I wasn't able to get any black raspberries this year, but I did receive some black raspberry jam as a gift. I used it to make Carole Walter's "Black Raspberry Jam Squares" from Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More. Walter says this recipe was originally made with Damson plum preserves, but she subbed in black raspberry jam because Damson plum preserves are difficult to find.
From the name of the recipe alone, I would have guessed that these bars had jam between some sort of cookie crust and a crumble topping. I was right about the shortbread crust, but they are actually topped with meringue -- which was quite unexpected. To make the crust, you beat softened butter with lemon zest; add powdered sugar, followed by egg yolks; and incorporate flour and salt. You press the dough into a pan (the recipe says to line it with foil but I lined mine with parchment) and bake the crust until lightly browned.
You spread black raspberry preserves on the warm crust, and then make a meringue by beating egg whites with salt; gradually adding sugar; and adding cinnamon and vanilla at the end. You're also supposed to fold in chopped walnuts at the end, but I was making these bars for someone with a nut allergy so I just left them out. You spread the meringue on top of the jam layer and then bake the bars again until the meringue is firm.
When I cut the cooled bars, I saw that the crust didn't have any color inside; it wasn't soggy, but I would have preferred if the crust had taken on a bit more color and had a drier texture. I don't know what to make of these bars. I really liked the intense flavor of the black raspberry jam, but the cinnamon meringue just seemed like an odd fit. The meringue was slightly wet inside but the top was chewy. I'm not sure if it was the cinnamon that threw me off, or the unexpected texture of the meringue. I suspect that I would have liked the bars more if I had added the nuts to the meringue, because I think a bit of crunch would have helped a lot. These bars definitely highlighted the wonderful flavor of black raspberries, but I don't think I would make them again.
Recipe: "Black Raspberry Jam Squares" from Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More by Carole Walter.
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