Four berry and basil pie with crumble topping

by Sarah Steimer

We’ve been scrambling to get the last berries at the farmer’s markets, and I needed to use what we had fast. So, I threw them all in a pie and called it a day. Or rather, a summer.

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Icebox Pops: Roasted berry goat cheese ice pops

by Sarah Steimer

Getting to the roasted berry mixture was like a little treasure hunt with these ice pops. I probably ate them faster than necessary just so I could find a blueberry or raspberry in the mix.

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Berry hand pies

by Sarah Steimer // photos by Caitlin Saniga

I made these after Caitlin, Bill and I went to the Evanston Farmer’s Market during Caitlin’s visit to Chicago. Caitlin mentioned wanting to make a pie, and I’d been eying this recipe from Bon Appetit. The juices get a little sloppy in the oven, but I sort of love that homemade look.

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Dynamic Duo: Jelly fried wontons with peanut butter sauce

by Caitlin Saniga

These wontons are super-sweet, so instead of filling them with just jelly, I added a raspberry to each to add natural sweetness.

• 12 round wonton wrappers
• about 1/3 cup berry jelly (Raspberry, blackberry or strawberry will do.)
• 12 small raspberries
• vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter

If you have leftover peanut butter sauce, save it and use it on ice cream or waffles!

Lay out the wonton wrappers on a clean, dry surface. Add about 1 teaspoon jelly and a raspberry to the center of each wrapper. Wet your fingertip and run it along the edge of each circle. Fold each circle and half and press the edges to seal. Use more water if necessary. Next, create 4 small folds along the edge of each wrapper, and use wet fingertips to reinforce each fold. Set the wontons aside.

Pour vegetable oil into a large pan so that it’s about 1/2 inch thick. Place the pan over medium heat and heat the oil until it’s hot, about 5 minutes. In the meantime, prepare a cooling rack by covering it with paper towels.

To check whether the oil is hot enough, you can carefully flick a few drops of water at the oil. If they sizzle and pop immediately, the oil’s ready.

Add 6 of the wontons to the pan, and allow them to cook until they bubble up and turn-golden brown on the bottoms, no more than 20 seconds. Flip the wontons and cook for no more than 20 seconds longer. Using a pair of metal tongs, transfer the wontons to the cooling racks. Repeat these steps to finish the wontons.

To prepare the peanut butter sauce. Heat the water and sugar in a small pan over medium-low heat. When the sugar has dissolved, stir in the peanut butter with a wire whisk until the peanut butter is entirely incorporated and creamy. Serve the sauce in a bowl, or drizzle it over the wontons. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings, 3 wontons per person.

*Dynamic Duo is our nod to the sandwich staple during the back-to-school season of September. Click here for all of our alternative PB&J uses.

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How-to: Freezing berries

by Sarah Steimer

This summer I’ve frozen raspberries, blueberries and strawberries.

This time of year I tend to go a little overboard on the summer berries. I go to two farmer’s markets each week and somehow get more berries than I could possibly eat before the fruit goes bad. The best solution to the quick-aging berry? Freeze it. This way, you save yourself from having to throw out food — which is like throwing out money. Freezing berries now also means you can use your own, local fruit in the dead of winter rather than buying strawberries by way of Mexico at the grocery store.

Possible berries to freeze:

• blackberries
• blueberries
• cherries (may want to pit them first)
• cranberries (fall)
• raspberries
• strawberries (hulled)

For the sake of this how-to I’ll focus on raspberries and blueberries, two of the easier berries to freeze.

Step 1:

Rinse and pick.

Rinse the berries in a colander under cool, lightly streaming water. Do not turn the water on very hard as the berries are delicate and can bruise. Pick out any sad berries or stems that made it past the farmer’s eye.

Step 2:

At ease, raspberries.

