Blackberry Limeade Bars

My friend KC emailed me the other day, saying that she had made the strawberry lemonade bars. It always makes me happy when people make the recipes that I post. She was asking about other flavor combinations and suggested blackberries and limes. Done and done. So here we are. Thanks, KC!

Tart, sweet, and smooth, these blackberry limeade bars scream summer. They cut clean and transport well (place in a tupperware and lay with sheets of waxed paper). I used key lime zest and juice, because, I'll admit it, I'm a lime snob (and they are so cheap to buy in Tucson). Take advantage of blackberry season while you can with these delightful, jewel-toned gems.

Blackberry Limeade Bars

yields one 8-by-8 inch pan of bars

Ingredients:
Crust
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Blackberry Lime Layer
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lime zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
3 large egg whites
1 large egg
2/3 cups freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line an 8-by-8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat on medium-high speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the flour and salt just until incorporated.  Add the dough to the prepared baking pan.  Press into an even layer over the bottom of the pan.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until light golden brown.  Remove from the oven, maintaining the temperature.

While the crust is baking, make the top layer.  Combine the sugar, flour, lime zest and salt in a large bowl and whisk to blend.  Puree blackberries and press through a fine mesh sieve, mashing with a spatula, to extract as much juice and pulp as possible, straining out the seeds.  Add the egg whites and egg to the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk well to blend.  Whisk in the blackberry puree and lime juice until smooth.

Pour the mixture over the crust and bake until the center is just set and not longer jiggles when gently shaken, about 30 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.  Cover and chill well in the refrigerator, at least 2 hours.  When ready to serve, use the parchment paper to lift the bars from the pan.  Place on a cutting board and slice into bars.

Enjoy.

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Sweet Potato Ice Cream

Instead of complaining about another Tucson summer, I've decided to be proactive. I'm going to make new flavors of ice cream to get me through these trying times. Let's be real - I'll probably still complain to you anytime it gets above 105, but - hey - at least you get an ice cream recipe every time I do. You can thank Jeni for inspiring me.

I just received Jeni's book in the mail from my Mom! I officially have a major girl crush on Jeni. Her book is delightful. If you don't believe me - the James Beard Award thought so, too. Here's the book description from amazon.com:

“Ice cream perfection in a word: Jeni’s.” –Washington Post
At last, addictive flavors, and a breakthrough method for making creamy, scoopable ice cream at home, from the proprietor of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, whose artisanal scooperies in Ohio are nationally acclaimed.
Now, with her debut cookbook, Jeni Britton Bauer is on a mission to help foodies create perfect ice creams, yogurts, and sorbets—ones that are every bit as perfect as hers—in their own kitchens. Frustrated by icy and crumbly homemade ice cream, Bauer invested in a $50 ice cream maker and proceeded to test and retest recipes until she devised a formula to make creamy, sturdy, lickable ice cream at home. Filled with irresistible color photographs, this delightful cookbook contains 100 of Jeni’s jaw-droppingly delicious signature recipes—from her Goat Cheese with Roasted Cherries to her Queen City Cayenne to her Bourbon with Toasted Buttered Pecans. Fans of easy-to-prepare desserts with star quality will scoop this book up.
How cool is that? 

Oh, it's cool, Jeni. So for my first post, I made Jeni's sweet potato ice cream and added some candied ginger pieces. Smooth, creamy, and rich with sweet potato and molasses, this ice cream is like having Thanksgiving for dessert! Enjoy.

         

Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Candied Ginger
adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home

yields one generous quart

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled sweet potato (I used frozen, already cubed potatoes)
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup diced candied ginger pieces

Directions:
Make sure the ice cream maker has been in the freezer overnight or for at least 10 hours.

In a medium saucepan, combine diced sweet potatoes and milk.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are soft and easily pierced by a knife, 8 to 10 minutes.

Fill a large bowl with ice water.  In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch.  In another large bowl, whisk the cream cheese, cinnamon, and salt.

Once potatoes are cooked, transfer to a food processor and puree.  If pieces still remain, return to pan and puree using an immersion blender.  Add heavy cream, sugars, corn syrup, and molasses to potato puree.  Place pan over medium-high heat and bring mixture to a rolling boil until the sugar dissolves, 4 minutes.

Remove from heat and gradually whisk into cream cheese mixture until smooth. Set the bowl in the ice water bath, and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cold, about 20 minutes.

Once ice cream base is chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Sprinkle a layer of toasted marshmallows on the bottom of a plastic ice cream container.  Lightly spoon a layer of ice cream on top.  Continue to alternate layers of candied ginger pieces and ice cream until the container is full.  Sprinkle a few more marshmallows on top.  Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.
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Cold Corn and Roasted Red Pepper Salad

With the 4th of July just past, there is no question that summer is here to stay, and summer means corn. What would summer be without corn on the cob? Answer: sad, very sad.

I was invited to a potluck over the weekend and needed to bring a side dish. My roommate had left me behind corn and peppers in the fridge before leaving to go home for a couple weeks, so I needed to get creative with these main mediums sitting on the second shelf, and hence this salad was born.

This cold corn and roasted pepper salad is a perfect pairing for grill fare or tacos. It's refreshing, due to the cider vinegar and lime combo, and crisp, due to the cold crunch of the corn. I love me some freshly cracked pepper so feel free to add less, or add a shot of tabasco for some heat.

All of the health experts are always saying to "eat your colors", so you've got your reds, yellows, and greens covered with a helping of this dish. You don't have to make this salad, but please promise me that you will at the very least have some corn this summer!

Cold Corn and Roasted Pepper Salad
yields 8 side servings

Ingredients:
3 ears of corn, shucked
1 large red pepper (I used 1/2 red and 1/2 yellow since that's what I had on hand)
1/2 cup diced green onion
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice from 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons freshly cracked pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook corn with the lid covered for ~ 5 minutes. Meanwhile, roast the pepper (You can do this on the grill, but I cheated, since it was over 100 degrees outside, and just put the pepper on my stovetop gas burner, on low, rotating every few minutes). Let the pepper and corn cool.

Slice the corn kernels from the cob and dice the pepper and green onion. Toss the corn, roasted pepper, green onion, cider vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, sea salt, and pepper all together in a bowl. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

Enjoy.
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