Orange & Coriander Cheesecake Ice Cream with Blackberry Swirl

Here is the insanely good, truly deserving winner of Dessert Club - Herbs & Spices night.

Orange and Coriander Cheesecake Ice Cream with Blackberry Swirl (print recipe)

Coriander Cheesecake Ice Cream:
1 1/2 teaspoons ground roasted coriander
3/4 cup whole milk
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
8 oz crème frâiche
3/4 cup sugar

Combine the coriander and milk in a small sauce pan. Bring to a light simmer, turn off the heat, and let the mixture steep for 10 minutes.

In the food processor or blender, pulse the cream cheese, crème frâiche, sugar, and milk together until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and chill for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight. 

Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream:
2/3 cup sugar 

Peel of 3 oranges (peel oranges with vegetable peeler and scrape the pith off with a paring knife) 

1 1/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (from 4 or 5 large oranges) 

1 cup sour cream 

1/2 cup half-and-half

In a blender, pulverize the sugar and orange peel until the peel/zest is fine. Add the orange juice, sour cream, and half-and-half and blend until the sugar is completely dissolved. Chill at least 1 hour, preferably overnight. 

Blackberry Sauce:
2 cups (16 oz) blackberries
3/4 cups sugar

Place blackberries and sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium high heat, mashing with a potato masher when they are really soft. Simmer until thick, about 5 minutes. Strain the fruit and juices in a fine mesh sieve until most of the liquid is separated. Put the solids into a blender and blend to make a thick sauce. If you don't want seeds (I didn't) put back through sieve into a separate bowl. Add back the liquid to the solids until it is about the consistency of melted sorbet (I still had about a half cup of the liquids left that I didn't use - which was great on pancakes).  Cool completely if it's not already, then chill for at least 1 hour.

To Assemble:
Churn the coriander ice cream in your machine according to manufacturers instructions. When it is finished, transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer. Strain out the zest from the orange creamsicle ice cream then churn in your machine according to manufacturers instructions until it is the consistency of soft serve. If you have two ice cream makers you can churn both flavors at the same time, just make the coriander as thick as you can get but leave the orange just a little soft. 

To swirl both flavors with the sauce, gently fold scoops of coriander ice cream into the orange ice cream. Then scoop BIG scoops, a few at a time, of the two flavors together into a large airtight container and pour blackberry sauce over to cover, then more scoops and more sauce, repeating until all ice cream and sauce is used. Cover with plastic wrap and container lid then freeze until solid.

Adapted from cannellevanille.com and The Perfect Scoop via feltandhoney.com
by Dessert Club member S.W.

1 year ago:  Cranberry Cream Pie
2 years ago:  Marmalade Nut Brownies
3 years ago:  Chocolate-Pumpkin Marble Cake with Chocolate Glaze

Blackberry-Swirl Pound Cake

 This amazing concoction was a bit of a happy accident.  VERY happy.

Over spring break I cleaned out the fridge, freezer, and cupboards and made an effort to use up some older stuff.  I had four bags of frozen blackberries in the back of the freezer, that I'd gotten last summer on a BOGO deal, and forgotten about.  I knew had a couple of blackberry recipes in my files, so I went hunting.

SO GLAD I went with this one.  Because this pound cake is UH-MAZING.  Light, tender, buttery, and sweet.  Everything a pound cake should be.  And with a blackberry swirl?!  So delicious.

Blackberry-Swirl Pound Cake (print recipe)
Makes 9 servings
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
6 ounces blackberries (1 1/3 cups)
1 1/4 cups plus 2 T sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly butter a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan and line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang.  Butter parchment.  Good luck with this.  I just use my really good nonstick spray and skip the parchment.

2.  In a food processor, puree blackberries with 2 T sugar.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder.

3.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter and 1 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy, 5 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat to combine, scraping down bowl as needed.  With mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

4.  Transfer half the batter to pan and dot with 1/2 cup blackberry puree.  Repeat with remaining batter and puree.  With a skewer or thin-bladed knife, swirl batter and puree together.  Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours.  Let cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes.  Lift cake out of pan and place on a serving plate.  Let cool completely before slicing.

Recipe from Everyday Food, July/Aug 2010

In fact, after making it with blackberries, I thought, this is so easy, I could make it with any fruit!  So the next week, I made it with strawberry swirl.  And with had it for strawberry shortcake.  Heaven. 

Summer Berry Pie

It is that time of year. I have written you a berry haiku.

Berries' siren song
Bursting, juicy melody
Guess it's time for pie

So here you go.

