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OxfordPress.com

Fresh raspberry recipes

Make with either fresh raspberries or blueberries.

Fresh Raspberry Crumb Cake

Makes 8 servings

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour *
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh raspberries, rinsed and well drained

Topping:
1/2 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed
3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Cream the butter and sugar; beat in the egg. Add the flour mixture and milk. Stir only until moistened. Fold in the berries and turn into a greased and floured 9-inch springform pan.

Sit together the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon and cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until fine. Stir in the nuts.

Sprinkle the streusel topping on the cake and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Loosen the edges of the pan and remove the springform. Serve warm.

* For added flavor and nutrients, try substituting 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour and 1/4 cup seven-grain flour for 1 cup of the flour.

This recipe from Gourmet magazine was a hit at a party last year. It is rich, so cut it into small servings. It's best made in a 10-inch tart pan, but you could use a pie pan.

If you want to bump up the flavor even more, squeeze a chunk of fresh gingerroot through a garlic press and stir the juice into the fresh berries before arranging them on top of the tart.

Ginger Cream Tart With Raspberries

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Tart shell:
2 cups ground shortbread cookies *
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling:
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped **
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups whipping cream, divided
3/4 cup real sour cream
2 cups fresh raspberries for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend the ground shortbread cookies, sugar and butter in a food processor until mixture begins to clump together. Press onto the bottom and up the side of a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Bake in the middle of oven for 15 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften. Add the ginger, sugar, lemon juice, salt and 1 cup of the cream. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar and gelatin are dissolved. Cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Whisk sour cream in a large bowl until smooth. Using an electric mixer, beat remaining cup heavy cream in another bowl until it just holds soft peaks. Fold into the sour cream. Gently fold the ginger milk into the whipped cream until well combined. Pour into crust and chill, covered, until set, at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. Arrange raspberries on top and dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

* I used two 5 1/3-ounce packages of Walkers shortbread, ground in a food processor.
** Look for crystallized ginger in the spice section of the supermarket, or at specialty stores. It keeps indefinitely.

This unusual recipe from Bon Appetit magazine calls for creme fraiche, an ingredient not found in all supermarket dairy sections. But you can make a credible version if you plan ahead. Instructions follow.

Raspberry Creme Fraiche Tart

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Batter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour

Custard topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup creme fraiche *
2 cups fresh raspberries, rinsed, drained on paper towels
2 tablespoons sugar

Place a baking sheet in the bottom of the oven.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter the inside of an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Wrap aluminum foil around the outside of the pan.

Using an electric mixer prepare the batter: mix the butter, sugar and salt until blended. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour and beat just until blended. Spread the batter over the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan.

Make the topping: beat the sugar, egg, vanilla and creme fraiche in a bowl until well blended. Spread the topping over the batter.

Arrange the berries in concentric circles, spacing them just 1/4 inch apart. Sprinkle them with sugar. Bake the tart until set and brown around the edges, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in the pan. Remove the pan sides and place on a platter. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

(The tart can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, but bring back to room temperature before serving). * To make creme fraiche, heat 1 cup whipping cream to 100 degrees in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons buttermilk. Place in a warm place such as an oven with the light on. The mixture should thicken within 12 to 24 hours. Cover and refrigerate, and it will thicken even more.

This recipe from Bon Appetit originally called for mascarpone and required a tart pan. Mascarpone is a thick, flavorful Italian cream cheese. It can be difficult to find, and even when you do the container is likely to be out of date, so we made two versions of this recipe. In one we used mascarpone in a mixture baked in a tart pan, and in a second version, substituted American cream cheese and used a pie pan.

Admittedly, the mascarpone has more flavor and a more dense texture, but some tasters preferred the creamy texture of the one made with cream cheese. Because it took me three trips to stores to find a fresh — not outdated — container of mascarpone, I'd be tempted to use the ordinary cream cheese again.

The original recipe also called for a homemade crust flavored with orange peel. It's acceptable to use a Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust.

Fresh Raspberry Cream Tart

Makes 8 servings

1 crust for a 9-inch pie
1/3 cup raspberry preserves
1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese, chilled *
1/2 cup whipping cream, chilled
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon grated
orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring the pie-crust dough to room temperature and fit it into a buttered 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. It should fit to the top of the pan.

Bake the crust for 9 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and spread the preserves over the bottom of the crust. Bake another 5 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

Using an electric mixer, beat the chilled mascarpone, cream, powdered sugar, orange peel and both extracts. Beat until peaks form, about 2 minutes. Spread the filling evenly in the cooked crust. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Arrange berries in concentric circles on the filling, placing them stem-side down and pressing lightly into the filling.
* If using American cream cheese, bump up the flavor with a little more vanilla and almond extracts and a pinch more grated orange peel.