Old-Fashioned Blackberry Roly Poly

Blackberry Roly Poly

It’s berry season – and time to make berry desserts. I recently came across a recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook for Blackberry Roly Poly and decided to give it a try. Rectangles of pastry are topped with a sauce made from fresh blackberries, and then rolled and baked. The roly polys are served hot, smothered in additional raspberry sauce.

Blackberry Roly Poly

The BlackBerry Roly Polys were delightful. The pastry was flaky and lovely with the embedded blackberry sauce and topping.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Blackberry Roly Poly

Servings: about 12 roly poly
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes active prep time
Difficulty: moderate
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2 pints blackberries

1/2 cup water +1/2 cup water

1 1/2 cups sugar + additional sugar

3 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

1 egg, separated (lightly beat, separately, the yolk and white)

Put the blackberries in a saucepan and add 1/2 cup water. Using medium heat, bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer until the berries are very soft; stir periodically. Remove from the heat and press the cooked berries through a sieve. (I used a Foley mill.) Rinse out the saucepan, then put the strained pulp back into the pan. Stir in 1 1/2 cups sugar. Bring to a boil using medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens while stirring periodically (about 20-30 minutes). Remove from heat and cool.

In the meantime, Preheat oven to 425°. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then cut in the shortening. Add beaten egg yolk and 1/2 cup water; mix using a fork until dough starts to cling together. If needed, add additional water. (If desired, a food processor can be used to make the dough.) Knead dough slightly then roll part of the dough into a rectangle 1/4 inch thick. Cut into small rectangles each about 4″ by 2″. Spread the cooled blackberry sauce onto the small rectangles, and then roll. (Reserve about a quarter of the sauce to use when serving.) Put on a baking sheet. Brush with egg white, then generously sprinkle with sugar. Bake until lightly browned (about 1/2 hour).

Serve hot with the reserved blackberry syrup that has been reheated .

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-fashioned Blackberry Pudding

Old-fashioned Blackberry Pudding is a delightful summer dessert. The recipe I made was from a hundred-year cookbook, and it turned out well. The cake-like topping is flavored with cinnamon, and is very light and fluffy because it contains beaten egg whites. This recipe is a keeper, and I anticipate making again this summer.

Blackberry Pudding

Here’s the original recipe:

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Blackberry Pudding

Servings: 4 - 5
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: moderate
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2 pints (4 cups) blackberries

1/2 cup sugar + 1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 lemon (juice and grated rind)

3 eggs, separated

Put blackberries, 1/2 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil using medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until the berries soften (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat; set aside.

Put the egg whites in a bowl. Beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In the meantime, in another pan, melt the butter; stir in the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon. Slowly add milk while stirring. Using medium heat, heat to boiling using medium heat while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the batter thickens, about another minute. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice, and grated lemon rind.

Let cool slightly, then place a small amount (approximately 1 – 2 tablespoons) of hot batter mixture into dish with beaten egg yolk, stir quickly. Repeat with a more of the hot mixture. Then add the egg mixture to the batter; Stir. Fold in the beaten egg whites.

Put the stewed blackberries in a 2-quart baking dish. Spoon the batter over the blackberries. Put in oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned. May be served either hot or cold.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

Old-fashioned Blackberry Shortcake

Some things just go together – like summer and Berry Shortcake. A few days ago I would have written “like summer and Strawberry Shortcake,” but I’ve discovered a wonderful hundred-year-old recipe for Blackberry Shortcake, so I needed to broaden my analogy.

Slightly crushed, sweetened, juicy blackberries go between and above tender layers of shortcake biscuits. This delightful old-fashioned dessert, with the “new” twist of blackberries is perfect for a hot summer day.

I did not use any whipped cream when I made this dessert since the old recipe did not call for it, and it definitely is not needed. The sweetened juice from the blackberries soaks into the biscuits and creates a delightful flavor and texture; though, if desired, the Blackberry Shortcake could be topped with whipped cream.

Here is a photo of Blackberry Shortcake that appeared in the old magazine:

Source: American Cookery (Boston Cooking School Magazine), Aug./Sept., 1915

And, here is the original recipe:

If seemed unusual the old recipe called for buttering the split shortcake biscuits before putting the blackberries between the layers, but I gave it a try with several biscuits. The warm biscuits melted the butter, and it really was not very noticeable after the berries were added. I also tried serving this dessert without buttering the biscuits first, and there was very little difference in the taste or appearance.

Here is the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Blackberry

Servings: 7 - 9 biscuits
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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2 pints (4 1/2-pint boxes) blackberries

1 cup sugar

2 cups pastry flour (If you do not have pastry flour, use 1 cup cake flour + 1 cup all-purpose flour.)

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup shortening

approximately 3/4 – 1 cup milk

butter (optional)

Wash and drain blackberries. Put in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Lightly crush berries with a fork. Set aside. (If desired, put in a saucepan and heat using low heat for 1 – 2 minutes to warm slightly and to increase the juicing of the berries, but do not cook. Remove from heat.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, stir the flour, salt and baking powder together. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture. Add 3/4 cup milk and stir just enough to combine using a fork to form a soft dough. If the dough is dry, add additional milk and stir a little more to create a soft dough.

On a pastry cloth or other prepared surface, roll shortcake dough to 3/4 inch thickness. Cut into rounds 2 1/2 – 3 inches in diameter. (I turned a water glass upside down and used it as the cutter). Put on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cook about 15-20 minutes or until the biscuits are lightly browned. Remove from oven and split the biscuits in half. (I used a bread knife to cut them.) If desired, spread the biscuits with butter. Put the berries between and above the biscuits and serve at once.

I used less sugar than called for in the original recipe because 1 1/2 – 2 cups sugar seemed like an excessive amount to put on the blackberries.