Using Raspberries in a Pie

Using raspberries . . . in a Raspberry Cream Pie, that is. I have made a baked Raspberry Pie, albeit only once. Don't know why, since raspberries are a favorite fruit of mine. My husband isn't keen on raspberries, because of the seeds, though he doesn't mind raspberry flavored things, sans seeds. 

Raspberries are all over the place now, and at a relatively decent price, so I opted this time to make a Raspberry Cream Pie, for the first time, ever.
 

Raspberry Cream Pie

I have not had really great results most times I attempt a "cream" pie. To date, Coconut Cream has been a total disaster. Lemon Meringue Pie as well, the first two times, and though the Lemon part came out well on the third try, the meringue is still not up to my standards. I wasn't sure how this Raspberry Cream Pie would come out, but used the Lemon Curd recipe I have as a template recipe when making the Raspberry Curd part of this recipe. Some slight alterations were in order, since raspberries are nowhere near as tart as lemons, so less sugar, and also, a couple less egg yolks, since I wanted to use gelatin to assure a good texture that would hold its shape.

Raspberry Cream Pie

Ever since I first mixed whipped cream with Mascarpone cream to make a very stable type of whipped topping, I have just been in love with it; both the flavor itself, and the fact that it will hold without weeping for days in the fridge. I wanted to have a whipped topping for the pie, but also wanted some to fold into the raspberry curd itself, for both lightness and volume. I like a 1:1 ratio of whipping cream and Mascarpone, and for this application, I used 1 cup (8 ounces) of heavy whipping cream and 8 ounces of Mascarpone. About ⅔ of the cream mixture went folded into the raspberry curd, and the remaining third was left to adorn the top of the pie. 

Making these type of pies is always a bit finicky, what with having to make the curd, then mix in the gelatin while it's hot, then that delicate balance of having the resulting mixture cool enough to begin holding shape, not too hot, or the whipped cream would melt, but not set so much that the whipped cream mixture cannot be folded in smoothly. As it is, careful as I was, I still passed that line by a tiny smidgen, so there are a few noticeable streaks of raspberry curd bits that gelled in there. Not much, but just enough to make it imperfect.

There is NOTHING wrong with the flavor though, or the texture. It came out just the consistency I wanted. It held shape perfectly when being cut, came out cleanly and still held just find as the slices of pie sat waiting for us during supper.  
 

Raspberry Cream Pie

One thing that I dislike about making these kind of pies is the crust. Since the crust must be blind baked before filling, the pie shell will tend to shrink and not be nearly as pretty as a pie baked with a filling inside it. Oh well. 

To start with, I wanted this to be a real fresh raspberry pie, and not something with raspberry flavored gelatin to make an artificial color or flavor.  No artificial whipped cream either. In looking to see what others were doing with raspberry cream pies, I cannot begin to say how many started with precisely those two items: Raspberry Jello and Cool Whip! Yikes. That is so not me. So I started with 18 ounces of fresh raspberries and cooked them in a saucepan until very soft. I first put them through a food mill, which removed a lot of the seeds but not all, then passed the resultant puree through a strainer to catch any remaining seeds (as well as any egg that may have cooked beyond smooth thickening of the curd!). I wanted it smooth, and it was. The texture is dreamy!

Raspberry Cream Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

Raspberry Cream Pie

1 baked, 9-inch pie shell 

RASPBERRY FILLING:
18 ounces fresh raspberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces), at soft room temperature, not melted
8 large egg yolks
Pinch salt
-------
1 packet unflavored gelatin
¼ cup water
-------
1 cup heavy whipping cream, well chilled
1 cup (8-ounces) Mascarpone cream, room temperature
2 - 3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
-------
fresh raspberries, to decorate

Have the pie shell baked and cooled, then set aside.

Food Mill

Place the raspberries in a saucepan with no water. Turn heat on medium low and cook for about 20 minutes, or until they break down completely. If a food mill is available, pass the cooked berries through this first. If you do not have a food mill, press the berries through a strainer, a little at a time, until all that remains each time is dry seeds. Discard the seeds and continue with remaining raspberries, until all are pureed. Measure the amount of puree. If more than 1 cup, return the puree to a clean pan and cook down, gently, until about 1 cup remains. 

