Berry Good Desserts
If you love berry desserts, today's post is sure to please. Check out the Blueberry Lattice Pie, the Mascarpone Berry Bowl, and the rest of today's yumminess. Enjoy!
BLACKBERRY CRISP WITH CARDAMOM CUSTARD SAUCE
This is from David Tanis in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this yumminess, David wrote, "You could use a combination of berries (raspberries, blueberries and blackberries in equal parts) in this crisp, but it especially sings with just blackberries. (Wild blackberries, if you can find them, are even better.) Cardamom perfumes the accompanying rich custard sauce. The warm, musky spice adds a flavor that’s perfect with berries. The crisp needn’t be served piping hot straight from the oven; it’s delicious served at room temperature or just slightly warm."
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes; Yield: 6 servings
This was featured in "This Vegetarian Menu Brings Home the Best of the Market," and can be viewed online at This Vegetarian Menu Brings Home the Best of the Market. While you're at it, you might also consider signing up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Great food, guides, and more.
Ingredients
For the Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup salted butter, cold and thinly sliced
Pinch of ground cardamom
For the Crisp
6 cups blackberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
For the Sauce
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds, or 6 green cardamom pods, smashed
4 egg yolks
Preparation
Make the topping: Put flour, sugar, butter and ground cardamom in a medium bowl. Using your fingertips, work ingredients together until the mixture resembles wet sand with a few stray pebbles. (The topping can be made in advance and refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.)
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the blackberries with 1/2 cup sugar and transfer the mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish.
Sprinkle topping over berries loosely, and transfer to the oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the topping is well browned. Let cool for 10 minutes, or serve at room temperature.
As the crisp bakes, make the custard sauce: Put half-and-half and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cardamom seeds and bring to just under a simmer, stirring. Put yolks in a bowl and whisk until smooth, then whisk in 1 cup of hot half-and-half mixture. Pour the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan and cook, whisking, on a very low flame until the mixture barely thickens, about 5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Serve sauce hot, or let cool and refrigerate until ready to use. (Sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance.)
To serve, scoop large spoonfuls of crisp into individual shallow bowls. Ladle the sauce around each serving or pass the sauce at the table.
CRANBERRY PIE
My dad loved to cook, and usually came up with decent recipes. He sent this one in a letter dated “18 No 79”. He wrote, “Here is a recipe for a pie. 1st the way it was in the paper and the way I made it.” (It can be found in my e-cookbook Off the Wall Cooking, which will be pulled off and/or drastically improved after the June 1, 2024.)

Note: The pie can be made with either one crust (second photo) or two (top photo). The recipe originally calls for one crust, though.
Ingredients
2 T cornstarch
1 C sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/4 C hot water
1 C raisins
1 T butter
2 C cranberries
Pie crust
Directions
Blend 1st four ingredients & cook in double boiler until thick. Add next 3 ingredients & cook 10 minutes. Put in pie shell & bake at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, covering pie with foil for the first 10-15 minutes. (Crust can be any kind you want, whether double crust or simply a bottom crust.)
VARIATION
Ingredients
2 Tbls cornstarch
3/4 C honey + 1/4 C molasses
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/4 C hot water
1 C raisins
1 T margarine
1-1/2 C cranberries + 1 C canned cranberries (kind with berries in sauce)
Pie crust
Directions
Make as above.
RASPBERRY CHILL
This is from the May, 2004 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 26. It begins, "This snappy, user-friendly recipe comes together in just minutes, providing a cooling bite for a heated main course. To gild the lily, garnish this sweet with fresh raspberries since they are coming into season. Offer this with a fruity herbed tea and vanilla cookies." Makes 4 servings
You can view this online at https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/raspberry-chill/.
Ingredients
2 cups frozen raspberries
1 1-lb. pkg. lite silken tofu
1/4 cup vanilla soymilk
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1 pint fresh raspberries for garnish
1/2 cup crushed pecans for garnish
Directions
Put frozen raspberries, tofu, soymilk and brown rice syrup in blender, and process until smooth. 2. Pour or spoon into serving dish or individual compotes, and garnish with raspberries and pecans before serving.
MASCARPONE BERRY BOWL
This is from Ree Drummond on the Food Network.
Active Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 10 minutes; Yield: 2 to 4 servings; Level: Easy
To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/mascarpone-berry-bowl-12343050.
