ONLINE EXTRA -- BERRY GOOD: Kale Salad with Farro, Dried Fruit and Blue Cheese . . . Panna Cotta with Strawberries . . . Baby Spinach and Strawberries with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette, etc.

Kale Salad with Farro, Dried Fruit and Blue Cheese

¼ cup farro

Water

Salt

¼ cup mixed dried fruit (such as sour cherries, cranberries, raisins)

1 tablespoon orange-flavored liqueur, such as Grand Marnier

1 pound kale (about 2 bunches)

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

2 tablespoons minced red onion

2 tablespoons chopped toasted pecans

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Toast the farro in a dry medium saucepan over medium heat until it smells nutty and turns golden, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and bring to a simmer. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and cook until the farro is tender but still a little chewy, about 45 minutes. Drain (there will probably still be some liquid left), rinse under cold running water and gently pat dry in a kitchen towel.

Place the dried fruit in a small bowl with the Grand Marnier. Add just enough warm water to cover and set aside until softened, about 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can microwave them for 30 seconds and let stand for 5 minutes.

Remove and discard the stems from the kale. Chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl with 1 teaspoon salt and the olive oil. Grab the leaves by the handfuls and massage them roughly. Don't be timid. After a minute or two, the coarse, stiff leaves will turn soft and silky. You'll have about half the volume of kale you started with.

Drain the dried fruit and add it to the kale, along with the cooked farro, blue cheese, red onion, pecans and vinegar. Toss to mix well, then season to taste with black pepper and more salt and vinegar, if necessary.

Yield: Serves 6.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 127 calories, 4 grams protein, 16 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 6 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 4 milligrams cholesterol, 5 grams sugar, 688 milligrams sodium.

Rosemary Panna Cotta with Pickled Blueberries

BLUEBERRIES:

3 cups red wine

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup sugar

1 sprig rosemary

1 basket or more blueberries

PANNA COTTA:

6 sheets of gelatin

1 quart heavy cream

¼ cup rosemary, chopped

½ cup sugar

Sterilize a 1.5 liter Mason jar and lid in boiling water

Bring vinegar, wine and sugar to a boil. Place blueberries and rosemary in the jar. Pour the hot vinegar mixture into the jar so it completely covers the berries. Seal jar immediately, and let rest 3 days.

Start the panna cotta by soaking the gelatin sheets in cold water.

In a saucepan, bring cream and rosemary to a boil; turn off heat. Add sugar.

Remove softened gelatin from water, squeeze out excess liquid then stir into the cream.

Pour cream mixture through a strainer, into eight 4-ounce ramekins. Chill overnight, or until set.

Serve each panna cotta topped with 8 pickled blueberries and, if you wish, a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

Yield: Serves 8

Note: Allow 3 days to pickle the blueberries.

Panna Cotta with Strawberries

1 envelope (1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin

½ cup milk

4 cups heavy cream

¾ cup sugar

2-inch piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise

3 tablespoons light rum

FRUIT:

4 cups strawberries

¼ cup sugar, or as needed

Sprinkle the gelatin over the milk and let stand 5 minutes to soften.

Combine the cream and ¾ cup sugar. Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape the vanilla seeds into the cream, then add the pod. Place over medium heat; stir until the cream just starts to simmer. Off heat, add gelatin mixture; stir to dissolve completely. Cool 10 minutes.

Remove vanilla pod. Stir in rum. Divide mixture among ½-cup ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap; chill until set, about 8 hours.

About an hour before serving, combine half the berries with ¼-cup sugar, and crush with a fork. Slice remaining strawberries and add to the bowl. Toss to combine. Taste and add sugar, if needed. Cover and chill until serving.

To unmold, set each ramekin in enough warm water to reach halfway up the sides. Let stand 20 seconds. Remove from water, wipe dry, then place a serving plate on top and invert. Shake gently until the custard comes loose. (You may need to run a small knife around the inside edge of the cup to loosen.) Spoon berries around the creams and serve.

Yield: Serves 12.

