blackberries Archives | The Vanilla Bean Blog

Blackberry Jam Buns with Crème Fraîche Frosting + No Kid Hungry

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 16:20:13 +0000

I’m in my cozy home, sipping hot coffee, listening to the rain fall gently on my roof top. A Thanksgiving Day to-do list is started before me, as well as a mile-long work list that naturally I’m avoiding. I move to my web browser, and read two news articles that project fear and anxiety; my stomach is in permanent knots lately. I gaze out the window, lost in thought. I imagine I’m on a rollar coaster of sorts, and while it’s driving me up and down gigantic hills and looping me upside down, I’m not sure if it stops all nice and neat where I got on, or if it flies off the rails into some great abyss where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. I laugh at how dramatic I can be. I move to facebook, and find my inbox filled with notes from hurting friends and family. I drink my coffee, even with the tears falling into each sip. Suddenly it’s 1987 and there is a sleepy little me on a Sunday morning, slouching on a cold, metal fold-up chair. I am scheming how I can get my mom to let me go to the bathroom one […]

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Blackberry Basil Buttercream

Sarah Kieffer — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 14:47:40 +0000

‘Tolkien once remarked to me that the feeling about home must have been quite different in the days when a family had fed on the produce of the same few miles of country for six generations, and that perhaps this was why they saw nymphs in the fountains and dryads in the wood – they were not mistaken for there was in a sense a real (not metaphorical) connection between them and the countryside. What had been earth and air & later corn, and later still bread, really was in them. We of course who live on a standardized international diet (you may have had Canadian flour, English meat, Scotch oatmeal, African oranges, & Australian wine today) are really artificial beings and have no connection (save in sentiment) with any place on earth. We are synthetic men, uprooted. The strength of the hills is not ours.’ -CS Lewis The Collected Letters of CS Lewis, Vol. 1 I’ve slowly been working my way through CS Lewis’ letters (Vol. 1 and 2 are currently in my possession, while Vol. 3 seems to be out of print and unattainable, alas, as I can’t quite justify spending over $400 for it). The above paragraph […]

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Dacquoise With Blackberries and Cream

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 02:40:32 +0000

My new copper beating bowl arrived in the mail, and I immediately took it over to Zoë François‘ house and made her beat white egg whites by hand in it for this post. In between laughing and giving me dirty looks, she made this incredible dacquoise with blackberries and cream. It was so good we couldn’t stop nibbling on it all afternoon (after she made me wash all the dishes in payback). The meringue base here is on the sweet side, but the hazelnuts incorporated in the layers and tart berries in between balance it perfectly. Zoë mentioned this dessert would also work for Passover (you can check out her Chocolate Caramel Matzo as well), so here’s another dessert option if you celebrate. Dacquoise with Blackberries and Cream Inspired by the brutti ma buoni from Tasting Rome by Katie Parla and Kristina Gill Meringue 10 ounces (285g) hazelnuts, skin on (or you can cheat and buy chopped hazelnuts) 5 large egg whites Pinch salt 2 1/2 cups (285g) confectioner’s sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Whipped Cream 1 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 7 ounces (200g) blackberries Adjust an oven rack to the middle position […]

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whole wheat drop biscuits with mixed berries and frangelico

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 06:00:48 +0000

Usually when the school buses start making their way down my street, summer gives way and makes room for the next season. Fall has always been my favorite time of year, bringing with it the expectancy of change. This year, however, it’s as if Jacob is at the bottom of that heavenly ladder, wrestling fiercely with the angels. Summer is refusing to give up residency, and we have had week after week of sweat and fake air. Jacob wrestled the angel, and the angel was overcome*. Here’s hoping. So since I’m here in limbo, with a foot in each season, I came up with a dessert that could be, too. Warm, whole wheat drop biscuits speak to me of cozy sweaters and thick blankets, while mixed berries and Frangelico sing of beach waves and late nights on the patio. Whipped cream, of course, works no matter what the weather. This sponsored post is a collaboration with Frangelico. All opinions are my own (and I honestly enjoy baking and cooking with it). You can check out Frangelico online or on Facebook. *a line from Bullet the Blue Sky, sung by U2 Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits with Mixed Berries and Frangelico Drop […]

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