Ingredients
1 cup mixed berries, such as blueberries, blackberries and raspberries
1 lemon, zested and juiced
5 tablespoons honey
One 8-ounce container mascarpone
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Splash of vanilla extract
Fresh mint leaves, for serving
Biscotti, for serving
Directions
Mix the berries, lemon zest and juice and 2 tablespoons of the honey in a bowl; set aside.
In a separate bowl, add the mascarpone, heavy cream, vanilla and remaining 3 tablespoons honey. Using a hand mixer, whip together until light and fluffy.
Divide the sweetened mascarpone among 4 serving bowls. Use the bottom of a spoon to create a well in the middle of each mascarpone mound. Spoon the berry mixture into each well. Garnish with a sprig of mint on top of the berries and a biscotti on the side.
BLUEBERRY LATTICE PIE
This is from Molly O’Neill in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Molly wrote, “Here's a showstopper of a summer pie if there ever was one. In this recipe that came to The Times in 1995, a generous pile of blueberries is tossed with sugar, cinnamon and orange zest then baked in a butter-shortening crust until the filling is bubbly and the crust golden brown. Don't be intimidated by the lattice top. Just take your time, and do your best. No matter what it looks like, it'll taste delicious.”
Yield: 8 servings; Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
This was featured in “On Blueberry Hill”, and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9290-blueberry-lattice-pie.
Also, check out “How to Make a Pie Crust,” by Melissa Clark. Very helpful!
Ingredients
The Crust:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
6 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
The Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
6 cups fresh blueberries, cleaned
Preparation
To make the crust, combine the flour, 2 teaspoons of sugar and salt in a large bowl. Use your fingers to rub in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually and lightly mix in just enough ice water so the dough can be gently pressed into a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To make the filling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, flour and orange zest. Place the blueberries in a large bowl and toss with the sugar mixture.
Divide the dough in half and roll out 1 piece on a lightly floured surface and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Place the filling in the dish. Roll out the remaining dough, cut 1/2-inch-wide strips and weave into a lattice top. Seal, trim and crimp the edges. Brush the top pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle it with the remaining sugar.
Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 and bake until crust is browned and filling is set, about 20 minutes longer. Cool on a rack. Cut into wedges and serve.
EASY CHERRY COBBLER
This is from Leah Maroney at the Spruce Eats. For this yummy recipes, Leah wrote, "Cherry cobbler is a quick and easy cherry dessert. It’s a delicious dessert that's somewhere in between a cake and a pie and easier to make than both. Canned cherry pie filling is spooned on top of a quick and easy batter before it’s all cooked in a cast-iron skillet in the oven. You can use fresh cherries if they're available, making your own pie filling. The cherries sink to the bottom as the batter bakes and creates a cobbler.
"It’s quick to mix up and bake and everyone will love this easy dessert any time of year. It’s especially tasty served warm and topped with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes; Total Time: 60 minutes; Makes 6 to 8 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/upside-down-cherry-cobbler-recipe-304727.
Ingredients
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) salted butter, more for the skillet
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling
Directions
Gather the ingredients.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 F. Generously butter a medium cast-iron skillet, cake, or pie pan.
Melt the butter in the microwave. Combine the melted butter with the milk, egg, and vanilla extract.
Add 3/4 cup of sugar, the flour, baking powder, and salt to the egg-milk-vanilla mixture. Whisk to combine and make a fairly smooth batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared skillet.
Pour the cherry pie filling all over the top of the batter.
Bake until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup sugar over the top of the cobbler.
Continue baking until the sugar is crisped and the filling is bubbly, another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm.
Tip
If you decide to make your own filling and you have fresh cherries, check out the best way to pit fresh cherries.
Recipe Variations
You can make this recipe with cherry pie filling (as we did above) or you can try your hand at making your own cherry pie filling using fresh cherries.
You can also make this recipe using other pie fillings; try a strawberry filling or blueberry filling.
How to Store and Freeze
This cobbler can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to two days. Or store it in the refrigerator for up to four days.
You can freeze this recipe in an aluminum pan (which can be the same one you cooked the cobbler in). Just cover with foil once cooled and freeze. Reheat in a preheated oven until warmed through and serve.
What's the difference between cherry pie and cherry cobbler?
Both cherry pie and cherry cobbler contain cherry pie filling. Cherry pie has at least one thin, flaky crust and often has two, the second being a lattice crust on top. Cherry cobbler contains cherry pie filling and then is topped with a cake-like batter that bakes up fluffy and golden brown. Cherry cobbler takes less time to make, but they both are delicious cherry recipes.
