Last week I wrote a TBT cookbook review for Around the Southern Table by Sarah Belk. It’s a tour de force of historic Southern dishes with loving emphasis on those ingredients we now call “local and fresh.” In a Southern spring, blackberries abound. In the New Orleans of a century ago, Blackberry Pie or Tarte de Mures and Blackberry Roll or Bourrelet aux Mures were considered dessert delicacies.
This recipe is one Sarah developed, drawing on the childhood memories of friends. It looks like a roulade and tastes like a very berry scone. It’s supposed to be a dessert, but with a cup of coffee this is a most delicious way to begin your morning and your day.
Suzen made this. I watched.
“Is it hard?” I asked, knowing darn well she had reached an awkward moment, the rolling up.
“It ain’t easy,” she responded, answering the challenge.
The issue here is rolling up the dough once the berries have been scattered on top. It’s a thick and somewhat sticky dough, and certainly a heavy one. I’m sure that with practice, Suzen will get much better at this. I’m going to encourage her continuing education.
We ate this right away, out of the oven, with steaming berries. You can do that, or let it cool. It can be adorned with whipped cream [as pictured] or ice cream. But “just plain” is really very good.
Blackberry Roll
Yield: serves 6-8
Ingredients:
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups blackberries (or substitute dewberries, raspberries, or blueberries)
- 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water for glaze
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar. With a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in 2 tablespoons of the butter and the shortening. Stir in milk until just blended (do not overmix).
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch by 18-inch rectangle, Vs inch thick. Distribute berries evenly on the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Sprinkle with remaining sugar; dot with remaining butter. Roll up lengthwise like a jelly roll; pinch edges together to close. Place seam- side-down on buttered jelly-roll pan. Brush with egg glaze.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until juices are bubbling and dough is seriously golden- brown. Test with a toothpick to make sure the dough is firm all the way through. Cool at least 10 minutes before slicing. Slice and serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Source: Around the Southern Table by Sarah Belk [Simon and Schuster, 1991]
Photo Information: Canon T2i, EFS 60 mm Macro Lens, F/4 for 1/50th second at ISO-640