Berries and Cream Pie Bars

      I thought after having graduated from college, summer would slightly fall in its excitement levels. I figured when I no longer had the pure bliss of finishing a year of strenuous mental work and serious stress balancing skills in sight, summer would just drift in without a major wave of happiness. However, I am finding a certain overwhelming joy with the world right now, and summer has not lost any of its excitement. Trips to see family and explore new places are in planning, there is camping to be done and I just can't help but want to be outside and do more with my days when the sun wakes up and hangs out with me longer.

        Part of summers serious bliss though, is the return of summer produce and farmers markets. I don't know if you guys have been eating fistfuls of blueberries too, but I can't seem to get enough.

        These bars are packed with blueberries, mildly sweet crumbles and crust, and a creamy blending of those two things brought together by some fruity yogurt. If you live in Colorado, I sincerely hope you have tried Noosa yogurt (if you don't live here, I know it is becoming increasingly available around the country). It is the most creamy, delicious, heaven sent yogurt and it is the perfect accompaniment to bring a mildly sweet and flavorful velvetiness to middle of these bars.

        They make a delicious snack, a tasty dessert topped with ice cream, or in the morning, use a little bit more of that yogurt to top for an easy breakfast. They are good at room temperature, but I absolutely loved them cold out of the fridge! It made them super refreshing for the hot summer days.

Note: If you don't have Noosa, as the recipe notes, any full-fat, flavored Greek yogurt will do.
Ingredients:
Crust/Topping
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 C all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c old fashion rolled oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg

Filling
4 c fresh blueberries
1/2 c sugar
3 tsp cornstarch
2 large eggs
1 c (8 ounces) full-fat Greek raspberry yogurt (or sub other flavor, I think lemon would be awesome!)
       ---I recommend Noosa Yogurt if you can get your hands on it!
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

1. Grease a 9x13 pan and preheat the oven to 375F
2. For the crust: in the bowl of a food processor, combine the sugar, baking powder, flour, 1 cup of the oats, and salt. Pulse a few times.
3. Cut the butter into cubes and add it to the food processor. Pulse a few times until the mixture resembles a course crumble with pea sized clumps. Add the egg and pulse a few more times to incorporate. It will still have a crumbly texture.
4. Divide the crumbs in half and pour one half into the base of the greased baking dish. Press it down and around the sides to create a thick and even layer. Set the rest aside.
5. For the filling: Mix together the sugar, blueberries and cornstarch in a medium bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, and lemon juice and zest.
6. Pour the blueberries over the top of the crust and spread evenly. Pour the yogurt mixture over the berries, making sure it reaches all over the dish to the corners.
7. Top the berries with the second half of the crumbles, scattering them about in cover the entire dish. Finally, sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 C oats.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top has a slight golden brown. Allow the dish to cool before cutting. They can be served warm, room temp or (my personal favorite) cold from the fridge. Delicious with milk, yogurt or ice cream :)

Bonus: Here you can spot the two cactus I have managed to keep alive for a whole 6 months now! 

Love,
 Boulder Butter

Grapefruit Brûlée Cake

     Have you guys ever had a grapefruit with brûléed brown sugar on top that is served cold? Because it is absolutely delicious. It is a perfect summer treat to break through the crust, cut out a wedge and have the cool, refreshing grapefruit slide down your throat. I find it so refreshing, that it inspired a cake in its image.

    Think simple cake. Think buttermilk moist, grapefruit tang. Think crunchy poppy seeds.

     Then the top-spread generously with brown sugar and placed under your broiler until it caramelizes and turns into a mix of a chewy and crunchy crust for your beautiful cake.

    Yes, your beautiful cake must be sacrificed for this less than stellar looking top, but I'm telling you, the top is the BEST PART OF THE CAKE. DON'T YOU DARE NOT DO THE TOP. I sighed when I looked at the finished cake and thought simultaneously: "Man, I am ready to eat this cake..." and "AHH, why is it not more pretty??" Its ok, just breathe, eat your cake and you will forgive it and love it forever. Ok?

