixing the dough for the shortcake. The thing that makes them so delicious is very little handling so as not to develop the gluten in the flour. The result is a tender and delicious base for some lightly spiced plums and billows of whipped cream.

The brown sugar in the shortcakes adds a rich flavor that goes so well with the toasty oatmeal. I’ve added some cinnamon to both the shortcake and the fruit and cooked some of the plums to create a jammy sauce for the fresh fruit and cream. I love the beautiful colors and the simple yet irresistible way to enjoy all these natural ingredients. Set this plate on your table and see what happens.



Bench notes:
- The butter and buttermilk must be very cold. Work fast so they stay cold.
- The dough is very sticky, but you won’t be handling it much more than a few seconds, only gently patting it into shape. Just be sure you dust your hands and the work surface very lightly with flour. Keep the flour and the mixing to a minimum to avoid toughening the end product.
- You can add lemon or orange zest or finely chopped nuts to the shortcake dough for more variation.
- This shortcake would also taste great with peaches, blackberries, figs, cherries or caramelized apples or bananas. Add a touch of light caramel syrup to the fruit or a syrup steeped with herbs. Top with yogurt for a lighter and tangier garnish.



Oatmeal Shortcakes with Plums
Serves 6

2 C flour
1/2 C old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 t cinnamon
3 oz cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 C cold buttermilk
Coarse sugar (I use turbinado raw)

9 ripe plums
3 – 4 T sugar, to taste
2 t fresh lemon juice, to taste
1/8 t cinnamon

1 C cold heavy cream
2 t sugar, to taste
1/2 t vanilla

Cut plums in half and remove pits. Slice 6 plums thinly and toss with a splash of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Set aside.

Coarsely chop the remaining 3 plums and place in a saucepan with about 3 tablespoons of water. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon and simmer over low heat until the plums begin to soften and release their juices. Taste for sugar and add more if needed. When the plums look saucy, remove from heat and add lemon juice to taste. Cool. You can either puree the sauce or leave it chunky.

Preheat the oven to 425°. Prepare a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment.

Whisk together the flour, oatmeal, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the pieces of butter and use a pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Work quickly so the butter stays firm and cold. Add the buttermilk all at once and stir gently with a fork just until it begins to come together in clumps. Do not overmix. The dough will be sticky.

Dust your hands lightly with flour and gather the dough clumps in your hand. Place any unincorporated flour on a clean work surface or a piece of parchment and set the dough on top of that. Gently pat the dough together with your hands. Shape it into an 8” round and either cut into 6 wedges or use a round cutter dipped in flour and cut out 6 biscuits.

Place the shortcakes on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with some cream or milk and sprinkle the tops generously with coarse sugar.

Bake about 10 - 12 minutes, until the shortcakes are lightly golden. Cool on a rack.

Whip the cream, sugar and vanilla just until soft peaks form.

Slice shortcakes in half. Transfer biscuit bottoms to plates. Spoon some whipped cream on each shortcake, then some of the plum compote. Top with some fresh sliced plums. Place biscuit tops over plum mixture. Serve immediately.

Apricot Tart Verlet

Café Verlet on Rue Saint-Honoré is a traditional French café that has been doing business since the late 19th century. They serve what most argue is the best cup of coffee in Paris. Among its other notable pleasures is this very rustic Apricot Tart. With a hint of almond to enhance the jammy apricots, this tart is so quintessentially French it’s hard not to dream about sitting at a table at Café Verlet while savoring each and every bite.

The tart begins with a very easy crust that is pressed into the tart pan. The filling is crème fraîche sweetened with a touch of lavender honey. It bakes to a very thin layer of custard that complements the deliciously tart apricots and crisp cookie crust. Barely sweet and extraordinarily simple, this is all about showcasing delicious fresh fruit. If you love apricots and simple seasonal desserts, you will certainly enjoy this tart.


Bench notes:
- My oven runs hot and my pastry crust got a bit too browned. The tart was done in about 40 minutes, so watch yours closely as the crust will taste bitter if it browns too much. Next time I might lower the temperature to 325 degrees when the filling is added.
- I used crème fraîche for the filling rather than heavy cream. For a quick crème fraîche substitute, use 1/4 C + 2 T sour cream, 2 T buttermilk and a few drops of lemon juice. I also used regular flour instead of "Wondra."
- I always favor desserts and pastries that are not too sweet, but I did add a generous sprinkling of sugar on top of the apricots because while the crust is the sweet element, apricots become quite tart when baked and the cream filling is not sweet at all.
- I thought the recipe seemed to call for far too much almond extract, but it worked out fine. Be sure to use a quality brand.
- This would be good with any sort of stone fruit or berries.


Tarte Abricot Verlet
adapted from The Food Lover's Guide to Paris by Patricia Wells

Tart Shell
4 ounces (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled
1/2 C sugar
1/4 t pure almond extract
1/4 t vanilla extract
1/2 t fine sea salt
1 1/4 C + 1 T (180 g) unbleached all-purpose flour

2 T finely ground unblanched almonds to layer on baked tart shell

Filling
1/2 C crème fraîche or heavy cream
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 t pure almond extract
1/2 t vanilla extract
2 T full-flavored honey, such as lavender
1 T superfine flour, such as Wondra

1 1/2 pounds fresh apricots, pitted and halved
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9” tart pan with removable bottom.

