Our friends, the Bishops, grow incredible pick-your-own raspberries (and blueberries and thornless blackberries) at Yellow Hill Farm in Biglerville, PA. They generously donated a couple of gallons of berries for camp.
Summer means thinking of ways to have your dessert and not heat the kitchen, too, and variations on lemon icebox pie are at the top of my bag of tricks for ways to satisfy my sweet tooth with a minimum of fuss and heat. At the girls’ camp we talked about earlier, we wanted to pamper the campers and staff with seasonal produce, but we needed to find ways to make some of the more precious stuff go far. This breakfast (ahem, dessert) dish was praised by many, and why not? A scattering of fresh raspberries and blackberries surrounded by creamy filling with eye-opening pert lemon flavor is a great start to the day.
Lemon and Berry Parfaits
We served them in parfait form with breakfast burritos (recipe to come another day), which gave a sweet and a savory combination to keep everyone going strong until the next meal, but at home I would be more likely to make it into a pie. Could you do this with frozen berries? You probably could, but drain them very, very well. Fresh is going to be better, however, so make it quick before they are all gone for the year.
Fresh berries — one of the great joys of summer!
Lemon and Berry Pie
Serves 6-8
One 20 oz. can lemon pie filling
One 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
¼ — ½ of a 12 oz. lemonade frozen concentrate, thawed (about ¼ c.)
1 c. heavy cream, whipped
1 ½ — 2 c. fresh berries to layer and garnish – strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries
One 9-10” graham cracker crust
Blend 1st three ingredients together until smooth. Fold in whipped cream.
Turn half of the lemon filling into the pie crust; smooth to an even layer. Arrange berries in an even layer over the filling. Mound remaining filling over berries, smoothing as desired. Chill pie uncovered for a couple of hours. (Or, to store for 1-2 days, poke 4-5 toothpicks partway into filling; drape plastic wrap over picks to hold it above surface of filling. Tuck plastic wrap edges around and under pie plate. Refrigerate until serving.)
Before serving, garnish pie with additional berries, as desired.
To make individual parfaits:
Use small dishes or 9 oz. clear plastic punch-style disposable cups. Spoon some filling into dishes; top with layer of berries; spoon in more filling. Cover and chill for up to two days. Garnish with berries, if desired.
You can also serve the pie or parfaits partially frozen.
Other camp recipes:
Chicken and Fruit Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Question of the Day: What goodness is coming out of your kitchen today — what’s cooking?
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