For the crisp topping:

• 2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into dice

For the berries:

• 2 cups fresh raspberries
• 2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over for stems
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (if berries are very sweet you may want to use less sugar)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For garnish:

• Vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. To make the crisp topping, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the diced butter to the dry ingredients and blend with a pastry blender or your fingertips until crumbly. Set aside.

In another bowl, gently toss the berries with the sugar and flour. Pour the berries into a 9-inch pie pan or baking dish. Cover the berries with the crisp topping. You may have some topping leftover, which can be frozen for another use! Set on a baking sheet (in case any juices bubble over) and place in the oven until the topping is golden brown and the juices are bubbling, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Spoon generous portions of the warm crisp into wide shallow bowls and top with scoops of ice cream or whipped cream.

Yield: 5 to 6 servings

• 3 large pears
• 1 cup of mixed berries
• 1/3 cup superfine sugar
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 pound (1 stick), plus 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a 14 by 8 1/2 by 2 1/2-inch (or a 13 by 9-inch) ovenproof dish. Peel, core, and slice the pears, and put them in the dish. Mix in the berries and scatter half the superfine sugar over the fruit.

Mix together the flour, brown sugar, and the other half of the superfine sugar in a bowl. Add the butter and vanilla and rub them in with your fingertips, working until the mixture isn’t smooth but looks like damp clustery sand. Your fingers might be tired.

Scatter the topping over the fruit to cover it completely in a good thick layer. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top is nicely golden and some berry juice has oozed up a bit over teh crust and darkened it here and there.

Let it cool down a touch and then serve warm with whipped cream, a bowl of custard, vanilla ice cream, or Greek yogurt.

Yield: 8 servings

Pears:

• 4 ripe baking pears, such as Barlett or Bosc, with stems intact
• 2 cups pear juice (you could use apple juice if you can’t find pear juice)
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup sugar

Meringue:

• 4 large egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 large mint leaves (optional)

To make the pears: Peel the pears, leaving stems intact. Run the peeler a few times across the bottom of each pear to remove a bit of the papery end and to create a flat bottom for the pear to sit upright. In a Dutch oven or a deep pan that can hold all the pears standing upright, combine the pear juice, water, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Stand the pears in the cooking liquid, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the pears are tender, about 20 minutes. The cooking time may be longer if you have to use unripe pears, Remove the pears from the pan with a slotted spooon, reserving the cooking liquid, and set on paper towels to soak up excess moisture. Cool for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a glass or ceramic baking dish large enough to hold all the pears standing upright. Bring the reserved poaching liquid to a boil and boil until thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes.

While the sauce boils, prepare the meringue: In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and beat until medium-stiff peaks form. With the motor running, slowly add the sugar, scraping down the sides when you’ve finished adding the final bit of sugar. Beat the meringue until stiff peaks form.

Blot the pears with paper towels to remove excess surface moisture and help the meringue to stick. Transfer the pears to a glass baking dish. Cover each pear in meringue, either by piping with a pastry bag or by frosting with a silicone spatula. You can hold each pear up by the stem while you slather on the meringue, which allows you to cover the bottom as well. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the meringue is set and just beginning to turn brown.

To serve, drizzle the pear syrup around the surface of 4 dessert plates. Place 1 pear on each plate on top of the sauce. Decorate the stem of each pear with a mint leaf, if preferred.

Yield: 4 servings

Pumpkin pie and sugar pumpkins  have a “smooth, sweet flesh that is much less pulpy and stringy” according to Regan Daley’s In the Sweet Kitchen.  This makes them the choice for bakers and chefs when they want to use real pumpkin instead of canned pumpkin puree.

Long before people were thinking about Fall flavors, especially pumpkin, I was intrigued by a danish variation I had seen using pumpkin butter and cream cheese filling. So, when the time finally came around for pumpkin to step into the spotlight, I decided to try my hand at making pumpkin butter.

Let me warn you however, that like apple butter, pumpkin butter takes a few hours start to finish because the pumpkin needs to completely break down. The best part is the incredible smell that will fill the kitchen. While I used my pumpkin butter as a danish filling, it can certainly be used in other Autumn and holiday desserts.

Another flavor to capture this season is pear. They are in season right now and taste their best. When we have too many to eat, I like to poach them and store them in the refrigerator for later usage. Sugar syrups, wine, fresh herbs, whole spices, vanilla beans, and citrus peel can be included in the poaching and create a great variety of flavors. Poaching works best on fruit that is slightly underripe.

