When Life Gives You Limes and Blackberries

I happened to have an excess of blackberries and limes this week, so I decided to showcase the fruits using two recipes that I'd bookmarked earlier in the summer. First, this beautiful blackberry crostata loaded with lime zest followed by these blackberry lime rickeys for a little adult refreshment. Both came together quickly and easily and were pure zesty, juicy yumminess. 

Quick Fruit Crostatas
Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen, spotted on La Kocinera

1 cup granulated sugar, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 - 6 tablespoons ice water
1 cup blackberries
1 teaspoon lime zest (optional)
juice of half a lime (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, nonstick aluminum foil, or grease generously. In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar, the flour, and the salt. Add the butter cubes, pulsing several times, until the mixture is crumbly. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together. Remove the dough, shape it into a thick disk, and wrap in plastic wrap, storing in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or the freezer for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll each into a ball. Use a rolling pin or your hands to flatten the dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, with each round being about 6 inches in diameter. Spoon 1/4 cup of the fruit in each round of dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border around all edges. If using lime zest, sprinkle the teaspoon of zest evenly over the fruits in the crostatas. Again, if using lime zest, also give each fruit filling a quick squirt of lime juice. Feel free to increase the amount of zest or juice if you’d like a more pronounced lime flavor. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup sugar equally over the fruit in the crostatas. Fold the dough edges toward the center, firmly pinching together the seams between the folds.

Bake the crostatas for 12-14 minutes, until brown around the edges. Cool the crostatas briefly on the baking sheet before transferring them to another serving plate, as they will be difficult to remove from the baking sheet whole if left there too long. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 4.

Blackberry Lime Rickeys
Recipe courtesy of Sunset

2 cups fresh blackberries, divided
3/4 cup superfine or granulated sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup gin
Ice cubes
1 bottle (1 liter) sparkling water
6 to 12 very thin lime slices

In a blender, combine 1 1/2 cups blackberries, the sugar, and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher, rubbing to extract juices, then stir in gin. Half-fill 6 tall glasses with ice cubes. Divide the gin mixture evenly among the glasses. Fill each with sparkling water. Garnish each glass with a few of the remaining blackberries and a slice or two of lime. Makes 6.