Susan McClanahan: Beyond the shortcake: Berry good recipes

In spite of the unseasonably cool spring we have had, berry season is here, and the crop looks beautiful. Strawberries are in now; blueberries are next; and blackberries will come along a little later. With so many wonderful berries available in our area, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to look up some recipes to use the season's bounty.

I started with a few strawberry recipes, but have also included a few different blackberry cobblers, crisps and dumpling recipes, and a few blueberry favorites as well. To get the full column, continue to read it online as some of the best recipes are a little later in the column.

Enjoy the wonderful berries of the season!

Strawberry Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad:

• 3/4 cup bottled or homemade poppy seed dressing
• 1/4 cup minced scallions
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 2 cups diced fresh strawberries
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• Salt, to taste

Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup white, yellow, or Vidalia onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds

Prepare the Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing (if using): Combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until well combined. Prepare the Chicken Salad: Stir together the poppy seed dressing, scallions, basil, and black pepper in a large bowl. Fold in the chicken, strawberries, and pecans. Add salt to taste. Cover and chill for about 2 hours.

This salad is best eaten the day it is made. Though it was still tasty the next day, be aware that on the second day the strawberries will have gotten a bit limp and some of their color will have "bled" onto the chicken.

Strawberry Season Shortcake

• 3 to 4 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, divided
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup light cream
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Toss strawberries with 1/2 cup sugar and set aside. Combine flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Cut in 1/2 cup butter until mixture forms coarse crumbs; set aside. Whisk together egg and light cream; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.

Divide dough into 6 parts; pat into biscuits and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden. Cool biscuits briefly on a wire rack.

Split in half with a serrated knife; spread bottoms with remaining butter. Top with berries and whipped cream; add tops. Garnish with remaining berries and cream. Makes 6 servings.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Dump Cake

• 6 cups sliced strawberries
• 2 cups sliced rhubarb
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 10 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13-inch-by-9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.

In large bowl, toss strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and cornstarch; spread evenly in baking dish. Top with cake mix, and pour melted butter over top, making sure to cover top with butter as much as you can.

Bake about 1 hour or until bubbly and topping is browned. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Blackberry Cobbler

Having something that tastes unbelievably good that's easy and quick to make is a nice treat. Add a handful of red-color-tone blackberries, too. The tartness of the red berries accentuates the flavor of the cobbler. If you can't get red ones, then add a tablespoon of lemon juice.

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 4 cups blackberries fresh or frozen without sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cups sugar
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, optional

Melt butter in 13-inch-by-9-inch baking pan.

Place berries, sugar and water in a pot and bring to a quick boil. If the berries are particularly sweet, you might not need the full cup of sugar in the berry mixture. If you're using lemon juice instead of red berries, add it to the berry mixture.

While berries are coming to a boil, mix 2 cups sugar and flour in a large bowl. Add in milk and stir well until smooth.

Pour batter over melted butter. Add hot berry mixture to the pan. Don't stir. Sprinkle with a little bit of sugar across the top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes until mixture is bubbly and top has started to brown. The center will be somewhat jiggly but not loose.

Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Blackberry Crumb Cobbler

For the Fruit: 4 cups fresh blackberries

• Zest and juice of one medium lemon
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Cobbler:

• 1/2 tablespoon cold, unsalted butter, for the pan
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided and melted separately
• 1 cup water

Rinse and drain blackberries. Add to a large bowl. Add the lemon zest and juice, sugar, cornstarch and salt; gently toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10-inch cast iron skillet or 3 to 4 quart baking dish; set aside. For the cobbler, whisk together the flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup of the sugar and salt. Add the stick of melted butter and using a fork, mix together until crumbs form. Sprinkle 1/3 of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Evenly distribute the berries in the pan and slowly pour water all over the top. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the top, then the remaining two tablespoons of sugar and drizzle the remaining melted butter over the top. Bake, uncovered, for about 50 to 55 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges and top is lightly browned. Remove and place onto a cooling rack and let rest for 15 minutes before serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry Crumble Bars

These luscious strawberry crumble bars with a buttery crust are filled with fresh strawberries and jam, topped with a nutty crumble and then glazed.

• 4 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 cups unbleached flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Strawberry Filling:

• 1 1/2 pounds washed and hulled strawberries, sliced
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 4 to 5 tablespoons strawberry or raspberry jam

Glaze:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 cup powdered sugar
• About 1/4 cup milk or until glaze reaches drizzling consistency
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Dehydrated dried, unsweetened strawberries (optional)

Line a 13x9-inch pan with parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the edges of the pan. This is so dough won't stick but also allows you to remove the bars from the pan after baking to slice them easier.