BLACKBERRY CRISP WITH CARDAMOM CUSTARD SAUCE
This is from David Tanis in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this yumminess, David wrote, "You could use a combination of berries (raspberries, blueberries and blackberries in equal parts) in this crisp, but it especially sings with just blackberries. (Wild blackberries, if you can find them, are even better.) Cardamom perfumes the accompanying rich custard sauce. The warm, musky spice adds a flavor that’s perfect with berries. The crisp needn’t be served piping hot straight from the oven; it’s delicious served at room temperature or just slightly warm."
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes; Yield: 6 servings
This was featured in "This Vegetarian Menu Brings Home the Best of the Market," and can be viewed online at This Vegetarian Menu Brings Home the Best of the Market. While you're at it, you might also consider signing up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Great food, guides, and more.
Ingredients
For the Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup salted butter, cold and thinly sliced
Pinch of ground cardamom
For the Crisp
6 cups blackberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
For the Sauce
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds, or 6 green cardamom pods, smashed
4 egg yolks
Preparation
Make the topping: Put flour, sugar, butter and ground cardamom in a medium bowl. Using your fingertips, work ingredients together until the mixture resembles wet sand with a few stray pebbles. (The topping can be made in advance and refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.)
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the blackberries with 1/2 cup sugar and transfer the mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish.
Sprinkle topping over berries loosely, and transfer to the oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the topping is well browned. Let cool for 10 minutes, or serve at room temperature.
As the crisp bakes, make the custard sauce: Put half-and-half and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cardamom seeds and bring to just under a simmer, stirring. Put yolks in a bowl and whisk until smooth, then whisk in 1 cup of hot half-and-half mixture. Pour the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan and cook, whisking, on a very low flame until the mixture barely thickens, about 5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Serve sauce hot, or let cool and refrigerate until ready to use. (Sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance.)
To serve, scoop large spoonfuls of crisp into individual shallow bowls. Ladle the sauce around each serving or pass the sauce at the table.
CRANBERRY PIE
My dad loved to cook, and usually came up with decent recipes. He sent this one in a letter dated “18 No 79”. He wrote, “Here is a recipe for a pie. 1st the way it was in the paper and the way I made it.” (It can be found in my e-cookbook Off the Wall Cooking, which will be pulled off and/or drastically improved after the June 1, 2024.)

Note: The pie can be made with either one crust (second photo) or two (top photo). The recipe originally calls for one crust, though.
Ingredients
2 T cornstarch
1 C sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/4 C hot water
1 C raisins
1 T butter
2 C cranberries
Pie crust
Directions
Blend 1st four ingredients & cook in double boiler until thick. Add next 3 ingredients & cook 10 minutes. Put in pie shell & bake at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes, covering pie with foil for the first 10-15 minutes. (Crust can be any kind you want, whether double crust or simply a bottom crust.)
VARIATION
Ingredients
2 Tbls cornstarch
3/4 C honey + 1/4 C molasses
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/4 C hot water
1 C raisins
1 T margarine
1-1/2 C cranberries + 1 C canned cranberries (kind with berries in sauce)
Pie crust
Directions
Make as above.
RASPBERRY CHILL
This is from the May, 2004 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 26. It begins, "This snappy, user-friendly recipe comes together in just minutes, providing a cooling bite for a heated main course. To gild the lily, garnish this sweet with fresh raspberries since they are coming into season. Offer this with a fruity herbed tea and vanilla cookies." Makes 4 servings
You can view this online at https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/raspberry-chill/.
Ingredients
2 cups frozen raspberries
1 1-lb. pkg. lite silken tofu
1/4 cup vanilla soymilk
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
1 pint fresh raspberries for garnish
1/2 cup crushed pecans for garnish
Directions
Put frozen raspberries, tofu, soymilk and brown rice syrup in blender, and process until smooth. 2. Pour or spoon into serving dish or individual compotes, and garnish with raspberries and pecans before serving.
MASCARPONE BERRY BOWL
This is from Ree Drummond on the Food Network.
Active Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 10 minutes; Yield: 2 to 4 servings; Level: Easy
To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/mascarpone-berry-bowl-12343050.
Ingredients
1 cup mixed berries, such as blueberries, blackberries and raspberries
1 lemon, zested and juiced
5 tablespoons honey
One 8-ounce container mascarpone
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Splash of vanilla extract
Fresh mint leaves, for serving
Biscotti, for serving
Directions
Mix the berries, lemon zest and juice and 2 tablespoons of the honey in a bowl; set aside.
