There are two kinds of blackberries with many varieties.

Blackberries that grow wild on thorny bushes and are a bit hard to eat, and the thornless blackberries cultivated especially for markets and grocery stores.

The triple crown blackberry variety produces large fruits on vigorous plants with a delicious flavor and is just one of the types of thornless blackberries grown today. This is the kind you most likely purchase in the store or market.

Interesting Facts about Blackberries

• Blackberries are thought to have been around in North America, South America, Asia and Europe for over 30 million years. They do not grow native in Australia, but you can now find them there. However, you will not find a single blackberry in Antartica.
• Blackberries have been used for medicinal purposes by the Greeks and Romans, as well as for dyes.
• Early Christians associated blackberry juice with the blood of Christ and the thorny bushes with the crown of thorns.
• Blackberries also appear as ingredients for the occult, but I’d rather not think about that one.

Blackberries are a super food.

Blackberries are considered super healthy, as each little compartment is full of antioxidants, boasting brain health, oral health, high in Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Manganese. 

Ingredients for Blackberry Cobbler

• Almond Flour
• Coconut Flour
• Eggs
• Sour Cream
• Baking Powder
• Butter
• Swerve
• Vanilla Extract
• Blackberries

How to Make Keto Blackberry Cobbler

I really like to make cobbler in a cast iron pan, but you can use a cake dish. Make sure you mix all your dry ingredients together before adding to the pan. Beat eggs well. Add melted butter, sour cream and dry ingredients. Push the blackberries into the batter after the batter has been put in the pan.

Swerve is my sweetener of choice. Read here why I use Swerve. You can choose the powder erythritol of choice.

More Blackberry Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Salad with Blackberries, Fresh Corn
• Best Sugar Free Flourless Chocolate Cake (Low-Carb, Sugar Free)
• Honey Baked Goat Cheese Salad with Blackberry Lemon Vinaigrette
• Blackberry Mint Julep Recipe
• Whiskey Buttermilk Pie with Blackberry Compote
• Blackberry Cobbler in Mason Jars

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Keto Blackberry Cobbler

Perfect, Easy Snack Cake made with fresh summer fruit.

Course Cake

Cuisine American

Keyword keto cake

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 12 servings

Calories 203kcal

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups almond flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup Swerve Granulated
• 3 eggs
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 cup blackberries

Stabilized Whipped Cream Recipe Here

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, 180 C.
• Mix all dry ingredients together.
• Beat eggs for 3 minutes
• Stream in melted butter.
• Add vanilla. Add sour cream.
• Add dry ingredients just until mixed.
• Pour into prepared pan. I used a 12 inch cast iron pan. You can use a 9 inch cake pan.
• Push blackberries in the batter.
• Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Stabilized Whipped Cream Recipe Here

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 12 | Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 17g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g

The post Keto Blackberry Cobbler with Whipped Cream appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Most of my peaches come from the Peach Truck, which hosts stands all over the Nashville area, including all the farmer’s markets. You pay a pretty penny, BUT you can be sure your bag contains, perfect, sweet peaches. They come in a brown paper bag and are usually ready within two to three days.

This post will also include the easy way to peel peaches and freeze peaches.

Grilled Peaches

Grilled peaches are easy to make.

• Use freestone peaches, slightly firm,
• Slice about a quarter inch thick.
• Brush with olive oil or butter and grill for a few minutes (one side is enough).

Salads with Peaches

Grilled peaches go great with blue cheese crumbles and sliced toasted almonds. Take this to your next cookout or potluck. Another option is a healthy spinach salad with grille peaches. You could also serve grilled peaches with fresh mozzarella or burrata. That would get applause.

• Salad with Grilled Peaches in Salad, Blue Cheese, Toasted Almonds
• Spinach Salad with Grilled Peaches
• Peach Corn Tomato Salad

Peaches Love Pork

Peaches do indeed love pork. Spareribs and pork chops are summer-ized with peaches, but you might want to try my most unique peach and pork bolognese.

If you make peach and rosemary focaccia, you’ll be a star.

• Peaches with Oven Fried Porkchops
• Spareribs with Grilled Peaches
• Pork and Peach Bolognese
• Peach Rosemary Focaccia

Peach Pie

Peach pie is ultra American. So do make this for the summer holidays.

• Peach Blueberry Slab Pie
• Stars and Stripes Peach Pie
• Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler
• Gluten Free Peach Tart (sugar free)

Sugar Free Keto Peach Desserts

I will always have low-carb options (which is mostly how I eat) and they are not a compromise.

• Low Carb Peach Cake
• Low Carb Peach Crumb Muffins
• Low Carb Peach Almond Tart

Peaches, Etc.

• How to Peel Peaches
• How to Freeze Peaches
• How to Grill Peaches
• The Best Peach Sangria

Pin This

The post Peach Recipes for Sweet and Savory Dishes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

When I decided to partner with Minerva Dairy Amish butter, I knew exactly how I wanted to use this creamy butter. A dessert that would entertain guests, take advantage of seasonal summer fruit and show off this delicious  85% butterfat butter.

I envisioned a recipe that involved a buttery pie crust, a sheet pan, seasonal fruit and a little wow factor. The sheet pan slab pie  with fresh peaches and blueberries is a the perfect recipe to show off quality butter and make summer entertaining easy. Unlike a messy pie, a slab sheet pan, can be adorned with what guests think is fancy pie crust topping made from cookie cutters and  can be pre-cut right in the pan, making it easy for guests to grab.