For the crust: Place butter, sugars, and vanilla in a stand mixer. Beat with paddle attachment for about 3-5 minutes or until light colored and fluffy. Stop mixer. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add flour and salt and mix on low until combined.

Press 2/3 of the dough on to the bottom of the pan and 1/2-inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375.

Stir chopped nuts and cinnamon into the rest of the dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill.

After crust has chilled, bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Prepare the filling by mixing filling ingredients together in a large bowl.

After removing crust from oven, spread the jam lightly over the baked crust. Top with the filling. Remove remaining dough from refrigerator and form into balls and scatter over the top. Bake 25 minutes or until light golden brown.

While bars are baking prepare the glaze. Melt butter and stir in powdered sugar. Add milk and vanilla and stir with a small whisk until a glaze of drizzling consistency is formed.

After bars have cooled, drizzle with glaze. You can also crumble some dried strawberries over the top and into the glaze to give a little pink hue and a touch of strawberry flavor to the glaze, though this is totally optional.

Blackberry Pie with Butter Pie Crust

A blackberry pie made with a three-ingredient filling and a homemade butter crust.

• 1 homemade butter crust for a double-crust 9-inch pie
• 4 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, thaw if frozen
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place bottom crust in 9-inch pie plate. Trim edges to one inch.

Mix berries, sugar and flour in a large bowl and empty into pie plate.

Top filling with remaining pie crust. Trim edges and fold under bottom crust. Cut vents in top crust.

Bake in a 375 degree preheated for 1 hour, 15 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust has browned. Cover the edges with aluminum foil if they start to brown to quickly before the filling is bubbly.

Let pie cool for at least 3 hours before cutting. The filling has to cool down completely before it sets up.

Blueberry Dumplings

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar plus 1-1/2 cups
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 quart fresh blueberries
• 2 cups water
• Vanilla ice cream or cream to serve with

Stir flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Cut butter into dry ingredients, using a pastry cutter or fork. Add milk to form dough. Set dumpling dough aside.

In a large saucepan, combine berries, 1-1/2 cups sugar, and water and bring to a boil. Drop dumplings into hot boiling berries by the tablespoonful. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook slowly for 20 to 30 minutes. Do not remove the lid before 20 minutes has passed, and Do Not stir dumplings. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh cream.

Overnight Orange French toast with Blueberry Orange Syrup

Slice the bread the night before, cover it with custard and allow it to chill in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, heat up your griddle and cook French toast and make a quick fresh blueberry orange sauce.

• 6 large eggs
• 3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 loaf French bread cut into 1-inch thick slices
• 1 to 2 tablespoons butter

Blueberry Orange Syrup:

• 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 cups blueberries

Arrange the bread slices in a single layer in a large pan. Pour the custard sauce over the bread slices. Flip them once to make sure they're well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and leave them in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, heat up a griddle or pan to medium. Add butter to griddle. Start with one tablespoon and add more if needed. As soon as the butter is melted, place French toast slices on griddle. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until side down is brown. Flip and repeat, adding more butter if needed. Cook until second side is brown and the center is firm to touch.

Remove and serve warm with Fresh Blueberry Orange Syrup.

To make Blueberry Orange Syrup: Add all ingredients, except blueberries, to a small saucepan. Whisk together well. Add blueberries and cook, over medium heat, until sauce is thickened.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies made with cream and fresh diced strawberries are perfect spring and summer dessert.

• 8 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter-chilled and cut into small pieces
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• Coarse sugar-for sprinkling

Chop up strawberries in small pieces, then blot them with a clean towel to rid excess moisture. Place the chopped strawberries in the freezer as you work on the rest.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add butter to flour mixture and using your fingers or a pastry cutter, combine until a crumbly mixture is formed.

Add vanilla in cream and stir, then add this mixture in flour mixture. Stir until the mixture is dough-like. The mixture will be thick, sticky, and chunky.

Stir in strawberries. I found it easier to combine the dough and strawberries when first tear the dough in small chunks with my fingers. Some strawberries won't combine into the dough at all. But that's OK. You can add them to the dough balls when shaping the cookies before baking.

Using 1-1/2 tablespoons cookie scoop drop dough on the prepared baking sheet leaving 2 inches space apart. Don't need to roll each ball, but shape them with your fingers. Slightly press each cookie with your palm because they won't spread too much during baking. Stick few more strawberry pieces on each cookie dough ball.

Sprinkle cookies with coarse sugar.

Bake cookies for 16 to 18 minutes, until just golden around edges. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes on the pan, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Overnight Blueberry French Toast Casserole

This is the perfect breakfast or brunch dish that makes for a beautiful presentation and tastes as good as it looks. This is great for an easy potluck breakfast, a bridal shower brunch, a special holiday brunch or any day throughout the year.