Summer Berry Pie (print recipe)
Graham Cracker Crust:
9 graham crackers (5 ounces), broken into rough pieces
2 T sugar
5 T unsalted butter, melted and warm

Berry Filling:
2 cups raspberries (9 ounces)
2 cups blackberries (11 ounces)
2 cups blueberries (10 ounces)
1/2 cup sugar
3 T cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 T juice from 1 lemon
2 T red currant jelly
2 cups sweetened whipped cream

1. For the crust: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a food processor, process the graham crackers until evenly fine, about 30 seconds (you should have 1 cup crumbs.) Add the sugar and pulse to combine. Continue to pulse while adding warm melted butter in a steady stream; pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer the crumbs to 9-inch glass pie plate; use the bottom of a ramekin or measuring cup to press the crumbs evenly into the bottom and up the sides, forming a crust. Bake the crust until it is fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 to 18 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely while making the filling.

3. For the filling: Combine the berries in a large colander and gently rinse (taking care not to bruise them.) Spread the berries on a paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet and gently pat dry with additional paper towels.4. In a food processor, puree 2 1/2 cups of the mixed berries until smooth and fully pureed, about 1 minute. Strain the puree through a mesh strainer into a small nonreactive saucepan, scraping and pressing on the seeds to extract as much puree as possible (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups.) Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl to combine, then whisk the mixture into the puree. Bring the puree to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon; when the mixture reaches a boil and is thickened to the consistency of pudding, remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and set aside to cool slightly.

5. While the puree is cooling, place the remaining berries in a medium bowl. Heat the jelly in a second small saucepan over low heat until fully melted. Drizzle the melted jelly over the whole berries and gently toss them together until the berries are glazed. Pour the slightly cooled berry puree into the cooled crust and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Distribute the glazed berries evenly over the puree and gently press into the surface. Loosely cover the pie with plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled and the puree has set, about 3 hours (or up to 1 day.) Cut the pie into wedges and serve with whipped cream.
Recipe from Baking Illustrated: The Practical Kitchen Companion for the Home Baker

Coconut-Lime Berry Cake

Well, summer is definitely here in Virginia, so you can start expecting ice cream, popsicles, cool drinks, and summer fruits and flavors around here. Although chocolate is always in season.

This cake has everything I like all thrown into one 9x13 pan. Plus, without melty frosting, it is great to take to picnics. Which is exactly what we did.

We have some neighbors that have started the tradition of a dunk tank party every June. Isn't that the coolest darn thing you've ever heard of? These are also the same people that rode a zip line from their wedding to their reception, in full wedding garb. Adventurous, to say the least. I wanted to bring a dessert that wouldn't deteriorate in the heat, so this fruity but sturdy cake was just the ticket. The hostess later emailed me - people were asking for the recipe! - so I am moving this summer lovin' sweetie to the front of the queue!Coconut-Lime Berry Cake (print recipe)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cup plus 1 T all-purpose flour, divided
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 cup packed sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup plus 1 T sugar, divided
3 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tsp finely grated lime zest, plus 2 T lime juice (from 1 to 2 limes)
3 cups mixed berries, such as raspberries, blackberries and blueberries (about 1 pound)
3 T orange juice

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour (or spray) a 9x13 baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, salt and coconut. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and 1 cup sugar on high, scraping down bowl as needed, until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, and beat until combined. With mixer on low, add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions buttermilk, and beat until combined. Stir in lime zest and juice. Pour batter into dish. Smooth top with a small offset or rubber spatula.

2. In a medium bowl, toss together 1 T flour, 1 T sugar, berries and orange juice. Scatter berry mixture over batter. Bake until cake is golden at edges and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on wire rack 20 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or room temperature. Refrigerate leftover cake, wrapped in plastic, up to 5 days.Recipe from Everyday Food, May 2011

Whole-Grain Blackberry Spice Muffins

I'm gonna be honest with you. I wasn't sure if these were good enough to post. I thought they were okay, but I know I was jaded by having made the Amazing Blueberry Muffins just a few days earlier. But then I took them to my monthly 7 am church meeting. Every month since December I've been bringing muffins to the meeting, always one or two new kinds to try out. And after the August meeting, one friend said, "Kari, I like all the muffins you've brought, but I think these are the best ones yet."

Really. Now that is saying something because I've brought a lot of muffins to these guys. So I looked at them in a new light and took another bite. He's right, you know. These are pretty darn good.

Whole-Grain Blackberry Spice Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon apple-pie spice (or pumpkine-pie spice)
1 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups frozen blackberries (about 8 ounces)
Cooking spray
1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp lemon or orange zest

1. Coarsely chop frozen blackberries, and place them back in the freezer until ready to stir into the batter. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through apple-pie spice) in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, butter, vanilla, and egg in a small bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring until just moist. Gently stir in blackberries.

