Oregon Berry Festival and a Guest Post

It’s berry season, the very best time of year! Do you love berries as much as I love berries? Then join me at the Oregon Berry Festival to celebrate the luscious little fruit. I’m thrilled to be one of the presenters this year! At noon on Saturday, July 13, I’ll be on the main stage demoing and sampling berry recipes from Flavored Butters. Then I’ll be signing books and answering your cooking questions from 1PM to 2PM at the Healthy Berry Booth. Hope to see you there!

I’m also excited to be featured on Plum Deluxe! My guest post is all about how you can use flavored butters to effortlessly wow your guests at your 4th of July cookout. It includes the Gorgonzola-Chive Butter and Whipped Chocolate Butter recipes from the book. Please check it out!

Here’s wishing everybody a fun and delicious Independence Day!

Summer Baking

While the rest of the country has been suffering through what seems to be the hottest summer ever, temperatures here in the Pacific Northwest have been unseasonably cold. I don't mean to rub this in for those of you who live in the inferno area, but we haven't had a single 90-degree day yet. Would you believe today I actually donned a fleece jacket? All this is to say that I don't mind turning the oven on when I feel like baking with summer berries.


Blueberry Cobbler with Lemon-Crème Fraîche Biscuit Topping
Printable Recipe

Unsalted butter, for greasing the baking dishes
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Grated zest of 1 lemon
6 ounces crème fraîche
¼ cup heavy cream
1 ¼ pounds blueberries
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Butter 4 individual baking dishes. Whisk together the flour, ¼ cup of the sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Blend together the crème fraîche and cream in a small bowl, add to the flour mixture, and stir until just combined.

Combine the blueberries, remaining 2 tablespoons of the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a large bowl and toss to coat. Divide the blueberry mixture among the baking dishes. Divide the dough among the baking dishes, dropping it by the tablespoonful onto the blueberries. Sprinkle the cobblers with the Turbinado sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling around the edges. Let cool slightly and serve.

Makes 4 individual cobblers. Blueberry and lemon is a flavor combination made in heaven. Huckleberries may be substituted for the blueberries. Perfect with vanilla or lemon ice cream.

Mixed Berries

This is what summer's all about.


Sweet, luscious berries.


Certainly nature's most generous gift to us.


Strawberries. Raspberries. Blackberries. Blueberries.


Each one, perfection.


But combine them, and magic happens…The individual flavor notes meld and together gain in intensity, like instruments in an orchestra.


So it's no surprise that the flavor of these Mixed Berry Mousse & Gelée Verrines was described as "intoxicating" and said to "taste like wine". Magic indeed.

Mixed Berry Mousse & Gelée Verrines
Printable Recipe

10 ounces raspberries
10 ounces blackberries
10 ounces blueberries
8 ounces strawberries
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 ¾ teaspoons gelatin
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Chambord
1 cup heavy cream

Puree the berries in a food mill using the finest disc. If the puree has seeds, strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove them. Divide evenly among 2 large bowls.

Stir ¼ cup of the sugar into ½ of the berry puree. Slowly sprinkle 2 ½ teaspoons of the gelatin over ¼ cup of the Chambord. Place the bowl of the gelatin mixture over a small pan of simmering water and heat until melted. Stir into the berry mixture. Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Stir 1/3 of the cream into the berry mixture, then fold in the remaining cream. Divide the mixture among 6 dessert cups. Refrigerate for about an hour, or until set.

Stir the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of Chambord into the remaining ½ of the berry puree. Measure ¼ cup of water into a small bowl and slowly sprinkle over the remaining 2 ¼ teaspoons of gelatin. Place the bowl of gelatin over a small pan of simmering water and heat until melted. Stir into the berry mixture. Divide among the dessert cups. Refrigerate for about an hour, or until set.

Serves 6. Serve topped with additional fresh berries, if desired. Can be made up to a day ahead of time and kept covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

Anything for Blueberries

I usually spend all of my free time in the kitchen, but this last weekend the hubby and I hiked Larch Mountain. It was a strenuous 5 mile hike, very steep and uphill both ways (no kidding!). I ended up with a sore hip and knee. And the thing is, I’d done that trail before, so I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. Why would I exert myself like that? Well, blueberries are still in season, and I knew that if I went on the hike, I would get to visit the blueberry grower on the way home. The lengths I will go to for fresh fruit.


Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Muffins
Printable Recipe

Nonstick pan spray, optional
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup fine cornmeal
1 cup sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick pan spray or line with paper liners. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake for 17 to 19 minutes, or until the edges of the muffins start to shrink away from the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Invert onto a cooling rack and finish cooling completely.

Makes 1 dozen muffins. They keep well and stay moist for 2 to 3 days in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place. Fresh blueberries are best, but if they are unavailable, use frozen—just don’t thaw them before adding to the batter or you'll end up with blue muffins.