While the berries are cooking, set the gelatin into the water and let bloom for at minimum 10 minutes; longer is fine, if needed while processing berries. 

In a separate saucepan, stir together the egg yolks, granulated sugar, butter and pinch of salt until combined. Turn the burner on to low to medium low heat and whisk or stir constantly until the butter is melted and the yolks are well combined, then add in the raspberry puree. Continue stirring/whisking until the mixture thickens slightly and wisps of steam appear. If at any time it looks like the mixture is starting to simmer, remove from heat and stir briskly. Once slightly thickened, remove from heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin. Mix until gelatin is completely melted and combined. Set the mixture aside, stirring now and again to cool, or set over a bowl of ice cubes, stirring to cool. Do not allow the mixture to set!

Once the mixture is at room temperature, whip the heavy cream until very soft peaks form, then add in the confectioner's sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Add the Mascarpone all at once and beat only just to combine. Pour about ⅔ of the whipped cream mixture into the cooled raspberry mixture. Fold gently until there are no white streaks left. Chill the mixture until it will mound but is not completely set. Pour the mixture into the baked pie shell, mounding slightly in the center. Place the pie in a sealed container and refrigerate at least 4 hours. 

When ready to serve, dollop the remaining whipped cream mixture over top, or pipe with a large open star tip. Decorate with fresh raspberries and a mint sprig, if desired. 



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Darling but Finicky Macarons

Last Year's Less Sweet Chocolate Macarons

It's been a year since I made my first attempt at macarons, those darling, but finicky, little confections. I had been seeing photos of them for years already, and making them was on the "to-do" list, which sometimes takes a while before getting around to. I have a serious lack of "round tuits" to hand. I also had never tasted macarons before, and when I finally did try some from a new local "patisserie," which does a fantastic job at all their pastries and breads mind you, I was really surprised and dismayed at how tooth-achingly sweet they were. At that time last year then, I was searching for ways to make them less sweet, and so called my confections "Less-Sweet Chocolate Macarons." Not necessarily a glamorous name, but it fit the bill, and they were amazing. They were also a LOT of work, even for me.

I guess sometimes time passes and we forget the magnitude of a thing. Kind of like having a baby and swearing off sex, only to come back once all that trauma wears off and decide to give it another go. Maybe it wasn't quite that bad, after all? 

Unsuccessful First Attempt
at Matcha Macarons

So it happened that last week I got an idea. I swear absolutely that I did not look up a single recipe, nor had I even seen macarons in photos for quite a while. I decided that if cocoa in macarons would  help making them less sweet, then surely Matcha tea powder would do the same thing. And then I thought about what I would use to fill Matcha flavored macarons and came up with two possible options: raspberry or orange. As it happened, I had a frozen bag of raspberries that needed using, and so raspberry filling it would be.

What are "Macarons?"

Macarons are a confection made with meringue and almond meal. There is no flour being added to the batter, so these are essentially meringue "cookies" of a sort, and by their nature, gluten-free. There is a delicate balance needed with the ingredients to get the texture just right, otherwise the characteristic smooth tops and pretty, frilly little "feet" at the base of the cookies will not happen. The batter itself has to come out slightly thick, but acting much as a lava flow: slow, but implacable movement. If it is too runny, it will spread all out of shape and make thin, unappetizing wafers. If the batter is too thick, it cannot spread at all, and the tops can never become smooth. The little frilly feet cannot form when baking. There is no "give." And so, that delicate balance needed. I speak from experience. 😉

I have most often seen macarons as quite small confections of a bite or two size. They can be made larger, if preferred, but the baking time will need to be altered as well, to accommodate the proper setting and drying time. I like the 1½-inch diameter size, but they can be made smaller, as well.

First Attempt

I used the recipe in the links above last year, substituting Matcha tea powder for the cocoa. But somehow, my measurements were totally off or something, and instead of adorable little cookie confections, they turned out rather incredible-hulk-ish. There was far too much dry ingredient to be able to mix into the meringue. There was far too much Matcha tea powder, period. The whole mixture was dry and deep dark, dark green. Not a single view of the little "feet" at the base of the cookies. Not a single glossy top. Not terribly appetizing or appealing (note the photo above right). The one great thing was the filling, which turned out perfect. 
 

