Buttermilk Custards

2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin

1 cup plus 3 T. buttermilk

1 cup plus 3 T. heavy cream

1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

To make custards, put the gelatin in a small bowl, cover with cold water and let soak for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the buttermilk, cream, and milk together in a saucepan

to just below boiling point. (just under 212.3 degrees Fahrenheit or just under 100 degrees Celsius.) Add the sugar and stir until it has completely dissolved. Remove the gelatin from the soaking liquid and squeeze out any excess water. Add to the hot buttermilk mixture and stir until completely dissolved. Pour through a fine strainer and fill four dessert molds. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill overnight.

To serve; place 1/2 cup Aronia soup in bottom of dessert dish, turn custard out onto soup, slightly drizzle a small portion of soup over custard and serve.

Very elegant dessert. Serves 4.

Note: We also use the Aronia soup on top of Greek plain yogurt, bagels, ice cream, plain cheesecake, chocolate cake, and more it is marvelous as a topping for so many things.

Apple Aronia Berry Crisp

1 cup flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. tapioca

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup rolled oats

4 cups apple

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup fresh or frozen Aronia berries

Topping: Cut in butter until crumbly. Add flour, brown sugar and rolled oats. Mix.

In 9" square baking pan, dump apples mixed with sugar, tapioca, cinnamon (more to taste) and vanilla. Add thawed Aronia berries. Carefully fold together. Sprinkle topping evenly over apple/aronia mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until apples are tender. Put cookie sheet under to make cleanup easier. Best served warm. Note: May also use peaches instead of apples. Delicious!

Aronia Berry Pear Crisp

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup sliced almonds, optional

Filling:

5 cups peeled, cubed 1/2" pears (about 5 pears)

2/3 cup Aronia berry concentrate or 1/4 cup fresh or frozen Aronia berries

1 T. all-purpose flour

1 cup fresh raspberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray and 8" x 9" baking pan or pie tin with non-stick baking spray. Set aside. In large bowl, on medium speed, mix together all topping ingredients until pea-sized balls are formed (about 1 minute.) Place on baking pan and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and slightly bubbly. Turn out onto parchment lined cookie sheet; break into pieces and cool completely. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together all filling ingredients except berries. Mix well. Gently stir in berries. Mixture will turn slightly purple. Place mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Cool slightly. Serve in small bowls with topping sprinkled on top. Serve with ice cream if desired.

Refrigerate leftovers.

Rich Apricot Crisp

2 T. butter or margarine

1 cup fresh or frozen Aronia berries

2 cups apricots, chopped

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. lemon juice

Topping:

3/8 cup flour

1/2 stick butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup oats

1/4 cup brown sugar

Butter a small, deep baking dish. In medium-sized saucepan, melt 2 T. butter or margarine. Add Aronia berries, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Heat until juices flow. Fold in apricots. Pour into baking dish.

Prepare topping in small mixing bowl. Cut butter into flour, oats and brown sugar. Drop loosely onto fruit mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes, until fruit is tender, and crisp is brown.

Cherry Aronia Cobbler

2 1/4 cups frozen red pie cherries

3/4 cup fresh or frozen Aronia berries

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 T. flour

Topping:

3/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3/8 tsp. baking soda

3/8 tsp. baking powder

3 T. butter or margarine

1 egg, beaten

3 T. buttermilk (or let 3 T. milk mixed with 1/2 tsp. vinegar set 5 minutes)

Butter deep 1 1/4 quart baking dish. In medium sized bowl, mix all but topping ingredients. Place in baking dish. Distribute berries evenly. For topping, cut butter or margarine into dry ingredients. Add beaten egg. Add buttermilk; cut with fork. Cover fruit without flattening topping. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for about 35 minutes until fruit is tender and topping is brown.

Note: Serve warm, with whipped cream.

