Father's Day Treat

I can hear you now - "Well, duh!" you'll say, or "You didn't know that?" with a voice of incredulity. And you'll shake your head over the fact that a woman can live as long as I have without ever trying raspberry waffles.

Father's Day was a good excuse for a knockout breakfast. We had a family emergency going on - a very, very sick infant grandson - so My Beloved's daughter Katie red-eyed to Boston to help her sister Sarah cope with the anxiety and with our four year old granddaughter. She called My Beloved on the eve of her departure to apologize for missing Father's Day this year and to set a date for a future father-daughter celebration when she returns.

When Father's Day dawned, he had no daughters in town, so I decided to try to fill the gap. I found the perfect Father's Day present - Duck Tape printed with hot rod flames - and made him waffles for breakfast. We had some raspberries in the fridge so I asked if he might like that idea. Got a big thumbs-up, so I dropped a few berries onto the waffle iron before pouring the batter and the scent of hot raspberries that wafted immediately up was a revelation in itself.

We have decided that there is nothing in this world so tasty as waffles with pockets of instant jam made by sizzling raspberries for a few steamy minutes in waffle batter. We slathered on the butter and ladled over the pure maple syrup - we are maximalists - and enjoyed every over-the-top bite.

I know, I know, it's so simple and I'm sure you have tried it eons ago while I was still thinking that the height of waffle pleasure was sour cream in the batter. But maybe you forgot how good it was and this can serve as your reminder. Father's Day may be over for another year but you can still have a treat.

And the good news is that our grandson, we call him the O-man, is doing much, much better. Fingers crossed that he goes home from the hospital this week.

Seedy

You'd never know I strained out more than half the seeds before cooking this raspberry jam - it's still mighty seedy. In fact, I was amazed at the amount of seeds that three little boxes of berries could produce. Never mind, I still love raspberries almost as much as I do strawberries so I was eager to turn my boxes of fresh, ripe fruit into jewel-toned jam.

Some of my best discoveries happen when I come a cropper in the kitchen. This time, it was the lemon juice I wanted to add to the raspberry purée along with the sugar. When I sliced open my lemon, the whole inside was a nasty, spoiled mess, completely unusable and a different kind of seedy. Desperate for just a little tartness, I thought of the bottle of very expensive sherry vinegar languishing in my cupboard, an impulse purchase long ago that I had never even opened.

So, I opened it. Poured just a drop on a spoon with some of the raspberry purée just to confirm that the reality tasted as good as I imagined it would. It was terrific, complementing the raspberry flavor and cutting through some of the sweetness of the sugar. Home run.

Out of three little punnets of dark, tiny perfect raspberries I got two small jars of jam. I used 2 cups of raspberry purée, 1 tsp of sherry vinegar and 1/4 cup of sugar; if you want to know my method, go here. What didn't fit into my two little jars became a coulis that I forced through a much finer strainer, leaving all the seeds behind that time. I wrapped it carefully and put it in the fridge. It is the seed for some other delicious as-yet-to-be-invented dish. I wonder what it will be?

Razzleberry Scones

There are scones and then there are SCONES. I have had ones so delicious that they literally melt in the mouth and others that resembled doorstops more than foodstuffs.

The best scone I ever tasted, all light and buttery, was at Tal-y-Tara, a quirky little tea shop-cum-horse tack shop in San Francisco; I haven't yet plucked up the courage to ask them for their recipe.

But I was in the mood for scones the other day and didn't relish the sinkers they sell at Starbucks, so I decided to make my own using some raspberries I had purchased at the farmer's market last week and, once again, Molly Wizenberg's recipe, substituting fresh raspberries and lemon zest for the ingredients in hers.

I quickly froze the berries so they wouldn't get squashed while kneading the dough; they kind of did anyway, but it doesn't seem to have hurt them at all. I also sprinkled the tops with just a smidge of turbinado sugar before they went into the oven. The resulting scones were very satisfying, bumpy and fruity and substantial. These are SCONES!

Razzle Dazzle Dessert

The recipe for Frozen Raspberry Mousse in the July issue of Bon Appetit magazine happened to coincide with my big raspberry purchase at the farmer's market and a tub of leftover sour cream in my fridge - so I hastened to the store for the rest of the ingredients and set to work.

Look how pretty it turned out!

It's richer than I had anticipated although I should have known better from the list of ingredients. I had thought it would be a fitting end to a summer dinner and it is - but the dinner had better be a light one. My Beloved and I were dazzled by the pretty color and the lively, rich taste of fresh raspberries and cream, so I served it to Cookiecrumb and Moonbear when they came to lunch. They approved.

Frozen Raspberry Mousse, adapted from Bon Appetit magazine, July 2008

6 servings

3 cups fresh raspberries, divided (about 16 oz.)
1-1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon kirsch (clear cherry brandy)
1-1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream (I'd try creme fraiche next time)
6 mint sprigs for garnish

Puree 2-1/2 cups of raspberries, powdered sugar and kirsch in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. The recipe doesn't suggest removing the seeds but I did put the puree through a strainer to remove most of them and I think that's an important step - razzleberries are seedy little characters!

Using an electric mixer, beat cream in another large bowl until it forms firm peaks. Add sour cream and beat just to blend. Fold whipped cream mixture into raspberry puree just until incorporated.

Divide mousse among six 6-oz parfait glasses (I don't have those so used coffee cups), cover each with plastic wrap and freeze. About 2 hours before serving, place mousse in refrigerator to thaw slightly. Uncover mousse and top with remaining 1/2 cup of fresh raspberries. Garnish with mint sprigs and serve.

I think it would be possible to freeze the whole batch in a large container and spoon it out to serve - I didn't try that this time but, as one who is freezer space-challenged, I was tempted.

Easy to make and dazzlingly delicious.

The Sweet Season

Recently, I went to the farmer's market over in Marin, dodging giant SUVs and baby strollers to bring home a bounty of fresh fruit.

First, the strawberries and now, in a delicious parade, the cherries, raspberries and nectarines. These were white nectarines, dripping with flavor and so unbelievably sweet. All I did was slice them into a bowl, add a few raspberries and cherries for My Beloved who loves variety and plunked them on the table. Later, I'll feel jaded enough to make them into something but, for now, we are simply relishing the return of the sweet season.