Adapted from The Homesick Texan's Ruby Red Grapefruit and Pecan Sheet Cake

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
3/4 C grapefruit juice
2 C all purpose flour
Zest of grapefruit
1 3/4 C sugar
1 TSP baking soda
Zest of grapefruit
1/4 TSP salt
3/4 C buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 TSP vanilla
2-3 TBSP poppy seeds (depending on your crunch preference; I prefer 3)
1/2 C brown sugar

1. Butter and flour a 9x13 pan, and preheat your oven to 375F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, zest and salt.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine the melted butter, grapefruit juice, buttermilk and beaten eggs. Whisk to combine.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently fold them together until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in the poppy seeds. Use as few of stirs as possible so you don't over mix.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes. Once an inserted toothpick comes out clean, place the cake on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife along the edges and carefully invert the cake onto a sheet tray.
6. Turn your broiler on and position a rack in the top 1/3 of the oven. Sprinkle the cake with the brown sugar and place it under the broiler. You do not need to close the door, watch carefully and pull the cake once the top is fully melted/caramelized and there are a few dark spots.
7. All the cake to cool thoroughly before eating. Enjoy!

Love,
    Boulder Butter

Strawberry Crumb-Packed Pie

   There are a few foods I have been diligently craving lately...kale, avocados, mounds of salsa, carrots (an odd one, I know), peanut butter, and strawberries. Like lots and lots of strawberries. By themselves, on my salads, in biscuits, mixed in yogurt, with lemon curd...pretty much anywhere really. 

    I needed a solution to my addiction. So obviously, I made a strawberry PACKED pie, no room in rhubarb for this one (my apologies rhubarb, you can play later). I wanted a think, gooey, warm filling of small-diced strawberries, and big thick chunks mixed together. 

      Once that was settled, I knew the next step was deciding just what kind of pie I wanted this to be. Since I was indulging my food visions, I figured why would I dare stray away from my ultimate dessert love-struesel. This pie not only is COVERED with a generous topping of crumbles that can only mean love at first pie sighting, but also, the crust is formed by pressing these crumbs into the pie dish so they are also the base.

     I know most of the time if someone told you the important qualities of pie were the struesel and lots of fruit, you would respond-"Don't be silly, just make a cobbler and forget the crust." But I am stubborn and wanted my fruit surrounded everywhere with happiness. So today, I introduce you to The Strawberry Crumb Packed Pie.

Filling

1 3/4 lb. hulled strawberries

1/2 C granulated sugar

2 TBSP cornstarch

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Crumb Base and Topping

1 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/2 TSP ginger

1/4 TSP salt

1/2 C almond meal (or roughly chopped almonds)

8 TBSP (1 stick) butter, unsalted, room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 425F (at high altitude) or 400 (at sea level) and place a rack in the lower third of the oven.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse 1 lb. of the strawberries until finely chopped. Using a knife, rough chop the other 3/4 lb. into large chucks.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together all of the strawberries, filling sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice and zest. Set them aside to rest.

4. Clean out the food processor and prepare the crumbs by combining the flour, sugar, ginger, salt and almond meal. Pulse the processor a few times to mix everything together. Cut the butter into chucks and add them to the flour mixture. Pulse the mixture a few times until you have crumbs around the size of large peas. 

5. Scoop half of the crumb mixture into a 9" pie plate and press it into the bottom and edges. (It is sticky, so a wadded paper fowl may help press it down without getting it all over your hands.) Add the strawberries and spread them evenly over the bottom. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs evenly over the pie. 

6. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the filling is oozing out and the top has golden brown bits. Allow the pie to cool for 2-3 hours before cutting. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

*You can do this recipe by hand, but a food processor makes it faster. If you don't have one, just cut the strawberries by hand. Then mix together the dry ingredients in a small bowl and cut the butter into the mixture until you have crumbs.

Love, 

    Boulder Butter

Whole Wheat Jam Sweet Rolls

      Sometimes, all you need in life is a warm piece of bread, some butter spread generously on top, and a good slathering of jam. I mean, who argues with the smell of coffee and toast in the morning? If you start your day off with these in your kitchen, I positive it is going to be better.

          And sometimes, you want freshly baked bread to start your day. I for one, am never going to fault you for that. I have a particular weakness in my heart for brioche, which is a French style bread, that is lightly sweetened, heavily enriched with butter, and absolutely heavenly. If pastries were to meet bread, start dating, get married, and birth a brilliant baby, I am pretty sure it would be brioche. 