Perfect for holiday entertaining, you can use the freshest fruit of the moment such as peaches, plums, berries, cherries, apricots, pears or apples. While I used fresh peaches and blueberries, you can just as easily use this same concept with apples in the fall, and change the decoration with your favorite cookie cutter.

The All Butter Pie Crust Tastes Best

There is often a controversy over the fat used for a great pie crust,  but I’m here to tell you my firm belief in using all butter. Lard or shortening will not deliver the right flavor and I don’t like them refrigerated. As crazy as this sounds, I always taste my pie dough raw, and it has to be all butter for me.

Slow-Churned Real Amish butter Makes the Best Pie Crust

Using Minerva Dairy Amish butter turns ordinary pie crust into something quite special because of the high butterfat (85%) and the extraordinary flavor that comes from slow-churning the butter in small batches. The secret to a flaky pie crust is the right ratio of flour, liquid and fat and keeping the butter very very cold and in little pieces in the dough so that when it bakes, it causes the flaky dough to rise.

Another problem pie bakers often face is how thin or thick to roll out the dough. As this is not the typical pie, I tested this three times to get that exact right measurement so you don’t have to guess. One regular pie crust recipe is not enough. Doubling it can be too much. I settled at about a 1.5 measurement using a classic quarter sheet pan that measures 13 x 9.5 x 1 inches.

Star cookie cutters turns this sheet pan slab pie into something special, perfect for summer holidays. The stars were so flaky and buttery, it was almost like a puff pastry, only much easier to make. In fact this is a very easy recipe that looks much more challenging.

Minerva Dairy Amish Butter Enjoys a Wonderful History

I have a great appreciation for small family farms. Minerva Dairy Amish butter is 125 years old, and six generations strong. The butter is made from pastured-raised cows using old fashioned churns. Minerva Dairy Amish butter is the kind of butter I could almost eat with a spoon and it makes pastry dough extraordinary.

Recipe Process for Sheet Pan Slab Pie

In this recipe for sheet pan slab pie I used peaches and blueberries. You can use all berries or all peaches, but this recipe is easily adaptable and you can use this caramelized apple pie recipe stove top filling (only double it).

If using peaches, it’s important to peel, slice and drain in a colander to extract the juice out. If using apples and peaches, I like to pour over a brown sugar, butter mixture for that extra flavor. Remember, butter is more than a fat. It’s a flavor deliverer, and the secret to good tasting pastries.

This only takes 35 minutes to bake, unlike pies that take an hour, so cooking the fruit on top of the stove first is helpful, especially if you decide to use apples.

A few tips for Making a Sheet Pan Slab Pie

• Refrigerate dough for at least one hour. I like to make pie dough the day before and wrap in plastic bag.
• Separate dough into 2 pieces before refrigeration. I will divide 1/3 for stars, 2/3 for bottom.
• Make your stars (or top decoration) first. Arrange the stars on the baking sheet on a piece of parchment paper, so you’ll know you have enough. I get 18 small stars and 15 larger stars. Cookie cutters can be found at any craft store. The dough you have left over will be just the right amount for the bottom.
• Refrigerate the stars while you’re rolling out the bottom.
• Use milk and sugar to top the stars. I do this BEFORE I place them over the fruit. The milk will aid in browning. I prefer this over egg wash.
• Bake for 35 minutes, checking at 30 minutes where you might need to cover loosely with foil for the last five minutes to avoid excess browning.
• Do not over-bake. I made this twice and both times 35 minutes was just right, but this may vary from oven to oven.
• Cool completely before cutting into squares. The fruit needs time to set.

If you do not have the quarter sheet pan, you can put into a rectangular 13 inch baking dish, but don’t bring the crust all the way up the sides.

I would love to hear from you if you make this recipe. Leave a comment and tag me #spinachtiger on my Instagram account, where daily stories show my kitchen testing.

Make these Blueberry Desserts

• Blueberry Thyme Galette
• Blueberry Crisp (GF)
• A Million Ways to Make Blueberry Pie

Print

Sheet Pan Summer Cobbler with Pie Crust

Summer Fruit Sheet Pan Cobbler with Pie crust, perfect for large gatherings.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 15

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 
  Fruit Filling

Prep Blueberries

• 2 pints blueberries
• 1/3 cup sugar may need a few tablespoons more
• squeeze lemon

Prep Peaches

• 10 peaches
• 1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon sifted corn starch

Make Pie Dough

• 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour 448 grams plus more for dusting
• 12 ounces Unsalted Butter 24 tablespoons or 3 sticks
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cups iced cold water 2 more tablespoons, (if needed)

Instructions

• Prepare the pie dough below first, and refrigerate for one hour, while you are preparing the fruit.

Prep Blueberries

• Place blueberries in a bowl with sugar and squeeze of lemon. Set aside.

