raspberry Archives - A Calculated Whisk

Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes with Figs and Raspberries

August 25, 2016 By Becky 8 Comments

These vanilla bean cheesecakes with figs and raspberries require no grains, dairy, eggs, or cooking! They’re the ideal cold sweet treat for the end of summer. Thank you to Rodelle for providing products for this recipe!

I’m back, and I brought mini cheesecakes! Vanilla bean mini cheesecakes made with cashews and topped with fresh figs and raspberries, that is. And you don’t even need to cook or bake anything! These little cheesecakes are so satisfying on a summer evening. The no-bake crust is just sweet enough, with a hint of chocolate and an almondy crunch, and the cheesecake layer is super-smooth and studded with vanilla bean seeds. On top are fresh raspberries and figs sitting like frosted jewels. The combination is so addictive that I know these will vanish from your freezer just as fast as they did from mine!

Here’s how these vanilla bean cheesecakes come together. First, you need to soak your cashews in hot water for an hour and soak the pitted dates in hot water for at least fifteen minutes. (Want to soak all your stuff the same amount of time? A little extra won’t hurt the dates!) Then, you’re going to pulse dates, almonds, and a little bit of cocoa in the food processor to make the crust. The chocolate isn’t a dominant flavor, but gives the crust a little extra something. I don’t like it when my desserts taste too much like dates, and the cocoa also helps mask that flavor a bit. You grease a muffin tin, line the cups with a little parchment paper handle like in the photo below, and pat a dollop of crust right into each cup.

Rainbow Salad with Grilled Chicken and Raspberry Walnut Dressing

July 6, 2015 By Becky 16 Comments

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Rainbow Salad with Grilled Chicken and Raspberry Walnut Dressing #30MinuteMondays | acalculatedwhisk.com

All the colors of the rainbow are represented in this quick paleo salad with a creamy, dairy-free raspberry walnut dressing.

I’ve been wanting to make a rainbow salad for a while now, but this seemed like an especially opportune moment. Summer produce is everywhere in all its resplendent hues, and more Americans are able to get married than ever before. Let’s celebrate with this salad!

This healthy salad has pretty much all the colors of the rainbow (if you kind of merge indigo and violet together) plus pink. Pink is my favorite color and it’s not really fair that it’s not a part of the official rainbow, so I made sure it was included by making a nice pink dressing. Despite how creamy it looks, the dressing is dairy-free–the creaminess comes from the walnuts and shallots, and the color is thanks to the raspberries. It’s inspired by the creamy shallot dressing from my pan-seared chicken, orange, and walnut salad, but this one’s even better because it’s pink.

Watermelon Raspberry Agua Fresca

May 14, 2015 By Becky 12 Comments

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Watermelon Raspberry Agua Fresca | acalculatedwhisk.com

I “graduated” from my master’s program on Monday. We all walked across the stage, shook the provost’s hand, and got our picture taken with a little rolled up “diploma” that, when opened, basically congratulated us on having ALMOST finished our degrees. Even though the speech-language pathology program goes through August, my school only has one graduation ceremony a year, which means we all walk before taking our comprehensive exams and before our final semester has even begun.

Although it was, as my classmates are calling it, a “frauduation”, I deemed it cause for an actual celebration.

And what better way to celebrate than with a refreshing drink?

This agua fresca is so easy to make, but its unique color and flavor make it feel special. Agua fresca is often made with just watermelon, but I added raspberries here, too, to amp up the flavor and deepen the hue. The cool, sweet watermelon and tart raspberries make a great pair.

Orange Peach Raspberry Smoothie

March 9, 2015 By Becky 4 Comments

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Orange Peach Raspberry Smoothie (Paleo, Vegan)

This orange peach raspberry smoothie is bright, easy, tasty, and full of antioxidants. Avocado and a bit of turmeric give this smoothie great depth of flavor.

When I’m sick, I crave smoothies. Just thinking about blending together a bunch of vitamin-packed produce makes me feel a tad better, and my outlook only improves once I’m actually drinking it. Smoothies, especially ones that look like sunshine in a glass, also help me momentarily forget about winter. For me, they’re are an important aspect of self-care.

