The Far Side of Magnolia

Today I took my husband on a picnic to the far side of Magnolia.  It was wonderful, really hot and sweaty, but wonderful.  We found some wild blackberry bushes and each had a hand full of sun ripened berries.  But the bushes fought back, I have thorn scratches all over my legs.  For our picnic, I even got some exotic food, namely imported cheese.  It was a rare treat to have Gruyère, Brie, Prosciutto, bean sprouts, Dijon and cherub tomato sandwiches.  And to finish it off we enjoyed mango lemonade.   

My husband caught me frolicking.  

I found a field of Sweet Peas!

Sweat Peas are my favorite flowers.  Not only are they the flowers for April, when I was born, but they mean "Thank you for a lovely time".

The view of the Puget Sound at our picnic was amazing.

I collected a bouquet of Sweet Peas for our apartment. 

I love the curly vines.  

Fun story, today at my church it was teacher appreciation day.  They gave us all flowers and chocolate!  I picked this vase with the two calla Lilies.

Recipe of the Week: Cocoa Crepes With Mascarpone and Blackberries

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/08/cocoa-crepes-with-mascarpone-and-blackberries.html

My Father-in-Law (aka The Gourmet Chef) made these for dessert a while back and they were absolutely amazing!  Like, fill your mouth with heavenly delights amazing.  They have the perfect blend of flavors.

Cocoa Crepes With Mascarpone and Blackberries
Recipe by Jenny McCoy on seriouseats.com

These incorporate cocoa powder - I recommend Valrhona brand - into the crepe itself; the crepes are then rolled with blackberries and a mascarpone filling.

For the Cocoa Crepe Batter:
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 cup whole milk

For the Mascarpone-Blackberry Filling:
2 cups mascarpone
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 pints blackberries

First, for the cocoa crepe batter combine all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Strain mixture though a fine-mesh sieve and let rest in refrigerator for one hour or up to two days.

Next, over high heat, warm a non-stick saute pan or crepe pan, lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray, until very hot.  Reduce heat to medium, ladle about 1 ounce of batter into pan, swirling batter until it evenly coats base of pan.  Similar to a pancake, cook the crepe until small bubbles appear and batter is matte in color.  Gently flip the crepe and cook for about five more seconds.  Invert pan over a plate or parchment-lined tray, lay crepe flat to cool, and repeat with remaining batter.  (To evenly distribute the crepe on the pan, take the pan off of the heat before adding the batter, swirl and then put the pan back on the heat.)

For the mascarpone-blackberry filling, use a large bowl and stir the mascarpone, cream, and sugar together with a rubber spatula until smooth. (Honestly, using a mixer should work just as well)

Finally, dollop about 2-3 tablespoons of filling in the center of each crepe, top with 5-6 blackberries, and gently fold crepe in half twice.  Scatter the remaining blackberries over the folded crepes.

Enjoy!  No, seriously. Enjoy.