Prep Peaches

• Peel Peaches.
• Mark peaches with x on one side.
• Submerge in boiling water for 60 seconds.
• Cool, Peel. Slice.
• Put one tablespoon butter in frying pan with 2 tablespoons brown sugar.
• Put peaches in brown sugar butter, toss gently. Add 1 tablespoon corn starch.
• Set in colander to drain.
• PIE DOUGH
• Cut butter into small pieces. Freeze for 10 minutes.
• Mix flour, sugar, salt in food processor or kitchen aid mixer. You can whisk or do this with your hands.
• Cut butter into flour mixture. Use a kitchen aid mixer or large food processor.
• You can, however use a pastry cutter and mix butter into flour by hand, making sure to keep the pieces pea sized.
• Add in ice cold water. Mix just enough to be able to squeeze dough together.
• If the dough stays together when you press, it’s processed enough.
• Put in plastic bag, separating it into 1/3 and 2/3. Bring it together in bag. Refrigerate for one hour. You can do this a day in advance of recipe.

Preparing Slab Pie

• Bring out twenty minutes before rolling.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange rack in oven on bottom third.
• Once you are ready to assemble, first roll out 1/3 dough to make stars. You can make 15 large stars or 18 smaller stars. You can use more dough from the other section if need be. The recipe will make the stars and the remaining dough is just enough for the sheet pan.
• Make the stars and place in refrigerator, while rolling out the dough for the bottom.
• Roll into rectangle and place in sheet pan.
• Fork holes all over the bottom. Place in freezer for a few minutes.
• Arrange the blueberries and peaches in the pan.
• Before placing stars over fruit, using your finger, rub milk over each star, and sprinkle raw sugar.
• Bake for 35 minutes. Check halfway through and turn pan around.
• Check at 30 minutes and loosely cover with foil if it’s already golden brown.
• Allow to cool before cutting.
• Keep at room temperature, covered with foil.
• Can be frozen for 60 days. Take out and allow to defrost at room temperature. Can be reheated in oven.

The post How to Make Sheet Pan Slab Pie with Fresh Peaches and Blueberries appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Almonds love peaches, and it’s hard to imagine a better way to bring them together with this low carb peach almond tart. This is keto friendly, paleo friendly and gluten free.

I made many almond tarts here at Spinach Tiger because this is one of my all time favorite desserts. Today, I have a summer version made with fresh peaches from the Peach Truck.

The crust is made with almond flour and butter.  The filling is made with heavy cream, sliced almonds and Swerve’s brown sugar replacement, making this keto friendly.

Peaches Love Almonds

This low carb peach almond tart might be the best thing that happens to you this summer.  You can freeze it and it comes out of the freezer and heats up beautifully.

I took inspiration from the Chez Panisse Almond Tart I made here. I switched out the shortbread for a almond flour tart crust and the sugar with Swerve. The great news is that Swerve now makes a brown sugar that is amazing.

I caramelized some peaches with the almonds before adding it to the heavy cream and baking which seems like a dessert you could never consider low-carb.

The Baking Process for Grain Free Peach Almond Tart

The first thing you need to do is par-bake the tart crust. Keep in mind that almond flour can burn easily so par-bake at 350 Degrees F. (180 C.)   I bake for about six minutes before filling with peaches,  almonds and heavy cream.  Make sure to put foil around the edges.

Did you know you can freeze peaches?

Ingredients for Grain Free Peach Almond Tart

• Fresh Summer Peaches are the inspiration for this peach almond tart.
• Almond flour is used for the crust. Make sure it is blanched super fine flour. I like this brand. You can make your own blanched almond flour here.
• Heavy Whipping cream brings it together, and is first heated on top of the stove with granulated Swerve.
• Sugar Free Brown Sugar. Before I add the almonds and peaches to the tart, I caramelize them on top of the stove using Swerve’s brown sugar. (amazon) It’s a new product and works just like brown sugar. You can use regular Swerve if you don’t have the brown sugar.

Nutrition Value: Servings: 8  –   5 net carbs. 

More Low Carb, Keto Friendly Desserts

Low Carb Apple Almond Tart

Low Carb Grain Free Peach Muffins

Grilled Peach Salad with Blue Cheese

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Grain Free Peach Almond Tart, Paleo, Gluten Free, Low Carb

Keto Friendly, low carb, gluten free Peach Almond Tart.

Course Keto Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• Almond Flour Crust
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups almond flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 
  
• Peach Tart Filling
• 1 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon almond extract Order Here
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Swerve brown sugar or regular granulated swerve
• 1/4 cup granulated swerve
• 2 peaches peeled, cubed
• 1 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

• Make Almond Flour Crust
• Combine tart crust ingredients. Mix Well.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Remove almond flour pie dough and roll between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Place in tart pan. There will be enough dough left over to make one small tester.
• Bake at 350 degrees F. for 6 minutes, just enough to set the dough.

Make Tart Filling

• Score an x in peaches. Drop in boiling water for one minutes.
• Cool Peaches. Peel.
• Peaches should peel easily.
• Cut peaches to get about 1 1/2 cups cubed.
• Place one tablespoon butter, Swerve brown sugar in small frying pan and sauté peaches. for a minute. Remove peaches to a bowl. Add almonds. Continue stirring frequently until almonds are golden brown.
• Heat the heavy cream with granulated swerve and almond extract until it boils. Take off heat.
• Add peaches and almonds to tart. Pour heavy cream into tart.
• Cover the outside Crust with foil as almond flour browns very easily.
• Place a sheet pan on the rack beneath the tart, covered in foil in case of run over.
• Turn oven up 400 degrees and bake for 25 minutes.
• Check tart at 15 minutes, as you may need to cover entire tart loosely with foil.
• When you take the tart out of the oven, run a butter knife gently around the edges as the caramelization can cause sticking.
• Cool completely before removing.