I wanted this smoothie to have plenty of Vitamin C, so I used oranges, peaches, and raspberries. Also, like I almost always do, I added an avocado. It makes the smoothie really creamy, but you won’t taste it. The healthy fat from the avocado also makes this nice and filling.

To make the smoothie pack even more of a punch, I added some turmeric and fresh ginger. In addition to providing more potential health benefits, these rhizomes add depth of flavor, and the turmeric deepens the golden color.

The cara cara oranges I used also contributed to the hue of this drink. I bet using blood oranges would make the color pop even more!

Lemon Mousse with Raspberry Coulis

February 16, 2014 By Becky 10 Comments

We had another snowstorm today. I was planning to cook something really appropriate for a snowed-in situation, like some sort of stew or casserole that warms you from the inside out, but then I changed my mind. I’m tired of snow food (and, obviously, snow). I am ready for spring!

When I taught elementary school, I used to read my kids the Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel. In one of the stories, around this time of year, Frog’s father tells him that spring is just around the corner. Taking his father’s statement literally, Frog goes peeking around all sorts of actual corners in search of spring, to no avail. Finally, he pokes his head around the corner of his own house to find his parents planting their garden, birds chirping, and the sun peering out from behind the clouds. In February and March, I feel like Frog in that story. Spring may be just around the corner, but it’s really hard to see.

Patriotic Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis and Blueberries

July 2, 2013 By Becky 4 Comments

Have you ever had panna cotta? It’s a really simple Italian dessert and its name means “cooked cream”. It comes out kind of like a cross between a flan and a vanilla pudding (read: delicious).

The first panna cottas I made were delicious, but a total fail aesthetically–there wasn’t enough gelatin to unmold them in a shapely manner, and the fruit curds I layered in weren’t helping at all. But, this version is just as delicious and much nicer to look at.

Here I’ve paired panna cotta with a delicious raspberry coulis and some fresh blueberries for a special Fourth of July treat. Panna cotta is also delicious on its own, or with chocolate sauce. There are lots of other flavors of panna cotta that I’m dying to make (well, mainly mocha!) but that’s all for another day.

For now, impress your friends with this elegant and easy Independence Day dessert!

Ingredients for the panna cotta (makes 4-6 servings; adapted from David Lebovitz):

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup 2 % milk (or use all cream)
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
3 tablespoons cold water
1 packet plain gelatin
Butter for greasing ramekins

Ingredients for the raspberry coulis (makes about 1 cup):

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon kirsch or framboise liqueur
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
1 tablespoon cold water (optional)

For serving:

2 cups fresh blueberries

Place the cream, milk, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean, and drop the pod in, too. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the sugar is melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the mixture infuse for half an hour.

Lightly grease individual ramekins with a little butter if you’re planning to unmold your panna cotta to serve (this is not necessary if you plan to serve it still in the cups). If your molds hold half a cup, you will need four of them. If they’re smaller, you might be able to fill 5 or 6.

In a medium bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. Let it sit for about five minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the vanilla pod and heat the cream back up until hot. Pour the mixture (through a sieve if desired) into the bowl with the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Divide the mixture among your molds and refrigerate, covered, for at least two hours before serving. Panna cotta will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

To unmold, dip the bottom of each ramekin in hot water for ten seconds, run a thin knife around the edge, then invert onto a plate.

To make the raspberry coulis, place the raspberries, sugar, salt, and water in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Strain the mixture, discarding the solids, and stir in the liqueur and vanilla. If you would like a thicker coulis, mix together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water until smooth. Return the raspberry mixture to the saucepan, add the cornstarch paste, and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Cook and stir for one more minute, then remove from the heat. Cool to room temperature before serving with panna cotta. Store coulis in the refrigerator for up to one week or until ready to use.

To serve, invert the panna cotta onto a plate, surround with coulis, and sprinkle with fresh blueberries.