summer fruit teaches valuable lessons
Whether for good or bad, patience simply is not in my DNA. In my defense, my Dad doesn’t have any either, so it’s not my fault. That said, I am not too old to learn and to change, and this past weekend, summer blueberries reminded me that a little patience has its rewards.
I was pleased to find among the bounty at the farmer’s market an abundance of fresh blueberries, so plump with that perfect balance of sweet and tart. I ate an entire pint like popcorn before we even got back to the car, so naturally when we stopped at Windmist for more provisions, I grabbed two more pints and started to think about dessert options. I also share with my dad a love of blueberries in all forms—like candy on its own by the handful, baked into pies, cakes, muffins, or cooked to preserves for toast. I want them all. The options were endless, but one must make a decision, so I committed to Ottolenghi’s Blueberry, Almond, & Lemon Cake, which is easily found on the NYT Cooking App (get it!).
The recipe is not a difficult one, you combine butter, eggs, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla in your mixer, then add the dry ingredients (almond flour, regular flour, salt, baking powder) and add berries. I thought when I initially read the recipe, “why not double it, so we have some to snack on during the week?” (I am Italian, after all, this impulse to make more cannot be helped!) This question, of course, led to a series of other modifications and requirements that initiated my life lesson. Ottolenghi calls for a loaf pan, but I prefer a round cake, so doubling it also made sense for the 9 inch spring form pan that I have. For the next 3 hours, I questioned my decision to modify as I waited, and waited for the cake to finish cooking.
Ultimately, this recipe resulted in a beautifully textured, moist, lofty, delicious cake with a sugared crusted exterior that was irresistible, but it took forever to cook! Yes, this was my own doing. First, doubling means more time in the oven, but not just double, because I also changed the shape, so getting the center just right meant turning and testing repeatedly for nearly two hours beyond the recommended cooking time while turning the heat down, then up, then tenting, then turning the heat back down, and just tenting the edges, and so on. We took it out several times, thinking that it must be done, only to find raw batter when testing the center. I should confess that I did not read the recipe all the way through (refer to note on impatience above), so I folded all the berries into the batter, rather that following Ottolenghi’s prudent instructions to reserve some berries for adding to the top after 15 minutes of baking. The berries added moisture, which slows down cooking. In the end, it all worked out, so while I was pressed to learn some patience, I was also validated in my “fly by the seat of my pants” style of cooking, even when baking.
It was absolutely worth the wait for summer berries and for this cake! My last modification was to skip the glaze and opt for leaving it naked, which makes it more occasion flexible from breakfast to midday tea to late night dessert in the garden under the stars with a glass of something bubbly—yes, you know it, Lambrusco and blueberry cake is my new favorite pairing. I suggest the Albone with this cake, it mirrors the zesty lemon and the fresh blueberry flesh with a touch of sweetness that stands in for the sugared glaze.
I am curious to hear about your adventures in the kitchen, so please send along your favorite pairings so that I can continue to eat, drink, and think!
Cheers, Maria