For the pastry, blend together the melted butter and sugar. Add the extracts, salt and flour to form a soft dough. Place the dough in the center of the prepared pan. Use the tips of your fingers to press the pastry along the bottom and up the sides of the pan in an even layer.

Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake until the dough is slightly puffy and set, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the ground almonds over the bottom of the crust to prevent the crust from becoming soggy from the filling.

Combine the crème fraîche or cream, egg, extracts and honey. Whisk in the flour. Pour the filling evenly over the pastry. Place the apricot halves in an overlapping decorative pattern, cut side up.

Bake the tart on a sheet pan until the filling is firm and the pastry is a golden brown, 55 to 60 minutes (mine baked in 40 minutes, so watch it closely to avoid the crust from browning too much). Place the tart on a rack to cool. Remove from tart pan and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

Cornmeal Shortcake with Peaches

The transition to summer is in full swing and peaches couldn’t be more plentiful, juicy and fragrant. They are in such great abundance at every market, so let’s make the best of the moment while we have these gorgeous gems in our sights.

Nothing says summer like shortcake! And since peaches and cornmeal are such a natural pairing, I couldn’t resist adding a bit of cornmeal to the traditional shortcake dessert. These are spectacular: light, tender, slightly sweet with just enough cornmeal to create a slight crunch and really wonderful flavor. The cream adds the requisite indulgent lusciousness and the peaches bring that fresh spark of natural seasonal beauty and color, reminding us so profoundly how very fortunate we are to be in the company of Mother Nature.


Bench notes:
- Make sure the butter and buttermilk are cold. When blending with the flour mixture, work quickly so they don’t warm up.
- Take care not to overmix the shortcake dough to keep the final product light and delicate. Be gentle to avoid toughening, treating the dough much like you would a scone. They bake quickly, so check them at 10 minutes.
- This is the kind of dessert that is perfect for a trip to the farmer’s market to find the best peaches of the season. Give them a taste to determine how much sugar they’ll need.
- This shortcake would also be fantastic with apricots, blackberries, raspberries and cherries. It's also really delicious to use a light caramel syrup with the peaches or add a bit of mascarpone or crème fraîche to the whipped cream.


Cornmeal Shortcake with Peaches
Serves 6

1 1/2 C flour
1/2 C cornmeal
1 T + 1 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
3 T + 1 t sugar
2 oz (4 T) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 C cold buttermilk
zest of 1 small orange
zest of 1 lemon

5 – 6 fresh ripe peaches
splash of lemon juice
1 T sugar, to taste

1 C cold heavy cream
2 - 3 t sugar, to taste
1/2 t vanilla

Preheat the oven to 425°. Prepare a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment.

Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, sugar and citrus zest in a bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry blender or your fingers to blend until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Work quickly so the butter stays firm. Add the buttermilk all at once and stir gently with a fork just until it starts to come together. Do not overmix.

Gather the dough and place it on a clean work surface or a piece of parchment and gently pat it together with your hands. Shape it into an 8” round and either cut into 6 wedges or use a round cutter. Place the shortcakes on the baking sheet. Brush them with some cream or milk and sprinkle the tops generously with coarse sugar. Bake about 10 - 13 minutes, until the shortcakes are lightly golden.

For the peaches, gently blanch for just a few seconds in simmering water. You should see some give when you tug at the skins. Remove immediately to a bowl of cold water. Dry the peaches and peel off the skins. Slice and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with a splash of lemon juice and toss with the sugar. Let the peaches sit for about 15 minutes to bring out the juices, gently tossing once or twice.

Whip the cream, sugar and vanilla to a very soft peak.

Cut the shortcakes in half horizontally. Place the bottom halves on 6 plates. Dollop with whipped cream and layer some juicy peaches. Top with remaining shortcake half.

Cherry Crisp with Buttermilk Ice Cream

Time for a simple American dessert. Fresh cherries baked with an oatmeal almond streusel is one of those pleasures that represents total comfort. But rather than the standard vanilla ice cream, I’ve decided to serve a tangy Buttermilk Ice Cream alongside. Although it might seem strange to use buttermilk as a central ingredient for ice cream, the end product winds up tasting a bit like the flavor of cheesecake. In other words, it’s delicious.

It takes a few minutes to pit the cherries, but otherwise the crisp comes together rather quickly. The same thing goes for the Buttermilk Ice Cream once the base is chilled overnight. The combination of tart, bright red cherries with the crunch of almonds, the chewiness of oatmeal and the deep caramel flavor of brown sugar can’t be beat. Really simple, really spring, really delicious.