Aronia Festiva

4 thin slices of white bread

4 T. butter or margarine, melted in a skillet

1 cup fresh or frozen Aronia berries

3 cup peaches, fresh or thawed, chopped

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup raisins

1 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped

Remove crusts from bread, cut each slice into 4 strips. Dip bread into butter or margarine; line casserole bottom and sides with strips. Cook berries and peaches, lemon juice and sugar in remaining butter in skillet only until fruit is tender. Don't let liquid evaporate. Place in casserole. Sprinkle raisins and nuts on top. Bake at 350 degrees about 35 minutes or until bread is golden brown. Cool. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Fresh Blueberry/Aronia Berry Cobbler

2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries and Aronia berries

1 T. plus 1 tsp. cornstarch

2 T. lemon juice

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Turbinado (raw) sugar or granulated sugar, divided

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

3 T. butter, melted

3/4 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread blueberries and Aronia berries in ungreased 8-9" baking pan or dish. Sprinkle with cornstarch; drizzle with lemon juice and set aside. In medium bowl, combine flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, baking powder and salt. Add milk and butter; stir just until combined (not smooth.) Pour boiling water over dough and fruit. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Bake until biscuits are golden brown and berries are bubbly, 45-50 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Great with ice cream or whipped topping.

Peach Aronia Cobbler

2 1/4 cups peaches, sliced

3/4 cup fresh or frozen Aronia berries

2/3 cup sugar

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 T. flour

Topping:

3/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

3/8 tsp. baking soda

3/8 tsp. baking powder

3 T. butter or margarine

1 egg, beaten

3 T. buttermilk (or let 3 T. milk mixed with 1/2 tsp. vinegar set 5 minutes)

Aronia Berry Bread Pudding

1/2 of a 1 lb. loaf of white bread, cubed

4 extra-large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups half and half

3/4-1 cup white sugar

2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen Aronia berries

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Generously coat a 10" round baking dish with butter or non-stick spray. Place cubed bread in dish. In a bowl, combine eggs, half and half, sugar and vanilla. Pour over cubed bread. Add Aronia berries and mix. Bake about 1 hour, until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cover edges with foil if edges brown too quickly.

Apple Aronia Crisp

Topping:

1 cup flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup butter softened

¾ cup of rolled oats

4 cups diced or sliced apples

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup Aronia berries

Topping: Cut in butter until crumbly, add flour, brown sugar and rolled oats. Mix.

In 9-inch square baking pan, dump apples mixed with 1 cup of sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Add thawed Aronia berries. Carefully fold together. Sprinkle topping evenly over apple/Aronia mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 70 minutes or until apples are tender. Put cookie sheet under to make cleanup easier.

*Best served warm.

Easy Aronia Berry Pie

4 cups fresh or frozen Aronia berries

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 T. flour

1/8 tsp. salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 single pie crust, unbaked

Mix flour, sugar and salt. Stir in beaten eggs. Fold in Aronia berries. Pour into the unbaked pie shell. Slowly pour the whipping cream over the top, covering the entire pie. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 50 minutes until filling is set.

Classic Aronia Berry Pie

2 tablespoons butter

4 cups frozen Aronia berries

1-3/4 cups honey

5 teaspoons lemon juice

3/4 cup flour

Crust for one double-crust pie

Melt butter in sauce pan.

Stir in and heat berries, honey and lemon juice.

When juice of the Aronia berries flows, stir in flour.

Cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, line pie pan with crust. Pour in cooled mixture. Put on top crust; flute; slit. To catch juice, put foil on the pie skirt or cookie sheet. Shape upward around pie pan without covering pie. Bake at 425 degrees until crust is browned, about 40 - 45 minutes. Cool, then refrigerate overnight. The filling should set up nicely.

Aronia Berry Pie

Pie Crust:

2 cups flour

1 cup shortening

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup flour

6 T. very cold water

Mix 2 cups flour, shortening and salt until crumbly. In a separate bowl, mix 1/2 cup flour and cold water. Add to first mix and roll out on floured surface. Bake the pie crust at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes and let cool.

Middle pie filling:

1-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

8 oz. container whipped topping

Blend cream cheese with mixer. Mix in powdered sugar, then whipped topping. Place the middle pie filling in baked and cooled off pie shell. Refrigerate.

Top filling:

1 cup sugar

4 T. corn starch

1 cup water

3 T. berry flavored gelatin

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen Aronia berries, chopped

Mix together sugar, corn starch and water. Cook until it thickens and turns clear. Add gelatin, mix and let cool. Once mixture is cooled off, add berries. Add to chilled pie and refrigerate.