        This dough is very similar to a traditional brioche that is made in into a braid around Easter. It requires minimal kneading, are is pretty much just thrown in the bowl, stirred, rested, and given a little love; before long you will have a much more decadent tasting toast, butter and jam on your table. Because sometimes, that is the only type of bread that will suffice in the morning. Unlike normal toast, each individual roll has a gooey, soft center; and there is a center roll to the roll pan, and the center of the center roll, is pretty much the most coveted thing in the world. (At least in my world, and if that is the same in your world, there is a good chance we could be friends.)  

        Finally, the thing that makes this so wonderfully easy, is that all that you have to do is brush them with melted butter and dollops of your favorite jam or fruit butter-mine was a delectable apple butter from a local creole restaurant I adore. This simple mixture is not only fuss-free, but also not overly sweet. I love, I mean, love pecan sticky buns and cinnamon rolls, but sometime they are too much in the morning. These gentle treats are simple, soft bread with the your favorite pantry staples, pulled warm out of the oven-perfectly simple.

Lightly inspired by "Briochettes au ducle de leche" in The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo

Make 6-7 medium sized rolls
Ingredients:
5 TBSP unsalted butter
3 1/2 TBSP water
1 TSP dry active yeast
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C whole wheat flour
1/4 C sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
1 heaping TBSP sour cream
1 TSP vanilla extract

3 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
1/2 C apple butter (or sub whatever jam or preserve you prefer on your toast!)

Instructions:
1. Melt 5 TBSP butter, add it to lukewarm water, and stir in the yeast until it dissolves. 
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Push the dry ingredients to the sides to create a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture, the egg, vanilla, and sour cream, and combine until you have a soft, sticky dough with no flour streak remaining.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to sit for 2 hours in a warm place or overnight in your fridge until it has doubled in size.
4. When ready, preheat oven to 350F. Butter and line a 8 or 9" cake round pan with parchment paper. 
5.Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead the dough for 4 minutes. Next, roll it into a large rectangle and brush 3 TBSP melted butter over the entire surface. Dollop the apple butter around the surface of the dough and brush it around to cover the entire surface.
6. With the long side facing you, roll the dough up into a log. Slice the rolls into even rounds (about 6 or 7). Place the rolls in the prepared pan with space in between them. Gently cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a warm place until they have doubled in size (about 45 minutes sitting on the preheating oven).
7.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until the tops have become golden. Remove from the oven and allow the rolls to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving! Happy Breakfast.

Love,

 Boulder Butter

Blackberry-Lavender Cobbler

    The clock sprung forward and Monday night was a promise of a sweet, sweet spring and summer ahead in Denver. The sun was beaming and perfect for an early evening walk. The darkness did not come until later, and the night demanded cheesy grits with greens, a cold beer, and a nice warm cobbler. 

     Granted I had intended to make something completely different for my next post, but when I walked in the store that day and saw these juicy, beautiful blackberries sitting there, I knew it was time for a cobbler instead. 

    The berries are mashed together with ground lavender leafs. The center is a gooey and sweet, but the lavender pushes through a strong floral flavor with the slightest bitter notes. Each bite makes me feel like I am sitting in the middle of a field in the summer with the sun beating down. The filling taste like the most wonderful flavors of the earth and it's abundance. 

      There are many types of cobbler. This one, is what I have so eloquently named "a dumb cobbler" and it is the true type of my heart. The messy filling coupled with the caramelized, cakey surrounding screams sweet simplicity in a skillet. The buttermilk adds the quintessential southern tang; the molasses in the brown sugar creates an eye catching dark color and simultaneously chewy and crunchy texture on the outside that is divinity in cast iron. The inside is soft and comforting as it melds into one where it meets the berries.

    Cobblers are a messy scoop of heaven. I love them hot out of the oven, scooped impatiently and topped with vanilla ice cream that melts down the sides. I love them equally for breakfast, reheated, with milk poured over them (cereal never stood a chance). I had gingerbread to get me through the winter, but now I have this. Welcome back, Spring, how I have missed you.

**Notes: For the lavender you can use a mortar and pestle, a spice grinder, or if you have too, just run a knife through them to mince them for a bit. I use a 10" cast iron skillet for this recipe. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, in step two: instead prepare a 8x8 baking dish or 8-9" cake pan, and melt the butter in the microwave or in a separate sauce pan. 