• 12 slices day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (Italian bread works best I have found)
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup maple syrup

For the glaze:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 tablespoon butter

Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking dish.

Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes. In a large mixing bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour this mixture over the bread cubes. Press down the cubes a bit to sort of "soak" them and make them "French toast-like." Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned. Enjoy warm.

To make the glaze: In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries.

Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries begin to burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast.

Blackberries and Dumplings

For the Berries: 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 quart (about 4 cups) fresh blackberries
• 1 cup granulated sugar, or to taste
• 2 cups water
• 1 small lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For the Dumplings:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup whole milk

Mix together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; set aside. Add blackberries and sugar to a large saucepan; toss and let rest for 30 minutes, longer if they were refrigerated, stirring several times. Taste and add additional sugar if desired. Add the 2 cups water, lemon juice, zest and salt; stir and bring to a boil. Stir in cornstarch slurry, boil 2 minutes reduce to a bare bubble simmer; add butter. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter and milk and mix together to form a shaggy dough. Drop spoonfuls of dumpling dough on top of stewed blackberries, cover and simmer for 20 minutes without lifting cover. Uncover, remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Spoon dumplings over vanilla ice cream or into a serving bowl, spooning sauce on top. Add a dollop of whipped cream if desired.

Cook's Notes: Number of dumplings depends on how you drop them. I use a small cookie scoop and get about a dozen dumplings, although if you have your simmer too high, some will break down. May also make with other berries.

Easy Berry Crisp

Streusel:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut in pieces

Filling:

• 3 cups fresh blueberries
• 3 cups fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In medium bowl, mix 3/4 cup flour, the oats, brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon until blended. Cut in cold butter, using fork or pastry blender, until mixture is crumbly. Do not overmix. Set aside.

In large bowl, mix the filling ingredients until well coated. Spread evenly in baking dish. Sprinkle streusel over top.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until topping is golden brown and juices are bubbling along edges.

Cool at least 20 minutes before serving.

Note: Serve with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Try your favorite berry combination; replace blueberries and raspberries with strawberries, blackberries or dark cherries.

Strawberry Lemonade Cake

For the cake:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 cups cake flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Shortening

Strawberry-Lemonade Jam:

• 2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh strawberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Strawberry Frosting:

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar, divided
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh strawberries
• 1 drop pink food coloring gel (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Prepare Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Stir together flour and next 2 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended. Stir in zest and juice.

Beat egg whites in a large bowl at high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently stir one-third of egg whites into batter; fold in remaining egg whites. Spoon batter into 4 greased (with shortening) and floured 9-inch round cake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 16 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely.

For Strawberry-Lemonade Jam: Process strawberries in a blender until smooth; press through a wire-mesh strainer into a 3-quart saucepan, using back of a spoon to squeeze out juice; discard pulp. Stir in sugar.

Whisk together lemon juice and cornstarch; gradually whisk into strawberry mixture. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Remove from heat. Place plastic wrap directly on warm jam; chill 2 hours or until cold. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.

For Frosting: Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer until smooth; add strawberries and food coloring (if desired); beat until blended.

Beat cream and juice at medium speed until foamy; increase speed to medium-high, and slowly add remaining 1/3 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold half of cream mixture into cheese mixture; fold in remaining cream mixture. Use immediately.

Layer Cake: Place 1 cake layer on a serving platter, and spread with about 1/2 cup Strawberry-Lemonade Jam, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edges. Spoon 1 cup Strawberry Frosting into a zip-top plastic freezer bag. Snip 1 corner of bag to make a small hole. Pipe a ring of frosting around cake layer just inside the top edge. Top with second and third cake layers, repeating procedure with filling and frosting between each layer. Top with last cake layer, and spread remaining Strawberry Frosting on top and sides of cake.

Blackberry Dumplings

• 1 quart fresh blackberries
• 2 cups white sugar, or to taste
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 egg yolk
• 5 tablespoons milk

Place blackberries, sugar, water, butter, and cinnamon in a large saucepan. Cook and stir occasionally over medium heat until have started to break down and form a sauce, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir the egg yolk into the crumbs. Add the milk a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the flour mixture is moistened. Do not add more milk than you need: when you squeeze a handful of the moistened pastry mixture, it should form a ball. Divide the dough in half and shape into small balls. Some people like flat dumplings so they to roll into a flat circle and cut into strips, then cut strips into squares.

Drop dumplings (balls or strips) into the berries. Simmer the dumplings, covered, over medium heat for 15 minutes. You may push the dumplings down into the juice but do not stir until they are fully cooked or they will clump together.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.