Blackberry Lemon Goat Cheese Squares

For this week's barbecue, I convinced my friend to upgrade her contribution from a simple fruit salad to these amazing puff pastry squares. Even though she ended up nearly catching her apartment on fire (wax paper is not a substitute for parchment paper. Don't bake it!), I am so so glad she went the extra mile.

Not only are these the most impressive looking dish that anyone has ever brought to our Thursday night BBQs, they were completely delicious. I love that they fell somewhere in between sweet and savory - they could really be a dessert or an appetizer. The goat cheese is perfectly tangy and tart mixed with lemon and the blackberry brings just the right touch of sweetness, brought out by balsamic vinegar, without being overly sugary. And puff pasrty is always a hit with me - it's so flaky and wonderful. The touch of green doesn't add much flavor but it's nice pop of color that takes these to the next level.

If you want to impress your friends, definitely try this recipe out. My friend definitely impressed me!

Blackberry Lemon Goat Cheese Squares

from Shutterbean

Ingredients

6 oz goat cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 pint blackberries
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
small handful arugula

Instructions

1. Preheat oven 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment (not wax) paper or a silicon mat and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese, lemon zest and honey together.
3. In another small bowl stir the blackberries with the balsamic vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes. 
4. On a lightly floured surface, cut the puff pastry into 2 inch squares. Place squares onto the parchment lined sheet  about 2 inches apart and score a square into the pastry, making sure not to cut all the way through to the bottom.
5. Place a dollop of lemon goat cheese on top of each square and top with a blackberry. Bake squares for 15-20 minutes until golden.
6. Let squares cool and place a leaf of arugula under each blackberry. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Blackberry and Orange Zest Muffins

I have been thinking about these muffins ever since Jenna posted them.  When the blackberries went on sale this week I couldn't help but make them.  I decided to adjust the recipe to incorporate some whole wheat flour since I'm always trying to use more whole wheat flour... I would have added flax seed too if I had any.

They were good!  The whole wheat flour made them a little bit dense but they were still very good.  I think next time I'd substitute the blackberries for blueberries because blackberries were a little too sour, and I'd sub orange for lemon because they would make it a little fresher.


Blackberry Orange Muffins

adapted from eat, live, run
makes 8 muffins (I halved the original recipe)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flower
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp grated orange zest
1 cup fresh blackberries (or berry of your choice..use frozen if you can’t find fresh!)
1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, orange zest, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together. Gently add the blackberries and stir so that the berries are covered with flour. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs, one by one, until thoroughly combined. Add the milk and blend.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and toss gently, being careful not to crush the berries. Scoop batter into 12 greased muffin tins granulated sugar over the tops.
Bake for 25-30 minutes until the tops are golden. Let cool for five minutes in the tins then pop out and cool completely.