Name: New England Blackberry "Torte"
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 1/4 hour
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened; 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 pint (2 cups) blackberries; 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; Accompaniment: whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

"I have prepared the plum torte from Marian Burros’s The Best of De Gustibus many times, and I’ve also tried variations using different kinds of fruit," says Peter Wayne Gagnon of Pineville, North Carolina. "My experiments helped me arrive at my own version of this dessert."

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Recipe notes

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