Directions

Put the blackberries and 50 grams of sugar into a saucepan set over medium heat. Cook the mixture stirring occasionally. Once the blackberries begin to release their juice mash them with a spoon until the mixture is soft and just begins to boil. Remove from heat and press the mixture through a fine sieve or cheesecloth-lined strainer. Set aside. This sauce may be kept covered in the refrigerator for 5 days. Place a large mixing bowl onto a scale. Using the tare feature, return the reading to zero. Sift in 400 grams of flour. Tare the scale to zero. Add 150 grams of sugar. Tare the scale to zero, then add 50 grams of butter. Using a fork or a pastry blender work the mixture into a dry coarse sandy consistency, with the butter well distributed. In a small glass or on a small plate, mix just enough milk into the yeast to form a paste. Scrape this mixture into the flour mixture, followed by salt, baking soda, lemon zest and juice. Add the eggs, stirring until just combined. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until it become smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball and place it into a buttered bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean dry cloth allowing it to sit undisturbed about 4 hours. At the end of the waiting period preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Transfer the rested dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it again for a few minutes. Shape the dough into a 12" x 4" inch log, placing it onto a baking sheet. Bake in the oven about 40 minutes. Then allow the cake to cool about 30 minutes before serving. This cake really is best served warm, but it's not mandatory. To serve, cut the ends of the cake, saving them for another purpose. Slice the remainder into 12 equal pieces. Pour about 1 inch of Vin Santo into a bowl large enough to accomodate 1 slice of cake laying flat. Dip each slice into the wine, turning it once to allow it soak up the wine. Repeat with the additional slices adding more wine as needed. Lay 2 slices of cake on each of 6 plates. Drizzle a little of the blackberry sauce alongside and top with a dollop of the whipped cream and (optionally) additional whole blackberries.

Directions

Add the brown sugar, salt, vanilla, pecan pieces and the egg white to a small bowl stir to mix well. Cover the bowl and put it in the refrigerator, until well chilled. When ready to serve prep the apples by using an apple-corer remove the entire core of each apple. Run the corer through the entire apple, making a hole from top to bottom. Place all the cored apples on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave the apples for about one minute. You want to barely cook the apples. They should stillbe crisp and firm and hold their shape. Once cool enough to handle fill each apple with the well-chilled pecan mixture, it should be quite sticky and not at all runny. You will probably have more pecan mixture than you need. Save it for ice cream, or bake it into a great cookie. Once filled move the prepped apples to the refrigerator while you make the tempura batter. In a medium sized bowl. Add the egg and water to the bowl. Be sure to use very cold water. Sift the flour and confectioners sugar into the bowl and mix lightly with a fork. Be careful not to over-mix the batter. Working one at a time, roll the apples around in the batter. Then drop them carefully into a deep fryer that has been preheated to 360 degrees F. Watch them they get golden brown very quickly. They will probably cook in less than a minute. Serve them hot, 2 per person, with a small dollop of the barely sweetened whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.