Successful Matcha Macarons with Raspberry Filling

In the meanwhile, a couple of days back, out of curiosity, I Googled "Matcha Macarons with Raspberry Filling". You cannot even believe how many recipes are out there for this same combination. Oh well; nothing new under the sun, I continue to aver. Still, my idea also encompasses the less-sweet aspect, and the way I chose to make my filling was totally different that those recipes I read. This version is all my own. Once the raspberry puree is fully cooked down to a thick paste, it is nicely tart, toning down the very sweet icing and making a great counterpoint to the less-sweet meringue cookie. Plus, you just cannot beat that lovely, all-natural color.

Raspberry Filling

Raspberry Filling

Makes about 2 cups

12 ounces frozen or fresh, unsweetened raspberries
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
¼ teaspoon salt

Place the raspberries in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cover and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes, until well broken down. Remove from heat and pour into a sieve over a bowl. Use a spoon to press out raspberry juices and any solids that will pass through the sieve. Keep pressing until the seeds are looking very dry inside the sieve. With a clean spoon scrape off any thick raspberry puree from the outside of the sieve and stir well into the juices. Discard the seeds and return the puree to a clean saucepan. Set over low heat, allowing the puree to cook down to approximately 2 tablespoons of very thick puree. Let cool, not refrigerated.

Straining raspberries - cooked down puree - mixed with icing

Make the frosting by first placing the butter into a stand mixer and beating on medium speed for 8 minutes, until very light and nearly white in color, scraping down sides and bottom as needed. Slow the beating speed to as low as it will go and add in the confectioners' sugar and salt. Beat gently about 1 minute, to incorporate the dry ingredients, then increase to medium speed and beat a further 6 minutes, scraping down sides twice during this time. The frosting will be very light and fluffy. Add in the completely cooled 2 tablespoons of raspberry puree and beat well to completely incorporate.

Use immediately or refrigerate, well covered for up to a week. Bring completely to room temperature before using.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Round Two . . .

As I said, somehow last week I had to have measured or weighed wrong. It can happen to the best of us. I went back and re-examined my older recipe, re-read my own blog, and still couldn't find any flaw in it, so apparently it was my measuring at fault last week. Today, I tried it again. I still had plenty of the filling left to use, so it was only the macarons themselves I had to re-do. And today I worked carefully and measured carefully and they came out - if not completely perfect - at least 98% close. I am more than happy. The tops are not 100% smooth. But there are lovely little feet at the base of each cookie. The flavor of the Matcha is lovely and not overdone. I am happy. 

Matcha Macarons with Raspberry Filling

In order to make macarons less sweet, there are a couple of things that can be done without totally screwing up the delicate balance of the recipe. 

1. It is possible to substitute 1/10th of the confectioners' sugar (but no more, at the risk of altering the consistency needed) with rice flour. Simply take the total amount of the confectioners' sugar called for in a recipe, easiest done by weight, and multiply by 1/10th:  8 ounces x .10 = .8 ounce. This means that this same amount (.8 ounce) is removed from the confectioners' sugar, leaving 7.2 ounces of the sugar, as well as measuring out .8 ounce of rice flour to add back in. This keeps the proportion even, without upsetting balance.
2. You may substitute 1 tablespoon of the almond meal with 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder or Matcha tea powder, both bitter on their own, which further helps tone down the sweetness.

Today, I re-weighed and re-measured these substitutions, to ensure that my older recipe was okay. As the photos demonstrate, this time they came out quite well. I think I might add in just a little more egg white, if I was making these again. Maybe using 4 ounces of egg white would give a bit more looseness to the batter, making for smoother tops. That will be my next test.

Altogether, the macarons came out really wonderfully, with far less bitterness from the Matcha than that first time, and the nice bright and tart raspberry filling just pops with flavor.