Place one or two paper towels on a cooling rack. Gently shake the berries in the colander to remove as much excess water as possible. Transfer the berries to the towels using your hands — do not pour the fruit directly from the colander as it will dump extra water on the towels. Arrange the berries in a single layer. Fruit such as blueberries and strawberries can be arranged on the racks at random, but I like to sit raspberries and blackberries upside down (as pictured above), so their insides have a chance to drip-dry. It takes a little more time, but will save you from having tiny icicles inside the berries later.

The berries should dry completely (or close to it) for about an hour or so on the counter.

Why make sure the berries are totally dry? Because if you toss them into a bag while they are still wet, you wind up with an icy block of fruit. Using this drying method, it will allow you to grab a cup of frozen fruit without having to thaw the entire bag.

Step 3:

Semi-frozen blueberries on a baking sheet.

Once the berries have dried fully, place them on a clean baking sheet in a single layer.

I also found it helpful to set the raspberries on end even while they froze. Raspberries tend to stay a little more soggy than blueberries, so the less they touch one another, the better.

Freeze for 1-2 hours, or until the berries are relatively hard to the touch.

Step 4:

Bagged and ready.

Label freezer bags with the date and fill ’em up! Berries can stay in the freezer for a very long time because they contain a high amount of sugar. From what I read online, some people have used frozen berries up to four years after freezing them. Of course, I would suggest using them within a year, that way you can freeze a fresh new round next season.

To thaw the berries, either leave them out at room temperature or in the refrigerator over night. Some recipes, such as blueberry muffins, actually work without ever needing to thaw the berries at all. Frozen berries also make excellent smoothies because they create an icy texture when blended with yogurt and other ingredients — no extra ice necessary.

If you have any additional questions about freezing berries — or other foods — leave a comment below!

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Alfresco Refreshed: Fruit salad

The traditional Memorial Day picnic spread is great – it’s hard to argue with tradition. This year, however, we decided to keep the menu but ditch the recipes. Remember our Thanksgiving Twist guide from 2010? This is the summer version. We’re taking four traditional picnic menu items — fruit salad, potato salad, iced tea and hamburgers — and adding a new spin.

Although trying all of these new variations at a single party may upset a few people, you could just try one or two. Go ahead — shake things up a bit over the Tupperware this season.

Three-berry fruit salad with basil-mint syrup

by Caitlin Saniga

I love the idea that some of these ingredients can likely come from your very own garden. For me, I just had mint this time of year. But give it a couple of weeks, and I might have been able to use my basil and wild raspberries from the yard. I thought about using the mulberries from behind the house, too. This dish is very flexible. Use berries that are in season.

• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 3 cups strawberries, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• 1 1/2 cups raspberries or blackberries
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Whisk together the honey, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small bowl.

In a large bowl, combine the fruit, basil and mint. Pour the syrup over the mixture, and stir gently to combine. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to 6 hours before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe adapted from: Gal Time

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Layered citrus-apple salad with honey-ginger syrup

by Sarah Steimer

A little sweet and very sour – thanks to those grapefruit. If you’d rather people not have to pull the grapefruit rinds off themselves, be sure to slice those off before serving.

• 1 grapefruit, sliced horizontally
• 1 granny smith apple, sliced horizontally
• 2 clementines, peeled and separated
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoons honey, plus more for drizzling if desired
• 1/4 cup water

Layer with alternating grapefruit and apple slices. Add the clementine sections throughout.

Whisk together the minced ginger, honey and water. Sprinkle the syrup over the fruit. Refrigerate for at least one hour so the syrup has time to soak into the fruit.

Serve drizzled with additional honey, if desired.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Alfresco Refreshed is our spin on four traditional picnic staples: fruit salad, potato salad, iced tea and hamburgers. You can find all the recipes here.

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Ginger-honey broiled apricots with raspberries and mint

by Caitlin Saniga

I had originally envisioned this dish as a finger food. But the apricots get a little runny under the broiler, so it's best to use a fork. Try to get a little of each element in each bite so you can get the full flavor.

•  2 tablespoons honey
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon grated ginger
• 4 ripe apricots
• 8 raspberries
• 8 sprigs of mint

Turn the broiler on low, and position an oven rack about 8 inches from the broiler.