3. For the topping, gently combine 1/4 cup sugar with lemon or orange zest.

4. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each of 17 paper-lined muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkel muffins evenly with sugar topping. Bake at 400° for 17 to 22 minutes, rotating once during baking, until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks. Makes 17 muffins

Recipe from Cooking Light, January 2006

Blackberry-Peach Coffee Cake

As you can imagine I've been busting my butt this week to get things baked with my freshly picked fruit. The peach muffins were fabulous. I made a peach bread that was only mediocre. I made freezer jam for the first time - what else, blackberry-peach flavor, and it's sooo good. And my friend Corey's wild berry bread is one of the best things to exist in this world - find it in this post from last year.

Calling this recipe "coffee cake" implies permission to eat it for breakfast, which I did this morning, though it is definitely decadent enough for a sophisticated dessert. Fruity, vanilla-y cake, crunch-spicy topping, and PLENTY of butter throughout - this cake is awesome!

One weird thing - a few minutes after I put it in the oven, I smelled burning. A little was leaking out of the bottom of the springform pan and dropping to the oven floor. The batter was plenty thick so I must have just not had the pan bottom in tight enough. I wrapped the bottom and halfway up the sides tightly in tin foil and it was fine after that.

It's super rich so I will be wrapping up slices for the freezer so we can enjoy it over time - nothing like a wedge of summer for a quick out-the-door breakfast or a slow I've-earned-this dessert.

Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Cake:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups peeled and sliced firm fresh ripe peaches (about 2 to 3)
1 cup fresh blackberries
Powdered sugar
Garnishes: fresh blackberries, sliced peaches

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare streusel topping - beat butter at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; beat just until blended.

2. For cake, beat butter at medium speed until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition.

3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into greased and floured 9-inch springform pan; top with sliced peaches and blackberries.
Pinch off 1-inch pieces of streusel topping and drop over fruit.

4. Bake at 350 for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes (I was checking every 5 minutes for awhile) until center of cake is set and toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 1/2 hours). Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with fruit, optional.

*For Peach Coffee Cake variation, omit blackberries. Increase peaches to 3 cups sliced. Proceed with recipe as directed.



Recipe from Southern Living, June 2009

Blackberry and Peach Recipes

You will die. Everything here is wonderful.

Blackberry-Lemon Pudding Cake
"As the dessert bakes, a light, spongy cake forms over a delicate bottom layer of custard."
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large egg yolks
3 large egg whites
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups blackberries (or blueberries or raspberries)
Cooking spray
3/4 teaspoon powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine flour, 2/3 cup sugar, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl; add buttermilk, lemon rind, lemon juice butter and egg yolks, stirring with a whisk until mixture is smooth.
3. Beat egg whites with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-fourth of egg white mixture into buttermilk mixture. Gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Fold in blackberries.
4. Pour batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Place in a large baking pan filled with water to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in the center. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm. Makes about 5 servings

Light Peach Ice Cream
3 cups chopped peeled peaches (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a food process or blender puree peaches until smooth. Combine with the other ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Pour mixture into freezer bowl of ice cream machine and process according to machine directions. Pour soft ice cream into an airtight container and freeze in freezer for at least 2 hours.

Wild Berry Bread
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons soft butter, in ½-inch pieces
1 egg
1 tablespoon orange peel
½ cup orange juice
½ cup raspberries*
½ cup blackberries*
1 cup blueberries*
(*You can do any combination of berries as long as you have 2 cups total)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients.
3. Add the soft butter in with your fingertips until it is like flakes of coarse meal.
4. Add the egg, juice, peel and berries; combine but do not over mix.
5. Bake for 1 hour or until done.
Peach-Glazed Barbecue Pork Chops and Peaches
3 cups chopped peeled peaches (about 1½ pounds)
1 cup dry white wine
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt, divided
¼ teaspoon black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
6 (6-ounce) bone-in center cut pork chops (about ½- inch thick), trimmed
6 peaches, halved and pitted

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 min. Uncover and simmer 5 min. Place peach mixture in food processor, process until smooth. Add ¾ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp pepper, vinegar, and next 4 ingredients; pulse to combine. Let stand 5 min. Place half of peach mixture in a large heavy duty ziploc bag; reserve other half for basting. Add chops to bag; seal and refrigerate 30 minutes to 4 hours.
2. Preheat grill. Remove pork from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle pork with ¼ tsp salt and ⅛ tsp pepper. Place pork and peach halves on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill 10 min or until the pork is done and the peaches are tender, turning once. Baste pork and peach halves with reserved mixture every 2 minutes during the first 6 minutes of cooking.
Makes 6 servings