Matcha Macarons with Raspberry Filling

Made 76 (1½-inch) individual macarons or 38 sandwiches

Matcha Macarons with Raspberry Filling

7.2 ounces (204 grams) confectioners' sugar
0.8 ounces (22 grams) rice flour
5.4 ounces (153 grams) almond meal
0.2 ounces (4 grams, or 1 tablespoon) good quality Matcha tea powder
3.85 ounces egg whites (3 to 4 medium), completely room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1.4 ounces (3 tablespoons) superfine sugar

One recipe for Raspberry Filling, above

Set the egg whites in a squeaky clean glass or metal bowl and allow them to come completely to room temperature, at least 2 hours.

Draw 1½-inch circles, spaced at least 1-inch apart, on the underside of three sheets of parchment. Set the parchment onto three baking sheets with the circles on the under side. They can be seen through, giving a template. Make at least 80 circles. Set baking sheets aside.

Weigh out the almond meal first and pass through a sifter or sieve with medium holes. Any almond bits that do not pass through, place these into a tablespoon measure. Remove a further amount from the sifted almond meal, enough to top off the tablespoon measure, leveled. This tablespoon of almond will not be used; discard or return to the bag of meal. Return the sifted almond meal to the sifter and add in the tablespoon of Matcha powder. Sift again, and once completely sieved through, return any bits of almond that did not pass through, back to the bowl with the rest (some become so coated with the Matcha powder that they seem too big, but they are not). Once more, add the sifted almond-Matcha mixture back to the sifter. Add in the confectioners' sugar and the rice flour and sift the whole mixture into the bowl and set aside.

Prepare a piping bag, or a zip-top bag and have it ready. The batter will need to be used right away once finalized.

With extremely clean beaters and a stand or hand mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until they are very foamy and holding soft peaks. Continue beating, raising the speed and adding in the superfine sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until well incorporated and the mixture is holding stiff peaks.

Using a large spatula, fold the dry mixture into the meringue in three additions, folding each addition in completely before adding the next third. It should take a total of about 50 to 60 "folds" to completely incorporate all the dry ingredients. (Folding: Spatula down the center of the bowl from 12 to 6 o'clock and continuing the swipe down around and up the side edges of the bowl and folding over to the center. Turn the bowl slightly and repeat, until all the dry is mixed in.) At this point, the batter should resemble a lava flow, a slow but definite slide off the spatula. If not, then do a couple more folds.

Scoop the batter into the prepared bag and snip off the tip to make a ½-inch opening. Be careful, the batter is soft and will start to run out. Pipe the batter inside the circle templates on the parchment. The batter should spread only slightly. Once finished piping all the circles on one sheet, set the bag aside and with both hands, lift the baking sheet and let it drop at least three times from a height of about 6 or 7 inches. This helps to release air bubbles. If any air bubbles appear on the surface but do not break open, use a straight pin to burst them. Set the pan aside and proceed with piping rounds of batter inside the circles on the next sheet, repeating with the lifting and dropping once that pan is filled. If there is more batter, continue on the next sheet of parchment.

Once finished piping all the batter, set the trays aside for 30 to 60 minutes and let them air dry. The tops of the meringue cookies should be dry to the (gentle) touch. Fifteen minutes before you are going to bake the cookies, set the oven to 300 degrees. Set one tray in the oven and time for 5 minutes. Rotate the tray 180 degrees and bake for a further 5 minutes. Then put the handle of a wooden spoon in the oven door to keep it slightly opened and bake a further 5 minutes. Once done, replace the tray with the next one and repeat the sequence.

When all the meringue cookies are baked and cooled, you can begin removing them from the parchment. Understand that these meringues are quite delicate and need to be handled gently. They should not stick badly to the parchment, but if they do not lift off easily, use the method of sliding the parchment over the edge of the counter and effecting release of the meringues that way.

If your filling is prepared, pipe a small amount in the center of the underside of one cooled meringue, then gently press a second meringue over top. Repeat with all the meringues.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Rhubarb in Cheesecake Bars Naturally Gluten Free

Continuing with the rhubarb theme, and the need to use a large amount of rhubarb that was given to me already cut up, the latest endeavor was Rhubarb Raspberry Cheesecake Bars. To up the interest, I used a swirl pattern in the cheesecake. Only one word for these bars: YUM!

Rhubarb Raspberry Cheesecake Bars, with whipped cream and fresh raspberry.
Chiffonade of mint for color.