Inspired by Virginia Willis' "Meme's Blackberry Cobbler" in Bon Appétit, Y'all-this book is a recent, but total obsession of mine!

Ingredients: 
1/2 C butter (1 stick), unsalted

4 1/2 C fresh blackberries (I used 3, 6 oz. containers)

1 1/2 TSP dried lavender flowers, ground* see notes

1 C all-purpose flour

1 C brown sugar + more for sprinkling 

1 TSP baking soda

3/4 TSP baking powder (at altitude) OR 1 TSP baking powder (sea level)

1 generous pinch fine sea salt

1 C buttermilk

1/2 TSP vanilla extract

1/2 TSP almond extract (or 1/2 more vanilla if you don't have this)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.

2. Melt your butter in a large cast iron skillet and remove from heat. **See notes. 

3. Add the blackberries and ground lavender to a large bowl and sprinkle with a small amount of sugar. Using a potato masher, forks, or pastry cutter, mash the berries so some of the juices have been released but there is still form in some of them.

4. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Next stir in the brown sugar, breaking up the majority of the clumps before continuing. 

5. Mix in the buttermilk, then the extracts and finally the butter until the batter is smooth. Pour the batter into the cast iron skillet. Add the mashed berry mixture to the center.

6. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Remove and let it cool for 30 minutes before serving. Goes perfectly with ice cream or whipped cream-the lavender begs for one of those! Vanilla is perfect, and if you can find honey flavored I can only imagine it would be heavenly. 

The best part-since it is so PACKED with berries, it makes it really easy to eats huge spoonfuls of it. I love anything sweet I get to huge spoonfuls of! 

Love,
Boulder Butter    

Shaker Lemon Pie

    I have heard of this pie for a long time, and have always wanted to try one. However, it is not common to walk into a pie shop and see this beauty shinning on the counter. Although it should be there-ready to turn into lemon goops of happiness on my spoon. Since that is the case, I decided with lemons in full seasonal swing, I would make this pie myself. 

    The neat thing about this pie is that it uses the WHOLE lemon. Unlike another way to use whole lemons in tarts by pureeing in a food processor, in this pie the lemons are macerated as thin slices in sugar for a long time. Some of them dissolve almost completely and some remain in full rings; this creates an experience of texture as you dig into the pie. The top rings candy and form these chewy delicious bits, the inside melts together to a sweet lemon custardy-curd like filling and the piecrust creates the perfect flakey vehicle of balance. 

    This pie is what I dream my breakfast could be every day. Sub flaky piecrust for toast and lather on lots and lots both of lemon curd AND lemon marmalade. Sub in ice cream or whipped cream for your yogurt. I will be sad to return to my toast when it is all gone...and I love toast.

Ingredients: 

1 9" single pie crust

4 small or 2 large lemons
1 3/4 C sugar
1/4 TSP salt
4 eggs
4 TBSP melted butter
3 TBSP flour

Instructions:
1. Wash and dry the lemons thoroughly. Zest them and place the zest and sugar into a large (non metal) bowl. Slice the lemons very thinly by hand or using a mandoline and remove the seeds.
2. Bring some water to a boil, then add the lemons for one minute, then quickly remove and add them to ice water to quickly cool for 1 minute. Strain them lemons to remove most of the excess liquid. Add the lemons to sugar and zest and stir to combine. Let them sit at room temperature for 6 hours (the will form a thickened, syrupy lemon sugar mixture during this time. 
3. When the lemons are ready to go, preheat the oven to 425F, roll out and prepare your crust, place it in the pan and put it in the fridge while you finish preparing the filling. 
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg until frothy. Add the butter and flour and mix to combine. Finally stir that into the lemon mixture. 
5. Pour the filling into the piecrust and bake for 30 minutes at 425F, then turn down the heat to 350F and bake for 15-25 more minutes until the filling is set. Remove and let the pie cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. 
*It is fine and good warm, and you will not be able to resist its smell, but believe me enjoy it warm, then store it in your fridge and wait for the true treat to come once it is cold the next morning! Or if your ridiculously patient, you can wait to cut into it until then...I definitely was not.