A la mode #1: Berry Plan B

Last week there were sour cherries at the farmer’s market. I knew that I wouldn’t have time to bake right then (Delicious Nadine just moved, and needed to unpack her pots and pans), but I determined that soon, I was going to have some sour cherry pie. I browsed online and chose the perfect recipe: a frangipane tart. I bought the almonds, made sure we had sufficient eggs and butter on hand.

Then last night I descended upon the table of fruits and veggies—and the only cherries on offer were sweet. Which as everyone knows are no good for baking.

But there were blueberries. I shrugged, heaved a sweet sigh for what might have been, and then transferred my affections to the available berry.

On the way home, I schemed up a menu: blueberry galette and lemon-buttermilk sorbet. That would drown my sour cherry sorrows.

I started out with the sorbet, since it would need to chill. Zest, juice, heat, stir, chill, freeze: yum. No problems. This is a fallback dessert for me, always easy, always good.

I’ve done the galette a few times as well, but never without, well, flour.

Yes, that’s right. I was out of flour. In my defense, I did just move, and beforehand I did my best to eat as many heavy foods as possible rather than move them. So I’m also nearly out of canned tomatoes and beans and all sorts of other staples. Also, out of flour means all purpose flour. It doesn’t include whole wheat, rye, brown rice, semolina, or a few other novelty items. Fortunately, I did have a small quantity of whole what pastry flour, which as everyone knows has a low protein content and will therefore bake up more tender than regular whole wheat. I’ve used it to sub in for half the white flour in pastries before.

I’d never done a crust entirely with whole wheat, though—and I didn’t even have enough of that for a galette. But I could manage enough for a few sweet biscuits to dot the top of some hot, bubbling berries.

An hour later, I pulled a gorgeous bowl of blueberry cobbler out of the oven. I was sweaty and dusted with flour, but I felt great. I had baked my first fruit dessert in my new home. And yes, blueberry cobbler with lemon-buttermilk sorbet was delicious.

Lemon-Buttermilk Sorbet

2/3 c sugar

1/3 c water

zest of one lemon

2 c buttermilk

1/4 c fresh lemon juice

1-2 T vodka or limoncello, optional

Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan, stirring, until sugar dissolves (it shouldn't have to get very hot). Add zest. Stick saucepan in the freezer to cool.

Once the sugar syrup is very cold, pour into medium bowl. Whisk in buttermilk, then lemon juice. If you're not going to eat this all in the next day or so, add the booze to help keep the texture from getting icy.

Freeze according to your ice cream machine directions. (I've always loved this line of instructions. It takes the recipe writer completely off the hook, right?)