Bumbling

If you read my posts from yesterday, then you know that I've gone bonkers for beautiful berries (awesome alliteration).  Yesterday I went crazy using almost an entire half flat of berries in about an hour's time.  First, I got my raspberry infused vodka going.  It's an annual requirement when raspberries come into season.

You can use raspberry infused vodka in any mixed drink that you would ordinarily use regular vodka...or if you're tough, you can just pour it over ice and drink it straight.  (I'm wimpier than that...except when it comes to tequila, which I can drink like a person from south of the border.  I avoid doing it more than once per year.  But I digress. Or am I decaying?  Take your pick.)  If you want to know how to make your own infused vodka, you can read the post I wrote about it some time ago right here.

Then I set about making the most wonderful, deceptively simple, you-too-can-look-like-a-professional-pasty-chef, bumbleberry jalousie.  

After it cooled, I served it up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  OMG yummy.

When Kathy asked for the recipe this morning, I realized I had been unintentionally cruel.  I linked to the recipe for the Apple Brown-Butter Jalousie in my previous post, but failed to realize that the recipe didn't include the bumbleberry filling.  I'm just about to remedy that by giving you the recipe. Of course, I have to expound in my customary verbosity first.

The recipe first appeared in the January, 2007 issue of Fine Cooking magazine, which just happens to be one of my favorite cooking magazines.  I love it for its excellent recipes and excellent tutorials.  I've given you the link again because there are some good diagrams that show you how to assemble this dessert.  Even without the diagrams, however, this is so simple to do.  The crust is made from frozen puff pastry sheets that are widely available in the frozen food sections of most supermarkets.  

As a warning make sure you get the "sheets" and not the puff pastry "shells".  Follow the instructions on the box for thawing them, and use plenty of flour on all surfaces to keep them from sticking. Honestly, though, I haven't found that to be a big problem.

So with that out of the way, here is the recipe for the Bumbleberry Jalousie.  I've made this with apples using the recipe I've linked to, and it too is delicious.  Give it a try next time you want to impress somebody...or if you just want to eat something totally yummy.  Or if you want to impress somebody, but then decide to eat the whole thing yourself.  Any of the above will suffice as a reason for making it.

Bumbleberry Jalousie 
adapted from the recipe by Kimberly Y. Masibay

16 ounces fresh or frozen mixed berries (a mix of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries)
1/4 cup granulated sugar; more to taste
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice; more to taste
1/4 teaspoon  finely grated lemon zest
Generous pinch of cinnamon
Pinch  kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons  cornstarch
1 large egg
1 sheet  frozen packaged puff pastry sheets (Pepperidge Farm brand preferred) -- thawed overnight in the fridge or according to package instructions
Flour for rolling out the dough
1 teaspoon demerara, turbinado, or granulated sugar
Creme fraiche, lightly sweetened whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream for serving -- optional
                 
Make the filling:

In a medium (3 quart) saucepan, stir together the frozen berries, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, and salt.  Heat over medium high until the berries start to release their juices and those juices bubble, 1-2 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring gently from time to time, until the berries release more juices and soften, but still hold their shape for the most part (raspberries will probably break down, though, and blackberries might too), 7-9 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

With a slotted spoon, scoop out the berries, letting as much juice as possible drain through the spoon, and put them into a small heat-proof bowl.

Dissolve the cornstarch in 3 tablespoons cold water.  Whisk into the juices in the pan.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is very thick, a full 2 minutes.  Scrape the sauce into the bowl with the berries.  Fold them together.  Taste.  If too tart, add a little more sugar; if too sweet, add a little more lemon juice.  Let the filling cool completely before using.

Assemble the jalousie:

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment.  In a small bowl, make an egg wash by beating the egg with 1 tablespoon water until well combined.  Unfold the puff pastry dough on a floured surface, and gently pinch together any seems that have split.  With a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12x14-inch rectangle  With a sharp knife, cut the rectangle in half lengthwise to form two 6x14-inch rectangle.  Use a long spatula to help you move one of the dough rectangles onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Use a pastry brush to brush a 1-inch border or egg wash around the perimeter of the dough.  (Save the remaining egg wash.)  Spread the filling evenly down the length of the dough.  If some of the liquid seeps onto the egg-washed border, don't worry about it, but avoid allowing it to seep onto the baking sheet where it will burn and spoil the appearance of the dessert.  If necessary, use a clean pastry brush and paper towels to absorb extra liquid.

Lightly dust the remaining piece of puff pastry with flour and then gently fold it in half lengthwise; don't crease the fold.  Using a sharp knife, cut 1 1/2-inch long slashes at 1-inch intervals along the folded side of the dough; leave at least a 1-inch border on the remaining three sides.  Do not unfold the dough.  Using a long spatula, gently lift the folded strip and position it over the fruit-filled dough rectangle, matching up the straight edges.

Gently unfold the top piece of dough and stretch it over the filling, matching the straight edges all the way around the perimeter of the dough.  Press the edges gently with your fingertips to seal the dough, and then, with a fork, very gently crimp the edges of the dough all the way around the pastry.

Chill the assembled jalousie for 15-20 minutes.  Meanwhile, position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Bake the jalousie:

Right before baking, brush the top of the jalousie with a very light coating of the remaining egg wash (you won't need it all) and sprinkle with the demerara, turbinado, or granulated sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes and then rotate the baking sheet.  Continue baking until the pastry is puffed, deep golden brown on top, and light golden brown on the bottom--use a spatula to gently lift the jalousie so you can peek underneath--10-15 minutes more.  Immediately transfer the jalousie from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool for at least 45 minutes.  (Instead of trying to move the hot jalousie with a spatula lift the parchment paper to move the jalousie to the rack and then carefully slide the paper out from under the pastry.)

Serve the jalousie slightly warm or at room temperature with creme fraiche, lightly sweetened whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream, if you like.  It is best eaten the day it's made, but the jalousie will keep, wrapped well in aluminum foil, for 3 days.  You can reheat it in a 325 degree oven for 5 minutes before serving.