frim fram spot: recipes

I've been trying to work my way through a couple of great cookbooks that people have given me. I think the best cookbooks are accessible. Instead of pages and pages of recipes stacked atop one another, a good cookbook should have pictures, description, anecdotes. My mom got me the Momentum Cookbook from Weight Watchers one year and it has lots of interesting, healthy options. You might hear the word "chowder" and think: Winter, but this features fresh corn so nicely, it's great for summer.

Corn Chowder
adapted from a recipe in the Weight Watchers Momentum Cookbook.
3/4 pound potatoes

1 fennel bulb, chopped.
1 large shallot or small onion, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

2 tsp olive oil

4-6 pieces corn on the cob, kernals cut off (you need about 3 cups)

1/2 cup red or green pepper diced.

3 cups skim milk
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Saute fennel, onion and pepper for about 5 minutes. Dice potatoes and add them to a pot with corn kernals, green or red pepper, fennel, onion, broth, salt and pepper and ring to boil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer, covered, for 10 mintues.
Combine 1 cup of milk with 1/2 cup vegetables in a blender or food processor. Pour the puree and two cups skim milk into the soup. Cook about 5 minutes longer. Serve with crackers, crumbled bacon or sour cream.

Let's say you aren't the type to get up early on a Saturday morning and drive an hour to stand in sweltering heat dodging flying beetles as you try to pick gigantic blackberries. You are in luck! At some stores you can find small half-pint containers of blackberries for just a dollar. It's much cheaper to pick them yourself (at $2.50 a pound) but you do have to think about the time and effort that goes into said activity. After our experience last Saturday, I'm going to have to think about it for next year :)

One thing that's weighing in favor of the UPick farm was the size of the berries. As big as my thumb! So big, in fact, that when I made raspberry breakfast bars with blackberries, I had to cut each one in half or thirds so the bars wouldn't be too chunky.

But I digress. The point is, even if you aren't a UPick fruit kind of person, you can make these bars with raspberries OR blackberries. And you should. As soon as possible. Because they are delicious!

Blackberry Crumb Breakfast Bars

Adapted from a recipe posted by Smitten Kitchen blog, which she adapted from
Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

Note, these bars aren't particularly healthy but they're probably better for you than Pop-Tarts. They are kind of similar, with a crust on the bottom (with oatmeal!) and a crunchy crumbly topping.

Crust/Topping
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

The Filling (made with raspberries or blackberries. I wonder how it would taste with peaches? Someone try it and let me know!)

1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound blackberries (I used about 3 1/2 cups because I don't own a kitchen scale.)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Make the crust and crumb
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan. Deb from Smitten Kitchen suggests using parchment paper to line the pan and buttering that as well. I didn't have parchment paper so I went without. It worked fine.

2. Put flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a food processor and pulse until combined. Add butter and pulse until it's crumbly.

3. Put 1 1/2 cups of the crumbly mixture in a separate bowl (this will be the topping.) Pour the rest in the 9x13 pan and press down. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.

4. Mix cinnamon, lemon zest, flour and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Add blackberries, butter and lemon juice. Toss until combined.

5. Pour filling on top of crust, spreading it evenly around.

6. Top with the crumb mixture you set aside earlier. Pop in the oven for 35-45 minutes, rotating every 15 minutes. Let it cool on a wire rack completely before you try to cut it.