Gluten Free Recipe

For this recipe, I wanted to go gluten free. Not because I need to have a gluten free dessert, but only because there are people who do need things gluten free. There are so many wonderful foods, including desserts, that are naturally gluten free. While my kitchen is not a gluten free zone, and wheat, rye and barley are used almost daily, if you are on a gluten free regimen, you will already have a gluten free kitchen, or the means to make this without contamination. 

Rhubarb Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

When I was visiting with my sister in November, she made an offhand comment about anything gluten free tasting just awful. I tried to speak with her on this, to say that there are many things that are gluten free by their very nature, but she would hear none of it. This recipe is gluten free just because the ingredients needed are gluten free. It uses a little cornstarch as a thickening agent in the sauce and also in the cheesecake as I feel it gives a silkier texture. So with that in mind, I hope this recipe will tempt everyone, and not just the Gluten Intolerant. 

Most bars or cheesecakes have crust made with cookie crumbs or graham cracker crumbs or other wheat based crumb mixture. For most of my cheesecakes, I have used an almond or other nut based mixture, and this is what was used in this case. The recipe for the almond crust tastes excellent  and it holds up just as well as the cookie crumbs types. If you have a nut allergy, then this particular crust is not for you. For my purposes, this worked spectacularly. This recipe can be used for a cheesecake baked in a spring-form pan also, and the crust will extend up the sides of the pan to about 1 or 1½ inches. If it is used in a 9 x 13-inch pan as I did here, it is pressed only onto the bottom of the pan.

Almond Crust

Makes enough for a 9-inch round spring-form pan or a 9 x 13-inch baking dish

1⅓ cups whole, raw almonds
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon almond extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preheat oven to375 degrees. Place the almonds and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process to very small bits. Add the extract and the butter and continue to process until very fine. Press this mixture into the pan of choice. If using a round pan, press the mixture partway up the sides. In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, press evenly into the bottom. Bake the crust for about 15 minutes, until set and slightly golden. If the mixture pushes up during baking, press it back into place with a glass or other flat object as soon as it comes from the oven. Set aside to cool.

Crust crumbs pressed into parchment-lined pan;
crust is baked, and then pressed back into shape                 

Using this crust in a 9 x 13-inch pan for this recipe, I chose to line the pan with parchment, so the dessert could be lifted out cleanly. In a spring-form pan, obviously the rim is detachable, so this is not necessary. If you are leaving the dessert in the pan and cutting it there, the parchment liner is unnecessary. 

When planning the cheesecake filling for this dessert, I wanted a pink swirly pattern, so I first created the rhubarb and raspberry sauce. I made the crust and this sauce both the evening before, so they both had adequate time to cool. This cheesecake could easily be made in a round, spring-form pan if desired. Baking time may be different, and it would be best to use a water bath to ensure the filling does not get over baked. It was easy to watch in this low baking dish. In a deeper pan, it is more important to keep an eye on the filling as it bakes.

Rhubarb Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

The cheesecake part of the mixture is pretty straightforward. Cream cheese and sour cream, eggs, sugar, a little cornstarch and flavorings are the basis. Making the rhubarb raspberry sauce takes no time at all. Five minutes to cook, and then it is just a decision of how to puree. I have an old food mill, and this kept most of the raspberry seeds out of the mixture. Pressing through a sieve would take a little more time, but work equally well, if not better. If desired, simply puree in a blender. With a Vita-Mix blender, it would puree the seeds completely. However this is done, the mixture must be cooled down before proceeding with the recipe. If desired, a drop or two of red food color can be added to make the color more vibrant in the final product. I did not add food coloring; what is seen in the photos is the natural fruit color.

Rhubarb Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

Rhubarb Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

Makes one 9 x 13-inch pan

Almond Crust above (or crumb crust of choice)

RHUBARB RASPBERRY SAUCE:
2 cups fresh rhubarb, cut in small chunks
1 cup fresh raspberries, lightly crushed
½ cup granulated sugar
pinch salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch

CHEESECAKE:
3 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
4 eggs

Prepare the crust and allow to cool completely.

