We feel blessed to have an abundance of a noxious/invasive weed in our backyard and alleyway. Blessed by weeds, you say? Well yes, because for about two or three weeks each summer, these weeds happen to have huge, juicy, sweet blackberries hanging off their pokey vines!
It's blackberry season, and we have finally had enough sun and heat to ripen a fair amount of berries. It has been on my mental radar almost every day to get outside and check the blackberries, so we're sure not to miss the crop. Last year we waited and waited for them to ripen, and they finally did over a few days when we were busy - and then it rained, and by the time we got outside to pick some berries, every last one was spoiled. So this year it's been a priority. On Saturday my mom and I got out there in the afternoon sun and picked two overflowing containers full. Yes!
We came in with about nine cups. Oh, here's my berry picking tip for you. See, I grew up berry-picking into plastic four-cup measuring cups, and still keep up the tradition. They work great - they're unbreakable if dropped, and it's easy to know just by a quick glance when you've got enough for a pie (usually four cups are needed)! I've been in the mood for baked goods and baking, which is a change from the past nine months. I really want to bake a blackberry pie before the summer is over, but I haven't the energy right now to play around with homemade gluten-free crust. So I thought, maybe a cobbler/crisp type of concoction would be yummy and much easier?
After we all had dinner (one of my favorite dishes that I'll have to share with you sometime: Soy Sauce Chicken), I searched online and quickly found a recipe for Gluten-Free Blackberry Crisp. With help from Hubs and Mom, we threw it together in ten minutes, and put it in the oven. [Sidenote: Isn't the worst part of baking something with berries just waiting for it to cool after you pull it out of the oven?] Well, we made it through the cooling off period, and each of us enjoyed a little bowl of Tillamook French Vanilla Ice Cream with warm GF Blackberry Crisp on top. YUM!!!
Here's the recipe. Credit for the original recipe goes to GlutenFreeDreaming.com, and the modifications are my own.
Gluten-Free Blackberry Crisp
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13x9 inch pan with coconut oil.
In a medium bowl, mix 8 cups blackberries, 1/2 cup Sucanat or raw/turbinado sugar, 1/3 cup tapioca or potato starch, a sprinkle of cinnamon to taste, and 2 TB lemon juice. You don't have to mash the berries, but some will get that way as you stir -especially if they are very ripe! Pour into the prepared baking dish.
In another medium bowl, mix 1 1/2 cup gluten-free oats, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup tapioca or potato starch, 1/4 cup brown rice flour, and a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg to taste (I used approximately 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg). Then add 1/2 cup softened butter, cutting in with a pastry blender or using your clean hands, until mixture is blended and resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the blackberries waiting in baking pan.
Bake in 375 degree oven for 35 minutes until topping is golden brown and berries are bubbling, and if you want to crisp the topping more, broil (on LOW setting, just in case you forget about it!) for a few minutes. Let cool for at least twenty minutes, using a fan if you're desperate to enjoy dessert and can't wait long. Spoon over vanilla ice cream for a special treat! Enjoy.
Now if I can just get a GF pie crust together, there are some huge ripe berries outside just begging to be put in a pie... ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment