Blackberry Fools

I found the most amazing blackberries at the market the other day - they were super sweet and delicious and I couldn't wait to use them to make Blackberry Fool, an incredibly simple, yet elegant dessert. 

In case you're wondering, fruit fool recipes first started appearing in the year 1598 - the word fool is thought to be derived from the french word "fouler" which means to press or mash.

When choosing blackberries, pick ones that are completely black, and taste them to make sure they're sweet because they won't ripen after being picked. 

To make blackberry puree, place ripe blackberries and lemon zest in a personal blender or small food processor.

Blitz the berries until completely pulverized.  

Then pass the puree through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds.  A silicone scraper is pretty helpful here.

Blackberries contain a LOT of seeds so you definitely want to remove them (discard them or feed them to the chickens). 

Mmmm.... smooth, seedless blackberry puree.

To make blackberry fool, fold together 1 part blackberry puree and 4 parts sweetened whipped cream (recipe below).

You can leave the mixture a little streaky if you like - I think the streaks look kind of cool.

Or if you're a bit compulsive and you can't help but continue to fold the two components together until they're completely mixed, go for it.  You do you.

Spoon or pipe the mixture into dessert cups.  The dessert cups I chose (these) have very small openings so I filled them using a pastry bag to keep the cups neat and clean.  

To complete the presentation, pipe some leftover whipped cream on top using a large closed star tip (like this one) and garnished with a mint leaf.  Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• microplane grater https://amzn.to/2PZLO9s

• fine mesh strainer https://amzn.to/2wAHMw8

• adorable mini dessert glasses https://amzn.to/2NMLnhr

• disposable pastry bags https://amzn.to/3uEH3cg

• closed star pastry tube https://amzn.to/2oCWfmI

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Blackberry Fools

Makes 6-8 mini desserts (3-ounce)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 ounces ripe blackberries (or other berries)

• zest from 1/2 lemon

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Make berry puree by blitzing berries with lemon zest in a personal blender or small food processor; strain seeds and discard.

2. In a small mixing bowl, whip heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla using a handheld mixer until stiff peaks form.

3. In another small mixing bowl, fold together 6 tablespoons strained blackberry puree and 1 1/2 cups of sweetened whipped cream until combined (a few streaks remaining look lovely).

4. To neatly fill dessert cups, transfer berry and cream mixture to a piping bag and carefully fill six 3-ounce mini dessert cups (eight dessert cups if you don't fill them as full).

5. Place remaining whipped cream in another piping bag filled with a closed star tip and top each dessert.

6. Garnish with a mint leaf and/or a drizzle of the remaining blackberry puree.

Note

• The blackberries can be substituted with other seasonal berries.

Turkey Meatloaf Italiano

I make a number of recipes that feature ground turkey so I jumped at the chance to stock my freezer when I was able to purchase 40 pounds for a really low price.  Asian Sloppy Joes, Turkey and Vegetable Meatloaf, Keto Turkey Meatballs, and Hearty Italian Wedding Soup were already in my recipe rotation, and now I can add this Turkey Meatloaf Italiano to the mix.  Here's how it's made.

This recipe is very easy to make - just place all the meatloaf ingredients in a bowl and mix them together thoroughly.

I like to line a quarter sheet pan (9x13x1) with foil for easy clean up.  Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape, place it on the pan, and pop it into a preheated oven for about 50 minutes.

Remove the meatloaf from the oven and top with 1/2 cup of marinara (try my super easy and super delicious recipe here).

Top the marinara with 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Now don't scoff - dried parsley is highly underrated.  

Sprinkle some of that dried parsley over the cheese (I like to crush it in the palm of my hand before sprinkling).

Bake into the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.  Rest for 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• quarter sheet pan https://amzn.to/34nuzet

• quarter sheet pan silpat liner https://amzn.to/2ARIoCl

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KETO TURKEY MEATLOAF ITALIANO

makes 8 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Meatloaf:

• 1/2 cup marinara sauce (try my quick recipe)

• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (use the good stuff!)

• 2 large eggs

• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced

• 2 pounds ground turkey

Topping:

• 1/2 cup marinara sauce

• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, crushed in the palm of your hand

Directions

1. preheat oven to 375F and line sheet pan with parchment or silpat.

2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the first 7 meatloaf ingredients; add ground turkey and mix until well combined.

3. Pat mixture into a meatloaf on lined sheet pan; bake for 50 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and top with marinara, cheese, and crushed parsley flakes; return to oven and bake an additional 10-15 minutes to melt cheese.

5. Remove from oven and rest 10 minutes before serving.