Steemit Culinary Challenge #33 - Wild Mulberry and Backyard Black Raspberry Shortbread Bars

My family and I stayed at a farm-turned-bed and breakfast this past week. There will be more on that amazing visit in an upcoming post, but for now, it's berrytime.

During our farm stay I discovered two black mulberry trees on the farm - one was hanging over the chicken coop, and the other was behind a barn where the sheep hung out. You better believe that over the course of 3 or 4 days, I spent a good chunk of time picking away at those trees until I had two pints of mulberries. Did you know that mulberries have many health benefits? From helping with digestion, circulation, heart health, and and even cancer prevention due to high levels of antioxidants, mulberries are quite the superfood. I fed some to the chickens too, of course.

Wild mulberries behind the shed where the sheep hang out.

In addition to the mulberries, on a drive through Pennsylvania Dutch country we passed a tiny farm stand in the driveway of a house. I promptly demanded that we turn the car around so I could scope out the goods. No one was working the stand, but there was a note saying that they work on the honor system. I only had a $10 bill, so it was two pints of black raspberries, at $5 each, which were grown in the backyard. Black raspberries are leaders when it comes to antioxidant levels in food, which makes them beneficial when it comes to protecting vision, heart health, and preventing memory loss in old age. Eat them berries!!

Black Raspberries (left) and Black Mulberries (right)

One night at the farm, as I was dozing off to sleep, I was trying to decide what to make with all of these fabulous berries I'd collected. I must have been nearly asleep because this is the iPhone note I discovered in the morning:

I was half asleep when I drew this, but honestly my fully awake drawings are not much better.

These are layered bars, as is clearly depicted in my highly detailed schematic above. There is a shortbread crust for the bottom layer, then a fudgy chocolate ganache layer, followed by a layer of berry coconut cream, and finally whole mulberries and black raspberries, and a berry syrup drizzled on top. The result is a great combination of textures, from the crumbly shortbread, the fudgy ganache, to the light and creamy berry coconut cream. Not one layer overpowers another, but they combine to create a delicate and delicious cool sweet treat.

These bars should be kept frozen, but allowed to thaw for about 15 minutes before serving to let them soften up a bit.

Can't stop looking at those layers.

Don't let all of this scare you - these bars have a bunch of steps, but no single step is difficult in the slightest.

So let's get started shall we?

Ingredients

Shortbread

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Chocolate Ganache

• 1 package (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 T unsalted butter

Berry Syrup

• 1-2 pints berries
• 1/3 c granulated sugar

Berry Coconut Cream

• 3/4 of the Berry Syrup you made already (the remaining 1/4 will be used as a drizzle for serving)
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/3 c granulated sugar
• 3 cans of coconut cream (To get coconut cream, refrigerate 3 cans of full-fat coconut milk for at least 2 hours. By doing this, the coconut milk will separate from the coconut cream. Then, open the cans upside down, drain out the coconut milk (use it for a different recipe), and scoop the coconut cream into the bowl to make the Berry Coconut Cream)

Directions

Each layer of the bars are made in the same 8 x 13 cake pan. Between making each layer, the pan is set in the freezer to firm up before adding the next layer. Let's start with the bottom layer and work our way up.

For the Shortbread

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Combine all of the shortbread ingredients into a medium bowl.
  
• Using your hands or a pastry cutter, combine the flour, sugar, and butter until the mixture is crumbly, with grains no larger than grains of rice.
  
• Press the mixture into your cake pan until it is evenly spread
  
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges just begin to turn brown.
  
• After baking, allow to cool on the countertop for 15 minutes, and then place in the freezer while you make the chocolate ganache.

For the Chocolate Ganache
Ganache used to sound too fancy for me, but all it really is is chocolate and cream heated up together to get a little saucy. Not fancy.

• Combine all of the ganache ingredients in a saucepan on medium-low heat.
  
• Using a whisk, stir the mixture until the chocolate chips are fully melted and incorporated into the cream. Do not bring to a boil.
  
• Allow the mixture to cool on the countertop until it reaches room temperature.
  
• Once the ganache is at room temperature, take the shortbread out of the freezer and pour the ganache over the top.
  
  
• Put the pan back in the freezer while you make the berry syrup and berry coconut cream.

For the Berry Syrup

• Combine the berries and sugar in a saucepan on medium-low heat.
  
• Bring to a simmer, and using a spoon, mash the berries a bit.
  
• Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes so that some of the liquid boils off.
  
• Remove from the heat and strain the seeds, keeping the syrup.
  
• Allow to cool in the fridge while you prepare your coconut cream.

For the Berry Coconut Cream

• Open the cans of coconut milk upside down, drain off the liquid and scoop the solid coconut cream into a medium bowl.
  
• Add the sugar, vanilla, and 3/4 of the Berry Syrup from the previous step.
  
• Stir it all together until it is a pretty shade of pink.
  

Final Assembly

• Take the shortbread-ganache cake pan out of the fridge and evenly spread your berry coconut cream over the top.
  
• Place your berries on top of the coconut cream layer, and put the pan back into the freezer to firm up for at least 30 minutes.
  
• When you're ready to serve, take the pan out of the freezer and allow about 10-15 minutes for the chill to come off, then cut into bars, about 2x2 inches.
  
  
  
• Drizzle with the remaining berry syrup and enjoy!!
  
  

Thanks very much for reading this post, and many thanks to the host of the #steemitculinarychallenge, @woman-onthe-wing, as well as this week's guest judge, @haphazard-hstead!

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All photos and recipe content by @jaymorebeet. Photos taken on July 1-3, 2017 using Canon EOS 7D Mark II.