Bench notes:
- Buttermilk is made from the tangy liquid that remains from churning cream for butter. Commercial buttermilk doesn’t have the true flavor of the old-fashioned product, so the addition of sour cream helps to add back in some of that complexity. I also prefer less sugar for a more tart flavor, but be sure to taste to see if you’d like it sweeter, especially if you’re adding the sour cream.
- I’ve also served the Cherry Crisp with Saffron Buttermilk Ice Cream for a very striking combination. Just bring the cream to a simmer and add a scant 1/4 teaspoon of loosely packed saffron threads to the cream to bloom the flavor. Cool the saffron cream and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.


Cherry Crisp
Serves 4

2 pounds fresh cherries, pitted
1/4 C sugar
1 T tapioca
1/2 t lemon zest
1/2 t kirsch (optional)

1/2 C sliced almonds
1/3 C flour
1/3 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C oatmeal
pinch salt
1/2 t orange or lemon zest
2 oz (4 T) cold butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place the pitted cherries in a bowl. Process the sugar and tapioca together until powdery. Toss with the cherries along with the lemon zest (and kirsch, if using). Let stand while you prepare the streusel.

Toss together the almonds, flour, brown sugar, oatmeal, salt and zest. Add the butter and blend until the mixture is coarse.

Pour the cherries into a small baking dish or four 4” ramekins. Sprinkle with the streusel and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes or until the topping is browned and the fruit juices are bubbling up.

Buttermilk Ice Cream

1 C heavy cream
1 1/2 C buttermilk
2 T sour cream (optional)
1/4 C + 2 T to 1/2 C sugar, to taste
pinch of salt
1 T lemon juice, to taste

Whisk the cream, buttermilk (and sour cream if using) together. Add the sugar, pinch of salt and the lemon juice, to taste. Chill thoroughly.

Freeze according to your machine’s instructions. Pour into a clean airtight container. Put a piece of plastic wrap on the surface, cover and place in your freezer to firm up.

Yogurt Mousse with Apricot Compote

Apricots! Sweet precious apricots have arrived! It’s been a long year, but we now have these gems with us for a short time.

I’ve made a very simple Apricot Compote with some honey and vanilla. Pure, sweet and tart. I’ve paired it with a Yogurt Mousse to keep the flavors fresh and sublime. The mousse is so light, it literally melts in your mouth. The yogurt flavor is luscious and the whipped cream elevates it to a super delicious dessert base for any fruit. A sprinkle of pistachio streusel brings a slight and sweet crunch. A wonderful combo and a perfect way to welcome the season.


Bench notes:
- The pistachio streusel bakes off like a tuile, so don't be alarmed if you see it puddle as it bakes. It will firm up and become crunchy as it cools. Just stir it and break up any clumps so it browns lightly and fairly uniformly.
- The gelatin in this mousse is kept at a minimum. Just enough to give it a little body but not enough to interfere with the wonderful texture of both the yogurt and the cream.
- To bloom gelatin, always sprinkle it slowly into cold water rather then pouring cold water on the powder or it will clump.
- If you want to layer the mousse and the compote, just pour half the mousse into your parfait glasses and let it set up in the refrigerator for about half an hour. Add a layer of fruit and finish with remaining mousse. Chill to set up and top with remaining fruit.
- Save the apricot pits for Noyau Ice Cream.
- Now is also the time to enjoy Cornmeal Cake with Apricots.


Yogurt Mousse with Apricot Compote
Serves 4

1/4 C flour
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C pistachios
1/4 C cold butter

12 ripe apricots
1/2 C honey
2 T sugar
2/3 C water
1/2 vanilla bean
lemon juice, to taste

2 C (16 oz) plain Greek yogurt
1/2 C sugar
1 t lemon juice, to taste
1 1/2 t gelatin
1 C heavy cream

To make the pistachio streusel, whisk the flour and sugar together. Coarsely chop the pistachios and combine with the flour and sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces and add. Using a pastry blender, fork, or your fingers, blend together until you have a crumbly mixture. Chill for about an hour or place in the freezer for about 1/2 hour. To bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread an even layer onto a silpat lined baking sheet pan and bake for about ten minutes. Remove from oven, break up the clumps and stir so that the mixture is browning evenly. Return to the oven and bake for about another 5 minutes or so until you see most of it is lightly browned. It will look a bit soft but will firm up as it cools. Once it cools, break up into small pieces and store in an airtight container.

Slice each apricots into 6 wedges.
Combine the honey, sugar, water and vanilla bean and bring to a boil. Add the apricots and simmer on low heat until the fruit is soft. Remove from heat and add lemon juice to taste. Strain out the juice and return it to the saucepan over medium low heat. Reduce until the sauce is thickened and syrupy, about 15 - 20 minutes. Pour over the apricots. Set aside to cool.

Combine the yogurt and sugar. Add the lemon juice.
Bloom the gelatin in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of cold water.
Whip the heavy cream just to a very soft peak.
Liquefy the gelatin by placing the bowl in a pan of simmering water or placing in the microwave for a few seconds.
Add the gelatin to the yogurt mixture and blend thoroughly.
Fold in the whipped cream.
Pour into serving dish or four individual parfait glasses.
Chill for about 2 hours. Serve with Apricot Compote.