Notes

Swerve is powdered erythritol. You can use other brands such as Lakanto Monk Fruit/Erythritol. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Carbohydrates: 8g | Fiber: 3g

The post Low Carb Peach Almond Tart, Gluten Free appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I grew up in Amish country in a fabulous and diverse mecca of classic comfort food.  Central Pennsylvania was heavily settled by the folks who were  and still are referred to as the Pennsylvania Dutch.

The word  “dutch”  was a corruption of the word Deutsch or German.  They came either from Germany or the German speaking part of Switzerland and not from Holland. When they arrived in America they came with recipes for sausages, sauerkraut, noodles and dumplings.

Pennsylvania introduced  them to regional foods that they welcomed into their kitchens and put their own spin to. Tomatoes, pumpkins, squash and corn were heartily embraced and mastered by the Amish and the Mennonites.  As food cultures collided, a new generation of comfort food was born.

The Amish and Mennonites are referred to as the plain Pennsylvania Dutch and are most associated with dishes like corn pudding and corn pie.  Baked corn pudding  is generally made with eggs and milk and baked like a custard. My family always added a little cinnamon and vanilla, but still maintained a savory taste using salt and pepper.

Growing up in Pennsylvania,  the Pennsylvania Dutch defined American comfort food for me. Comfort food is the food we remember with a feeling of heritage, family and warmth.

 The influence of their cooking in Central Pennsylvania  is so strong that on certain days of the year, every household will be cooking at least one Pennsylvania Dutch dish no matter what their ethnicity.  On Fat Tuesday, everyone will eat fauschnauts, (homemade donuts) and on New Year’s Day, every household will eat pork and sauerkraut (for good luck).

One dish that is sure to be found at every Thanksgiving table is baked corn pudding.

I cannot imagine my turkey dinner without it, nestled right up against my mashed potatoes, because I like them in the same bite.

In looking through my cookbooks, I found a signed copy of  Good Earth and Country Cooking, Betty Groff’s first cookbook written with  Jose Wilson.  Mrs. Groff was a Lancaster county culinary celebrity who ran a restaurant at Groff’s Farm. Discovered by Craig Claibourne  and supported  by James Beard, Betty Groff made Pennsylvania Dutch farmhouse cooking famous.

Italian hospitality is rivaled only by Pennsylvania hospitality, and I was lucky enough to get the best of both worlds. Betty’s first chapter in her first book is titled “I Cook Because I Love People.” The second chapter is titled. “A food for Every Season.” These two statements are close to my own heart and why I have that warm, near tearful feeling realizing how much this part of Americana developed my food view. If Betty Groff read my tag line, she would agree and probably share many stories about food and love.

This is an authentic Pennsylvania Dutch Baked Corn Pudding Recipe

I found a recipe for Betty’s baked corn pudding and only slightly adapted it. By the book’s cover, I didn’t know it was recipes from Lancaster County, and I thought she should have called it Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking.  Eventually she did, when she wrote another book twenty years later, Betty Groff’s Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook. It’s on Amazon and on the way, and I can hardly wait to bring more of Betty Groff back into my kitchen

I could go on and on about the memories I have from my own childhood eating this kind of food. Not all comfort food and farm cooking is equal. The Amish and the Mennonites were blessed enough to settle on rich farmland and they made more than the best out of it.

Betty talks about her family in the book and their palate. Even the men would come in the kitchen and by smell know if a dish needed salt.  The standards were set very high and in this community food has to taste, smell and look delicious, although not foodie fancy, but amazing in its own rite.

There is nothing like the smell of baked corn pudding.

The corn pudding is baked in the oven and you’ll know when it’s done when it no longer shakes in the middle. I love to be the first one to dig in a with a big spoon and break the custard.  Corn pudding never goes to waste and is always included in the next day left overs. It’s just not Thanksgiving without it.

If you are looking for the no fail, no baste turkey, I use a cheesecloth to wrap my turkey. This is a tried and true, tested recipe.

Thanksgiving is the ultimate comfort food day and one of  the things I want to remain grateful for is the diversity of food I have been exposed to, and all the fabulous home cooks who have shaped who I am.

More Pennsylvania Dutch Recipes

• Pennsylvania Dutch Onion Pie
• Pennsylvania Dutch Pancake, Apple Dutch Baby
• Pennsylvania Dutch Sand Tarts
• Pennsylvania Dutch Pork and Sauerkraut

My Thanksgiving Tested Recipes

• No Baste No Fail Roasted Turkey
• Turkey Stock and Turkey Gravy
• No Lump Perfect Mashed Potatoes
• The Best Fluffy Southern Biscuits
• Pumpkin Cream Tart (no egg)
• Brussels Sprouts with Apples & Cashews
• Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes
• Pumpkin Pie Hand Pies
• Cranberry Pear Cobbler
• Sweet Potato Biscuits
• Retro Rose’s Stove Top Candied Sweet Potatoes
• Brussels Sprouts Apple Salad with Pancetta and Corn Bread Croutons
• Gluten Free Sweet Potato Biscuits
• Gluten Free Sweet Potato Bread

Print

Pennsylvania Dutch Baked Corn Pudding

A traditional recipe for Pennsylvania Dutch baked corn pudding, a must for the Thanksgiving dinner in the Amish or Mennonite home.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

2015 Newest Version Corn Pudding

• 3 cans of high quality canned corn rinsed and drained.
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or white pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 eggs beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk can use whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg

Original Recipes Ingredients

• 2 cans or 2 1/2 cups canned corn, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or white pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
• 2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 eggs beaten
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg

Instructions

NEW VERSION: Corn Pudding Instructions

• Drain corn if canned. Thaw corn if frozen.
• Drain corn and rinse off with cold water to get sodium off.
• If you have a vitamix, mix one can corn until it is creamed. (optional)
• Add in eggs , buttermilk, and all ingredients except the two cans of whole corn, until all is incorporated.
• Pour into your baking dish. Then add in the two cans of whole corn and stir.
• Mix ingredients in a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or when it no longer shakes in the middle, checking at 30 minutes.

