Blackberry & Pear Tart

Sometimes all you want to do is throw together a quick, delicious dessert, and that is exactly what our Blackberry & Pear Tart is. We made this three-ingredient tart the week of Thanksgiving and it was perfect to get into the holiday mood.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Pillsbury puff pastry sheets (or other puff pastry, this is just what we used)
• 10 oz jar of Sunset Valley Organic Blackberry Spread
• 4 pears, thinly sliced (we used a mix of red and green pears)

*Optional: 1 egg for washing the sides of the puff pastry

Directions:

1. On a parchment-lined baking sheet unfold puff pastry sheets. Set aside. 

2. In a bowl place sliced pears and carefully fold in blackberry spread, until pears are coated evenly.

3. Carefully pour pear and blackberry mixture onto the puff pastry sheets, and arrange to your liking. 

4. Optional: Wash sides of pastry sheets with egg for a golden brown effect. 

5. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

6. Let cool 10 minutes & serve. 

Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. 

Fresh Blackberry Cake with Butter Cream Frosting

Summer is winding down in Oregon, and most of our harvest is over. We just have aronia berries left. This summer went so fast, but the weather was also so weird and caused all of our crops to be much later than expected. The only crop that was "on time" was our raspberries. This past week we wrapped up harvesting on our blackberries, and with the few last fresh ones we made this delicious cake to celebrate a harvest well done.

We used a white sponge as a base for our cake, with layers of buttercream and fresh blackberries bursting with sweetness in the middle of the cake.

Ingredients: 

For the Cake

• 1 C Salted Butter, Softened
• 1 1/2 C Sugar
• 2 TSP Almond Extract 
• 3 1/2 C Flour
• 4 TSP Baking Powder
• 1/2 TSP Salt
• 6 Large Eggs,  Room Temp
• 1 1/2 C Milk, Room Temp

For the Frosting

• 1 1/2 C Butter, Softened
• 1 1/2 TSP Vanilla Extract
• 6  C Powdered Sugar
• 6 TBSP Heavy Whipping Cream
• Food Coloring (optional)
• Extract for Flavor (optional) 

We used about 2 cups of fresh Blackberries, our cake is 9 inches in dimeter. You can use more or less depending on your cake size and shape. 

Directions: 

1. Grease three 9-inch pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in almond extract.
3. Use a fork to combine the eggs and milk together in a bowl or 2 cup liquid measuring cup. Set aside.
4. In another mixing bowl stir together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix in until just combined. Add in half of the milk mixture and combine. Add in another ⅓ of the dry ingredients until combined followed by the remainder of the milk mixture. Add in the remainder of the dry ingredients and mix with the hand mixer until just combined, using a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom to make sure everything is mixed in.
6. Divide the batter among the three prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit in pans for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before layering and frosting. 
7. To make the frosting: Use mixer (hand or stand) to whip softened butter and vanilla extract together. Slowly add in powdered sugar, about 1 cup at a time. Thin out with milk if it gets too thick.

Recipes of the Month

Cupid's Strawberry Float for Valentines Day inspired by Frugal Coupon Living

Ingredients:

• Vanilla Ice Cream
• Strawberry Soda
• Whipped Cream
• Maraschino Cherries (optional)

Directions:

1. Place 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream in a glass.
2. Slowly add strawberry soda  – it will foam a lot!
3. Optionally you can add whipped cream and a cherry to the top.
4. Serve with long spoon and straw.

Fruit Salad Cutouts inspired by Shari's Berries

"We all know that fruit should be cut into bite-sized pieces. But who wants to spend all day slicing apples? Grab the right tools for the job and make quick work of the task: an apple corer, a strawberry huller and a melon baller. Small cookie cutters work great for melons and also add a decorative element to the salad.

Ideally, all your fruit will be perfectly ripe. After all, no one wants a mouthful of mushy melon and tart strawberries. If you do end up with a basket of less-than-ripe fruit you can fix it with sugar. Sugar breaks down unripe fruit making it softer and sweeter. Take this hack to another level by using mint- or vanilla-infused sugar.

Keep it fresher in a salad spinner. Fruit salad gets juicier the longer it sits. The basket of a salad spinner will let the extra liquid drain and help the fruit stay crisp when stored overnight. Toss some of the juice back into the salad just before serving for extra sweetness or save it and make vinaigrette the next day."- Shari's Berries

Healthy Fruit Heart for Valentines Day Treat 

inspired by Sassy Dealz

"I came across this beautiful fruit platter that looks like a heart for Valentine’s Day! If you or your spouse aren’t chocolate lovers, this is the perfect alternative! All you need are fresh pomegranate seeds, strawberries, and blackberries. Fill the middle with the pomegranate seeds then cut strawberries in half. Surround the outside with those lovely blackberries! Mmm it looks so good doesn’t it?! “Heart healthy” is what love is about " - Sassy Dealz

For more recipes and inspiration check out our Pinterest