In a small dish, mix together the honey, vanilla, brown sugar and ginger. Set aside

Cut the apricots in half, removing the pits. Spoon about a teaspoon of the honey mixture into each apricot, spreading it over the whole cross section and letting it pool in the center.

Broil the apricots for 6-7 minutes, or until the fruit softens and the honey bubbles. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 5 minutes.

Add a raspberry and a sprig of mint to the top of each apricot and serve warm.

Makes 8.

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Raspberry-lemon yogurt muffins

by Caitlin Saniga

My co-worker Buddy called this muffin "a little slice of heaven." And maybe it was! Yogurt makes these muffins ultra-moist.

• 1 cup lemon yogurt
• 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 4 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon lemon extract (optional… I didn’t use any, and it was fine.)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 cups frozen raspberries
• 1/4 cup white sugar for decoration

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease 2 12-cup muffin tins, or line with paper liners.

In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, egg whites, and if using, lemon extract. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until just blended. Gently stir in the frozen raspberries. Spoon batter evenly in the prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 9 minutes. Remove muffin tins from oven and sprinkle remaining sugar over the tops of the muffins for  decoration. Continue baking muffins for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool muffins in the tine or on a wire rack.

Makes 2 dozen.

Recipe adapted from: AllRecipes.com

Photo: Caitlin Saniga

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Holiday Dozen: Chocolate raspberry cookies

by Sarah Steimer

The inspiration for these came from cookies we get at the Farmer’s Market in the summer.

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 12 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp instant coffee or espresso powder
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups of raspberries, fresh or frozen

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler then set aside. In a small bowl beat the eggs and vanilla lightly with a fork, sprinkle the coffee powder in and let dissolve.

Beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the sugars until combined. Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate in a steady stream and beat until combined. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat. Stir in the white chocolate chips and raspberries by hand. Cover with a towel and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is scoopable and fudge-like, about 30 minutes (this is very important!).

Scoop the dough onto baking sheets with a large spoon or an ice cream scoop, spacing the dough about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the edges are firm and the center is still soft.

Makes about 42 cookies.

Recipe from: Sarah Steimer (using this recipe as a base)

Photo: Sarah Steimer

*Holiday Dozen is a collection of 12 recipes that we’ll post every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday until Christmas. Click here for more from our dozen.

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Rosemary, berry smoothie

by Sarah Steimer

Breakfast smoothie with my morning paper.

• 1 cup of raspberries
• 1 cup of blueberries
• 1 plum
• 2/3 cup of organic vanilla yogurt
• 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of your favorite healthy tea (I used maté and rooibos)

Steep your tea in only about a 1/4 cup of hot water (this way you get the maximum amount of tea flavor/benefits and you don’t water the smoothie down). Add all ingredients and pulse in a blender until you reach a consistency you like. This makes two tall glasses.

One of our raspberry plants.

Don’t feel as though you need to keep strictly to this recipe. Add and subtract ingredients. I only added the plum because it happened to be sitting in my kitchen.

I’ve been inspired to start making my own smoothies since one of my visits to my friend Leah in Chicago. She made this great energy-packed smoothie for us that made me want to take 18 nonstop tours of the city. Running. Leah actually gave me the idea of adding tea to the smoothie. Why not? It’s good for you.

So here’s the healthy rundown of my smoothie today: The raspberries (from our garden, picked literally moments before I made this) are full of Vitamin C. Blueberries are known as a superfruit and contain antioxidants and other vitamins. Rosemary (also from the garden) may help memory as well as relieve muscle pain and stimulate the nervous system. Yogurt has “probiotics” — literally translated to “for life” — which are the good bacteria that help your digestive tract.

Rooibos tea has antioxidants, vitamins and minerals and can help with colds and allergies. Maté is rich in vitamins and minerals and helps suppress hunger. It also has the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee, but won’t let you crash.

Recipe: Sarah Steimer

Photos: Sarah Steimer

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