Orignal Recipe Instructions

• Spray baking dish
• Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, checking at 30 minutes, until the center is set.

Notes

After experimenting in 2015, I changed added a new version of the recipe using buttermilk and 3 cans corn (one I cream) instead of the original two cans of corn.

Either is good. Write me at spinachtiger@me.com if you have any questions.

There are Amazon affiliate links, which earn a small commission, but do not affect price.

The post Pennsylvania Dutch Baked Corn Pudding appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I am republishing this post in honor of Retro Rose, who passed away this week. I wish I could have one more day, and one more time to see her make her signature dish.

I don’t usually eat food dripping in buttery, browned sugar, but I make exceptions and my mom’s Candied Sweet Potatoes are one of those. Once you’ve eaten these (even if you don’t have a sweet tooth), you’ll be hooked.

Retro Rose was and still is my mother. She cooked very differently from me. She cooked more old school, and while I take notes from the past, I tend to go a slightly more modern, healthier route. There are exceptions. There are holidays, Sundays and just because I need retro food to feel good days.

I named her Retro Rose, because she loved antiques, especially vintage pictures. I named her Retro Rose because she is/was a retro cook, and I mean that in a good way. She cooked from scratch , and it was her dishes that people wanted the recipe. There never was a recipe. I have one here for the Stove Top Candied Sweet Potatoes because she came over one year before Thanksgiving and made them so I could post them here.

I remember oranges and maple syrup flying and no shortage of brown sugar. The cinnamon stick always made me feel nostalgic, guaranteeing this dish to be one with many layers of flavor and sweet, while still being balanced.

It’s only been a few days, and I can’t fathom that she is not here. She loved to talk about recipes, especially starting a month before any holiday. I think she liked the food conversation and planning better than the eating.

Retro Rose passed away at age 84. She drove and made her own meals right up to the last week. She touched people in an unusual way. I had friends break down and deeply cry, even friends that knew her briefly. The lady behind the cash register broke down, and we are still concerned about how to tell her nail guy and hair dresser. Her doctor was grief stricken and said over and over how he will miss her. Her neighbors are young as she lived in an apartment and not senior living. They are crushed.

We will be celebrating her life the week before Thanksgiving, and I have to grapple with how to handle this. She liked spaghetti and meatballs, cheeseburgers, donuts and bagels.

I hope you make these candied sweet potatoes this Thanksgiving and make these sweet potato biscuits with the leftovers. She will be smiling down.

More Thanksgiving Food

The fresh turkey is dry brined, and then roasted in cheesecloth.

Retro Rose will bring the Pennsylvania Dutch Corn Pudding.

I’ll be making roasted brussels sprouts and a pear and pomegranate salad and sweet potato biscuits. I’ve already made a medley of pies, blackberry, apple and pumpkin. Corn bread stuffing will arrive with cranberry sauce and wine. Retro Rose’s friend Eleanor will bring her violin.

A lot of fuss for one day, but we revel in this. It’s the one day of the year we indulge in making memories.

The Process for Stove Top Candied Sweet Potatoes

When you have leftovers, use them to make biscuits and sweet potato pie.

Thanksgiving is the best holiday for material for family movies. Families that are a little kooky, (who’s isn’t), and there are always reminders of harsh family moments along with the best family moments. I think food is the cushion for the drama, the disappointments, the broken hearts.

If we can connect a loving moment with a taste of stuffing, we fare better, because it’s been my experience that even when a person has disappointed me, I am a lot more forgiving when there is food as a peace offering.

We all have moments in our life we wish never happened, but a good meal is not one of them. When I ate Retro Rose’s stove top candied sweet potatoes, all I saw was a sweet Italian mama, cooking with love (which she is good at).

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Retro Rose’s Legendary Stove Top Candied Sweet Potatoes

My Mom’s Legendary Candied Sweet Potatoes with brown sugar, butter, orange and cinnamon.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter
• 2 cups brown sugar see notes
• 8 sweet potatoes peeled
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks order here
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• black pepper
• 1 large naval orange cut into 4 pieces

Instructions

• Cut sweet potatoes across into 1/2 discs.
• In a dutch oven (large enough to fit all sweet potatoes), melt the butter with brown sugar. Add cinnamon, ground cloves.
• Add in sweet potatoes.
• Squeeze oranges over potatoes. Put orange skins in pot.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Add in cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, and apple juice, (can add water or orange juice). You will need to judge how necessary adding liquid is.
• Cover and cook on low heat for about an hour, stirring every ten minutes or so.