Baby Spinach and Strawberries with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 5-ounce package baby spinach, cleaned and trimmed

1 cup sliced strawberries

2 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the olive oil, vinegar, honey, water, mustard, salt and pepper. Cover and shake to combine. In a large bowl, combine the spinach and strawberries. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle almonds on top of the salad greens and serve immediately.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 46 calories, 59 percent of calories from fat, 3 grams fat (no saturated), 5 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 75 milligrams sodium, no cholesterol, 1 gram fiber.

Classic Strawberry Shortcake

STRAWBERRIES:

1 pound ripe strawberries, hulled (about 4 cups)

2 tablespoons sugar, or more to taste

BISCUITS:

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

2½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1 large egg

¼ cup heavy whipping cream, plus more for brushing

¼ cup low-fat buttermilk

WHIPPED CREAM:

1½ cups heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

To prepare strawberries: Put one-third of the berries in a medium bowl. Using a potato masher, crush them into a chunky puree. Slice the remaining berries ¼-inch thick and stir them into the mashed berries along with the sugar. Taste the berries, adding more sugar if necessary. Let the berries sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

To make the biscuits: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large, heavy-duty baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, sift the flour, 1/3 cup of the sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in the salt. Using a pastry blender, a fork or your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and heavy cream with a fork. Mix in the buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the cream mixture. Mix with the fork until the dough is evenly moistened and just comes together; it will still look a little shaggy. Gather the dough and gently knead it three or four times. If the dough seems dry and doesn't form a cohesive mass, work in more cream, 1 teaspoon at a time.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it into a ¾-inch-thick disk. With a sharp 2½-inch biscuit cutter, press straight down to cut the dough into rounds and lift straight up to remove (don't twist the cutter or it will seal the sides of the biscuits and interfere with rising). Transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheet. Gather the dough scraps, gently knead them together, reroll and cut out more biscuits until you have a total of 8.

Lightly brush the biscuit tops with cream and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake, rotating the baking sheet once, until the biscuit s are lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Let the biscuits cool slightly while you whip the cream.

To whip the cream: Using a mixer and a large, chilled metal bowl, whip the heavy cream and sugar until soft peaks form. (Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.)

To assemble: Using a serrated knife, split the warm biscuits in half horizontally and transfer the bottoms to dessert plates. Spoon about ¾ of the macerated berries and their juices evenly over the biscuit bottoms. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and cover each with a biscuit top. Spoon more berries and cream over each shortcake and serve immediately.

Notes: The biscuits can be baked 10 to 12 hours ahead and reheated in a 350-degree oven before serving. The strawberries can be macerated up to 2 hours ahead. The cream can be whipped up to 2 hours ahead and refrigerated, covered. If necessary, lightly rewhip before using.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 473 calories, 61 percent of calories from fat, 32 grams fat (20 grams saturated), 44 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein, 248 milligrams sodium, 124 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams fiber.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

CRUST:

2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) very cold unsalted butter, diced

½ cup very cold vegetable shortening, diced

¼ cup ice water

¼ cup vodka

FILLING:

1½ pounds rhubarb, cut into ¾-inch-long pieces (about 5 to 6 cups)

2 cups sliced strawberries

1½ cups sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, plus 1 tablespoon orange juice

Coarse salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash

Sugar for sprinkling (optional)

To make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, place the flour, sugar and salt; pulse to combine. Add the butter and shortening pieces. Process just until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons vodka, and pulse to combine. Continue adding vodka and water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together and is slightly tacky but sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into a 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

To make the filling: Mix together rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, orange zest and juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt.

To finish the pie: On a floured surface, roll out one dough disk so it's 1/8-inch thick and will fit in a 9-inch pie plate. Place the dough in the pan, pour in the filling; dot top with butter. Refrigerate while making top crust.

Roll remaining disk to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into at least 10 inch-wide strips using a fluted pastry cutter.

Lay 5 strips across pie. Fold back every other strip, and lay a horizontal strip across the center of the pie. Unfold folded strips, then fold back remaining strips. Lay another horizontal strip across pie. Repeat folding and unfolding strips to weave a lattice pattern. Repeat on remaining side.