Finally, on the note of preservation, I’d like to share a tip from one of my chefs, the brilliant En-Ming Hsu. Chef Hsu gave us this formula for cleaning herbs and extending their shelf life. A few weeks ago after a big frost warning, I did this with a bunch of herbs from our garden and they are still fresh in my refrigerator. The bleach water kills any organisms on the herbs.

Preserving Fresh Herbs:

• Fill two large clean, sterilized containers (hotel pan size) with water.
• Put 1/2 teaspoon household bleach in one container, and 1/2 teaspoon vinegar in the other.
• Soak your herbs in the bleach water for 10 minutes.
• Remove from the bleach water and soak the herbs in the vinegar water for 20 minutes.
• Remove herbs from vinegar water and drain briefly.
• Wrap the herbs in paper towels, then put inside of plastic bags and store in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Butter (The Culinary Institute of America)

• 3 lbs pumpkin(s) (Sugar or Pumpkin Pie variety)
• 1 lb granulated sugar
• 1/2 lb unsalted butter
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• pinch ground cloves

Cut the pumpkin(s) into quarters and scoop out the seeds. Place the quartered pumpkins cut side up on a sheet pan. Bake at 325 F until the flesh in tender, about 25 minutes.

When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin with a paring knife. Place the pumpkin flesh in a large pot with the sugar, butter, vanilla bean seeds and pod, and cloves. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the volume has reduced by half, about 2 hours. The pumpkin will completely break down and turn into a smooth paste. Remove the vanilla bean pod.

Cool the pumpkin butter over an ice water bath and reserve in an airtight container under refrigeration. Makes about 15 fl ounces.

Basic Poached Pears (The Culinary Institute of America)

• 75 fl ounces water
• 15 ounces sugar
• juice of 7 lemons
• 12 pears

Combine water, sugar, and lemon juice in a pot large enough to hold 12 pears. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Boil 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium.

Trim the bottom of each pear to make it flat, core out the bottom with a melon baller or paring knife, and peel off the skin. Leave the stem attached. Once a pear is prepped, submerge it immediately in ice water acidified with lemon juice to prevent discoloring.

Once all of the pears are prepped, place them into the poaching liquid and simmer for 30 to 60 minutes. Make sure the pears are completely submerged by placing a parchment circle on top of the pears. Once the pears have become slightly tender, remove the pot from the heat and let the pears sit in the poaching liquid until tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Cool pears to room temperature. Reserve, covered, under refrigeration. Makes 12 poached pears.

• 4 ears fresh sweet corn
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup heavy cream, plus more as needed
• 2/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
• pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 pints blackberries
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Remove the husks and silk from the corn. Using a chef’s knife, cut the kernels off the cobs. Add the kernels and cobs to a large pot along with the half-and-half and cream.

Add the 2/3 cup sugar and the salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let steep for at least 3 hours or up to overnight (if steeping for longer than 3 hours, refrigerate the mixture).

Strain the corn mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Using your hands, wring out the cobs and press on the kernels with a spoon to extract as much liqud as possible; discard the cobs and kernels.

Measure the liquid; you should have about 3 cups. If not, add more cream as needed. Cover and refrigerate the corn-infused mixture for at least 3 hours or up to 8 hours. Basically you want it to be nicely chilled.

In a nonreactive saucepan, bring the 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add 2 pints of the blackberries and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries break down, about 8 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a blender and add the lemon juice. Puree the berry mixture, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Freeze the chilled corn-infused mixture in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. If desired, pack it into an airtight container and freeze until very firm.

To serve, scoop the ice cream into bowls, drizzle with the blackberry sauce, top with a few of the remaining berries, and serve right away.

Yield: 1 quart ice cream, 6 servings

Why do we like corn in the first place? Because it’s sweet! This ice cream perfectly captures the irresistible flavor of fresh sweet corn. This nod to late summer flavor is further enhanced with a tart, fruity blackberry sauce.

If there’s one thing we grow well in Indiana, it’s corn, and right now people are offering up plenty of it, freshly picked. When a family friend delivered a big box of summer produce to us, I felt the need to get creative.

While I’d certainly pick a double dip waffle cone of espresso chip ice cream over sweet corn ice cream, this is great for a tasting menu (Word of advice: if preparing this for a tasting menu halve the recipe). Paired with the blackberry sauce I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the flavors abundant with summer’s conclusion.

