Wild Harvest: Blackberries

There's nothing like putting on long pants and shirt sleeves in August, braving the labyrinth of thorns and picking blackberries at sunset. Although I know they can't compare in size to their relatives on the west coast, but Ohio has its share of delicious wild berries, and blackberries are certainly up there on my list of favorites. If you can get them home without eating them all, try them on a salad of fresh micro greens with goat cheese and sunflower seeds, blend them into a fresh smoothie with yogurt, or bake them into a scrumptious cobbler or pie. I found this recipe for Goat Cheese Blackberry Tart via Delicious Living. It has a wheat-free almond and date crust. I'll be trying this one out over the weekend for sure.

Goat Cheese Blackberry Tart

Ingredients:
Crust

• 2 cups dates, pitted and chopped (about 20 large dates)
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 egg white, slightly beaten

Filling

• 12 ounces goat cheese, softened
• 4 ounces low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 11/2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Purée

• 2 cups blackberries
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1-1/2 tablespoons cold water

3 cups blackberries, for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400º. Lightly coat a 10-inch tart pan with removable sides with cooking spray. Combine dates and almond meal in a food processor and pulse 15–20 times. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in egg white with a fork until incorporated. Press mixture onto tart pan bottom. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.
2. For the filling, beat goat cheese and cottage cheese with an electric mixer until fairly smooth. Add sugar, lemon zest, and juice and beat until smooth. (For extra-smooth consistency, do this step in a blender.) Spread cheese mixture evenly over cooled crust and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.
3. For the purée, place 2 cups berries in a blender or food processor and purée. Transfer to a small saucepan and cook on medium heat for 2–3 minutes. Add sugar; reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook another 5 minutes. In a small bowl, dissolve arrowroot powder in cold water. Gradually add arrowroot mixture to berry mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
4. Spread cooled purée over cheese filling. Cover tart and keep refrigerated until serving time. Just before serving, arrange fresh berries on top. Slide a sharp knife around the inside edge of the pan and remove pan sides.

Serves 12