Trim bottom and top crusts to a 1-inch overhang using kitchen shears and press together to seal edges. Fold edges under, and crimp as desired. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove the pie from the refrigerator. Brush crust with egg wash, and sprinkle generously with sugar. Place a foil-lined baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch juices, and bake pie on middle rack for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking until filling is vigorously bubbling in center and bottom crust is golden, about 1 hour. (Tent loosely with foil after 1 hour if crust is browning too quickly.) Transfer pie to a wire rack, and let cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

Note: If making your own crust, chill the butter and shortening in the freezer to get it very cold. You can substitute store-bought ready-to-roll pie crust.

Yield: Serves 8.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 639 calories, 48 percent of calories from fat, 34 grams fat (15 grams saturated), 77 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 12 milligrams sodium, 66 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams fiber.

Blueberry Tarts with Lemon Mousse

MOUSSE:

Grated zest and juice of 3 lemons (or to taste)

3 egg yolks

3 tablespoons sugar

½ cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup blueberries or mix of berries, rinsed

TART SHELLS:

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

Cold water

Mint leaves, lemon zest (optional)

To make the mousse: In a nonreactive bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolks and sugar. Place over simmering water in a double boiler and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is firm and thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove and cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

To prepare the tart shells: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, butter, salt and sugar with a pastry blender, or process in a food processor. Add a few tablespoons of cold water just to bind the dough. Shape into a disc and cut the dough into quarters. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each dough quarter and press into a 4-inch tart pan. Poke holes in the bottom with a fork. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool.

Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold in the lemon mixture. Spread the mixture into the cooled tart shells and top with blueberries. Garnish with mint leaves and lemon zest, if desired.

Note: You can make the mousse and tart shells a day in advance. If you don't have tart pans you can press the pastry into standard or mini muffin tins.

Yield: 4 tarts.

Approximate nutritional analysis per tart: 492 calories, 60 percent of calories from fat, 33 grams fat (19 grams saturated), 46 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 313 milligrams sodium, 241 milligrams cholesterol, 44 milligrams calcium, 2 grams fiber.

Cranberry Pie

3 cups cranberries (frozen or thawed)

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 9-inch unbaked piecrust (see note)

Topping (see recipe)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In bowl, combine berries and cornstarch. Turn into pie shell. Cover edge of pie with foil or pie shield. Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake additional 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare topping.

After the 25 minutes, remove pie from oven, remove foil or pie shield, sprinkle evenly with topping and bake 20 minutes longer. Let cool on rack to room temperature before serving.

Note: Frozen prepared piecrust can be used; no need to thaw before using. Bake 30 minutes instead of 25 before adding the topping.

TOPPING:

1/3 cup (2/3 stick) butter, room temperature

½ cup sugar

¾ cup flour

In bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.

Yield: Serves 8.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

1½ cups flour, plus more for dusting pan

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

Finely grated zest from 2 lemons

4 eggs, room temperature

1 cup sour cream

Blueberry Sauce (see recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch springform pan, tube pan or 2 loaf pans.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter until it is smooth and creamy. Slowly add the sugar, while continuing the beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and lemon zest and continue beating.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream, beating until smooth after each addition. Pour batter into prepared pan(s).

Bake until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes for 10-inch pans (40 to 45 minutes for loaf pans).

Serve with Blueberry Sauce and fresh berries or whipped cream.

Note: The cake can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen. If you only have a smaller pan (9 inches instead of 10), use the excess batter to make cupcakes.

Yield: Serves 12.

Blueberry Sauce

1 pint blueberries (or about 12 ounces frozen and thawed)

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, strained

1 tablespoon water

1½ teaspoon cornstarch

In a stainless steel pot, combine blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium-high heat until the blueberries burst.

Combine water and cornstarch into a paste and whisk into blueberries. Cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Cool and refrigerate.

Yield: 2 cups.

Berry Tart

DOUGH:

1 cup all-purpose flour (or ¾ cup white plus ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour)

1 tablespoon organic brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter cut into small chunks

1 tablespoon cold water

¼ teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon almond extract

BERRIES:

2 to 3 cups berries

3 tablespoons raspberry jam or red currant jelly

Confectioners' sugar

Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until the bits are no larger than a baby pea. Combine the water, vanilla and almond extract, then drizzle it in and pulse just until large, moist crumbs form.

