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Rustic Berry Cobbler for One

It's hard to pass through a farmer's market this time of year without emerging on the other side with at least one pint of freshly picked berries tucked into the shopping bag. Sweet thumb-sized strawberries, dusky blueberries, berries with names you've never heard before -- it's tempting to try them all.

At home (if any berries even make it home), you can sprinkle them over morning cereal or eat them for dessert with a little whipped cream and brown sugar. You can also make muffins or scones if you're feeling extra industrious and throw a handful of berries into the batter. Smeared with a little butter, these baked treats are what lazy summer mornings are all about.

There are more dazzling ways to show off these seasonal beauties, especially the rare varieties that make such brief appearances in the markets. Pies, cobblers and trifles would be the perfect means to enjoy special summer berries, but price and availability can sometimes limit how much you're able to buy.

One solution is to make scaled-down versions of these classic summer recipes. Individually baked berry cobblers and parfaits served in wine glasses give a taste of the season without breaking the budget or feeling overwhelming to prepare. You can easily make enough for a dinner party, or just one -- a single serving all for you, to be eaten as slowly and happily as you can possibly manage.

RUSTIC BERRY COBBLER FOR ONE

This recipe is written for a 1-cup ramekin using roughly 1/2 cup of berries.

To prepare it in dishes of other sizes, multiply the ingredients by the number of cups in your baking dish.

Ingredients

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 F. Have ready a 1-cup ramekin (or similar oven-safe baking dish) and a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, two tablespoons of sugar, baking powder and salt. Use a fork or your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour until the butter is no bigger than small grains. Add the milk and stir until a thick batter with no dry patches has formed.

Toss the berries with the cornstarch and cinnamon so all the berries are evenly coated. Pour these into the ramekin. Sprinkle the lemon juice on top.

Drop spoonfuls of the batter on top of the fruit. In the bowl used to toss the berries, whisk together the last two tablespoons of sugar with the warm water until the sugar is at least partially dissolved. Pour this over the top of the cobbler.

Center the cobbler on the baking sheet and bake 40-45 minutes until the top of the cobbler is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Depending on how juicy the berries are, you may get some juice spilling over the edge of the dish.

Let the cobbler cool for 10 minutes and eat while still warm.

 

Berry and White Chocolate Pudding Parfait

Makes 4 individual parfaits

Ingredients

Berry & White Chocolate Pudding Parfait

Preparation

For the pudding (alternatively, use your favorite box mix):

Combine 1 3/4 cups of the milk and all chocolate in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has completely melted.

Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup of milk, the cornstarch, the sugar, and the salt. Make sure there are no lumps remaining from the cornstarch.

When the chocolate has melted, pour the cornstarch mixture into the pan while whisking slowly. Continue whisking until the liquid starts to thicken slightly, about five minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and use a heatproof spoon to stir the pudding gently as it thickens. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan occasionally so the milk doesn't scorch.

The pudding is ready when it's the consistency of a thick cream sauce, if the surface jiggles slightly when tapped, and when drips from the end of the spoon stay suspended on the surface of the pudding for at least three seconds. This should take another 6-8 minutes from the time you turned down the heat.

Off the heat, stir in the vanilla. Let the pudding cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.

To make the parfaits:

Spoon a half-inch of the cooled pudding into the bottom of four clear glass cups. Add a layer of graham cracker crumbles and then a layer of berries on top. Repeat these layers until the glasses are full, finishing with a layer of pudding and a few berries.

It's best to prepare the parfaits as close to serving as possible. The pudding can be prepared ahead and refrigerated. Assembled parfaits can be refrigerated for up to an hour.

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(c) 2009, Emma Christensen. Distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc.