Hello, everyone!!! I’ve missed you all. After a whirlwind trip through France, it’s so good to be home. I hope to fill you in on our adventures in some future posts…I was lucky enough to meet a fabulous blogger friend (Jill from Mad About Macarons) in Paris! Special thanks to my incredible team of guest posters…they all shared such marvelous recipes. I need to turn over the helm more often! On to today’s blog post:
For June’s Secret Recipe Club, I was lucky to be matched up with A Couple in the Kitchen. Amy and Chris are both high school teachers who enjoy time in the kitchen together. I’d popped into their blog before when they were involved with French Fridays with Dorie, but I was WAY overdue for a visit. I was delighted that the SRC gave me the push I needed. As Amy has written, neither of them is fond of baking, but they still had many gorgeous and decadent desserts from which to pick…and y’all know I have a weakness when it comes to sweets.
I’m also a sucker for berries, so their Easy Berry Pie was definitely a contender. Then there were all their holiday candies…ooh boy…buckeyes, truffles and peppermint bark were tempting me, too. But I quickly decided on Grilled Pound Cake with Balsamic Berries. I made my favorite pound cake (Elvis’,too!), but you could easily use one from the bakery for a quick dessert. Mixed berries were gently cooked with a bit of water, sugar and cornstarch plus a bit of balsamic vinegar. I loved the je n’ais sais quois that a tablespoon of quality balsamic vinegar gave the topping….mmmmmm.
Chris and Amy, thanks so much for sharing this fabulous summer dessert! I was thrilled to reconnect with your wonderful blog. My family loved this one.
Grilled Pound Cake with Balsamic Berries…adapted from A Couple in The Kitchen
1 loaf of your favorite pound cake (I used half of this recipe baked in a loaf pan for 45 minutes. Use 1 1/2 tablespoons of lightly mixed egg for the half egg needed when splitting this recipe), sliced
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar
6 ounces blackberries
1/2 pint raspberries
1 pound hulled and sliced strawberries
Mint and berries to garnish, optional
Mix the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Stir in water and balsamic, and mix till clumps of cornstarch are dissolved. Add blackberries and cook over medium heat till liquid comes to a boil. Cook for one minute, then remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Fold in the rest of the berries carefully.
Using a lightly oiled grill pan or gas grill, toast pound cake slices till grill marks appear. Flip to grill other sides.
Serve by spooning berries over cake, then garnishing with mint and fresh berries if desired.
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