In a medium saucepan, mix together the Rhubarb Raspberry Sauce ingredients and bring them to a boil. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes, until the fruit has broken down and the sauce is thickened. Pass the mixture through a food mill, sieve, blender or food processor (depending on how fine you prefer the cheesecake filling to come out). Cool the mixture and chill completely.

Sauce ingredients in pan; sugar stirred in creates juices; sauce is cooked and pureed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the room temperature cream cheese (very important it be at room temperature or the cream cheese will stay lumpy) in the bowl of a mixer and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the sour cream and sugar and beat at low speed to combine. Add in the cornstarch, vanilla and salt; mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing gently after each addition, until well incorporated. It is important to not over-whip the cheese mixture as this tends to cause the cheesecake to puff up while baking and then crack. Mix gently, so as not to incorporate too much air.

Divide out about ⅓ of the cheesecake mixture. To this ⅓, add all the Rhubarb Raspberry Sauce and whisk well to combine. Drop about ½ of the pink mixture onto the crust Do not spread. Drop on about ½ of the white cheesecake mixture, without spreading. Repeat this process once more with the pink mixture and then the white mixture. Once all the cheesecake batters are in the pan, use a table knife to gently swirl figure-8 patterns through the mixture. Do not over mix.

dropping dabs of cheesecake mixtures in pan; all in the pan, then swirled in figure-8 pattern             

ALTERNATELY: Combine the fruit sauce with all of the cheesecake and stir well, making a pale pink cheesecake.

Tap the pan 2 or 3 times sharply on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake the cheesecake bars for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees, then lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees for 20 minutes more. The cheesecake may be a little jiggly in the center, but set at the edges.

Allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 3 or 4 hours, or overnight before serving. To make clean cuts, use a knife that has been run under hot water and wiped dry after each cut.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Raspberries on Sale Equals Raspberry Bars

I think raspberries have been top of my list of favorite fruits, like forever. Growing up we had a yard with so many fruits already growing there, it was a little paradise. Raspberry bushes had taken over a large area, and there were also some black raspberries. We were sent picking for Mom to make raspberry jam every summer. A friend of mine, Tetiana, had given me a bunch of raspberries after the open house last Sunday, and I said something about raspberry pie. She said, "Make bars. They are so much prettier when cut!" 

And I thought, wow, I guess bars have so rarely been in my vocabulary, that might just be an excellent idea. I had been hoping to combine raspberries and rhubarb, and I still probably will, but yesterday, on a trip to the grocery, there was NO RHUBARB! Gasp! 

My Raspberry Bars

Okay then, raspberry bars it would be. But just as bars have not been part of my vocabulary, neither has that kind of crust been. Most every recipe I read online had some mixture of flour, sugar and butter. Some had eggs. Some had oats. Actually a lot of them had oats. And there seemed to be no rhyme or reason for the amounts. Some had a recipe (that would be part bottom crust and part topping) using 4 cups of flour to be crust and topping for a 9 x 9-inch pan, and some had 1½ cups flour to make crust and topping for a 9 x 13-inch pan. This made me wonder, for sure. That is quite a spread between extremes.

I really like crusts. And I love things like streusel. In my recipe for my Best Apple Crisp, Ever, the topping mixture is quite unusual, in that almost every apple crisp has oatmeal in the topping. I love oatmeal; truly love, love oatmeal. For some strange reason, it just is not my "cup of tea" when it is in Apple Crisp toppings. Since the topping for my Best Apple Crisp Ever is such a spectacular (oat-less) mixture, I thought I would try a sort of riff on that concept. 

Making the Crust and Topping Mixture

I wanted to use the same idea for bringing the mixture together into a streusel-like mixture as I use in the Apple Crisp Recipe. Eggs are whisked together and then tossed in to moisten the flour, butter and sugar until crumb-like. The difference is that the topping on the apple crisp has melted butter poured over top before baking. That wouldn't work for the raspberry bar crust, so I opted to grate in the cold butter and cut it in quickly with a pastry cutter. As an alternative, just pick up handfuls and rub the butter between the palms to combine with the dry ingredients. 
 