In a separate bowl, add the mascarpone, heavy cream, vanilla and remaining 3 tablespoons honey. Using a hand mixer, whip together until light and fluffy.
Divide the sweetened mascarpone among 4 serving bowls. Use the bottom of a spoon to create a well in the middle of each mascarpone mound. Spoon the berry mixture into each well. Garnish with a sprig of mint on top of the berries and a biscotti on the side.
BLUEBERRY LATTICE PIE
This is from Molly O’Neill in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Molly wrote, “Here's a showstopper of a summer pie if there ever was one. In this recipe that came to The Times in 1995, a generous pile of blueberries is tossed with sugar, cinnamon and orange zest then baked in a butter-shortening crust until the filling is bubbly and the crust golden brown. Don't be intimidated by the lattice top. Just take your time, and do your best. No matter what it looks like, it'll taste delicious.”
Yield: 8 servings; Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
This was featured in “On Blueberry Hill”, and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9290-blueberry-lattice-pie.
Also, check out “How to Make a Pie Crust,” by Melissa Clark. Very helpful!
Ingredients
The Crust:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
6 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
The Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
6 cups fresh blueberries, cleaned
Preparation
To make the crust, combine the flour, 2 teaspoons of sugar and salt in a large bowl. Use your fingers to rub in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually and lightly mix in just enough ice water so the dough can be gently pressed into a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
To make the filling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the sugar, cinnamon, flour and orange zest. Place the blueberries in a large bowl and toss with the sugar mixture.
Divide the dough in half and roll out 1 piece on a lightly floured surface and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Place the filling in the dish. Roll out the remaining dough, cut 1/2-inch-wide strips and weave into a lattice top. Seal, trim and crimp the edges. Brush the top pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle it with the remaining sugar.
Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 and bake until crust is browned and filling is set, about 20 minutes longer. Cool on a rack. Cut into wedges and serve.
EASY CHERRY COBBLER
This is from Leah Maroney at the Spruce Eats. For this yummy recipes, Leah wrote, "Cherry cobbler is a quick and easy cherry dessert. It’s a delicious dessert that's somewhere in between a cake and a pie and easier to make than both. Canned cherry pie filling is spooned on top of a quick and easy batter before it’s all cooked in a cast-iron skillet in the oven. You can use fresh cherries if they're available, making your own pie filling. The cherries sink to the bottom as the batter bakes and creates a cobbler.
"It’s quick to mix up and bake and everyone will love this easy dessert any time of year. It’s especially tasty served warm and topped with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream."
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes; Total Time: 60 minutes; Makes 6 to 8 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.thespruceeats.com/upside-down-cherry-cobbler-recipe-304727.
Ingredients
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) salted butter, more for the skillet
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling
Directions
Gather the ingredients.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 F. Generously butter a medium cast-iron skillet, cake, or pie pan.
Melt the butter in the microwave. Combine the melted butter with the milk, egg, and vanilla extract.
Add 3/4 cup of sugar, the flour, baking powder, and salt to the egg-milk-vanilla mixture. Whisk to combine and make a fairly smooth batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared skillet.
Pour the cherry pie filling all over the top of the batter.
Bake until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup sugar over the top of the cobbler.
Continue baking until the sugar is crisped and the filling is bubbly, another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm.
Tip
If you decide to make your own filling and you have fresh cherries, check out the best way to pit fresh cherries.
Recipe Variations
You can make this recipe with cherry pie filling (as we did above) or you can try your hand at making your own cherry pie filling using fresh cherries.
You can also make this recipe using other pie fillings; try a strawberry filling or blueberry filling.
How to Store and Freeze
This cobbler can be stored, covered, at room temperature for up to two days. Or store it in the refrigerator for up to four days.
You can freeze this recipe in an aluminum pan (which can be the same one you cooked the cobbler in). Just cover with foil once cooled and freeze. Reheat in a preheated oven until warmed through and serve.
What's the difference between cherry pie and cherry cobbler?
Both cherry pie and cherry cobbler contain cherry pie filling. Cherry pie has at least one thin, flaky crust and often has two, the second being a lattice crust on top. Cherry cobbler contains cherry pie filling and then is topped with a cake-like batter that bakes up fluffy and golden brown. Cherry cobbler takes less time to make, but they both are delicious cherry recipes.



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