Blueberry Buttermilk Sherbet

At the height of blueberry season, when blueberries are at their lowest cost, I buy as much as I can. I individually quick freeze them on a cookie sheet and vacuum seal in 24 ounce bags with my Food Saver. When the berries are defrosted they retain their fresh flavor but lose their texture. This recipe is perfect for frozen blueberries. The buttermilk adds a tartness that works well with the sweetness of the blueberries.

I adapted this recipe from Three Berry Buttermilk Sherbet from the June 2010 Sunset Magazine.

Note: You can use a food processor with a metal blade to purée the berries. However, I have found that a blender works better.

Autumn Risotto

This risotto variation is perfect for autumn. In fact, you can make the yam and apples as a side dish by itself. Start with a standard risotto recipe. For the protein I used pork brisket but you can use anything you think would go well with the other ingredients (crumbled bacon or left over turkey would do the trick). For the vegetable portion I took a garnet yam (one pound of orange deliciousness) and two apples (I prefer fuji). Cut them both into 1 inch cubes and put them in a large bowl. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, one and a half tablespoons of maple syrup, juice and zest from half a lemon and a teaspoon of fresh thyme. Combine thoroughly and spread in a single layer on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Bake at 425°F for 30 – 40 minutes until golden brown (check every 15 minutes and turn mixture over). Finally, I toasted a cup of pecans and coarsely chopped them to add crunch.

The yam and apples are delicious as a side dish in their own right. The roasting brings out the natural sweetness in the produce and the maple syrup aids the caramelizing.

Black and White Cookies

You can usually find these distinctive cookies at Jewish bakeries. When you frost them, make sure that you keep the icing in a straight line down the center of the cookie.

Makes eight cookies.

Black and White Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup heavy cream

Icings

• 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 2 ½ teaspoons lemon juice

Recipe

Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand-mixer beat butter, shortening and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (3 minutes). Add eggs and egg yolk one at a time beating between each addition until egg is fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in two batches alternating with the cream. Beat until just combined.
4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop dough onto baking sheet three inches apart. Bake until edges begin to turn golden and the centers are tender (10 – 12 minutes). Transfer parchment and cookies to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove cookies from parchment and let cool completely.
5. Prepare chocolate and white icings (see below). On the bottom of each cookie using a small offset spatula spread chocolate icing over half the cookie and white icing over the other half. Let icing set for 30 minutes.

Icings

1. Whisk sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Add more water until mixture is slightly thicker than honey. Divide the icing in half.
2. Stir lemon juice into one half to make white icing and cocoa powder into the other to make chocolate icing. Thin with water, if needed and use immediately.

Lemon Glazed Lemon Cookies

This recipe is from Martha Stewart Living. These are the most lemony cookies I’ve ever made.

Makes 18 cookies.

Ingredients

Lemon Cookies

• 2 C all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ C unsalted butter
• 1 C sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon Glaze

• 2 C confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1/3 C lemon juice

Recipe

Lemon Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, sal and lemon zest.
3. In a stand mixer on medium speed using the beater beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and lemon juice and beat until combined. Set speed to low and beat in flour mixture one third at a time until completely incorporated.
4. Drop dough by heaping tabelspoons, 1 inch apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until edges are golden, 15 – 20 minutes.
5. Let cool 2 minutes on sheets then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Lemon Glaze

1. Whisk together confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice until smooth.

Assemble

1. Dip the top of each cookie in the glaze. Let set for at least one hour.