Mohonk Mountain House's Heirloom Berry Buckle

                                                  Renny Northrop 1943-2012

This post is dedicated to a very dear friend, Renny Northrop. She lost an 18 month battle with cancer this past March. I have known Renny and her family since my childhood. Renny was a unique and wonderful person, with many friends and lots of good qualities. She is very sorely missed.

Amongst many other things she enjoyed, she loved desserts! Yet somehow she always managed to keep her girlish figure. She also loved Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY. It was one of her favorite places to visit. (http://www.mohonk.com/) She brought this recipe home with her after one of her visits to Mohonk.

Please enjoy this recipe in her honor!

 And always remember to show the people in your lives how much you love them.

Heirloom Berry Buckle

2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
4 tsp. baking powder
2 cups sugar
4 cups fresh berries -any combo of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries. (Frozen berries may be used, but must be heated first.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 9 inch pan. Cream butter and 1 cup of sugar. Add dry ingredients and milk alternately.

Mix berries and remaining sugar, then pour on top of cake batter. Bake for about 40 minutes. When cooked, some berries will be on the bottom. Serve as is, or with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Please share this post with anyone who knew and loved Renny. Or that might love the Berry Buckle!!

Honey Poached Pears with Raspberry Sauce (Natirar)

Recently, my husband and I were privileged to attend a Super foods Cooking Class! It was held at the Viking Cooking School at Ninety Acres. (www.natirar.com) We really learned a lot, enjoyed a delicious meal (with wine pairings!) and came home with some wonderful recipes to try, all bursting with healthful vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants.

I decided to try the Honey Poached Pears with Raspberry Sauce recipe first. It's presentation is lovely, and it was a perfect finish to a dinner with our Aussie friends.

Ingredients for the Honey Poached Pears:
8 medium pears (firm but slightly yielding to pressure)
6 cups aromatic white wine of drinkable quality (I used Riesling)
1 1/2  cups water
2 medium vanilla beans
2 1/2 cups honey  (I know...it's a lot, right?)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
16 black peppercorns, cracked
4 whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
2 (3 inch) pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

Directions for Honey Poached Pears:
Cut the bottom 1/8th inch off of each pear to create a base.

Using a melon baller, core the pears by scooping out the bottom center of the pear. Continue scooping until all of the core and seeds are removed (about the middle of the pear.) Be careful not to scoop too far up or the pear will tear apart. At this point the pears should look whole on the outside but with a somewhat hollow core.

After all of the pears are cored, carefully peel them with a vegetable peeler, leaving the stems intact.  (Just pretend you see a stem on the pear below, OK?)

Pour the wine and water into a pot just large enough to hold all the pears. Split the vanilla beans in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the pot. Add the honey, sugar, balsamic vinegar, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and ginger to the pot. Bring the wine mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Add the pears to the syrup, and cook at a very low simmer (poach) until they are just tender when pierced with a very sharp knife. Turn the pears as needed to evenly cook on all sides.

Allow the pears to cool in the syrup for increased flavor, but no longer than 3 hours or the pears will turn brown. Serve warm, cold, or at room temperature in a pool of raspberry sauce adorned with a sprig of mint for an attractive presentation (optional).

Ingredients for Raspberry Sauce:
2 cups thawed frozen raspberries
6 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons orange liqueur
Mint sprigs, for garnish

Directions for Raspberry Sauce:
Combine the raspberries, honey and liqueur in a mini food processor, puree until smooth. Raspberry sauce can be made up to one week in advance, store tightly covered in refrigerator.

        Aren't they all just the cutest little delicious soldiers, all in a row??!!!