Gather dough into a mass, shape into a disk and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll tart dough into a 10-inch round. Ease it into a 9-inch tart pan (or smaller individual pans) using excess dough to build up sides to ¼-inch thickness. Chill the pan while you preheat the oven to 375.

Line tart pan with foil and pie weights and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove foil, then bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes more.

Lay berries on a towel. Heat jam with a few teaspoons of water to thin it, then press through a sieve. Brush half on the tart shell. Then fill the shell with berries, wedging them close together in a single layer. Bake 5 minutes.

Reheat the remaining jam, then dab a little over each berry. Remove tart from pan, dust edges with confectioner's sugar and serve.

Yield: 1 pie.

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

36 firm-ripe cherries, at least 12 with stems

1 tablespoon kirsch

1 1/3 cups unbleached flour

1 cup sugar

¼ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water

5 tablespoon canola oil

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

¾ teaspoon vanilla

FROSTING:

1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1½ cups sour cream, room temperature

1½ teaspoons kirsch

Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Set aside the 12 nicest cherries with stems. Stem and pit remaining cherries; cut into halves, if small, quarters if large. Toss with 1 tablespoon kirsch and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Blend in the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Fold in cherries and their juice.

Fill cupcake papers about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center tests clean, 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, melt the chocolates in a double boiler over gently simmering water. Stir in sour cream and kirsch. Set aside to firm up until spreadable, about 20 minutes.

Using an icing spatula or a pastry bag fitted with a No. 16 star tip, frost the cooled cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a reserved cherry. Leftover cupcakes can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Yield: 12 cupcakes.

Cherry Berry Cobbler

2 cups pitted sweet cherries, rinsed

1 cup blackberries

1 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries

3 tablespoons cornstarch

5 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon reduced-fat milk

Light whipped topping or vanilla ice cream for serving, optional

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Pit the cherries in a large bowl. Lightly rinse all the berries. Add them to the cherries. Sprinkle the fruit with the cornstarch, 4 tablespoons of the sugar and the lemon zest.

Pour the mixture into a 9- inch-b y-12-inch oval baking dish.

Mix the flour with 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the baking powder and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in ½ cup of the milk to make a very soft dough.

Drop the dough by spoonfuls on top of the berry mixture. Dampen your hands with some remaining milk, and spread out the dough to cover most of the fruit. Brush the top of the dough with the rest of the milk. Sprinkle the surface with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake the cobbler for about 35 minutes, or until it is golden brown and the berries are bubbling. Serve warm with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream.

Note: You can use any combination of berries and cherries in this recipe.

Yield: Serves 8 (½-cup servings).

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 222 calories, 32 percent of calories from fat, 8 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 37 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams protein, 201 milligrams sodium, 20 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams fiber.

Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Cake

1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

¼ cup finely ground yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 large eggs at room temperature

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ cup low-fat buttermilk

TOPPING:

1 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed and well dried

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly butter a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with a parchment cut in a circle to fit the pan, lightly flour the sides, and tap out the excess.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt until well blended. In a mixing bowl, with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest on medium high until well blended and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until just blended. Add the lemon juice with the second egg (the batter will appear curdled; don't worry). Fold in half the dry ingredients, then the buttermilk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the topping.

In a small bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar and flour. Using a fork, mix the ingredients, lightly crushing the blueberries and evenly coating them with the flour and sugar. After the cake has baked for 15 minutes, slide the oven rack out and quickly scatter the blueberries evenly over the top of the cake (discard any flour and sugar that doesn't adhere to the berries). Continue baking until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, another 23 to 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let the cake cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan. Using a dry dishtowel to protect your hands, lay a rack on top of the cake pan and, holding onto both rack and pan, invert the cake. Lift the pan from the cake. Peel away the parchment. Lay a flat serving plate on the bottom of the cake and flip the cake one more time so that the blueberries are on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: Serves 10.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 240 calories, 30 percent of calories from fat, 8 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 39 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 160 milligrams sodium, 60 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram fiber.