FRESH off the press

Here are two of the recipes featured in the FRESH magazine, published by Darigold:

Old-Fashioned Brown Butter Pound Cake with Blueberry Sauce and Cream

“Starting in a cold oven allows for the formation of a thicker crust on top of the cake. Covered with berries (recipe follows) and whipped cream, it becomes a beautiful shortcake,” FRESH magazine editors wrote.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup whipping cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (see note)

Melt butter in saucepan. Continue to cook over medium heat until mixture foams, then turns brown. Immediately pour into a mixing bowl and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Remove from refrigerator and add sugar, and using an electric mixer, blend until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl and whisk to mix. Alternately add flour mixture and cream to butter mixture slowly, beginning and ending with flour. Stir in vanilla. Pour batter into tube or Bundt pan that has been sprayed with nonstick vegetable spray and dusted with flour.

Place in cold oven and set the temperature to 325 degrees; bake for 75 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pan on wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a metal spatula around edge of cake and invert onto serving plate.

Note: Lemon or almond extract may be substituted for the vanilla.

Yield: 16 servings

Blueberry Sauce

Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 4 teaspoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) in medium saucepan; whisk to blend. Stir in 1 cup water and mix well. Add 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries and bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat; cook one minute or until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat; serve warm or cold.

Yield: About 2 cups

Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

From FRESH magazine

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup walnuts, toasted and finely ground

Lemon curd (recipe follows)

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl until light and creamy; add vanilla and beat to blend. Place flour, cornstarch and salt in small mixing bowl and mix with wire whisk; stir in walnuts. Add flour/nut mixture to butter mixture and mix just until blended. Refrigerate dough at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare baking sheets by lightly greasing with butter or spray with nonstick vegetable spray. Drop cookie dough in rounded teaspoons one inch apart onto prepared pans. Press down center of each ball with thumb.

Bake until light golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool completely. To serve, fill indentation with Lemon Curd. Yield: About 65 thumbprint cookies

Lemon Curd

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

In the top of a double boiler, beat eggs and sugar. Stir in lemon juice, butter and lemon peel. Cook over simmering water for 15 minutes or until thickened. Immediately cover the lemon curd with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate. The lemon curd will continue to thicken as it cools. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

Note: To make the lemon curd lighter in texture and flavor, fold in a little whipped heavy cream once the curd has been thoroughly chilled.

Yield: About 1 cup