Very Berry Topping Recipes

BERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the berries, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook until the berries burst and the liquid starts to thicken, about 5 minutes.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, forcing the berries through by pushing and scraping with a rubber spatula. The more you force through, the thicker the sauce will be (the pulp closest to the seeds contains the most pectin, which is a natural thickener). Let cool completely and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

VERY BERRY CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the cranberries, orange juice, brown sugar, granulated sugar and whiskey in a large saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the blueberries and raspberries and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside to cool, then transfer to a jar and keep in the fridge until cold and thick.

VERY BERRY APPLE CRISP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the apples, berries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg; toss until well incorporated.
• Spoon mixture into an ungreased 9-inch square baking dish.
• To make the topping: in a small bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, and flour.
• Add butter and stir until moist and crumbly.
• Sprinkle topping over apple mixture.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

EASY WARM BERRY TOPPING

Steps:

• Mix all frozen berries, jelly and sugar in a large skillet; let stand until berries thaw and mixture is juicy, stirring occasionally and breaking up strawberries into smaller pieces (this should take a couple hours).
• Boil until mixture thickens but is still chunky, stirring frequently (about 7 minutes).
• Delicious!

BERRY GOOD TOPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• In a blender, puree 1 cup of the berries with apple juice. In a small saucepan, combine apple juice concentrate and cornstarch; stir until smooth. Add pureed berries. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cool. Add vanilla and remaining raspberries. , Serve over yogurt, ice cream or pancakes.

MACERATED BERRY TOPPING

Steps:

• Combine berries with sugar. Stir occasionally for 45 minutes, and watch as they transform into a vibrant, juicy sauce. Serve over ice cream, pancakes, or shortcake. For a float, alternate the berries with scoops of ice cream and top it all off with seltzer.

THE ULTIMATE BERRY CRUMBLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Grate in the frozen butter, stopping occasionally to toss the butter into the flour mixture until coated. Drizzle in vanilla extract; add egg yolks. Stir with a fork until egg is mostly absorbed. Add vinegar; mix briefly. Use your hands to finish mixing, squeezing until clumps but mixture remains mostly dry. Add 1 teaspoon vinegar if needed.
• Combine blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries in another bowl. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch. Sprinkle in cayenne pepper. Mix until sugar and cornstarch are mostly dissolved.
• Place about 1/2 of the crumble mixture into the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. Press mixture down using a flat cup until well compacted. Spread the berries over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture on top, squeezing some of it into clumps.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is beautifully browned and berry syrup bubbles on the surface, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

VERY BERRY CRISP

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the berries, sugar and 2 tablespoons flour; transfer to an 11x7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. , In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, oats, brown sugar, almonds, cinnamon and remaining flour. Stir in the oil, butter and water until moistened. Sprinkle over berries., Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

VERY-BERRY OAT CRUMBLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the flour, oats, butter and sugar in a bowl, squash together with your fingers into a crumble texture, sprinkle over a baking tray and bake for 10 mins, stirring and roughly breaking up halfway through cooking. Can be done up to 2 days ahead, and stored in an airtight container.
• Meanwhile, put the strawberries, sugar and cornflour in a large pan. Stir together and set over a medium heat. Cook until the strawberries just start to release their juices and soften, then stir in the remaining berries. Transfer to an ovenproof baking dish.
• When the crumble topping is cooked, sprinkle it over the fruit, and place back in the oven for a further 15 mins until bubbling and golden. Leave for 5 mins before serving with ice cream or custard.

VERY BERRY CRUMBLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Grease four 6-ounce ramekins and transfer them to a foil-lined baking sheet and set aside.
• To make the topping, in a bowl combine the almonds, oats, sugar, and spices. Add the butter, and, with your fingers or a fork, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until large, coarse crumbs form. Set aside while you make the filling.
• To make the filling, put the berries into a strainer set over a bowl to catch the juices. Add the sugar and cornstarch to the juices and whisk until smooth and the starch dissolves. Gently fold the berries back into their juices, and divide the mixture among the greased ramekins. Top each filled dish with one fourth of the crumble topping and place on the baking sheet. Bake until bubbling hot and the topping is golden, about 20 minutes. Allow the crumbles to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

PERFECT BERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 425 degrees. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and 3 Tbs. sugar in a medium bowl. Grate 2 Tbs. of the butter on the coarse holes of a box grater into dry ingredients; toss to coat. Repeat grating and tossing with remaining butter. Combine egg and half-and-half; pour into flour mixture. Toss with a fork to form large clumps. Lightly press clumps into a ball; add a teaspoon more half-and-half to the bowl if dough won't come together.
• Turn dough onto work surface; press into an 8-by-4- to 5-inch rectangle. Cut into 6 squares, placing them 1 inch apart on a small baking sheet. (Can be refrigerated up to 2 hours before baking.) Before baking, brush tops with optional egg white for a particularly attractive sheen. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbs. sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool until warm, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mix thawed and fresh berries with sugar in a bowl; let stand until sugar dissolves. With a hand mixer, beat cream to soft peaks, gradually adding 1 Tb. sugar, then vanilla.
• Split each cake crosswise; spoon a portion of berries over each cake bottom, then a dollop of whipped cream over berries. Cap with cake top and serve immediately.