Once you have your fresh sweet corn, the cobs and kernels are steeped in cream to infuse their natural sweetness into the mixture. If you’re a bit wary about the corn flavor, I suggest only steeping for 2-3 hours. Afterwards, the cobs and kernels are strained from the mixture, so your ice cream will be smooth. Don’t worry, there aren’t going to be frozen chunks of corn in here or anything. Just flavor.

The blackberry sauce is made by cooking the blackberries until they become soft, pureeing them with some lemon juice in a blender, and then straining out the seeds. That’s it.

So do as I did, and next time you find yourself with some fresh sweet corn lying around and a basket of berries in fridge, it’s time to make ice cream!

Sweet Corn Ice Cream with Blackberry Sauce (New Flavors for Dessert by Williams-Sonoma)

• 4 ears fresh sweet corn
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup heavy cream, plus more as needed
• 2/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
• pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 pints blackberries
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Remove the husks and silk from the corn. Using a chef’s knife, cut the kernels off the cobs. Add the kernels and cobs to a large pot along with the half-and-half and cream.

Add the 2/3 cup sugar and the salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let steep for at least 3 hours or up to overnight (if steeping for longer than 3 hours, refrigerate the mixture).

Strain the corn mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. Using your hands, wring out the cobs and press on the kernels with a spoon to extract as much liqud as possible; discard the cobs and kernels.

Measure the liquid; you should have about 3 cups. If not, add more cream as needed. Cover and refrigerate the corn-infused mixture for at least 3 hours or up to 8 hours. Basically you want it to be nicely chilled.

In a nonreactive saucepan, bring the 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add 2 pints of the blackberries and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries break down, about 8 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a blender and add the lemon juice. Puree the berry mixture, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Freeze the chilled corn-infused mixture in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. If desired, pack it into an airtight container and freeze until very firm.

To serve, scoop the ice cream into bowls, drizzle with the blackberry sauce, top with a few of the remaining berries, and serve right away.

Yield: 1 quart ice cream, 6 servings

Asheville is a food lover’s paradise, with its numerous locally owned restaurants and artisan shops. Many of these places use organically and locally grown ingredients as well. It’s a very green city. While I could spend an entire day (actually, who am I kidding…DAYS) tasting food and indulging in the whole experience of eating there, my brothers would rather hike, which I can understand.

The most perfect compromise of adventure and indulgence was met, however, on one particular hike we took. We had the thrilling experience of coming across an entire valley of wild blueberry bushes. I have read about wild blueberries but I have never had the luxury of tasting them.

Wild blueberries are generally smaller than conventional blueberries and have a delicate, sweet taste. Tasting wild and heirloom fruits and vegetables is exciting to me because they are in an honest, unaltered form. They haven’t been modified for shipping purposes or size. Often times I’ve bitten into a blueberry from the supermarket only to find it has no taste at all.

So back to the berries. Cam and I started picking a few and trying them. We were hooked instantly, as these little suckers are extremely addicting. Who knew you could snack on fruit like this!? We continued our hike but every so often if we came across a bush that was loaded with ripe berries we’d engage in a feast, much to the patience of Kyle.

Now, I ate all of mine as I picked them (that tells you a lot right there). Cam saved some for later and they ended up coming home with us. I didn’t have enough to make a pie with, but I did for a fantastic berry crisp.

I like my fruit desserts to be all about the fruit. Of course the crust and the crumble topping and whatnot are delicious, but in my mind a fruit dessert was made to showcase the fruit, so let it shine. This berry crisp fits the bill perfectly. The topping reminds me of crumbled oatmeal cookie dough that stays soft and chewy on top of the fruit and is sublime with the sweet-tart flavor of the berries.

We ate it so fast I didn’t have a chance to snatch a photo, so you’ll have to take my word for it. Enjoy!

Peak-of-Summer Berry Crisp (Tom Douglas’ Seattle Kitchen)

For the crisp topping:

• 2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into dice

For the berries:

• 2 cups fresh raspberries
• 2 cups fresh blueberries, picked over for stems
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (if berries are very sweet you may want to use less sugar)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For garnish:

• Vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. To make the crisp topping, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the diced butter to the dry ingredients and blend with a pastry blender or your fingertips until crumbly. Set aside.

In another bowl, gently toss the berries with the sugar and flour. Pour the berries into a 9-inch pie pan or baking dish. Cover the berries with the crisp topping. You may have some topping leftover, which can be frozen for another use! Set on a baking sheet (in case any juices bubble over) and place in the oven until the topping is golden brown and the juices are bubbling, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Spoon generous portions of the warm crisp into wide shallow bowls and top with scoops of ice cream or whipped cream.

Yield: 5 to 6 servings