Beautiful local raspberries are once more in the stores, and I can’t wait to start cooking with them.
Visions of raspberry muffins, raspberry cake and raspberry pie dance through my head. A few tips about handling raspberries: they only need a quick spray of water to get them clean, and shouldn’t be washed until just before you’re going to use them; turn them out onto paper towels to dry.
Raspberries have a very short shelf life, so if you’re not using them right away freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet then store the frozen berries in plastic sandwich bags.
When incorporating berries into a batter, fold them in ever so gently (it’s easier if the berries are very cold) so as not to crush them and turn the batter pink.
Raspberry Crumble Coffee Cake
Crumble topping:
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup butter, softened
Cake Batter:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup butter, softened
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup buttermilk
2 cups fresh raspberries
Preheat oven to 375º F; grease a nine-inch square baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine the crumble topping ingredients mixing with a fork until crumbly; set aside. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
In a large bowl, cream together the second quarter cup of butter and the granulated sugar. Blend in the egg and vanilla until smooth. Blend in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour.
Gently fold in the raspberries (batter is quite stiff, so be patient when adding the berries to avoid crushing them too much). Spread the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over top.
Bake for about 50 minutes or until a tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool to just warm before cutting. Makes nine servings.
Lemon Raspberry Bars
Crust:
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
6 Tbsp butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
Finely grated zest of one small lemon
Filling:
2 large egg yolks
1 can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1½ cups fresh raspberries
Preheat oven to 350º F; grease an eight-inch square baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine all crust ingredients and mix together until all graham crumbs are moist. Press the crust mixture into the prepared pan, bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
To make the filling, whisk together the egg yolks and condensed milk until well combined. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest and continue stirring until mixture starts to thicken slightly. Gently fold in the raspberries. Pour the filling evenly over the cooled crust and bake for 15 minutes or until just set.
Remove from oven and cool to room temperature on a wire rack, then refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Cut into bars when thoroughly chilled. Makes 16 bars (two inches square).
Raspberry Tiramisu
½ cup seedless raspberry jam
3 Tbsp Grand Marnier liqueur
8 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature
½ cup whipping cream
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1 frozen pound cake, cut into pieces three-inches long by 1½ inches wide by one-nich thick
2 cups fresh raspberries
Icing sugar to dust top of dessert
Stir the jam and two tablespoons of the liqueur together in a small bowl until well blended. Stir together the mascarpone and the remaining tablespoon of liqueur in a large bowl to blend. With an electric mixer, beat the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla to soft peaks in another large bowl. With a rubber spatula, fold one-quarter of the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream.
Line the bottom of an eight-inch square glass baking dish with half of the pound cake pieces; spread half of the jam mixture over top. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over the cake, then top with half of the raspberries. Repeat the layers of cake, jam mixture, mascarpone and berries. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of three hours, or preferably overnight. Dust with icing sugar before serving. Makes four to six servings.
Angela Shellard is a self-described foodie. She has done informal catering for various functions. Contact: [email protected].