In the photos here:

• #1 dry ingredients in the bowl
• #2 the cold butter grated in
• #3 toss the dry ingredients over the butter shreds
• #4 cut in with pastry cutter or hands
• #5 pour whisked eggs over the crumbly mixture
• #6 mix quickly with a fork to moisten

This method worked excellently, and the crust is both flavorful and perfectly textured. On this method I would not change a thing.

Thoughts on the Filling

In early April, I tried to make a raspberry pie for the first time, ever. I had 4 little packages of the most perfect raspberries I had seen for a long while. I read about a dozen recipes for raspberry pie. Why in the world would I never have made a pie of raspberries? Mom never did, in my memory, even with all those berries growing in the yard. Somehow, this was just missing from my childhood, and after that never came up as a concept. So I was all ready one morning. We still had our guests visiting, so I thought I would get a jump on the pie while it was still quiet, before breakfast. I mixed up a recipe as I had it created, adding in some sugar and cornstarch to the berries and set them aside while preparing the crust. I was all set, bottom crust in pan, and I looked at the berries, expecting a soupy mixture. 

 

Bottom crust partially baked, the berry mixture poured over
and the topping set in place, ready to bake

Imagine my shock when they were totally dry, and the sugar and cornstarch still all there, dry as can be. Well, I figured (wrongly, as it turned out), they will surely burst open and mix once in the oven, so I proceeded, pouring in the berries and all the dry sugar and cornstarch, then topping with a pretty lattice crust and popped it in the oven. Nearly an hour later the very first tiny bit of bubbling occurred. The crust was way done. The berries and sugar were still dry for the most part. There was a soupy mess in the bottom, but it never got a chance to thicken. A total disaster. It was great scooped over vanilla ice cream though!

Perfection! Raspberry Bars

I have not made a second attempt at a raspberry pie, though I will sometime this summer! I believe that partly crushing some of the berries and mixing in the sugar and cornstarch  to combine would aid in making the proper outcome. This is what I did for the bars. Half the berries went in a bowl with the sugar and cornstarch and once mixed well, the remaining whole berries were added, and the mixture, while completely watery going in, came out perfectly thickened once baked, as shown here in this gorgeous photo.

Here is my recipe, which came out wonderfully well and is most decidedly one of my new favorite desserts. I am looking forward to rhubarb raspberry bars, and peach bars . . .  Here is my recipe:

Raspberry Bars

Makes one 9 x 13-inch pan

BERRY MIXTURE:

Raspberry Bars

4 cups fresh raspberries (from 3½ to 4 six-ounce containers)
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated finely
pinch salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon rosewater, optional

CRUST and TOPPING:
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1⅓ cups cold, unsalted butter
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Place ½ of the berries in a medium mixing bowl. Using a potato masher, a spoon, or hands, partly crush the berries. Add in the sugar, ginger, salt, cornstarch and rosewater, if using. Mix well until all the dry ingredients are moistened, and then add the remaining berries and toss to combine. Set the mixture aside to macerate while making the topping.

Parchment-lined pan                                 |               berries partly crushed with sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (350 on Convection Bake). Line a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhand on the long sides. Use cooking spray to coat the inside of the parchment lined pan. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the crust. Grate in the cold butter on a large holed grater, or cut the butter into very small cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, or rub mixture between palms to incorporate, until the mixture will briefly hold clumps. In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 eggs and the yolk. Pour this into the bowl and using a fork, quickly toss the mixture until it is fairly moistened. Scrape up dry bits to moisten as well as possibly. Use fingers to bring the mixture to point, when it will hold clumps very easily, but is still loose.

Pour about ⅔ of this mixture into the prepared pan, gently maneuvering the crust to the edges and corners. Do not tamp down, but just use fingertips to press down slightly. Bake this crust for 10 or 15 minutes. It will still be soft and only have a spot or two of golden to the top. Remove from the oven. Stir the berry mixture once more and pour the berries over the partly baked crust, gently pushing the fruit to the edges and corners without disturbing the crust too much.

Add the sliced almonds to the bowl with the remaining crust mixture, tossing to combine. Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the berries. Bake the bars for 25 minutes at 375 degrees, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for about 20 minutes more. The top crust should be golden and the filling bubbling. Allow the bars to cool completely. The parchment overhang can be used to lift the entire dessert free of the pan, making for easier slicing.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.