Notes

substitute 1/4 cup brown sugar with 2 tablespoons maple syrup

The post Retro Rose’s Legendary Stove Top Candied Sweet Potatoes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Labor Day is right around the corner and could mean three days of outdoor backyard parties. This year, make it exciting and put a twist on everyone’s favorite, baby back ribs. There’s nothing better than tender, spicy, baby back ribs that fall off the bone and create amazing holiday memories, especially when combined with a hickory bourbon BBQ sauce and grilled peaches. When you cook spare ribs on the grill, you first bake them low and slow.

How to Cook Pork Spare Ribs on the Grill

With so many cuts and preparation methods to try and endless flavor combinations to explore, pork is the must-have this grilling season. Smithfield has several cuts of pork which are hand-trimmed, extra tender, and proudly raised in the USA, including country ribs, baby back ribs, and St. Louis style.

I used only three ingredients; Butt Rub, Smokey Bones Hickory Bourbon Barbecue Sauce and grilled peaches, all purchased at Walmart – the ultimate source for your barbecue essentials and great pork deals.

Butt Rub is just about perfect because, while, it’s spicy, it’s not burn-out spicy. It’s simple, has no MSG and allows the pork to shine without taking over. I used Stubb’s Hickory Bourbon Barbecue BBQ Sauce because it complemented the peaches.

But there is more good news. Three large racks fed 8 people at my recent barbecue. Two rib-loving, southern men with big appetites proclaimed these to be the best ribs they ever ate. That’s a high compliment living in the South. I felt all-aglow with pride, because I don’t have a smoker or the ability to cook spare ribs for 12-20 hours. But, guess what? While that’s great for pit masters, you can make ribs to similar applause, with very little effort. You could use your own rub or barbecue sauce, but the secret is really in the technique.

How to cook pork spare ribs is always the subject of debate. There is the dry rub camp and the barbecue sauce camp. I’m a dry rub, Memphis-style ribs lover myself, but to please all the barbecue sauce lovers, I lightly sauce before grilling (very lightly) and serve a warmed barbecue sauce at the table. This makes everyone happy.

The Grilling Process to Cook Pork Spare Ribs with Grilled Peaches

The secret to grilling ribs is to pre-bake them in the oven first for about 3 hours at 300 degrees F. You will be able to tell when they’re ready to come out of the oven, because the bones should move easily, but not so easily they fall apart.

First, sprinkle both sides with salt and the rub. Wrap in lots and lots of foil. Make sure to place a sheet of foil on the bottom to catch any accidental drippings, and there probably will be some.

You can prep your ribs the day before. Once out of the oven, the ribs can be refrigerated overnight and then grilled on medium high heat without the foil the next day. (Bring to room temperature before you start grilling).

If you want to make the ribs on the same day, pre-bake them early, and let them completely cool off before grilling, to prevent them from falling apart. Grill for about 20 minutes and apply the barbecue sauce in the last ten minutes.

That’s it’s. If you want to cook pork spare ribs on the grill, it’s that simple. It’s doesn’t get any easier, and when that meat falls off the bone, be prepared to beam from the compliments you will receive.

When feeding a crowd, I like to cut the ribs to 4 -6 bones each, making it easy for folks to grab a serving. Look how beautiful these ribs are, and they tasted even better. These were all pre-cut before I rubbed, wrapped and baked them. However, you can grill whole racks. It’s your choice, but when making more than one rack, small sections are easier to manage and to turn over on the grill.

Get Corn Recipe here.

If you’ve followed Spinach Tiger pork recipes, you know that I love to bring fruit and pork together, such as this pork chop recipe with blueberry compote, or this pork chops recipe with baked with apples.

In the meantime, get the grill ready and enjoy the happiest July 4th weekend with these tender baby back ribs and grilled peaches.

Recipes that You May like to Accompany the Ribs

Baked Beans

Cole Slaw with Blue Cheese and Green Apple

American Pie with Stars & Stripes Pie

Blackberry Cobbler in Mason Jars

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Southern Fried Corn is my most popular recipe this summer. Enjoy.

Please follow me on Instagram to see all the ways I’m cooking for the holidays and pictures that never make it here. I’d love to connect with you.

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Easy Tender Baby Back Ribs with Grilled Peaches

Tender Baby Back Ribs with a dry rub and a smattering of bourbon based barbecue sauce.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 rack of baby back ribs
• 2-4 tablespoons Butt Rub
• 1 cup barbecue sauce
• 4 peaches

Instructions

• Sprinkle ribs with Butt Rub, enough to cover, but not excessive.
• Wrap in a lot of tin foil, noting that the ribs could leak.
• Place a piece of foil on bottom rack for any accidental juices.
• Heat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Place ribs directly on rack.
• Bake for up to 3 hours, turning at 90 minutes. Check to see if bone moves easily. If so, take out and cool.
• Cool completely before grilling.
• Heat grill to 450 degrees.
• Place ribs on grill.
• After ten minutes, brush with barbecue sauce. Grill for another 10 minutes.
• Serve at the table with more warmed up barbecue sauce and grilled peaches.

Grilled Peaches

• Grill on oiled grill about 5 minutes each side or until you have adequate grill marks.

The post How to Cook Pork Spare Ribs on the Grill appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I often get asked to review cookbooks. Sometimes I decline because it’s not my thing, but when I was asked to review Making Dough by Russell Van Kraayenburg, I said yes on two counts.

I love to make pie crust.

I love to make biscuits as demonstrated by my 25 different recipes.

I already know in hearing from you that “dough” is intimidating and often misunderstood in why “the biscuits get tough” or the “pie crust doesn’t roll out and is chewy.”