Razzaronia Pie

1 - 8" pie crust, baked

3 cups fresh or frozen red raspberries

1 cup fresh or frozen Aronia berries

2/3 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

5 T. cornstarch

1/3 cup water

1 tsp. lemon juice

3 oz. low-fat cream cheese

Whole berries for garnish

Strain 1 cup each of raspberries and Aronia berries into saucepan. Simmer 3 minutes. Pour in sugar and stir. Mix water and cornstarch; combine, blend and stir constantly over medium heat until thick and translucent. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Place in freezer for 20 minutes. Stir about 4 times while in freezer. Dry remaining raspberries on paper towel. Spread cream cheese on bottom of cooled pastry. Place berries in pastry, spread cooled mixture over them, and garnish with whole berries. Freeze 30 minutes or more until set but not frozen. If necessary, refrigerate overnight. Note: May be topped with whipped cream.

Classic Chocolate Crazy Cake with Aronia Berries

3 cup flour

2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

6 tablespoons cocoa

1 tsp salt

1 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1-1/2 cups Aronia berries, chopped

Cold water to equal 2 cups when added to the chopped Aronia berries

Measure dry ingredients into a 9x13-inch cake pan. Mix. Make 3 indentations in the dry ingredients with a spoon. Pour oil into one, vinegar into the second and vanilla into the third. Chop Aronia berries and add enough cold water to equal 2 cups. Pour the Aronia/water mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Aronia Apple Pudding Cake

1 cup fresh or frozen Aronia berries

2 cups apples, peeled and sliced

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 T. butter or margarine

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup milk

In saucepan over medium heat, cook Aronia berries, apples, cinnamon, sugar, lemon juice and a dash of water until tender. Don't let liquid evaporate. Cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, in mixing bowl, blend flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In this order, add and mix in thoroughly the butter or margarine, beaten egg and milk. Turn fruit pudding into buttered casserole. Drop batter onto it by tablespoonful. Cover and bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until cake is brown.

Note: Serve as is or with whipped cream.

Aronia Fudge

Roberta Barham

12 oz. bag chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup dried Aronia berry bits

Chopped nuts, etc. (optional)

Put condensed milk and chips into a microwavable glass bowl. Heat in microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Repeat for 30 second intervals until the chips are melted and completely blended with the milk. (Do not overheat!) When completely blended, add Aronia berries (and chopped nuts, etc. if desired.) Pour into a foil-lined 8" x 8" pan. Refrigerate until firm. Cut into pieces, remove the foil, and serve.

Aronia Berry Bars with Ginger

Roberta Barham

1 cup dates, pitted

1 cup Aronia berries

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 cup crystalline ginger

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1-1/2 tablespoons chia seeds

1/2 tablespoon flaxseed

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Juice and zest of one grapefruit

Soak dates for 20 minutes in hot water. Meanwhile, mix honey, chia and flaxseed, grapefruit juice and zest and oats in a large bowl. Set aside. Drain dates. Mix with Aronia and ginger in a food processor. Combine with remaining ingredients. Spread on a wax papered cookie sheet, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Cover with waxed paper and refrigerate overnight.

Aronia All-Fruit Smoothies

¼ cup orange juice

1 cup peaches, drained

2 medium bananas, in chunks

1/2 cup fresh/frozen Aronia berries

Put ingredients in a blender in this order

Blend until the drink is smooth.

Aronia Berry Satin Smoothie

2 cups strawberry yogurt

½ cup frozen Aronia berries

Put the yogurt in a blender, then the Aronia berries.

Blend until the drink looks and feels like satin.

Aronia Smoothie

½ can coconut milk (or other milk)

2 cups Aronia berries

2 frozen bananas

1 cup plain yogurt of kefir

1 cup raspberries or other fruit

Blend well. Note: Super-antioxidant Aronia smoothie.

ChocoAronia Smoothie

8 ounces chocolate mousse yogurt

4 ounces orange yogurt (light)

¼ cup low-fat milk

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup frozen Aronia berries

¼ cup frozen raspberries

Place ingredients in blender in above order. Blend and enjoy.