"blackberries" news and stories

When you think of Gazpacho, you probably think of hot summer days and refreshing cold soup. Unfortunately the weather where I am isn't cooperating with that theory, so let's just imagine that it is Valentine's Day with a hot fireplace instead. This soup is extremely versatile and can be served at various times throughout the day. It would be perfect for breakfast, lunch, or as a starting course for dinner. You can even use it as a dessert, adding a touch of ice cream for decoration. Personally I like to serve it with a few cinnamon sugar bread sticks, just to add a little more substance to an otherwise liquid meal.

It makes a great option for Valentine's Day because of the color and the obvious health benefits, while tasting as sweet and decadent as any dessert you could serve up. For full recipe and directions, click on the link below.

Pairing lemon with other fruits in desserts is a great idea, as the bright, tart flavor of lemon really helps to highlight other flavors. Bea, from la Tartine Gourmande, used this strategy when making her luscious Blackberry Tartlets with Lemon Cream. The tarts are quite easy to make because the elements are made separately and combined before serving. The tart shells are made with pâte brisée and are prebaked, a step that you could easily do a day or in advance if you want to try the tarts during the holidays and need to save time. The lemon cream, which is really like a light and rich lemon-flavored custard, can also be done ahead of time. Before serving, the cream is spooned into the tarts and garnished with fresh berries. It looks like Bea gave some a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar and garnished others with small sprigs of mint.

Although she used blackberries in her tarts, Bea is quick to point out that you should use whatever type of fruit is seasonally available - strawberries, raspberries, etc. We're suspect that the tarts will taste just as good without any fruit topping, too.

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Earlier this month, we heard about the findings of a study that showed blackberries as having the highest concentrations of antioxidants per one cup serving of any food. Granted, we don't necessarily think anyone would want to eat a cup of blackberries every single day for the rest of his or her life. You might be leaving out other important foods by doing so, and besides, eating the same thing every day is boring.

A few days ago, our man Joe posted about the findings from a new study that singled out blackberries as having the highest concentration of antioxidants per 1 cup serving. In fact, blackberries were getting all kinds of love from the press. With all that attention, my guess is that there was a run on blackberries at the market.

But nobody seemed to notice that the abstract for the actual study also listed raspberries, pecans, and ground cloves as part of the top ten of the 1,000 foods that were tested. Hey! Why no love for the raspberry? If you're eating a bowl of blackberries for their antioxidants, it might be even more worthwhile to toss in some raspberries and pecans. As for the ground cloves...well, I'll leave that for Holiday baking.

In addition to simply having high concentration of antioxidants, raspberries' antioxidant capacity comes from ellagitannins, which are a family of anti-cancer compounds that almost exclusive to the raspberry. Beyond phytonutrients, raspberries also provide nutrition in the form of manganese and vitamin C.

That's right. Nobody puts rasp-baby in the corner.

From college campuses to groups of friends, dining "clubs" are sprouting up to build new friendships, nurture old friendships, and simply find good places to eat.

Do the words "real life" on a cookbook really mean the recipes are manageable in real life? Real Life Entertaining: Easy Recipes and Unconventional Wisdom by Jennifer Rubell has 25 menus that definitely do-able, with recipes like: Tex-Mex Breakfast Mess, Salsa, Chicken with Garlic Cloves and Rosemary, Mashed Potatoes with Figs and ParmesanWarm Mustardy Potatoes, Grilled Skirt Steak with Orange-Mint Chimichurri, and Watercress and Goat Cheese Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette.

At the farmers' market, blackberries are ripe for the picking and making a Blackberry-Basil Tart. Also, pick up fresh fruit to make Sangria. When looking for watermelons, it's ready when it thumps a B-flat.