The book, Making Dough, will help you understand the balance of the flour, fat and liquid, because it’s all about ratios. The first 24 pages are an illustrated tutorial which will help you  understand how these simple ingredients create different pastry depending on the ratios.

Each chapter will guide you through a different type of dough…biscuit dough, tart dough, phyllo dough, scones dough, puff pastry and more. Once you grasp ratios, you can play around on your own. I’m going to use this book to teach me about the doughs I haven’t yet mastered.

The ratio for pie dough is 8 flour: 7 fat: 2 liquid. 

If you want to make biscuits, the ration is 8 flour: 3 fat: 5 liquid. This is so cool to know, and gives you some freedom to make up your own recipes.

I promised to make pie crust from the book and create a recipe. I already am very successful with pie crust, but I had to try Russell’s recipe. He has two variations. He makes his pie dough with a combination of bread flour and cake flour, but you could also substitute all purpose flour, or you could use all bread flour. (I didn’t try that, but I will).

The ratio for bread flour to cake flour is 3:1.

Doesn’t this sound intriguing. These ratios have my attention, because I like to play around and I always make more pie dough than what a recipe needs.

BAKING TIP:  Make a little extra, and freeze the scraps. The scraps can be used for a future cobbler or mini-hand pies.

I made both, and both were successful. The all purpose flour pie dough is very similar to what I do, although I add sugar and one more tablespoon of butter. After making his recipe, I realize I could cut out that tablespoon. There was no difference.

He weighs his flour, which is truly the right way to bake.

The book provides several techniques, and I stuck with my food processor technique.

Now here’s the comical part. I prepared these gorgeous pear cranberry pie cookies, and then  as I went to put them into the oven, most of them slid off of the baking sheet. They were too messy to put back together, but I never throw food out if I can help it. I was able to salvage three little hand pies. You can find out how to make them here. 

Then I took the mess and made cobbler!

A kitchen mistake became a glorious Southern Pear Cranberry Cobbler.

This is truly a delicious cobbler, only slightly tart because the pears and cooked cranberries were refrigerated together several hours before using, which helped to ferment sweetness, and the cobbler pie crust is addicting.

In the South, when we break up pie dough with fruit,  we call it cobbler. We eat it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. We eat it often, and this is going to grace my holiday table.

I took the broken dough and put some on the bottom of a cast iron pan. I added the fruit and then topped it again.

I made a second one where I just used all scraps of pie dough and threw it into the fruit and baked it. This pie crust tasted great no matter what I did with it.

The pie crust was tender and balanced. It’s all butter, which I believe creates the best flavor.

There are a few recipes in the book that I’ve already bought the ingredients for, so stay tuned. This is the season of desserts, and I’ll be making blueberry mascarpone hand pies and chocolate hazelnut hand pies.

So tell me, do you like pie crust as much as I do? What’s your favorite pie?

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Pear Cranberry Cobbler

Pear Cranberry Cobbler, perfect Fall Holiday Dessert.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Pie Dough

• 7 ounces all purpose flour see notes
• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup iced cold water

Pear Cranberry Filling

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons instant tapioca
• orange zest from half orange
• juice of half orange
• tablespoon triple sec optional
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 large pears about 3 pounds
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

• Prepare Pie Dough and Cobbler Filling. Both should be made in advanced and chilled first. This is perfect to prepare the day before, and then bake the next day. If you want a double crust cobbler, double the pie dough recipe.

Pie Dough Instructions

• Pulse flours and salt in the bowl of a food processor 2 or 3 times to combine. Chop butter into 1/2-inch cubes and add to flour mixture.
• Pulse for 1 second about 8 times, until butter is in pieces about the size of large peas.
• and pulse 3 to 4 times, until dough begins to come together. It may remain in a few large chunks.
• Place dough on a lightly floured surface and push chunks together. Knead 4 to 5 times, until it holds its shape. Flatten dough into a disk about 1 inch thick. Wrap tightly in parchment paper and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Cobbler Filling (which can also be used for a pie or hand pies)

• Put cranberries, sugar, water, tapioca, cinnamon into a sauce pan with orange juice and zest.
• Let sit for about 15 minutes.
• Turn on heat and bring to boil.
• Cook for about 5 minutes until the cranberries just begin to burst.
• In the meantime, peel and chop pears.
• Combine the pears with hot cranberries.
• Refrigerate for at least one hour until chilled, preferably longer.

Assembly

• At this point you can make a pie, a tart, hand pies, or a cobbler using these ingredients.
• To make a cobbler, roll out the dough and using a cookie cutter, cut into large rounds about 4-6 inches in diameter.
• Place some rounds on bottom of pan. Every inch of bottom does not have to be covered. If you are using a large baking dish, don't put any pie dough on bottom, just put it all on the top.
• Pour fruit over pie dough.
• Top with more rounds. You can use a lattice pattern or use a biscuit cutter as I did.
• Bake at 400 degrees F for 40-50 minutes until golden brown.
• For hand pies, follow these directions.
• For a large lattice topped cobbler, follow these directions.
• For cobbler in a jar, follow these directions.

Notes

Storage
Because pie dough contains no chemical leavener, it stores well wrapped tightly in parchment paper. You can easily double, triple, or even quadruple this dough recipe and store enough for a month’s worth of pies. If you know the shape of the dough you plan to roll later, form it into that shape, about 1 inch thick, before storing to make rolling it later easier. Refrigerator: 4 days. Freezer: 4 months.

