Summer Berries Flaugnarde + Olallie Gin Fizz #SundayFunday

Today the Sunday Funday bloggers are sharing recipes that include blackberries with Stacy hosting. My recipes were inspired by a bunch of olallies that a friend gave me. I'll explain why those qualify for this blackberry event shortly.

Stacy of Food Lust People Love, Sue of Palatable Pastime, Rebekah of Making Miracles, and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm coordinate this low-stress group; we only participate when we are inspired. Stacy is hosting this week. Here's our line-up of blackberry dishes...

• Blackberry and Apple Slaw by Palatable Pastime

• Blackberry Cobbler from Mayuri's Jikoni

• Blackberry Ricotta Pizza by A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Fresh Blackberry Margarita by Karen's Kitchen Stories

• Fresh Blackberry Tarts by Food Lust People Love

• Jamun/Indian Blackberry Chia Jam by Sneha's Recipe

• Roasted Blackberry & Rosemary Goat Cheese by Amy’s Cooking Adventures

• Summer Berries Flaugnarde + Olallie Gin Fizz by Culinary Cam (you're here)

Olallies

Let's start with how this qualifies for a 'blackberry' recipe. I received some olallies from a friend and augmented with other summer berries, including raspberries and blueberries. But I made this because of the olallies. We go olallie picking every summer. Here are some olallie FAQs...

What is an Olallieberry?

Pronounced oh-la-leh, it is a hybrid that was developed at Oregon State University in the middle of the 20th century. It's a loganberry (blackberry + raspberry) and a youngberry (blackberry + dewberry) blend. Since it's a majority blackberry, genetically, it possesses similar flavor characteristics. However, it's much larger and generally sweeter than the blackberry.

How did the Olallieberry get its name?

“Olallie” is the Chinook (Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest) word for 'berry,' so you’re actually saying “berry-berry."

How do you spell it?

O-l-a-l-l-i-e-b-e-r-r-y, but I've also seen it as – ollieberry, ollalieberry, olallie berry, lallieberry, olalliberry, ollaberry, and olliberry,

How does it taste?

Delicious! It’s tart, sweet, and juicy.

Since olallies are about two-thirds blackberry I am saying these qualify for today's event. I hope Stacy agrees! I'm sharing two recipes today.

Summer Berries Flaugnarde

I originally called this a 'clafoutis.' Clafoutis is as easy to make as it is fun to say. Klah-foo-tee! But I realize now that I was incorrect. This is a flaugnarde. Clafoutis is a dessert that comes from the Limousin region of France and is made with black cherries; other variations are made with plums, prunes, apples, cranberries or blackberries, but those are called flaugnarde. Since mine is made with a mixture of summer berries - olallies, raspberries, and blueberries - a flaugnarde it is.

Ingredients

• 2 cup mixed berries (I used olallies, raspberries, and blueberries)

• 4 eggs

• 3/4 cup organic granulated sugar

• 3/4 cup flour

• 1 cup milk

• 2 Tablespoons berry liqueur (I used Chambord, a raspberry liqueur)

• powdered sugar for dusting

• Also needed: baking dish (you can use one large baking dish or individual ramekins)

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter your baking dish(es). The amounts above gave me one 9" flaugnarde and one 8" flaugnarde. Spoon the berries into the bottom of the dish(es).

Whisk the eggs, sugar, and flour together until smooth. Add the milk and liqueur. Whisk until smooth. Pour over the berries.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. When you pull it put of the oven it will jiggle a bit. That's normal. Place on a wire rack to cool. The flaugnarde will have puffed up quite a bit and will deflate while cooling. When cool dust the flaugnarde with powdered sugar. Serve at room temperature.

Olallie Gin Fizz

Most people have a favorite spirit. For Jake, it's a smoky Scotch. Other friends prefer Mezcal. While I will indulge in his Lagavulin 16, I am a gin girl.

The classic Gin Fizz starts with a good gin since it is the only spirit in the cocktail. Don't skimp on quality. We have a local gin distillery in Santa Cruz that we adore. In fact, we celebrated R's 22nd birthday there as well as his graduation from UCSC's Merrill College just last month.

Venus Spirits has three gins at the ready. Gin No.1 is a classic with nearly a dozen fruits, herbs, and other botanicals. It has a crisp juniper flavor with hints or citrus, ginger, and lavender. Gin No.2 is aged in oak barrels which imparts a smoothness and warmth. The layers of vanilla, cardamom, and fennel were the selling points for me. I bought a bottle of No.2 to take home though I still had some No.1 left from last year! And the third gin is a seasonal release. The summer gin has some serious tropical island vibes with notes of pineapple, lime, and passionfruit,

Ingredients

Olallie Syrup

• 1/3 cup water

• 1/3 cup organic granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup organic olallies

Fizz

• 2 ounces gin

• 1 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed

• 3/4 ounce olallie syrup

• 1 egg white

• Sparkling water, to top

• Also needed: cocktail shaker, ice, a few olallies for garnish

Olallie Syrup

Place water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then swirl until sugar is completely dissolved. Add in the olallies and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes - just until the berries are softened. Remove from heat and use a fork or potato masher to smash the berries. Let stand for 15 minutes. Strain syrup into a jar and set aside.

Fizz

Add the gin, lemon juice, syrup and egg white to a shaker and dry-shake (without ice) for about 30 seconds. Add 3 or 4 ice cubes and shake vigorously until well-chilled. Double-strain into a chilled glass and top with sparkling water.

If you want it extra chilled, you can add in more ice cubes. Garnish with a berry or two.

Cheers! That's a wrap for my 'blackberry' offering. We'll be back next week to share recipes with peaches with Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm leading the event. Stay tuned.