Qualities of Good Pie Dough
THE DOUGH: Pie dough should be fairly dry and tough to manipulate. You should see dots of butter throughout the dough. When rolling, the dough should hold together well and not tear or break.

THE PASTRY: Once baked, pie crust should be very flaky. Crust that isn’t in contact with filling should crumble and flake easily. Portions touching filling will be slightly less flaky but should still be dry and crisp.

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Let me remind you of my peach tips.  You can freeze peaches.

You can peel peaches easily.

A gluten free peach pie, so delicious and so summery, made with fresh peaches only longs for a little vanilla ice cream

You can make this with an all-purpose crust, (recipe here) or make it my gluten free tart crust here, gluten free pie crust here.

The difference between the tart crust and the pie crust is that the tart crust is a little firmer.

I have often made this into a tart because I find it can be made prettier that way, but it can also be made in a pie pan or in individual tart pans.  Last year I made these gluten free muffin pan hand pies.

It seems that the longer you allow the peaches to macerate in its own juices, the more caramelized the peaches will get.

The Gluten Free Peach Tart is a great Summer Holiday Dessert!

You can also make these in small tart sizes.

A Gluten Free Peach Tart that is also Grain free is possible with an Almond Flour Tart Crust

I also have a grain free tart crust that is absolutely delicious, made with almond flour that is coming up soon. (Two cups almond flour, 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 egg yolk), 1 tablespoon Swerve.) (amazon).

No matter which pie crust you decide to use, everyone will love this. Don’t forget the ice cream!

More Gluten Free Recipes from Spinach Tiger Here

Grain Free Baking Recipes from Spinach Tiger Here

More Peach Recipes Here

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Gluten Free Peach Tart

Gluten free Sugar Free Peach Tart which can also be made into a Pie.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 recipe gluten free pie dough or gluten free tart dough
• 3 pounds peaches
• 2 tablespoons powdered erythrtol I use Swerve
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar I use sugar free swerve brown sugar see notes
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons corn starch or instant tapioca
• Kitchen Tools
• Pie Shields
• Tart Pan

Instructions

• Make Pie Dough, wrap in plastic, refrigerate.
• Cut an x across bottom of each peach. (for peeling later).
• Immerse peaches in large pot boiling water.
• Boil for about a minute. Remove. Cool. Peel.
• Slice peaches.
• Toss with , lemon juice and corn starch (or instant tapioca).
• Allow to sit overnight or on counter for a few hours.
• Drain juice. Use reserve juice for other recipes.
• Taste peaches. Adjust for sweetness.
• Take pie dough out 15 minutes before rolling.
• Preheat oven to 425.
• Roll and put dough into pan.
• You can either make a lattice topping or cut out topping as seen here.
• Spritz with water. Sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake on rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 375 and bake 30 to 35 minutes longer, less if using tart pan. You may need to cover the crust with foil to avoid burning. I use these covers.
• Cool completely.

Notes

If you are doing this sugar free and can't find Swerve brown sugar, just use regular swerve to taste.

The post Gluten Free Peach Tart, Sugar Free appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Use Peach Simple Syrup for cocktails, drinks, teas, cakes. I like to take flavored simple syrup and brush in on cake that comes out of the oven.  My most popular simple syrup is a strawberry simple syrup which people use for cocktails like the strawberrysangria.

It all started with my desire for a refreshing Peach Sangria.

Peach Simple syrup will turn  my favorite winter drink (an old fashioned) into a summery splash.

How to Make Peach Simple Syrup (with sugar free option)

The key to peach sangria is ripe peaches, which aids to extra flavor and sweetness.

Typically, for a simple syrup I use a one to one ratio, meaning one cup sugar to one cup water.  If I’m making it sugar free using a powdered erythritol, I use one cup water with about 1/2 cup of the of Swerve. I give you recipes for both. I add in one peach per one cup water, but it must be a very ripe peach. I cut the peach in half and squeeze in the juice and place the remaining peach, skins and seed.

Bring to boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes. It will reduce,  thicken and gain flavor. It’s ready for cocktails or baking.

You can play around by adding in fresh herbs at the end and allowing them to seep for ten minutes. Basil works well, but this year I found lemon basil and lime basil, which are currently growing in my garden and are so nice for garnishing.

Cool and store in refrigerator in jars like these. (affiliate).

If I’m using this for drinks, I’ll take some of it to make ice cubes.

Disclosure: This site has affiliate links which earn a small commission, but does not increase prices.

More Peach Recipes from Spinach Tiger

How to Freeze Peaches and My Favorite Peach Recipes

How to Peel Peaches

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Peach Simple Syrup with Sugar Free Option

Peach Simple Syrup, easy and so good for cocktails or baking.

Course Simple Syrup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cup

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 2 extra large or 4 very ripe peaches or nectarines
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar or 1 cup powdered erythritol for a sugar free version

Instructions

• Cut peaches in half and squeeze juice into the water.
• Put all remaining parts of peach and sugar into the water.
• Bring to boil. As the fruit is heating up, smash with fork to extract more flavor.
• Simmer for 30 minutes until thick and flavorful.
• Remove the fruit, strain, Cool.
• Store in refrigerator in mason jar.

Notes

You can cut this recipe in half, but I make double to make ice cubes.

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