Blackberry Ricotta Cornbread

I saw this recipe on a blog, The Best Remedy, and thought it was a wonderful combination of flavors.  Since I had all of the ingredients on hand, I felt compelled to "veganize" the it and bake up a batch.  I have tons of blackberries ripening in my garden, most of which I'm freezing for use later, because there is no way we can eat them all now.  I also have most of that container of Tofutti non-dairy ricotta sitting in my fridge as well as an ear of corn.

I used my favorite vegan cornbread recipe with a cup of blackberries, 1/2 cup non-dairy ricotta and the kernels from a ear of corn added to the batter.  I think yellow corn would be prettier in this but I had white corn so that's what I used.

The ricotta gives the cornbread a nice "cheesy" taste, especially if you don't completely break it up but leave some little lumps.

The trick with this recipe is to very gently fold in the blackberries last, after you've stirred in the ricotta and corn.  Otherwise, you'll just have purple cornbread.  It also helps to dredge the berries with a little flour to keep them from sticking together if they're really ripe.

This is a perfect brunch bread.  It's even tasty the next day toasted under the broiler.  Just be sure to let it cool completely before slicing.

Blackberry Ricotta Cornbread
Makes 8 servings - Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

2 tablespoons ground flax seed
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoons Earth Balance non-dairy butter
1 cup all purpose flour + 1 tablespoon
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup raw sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup rice milk
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1/2 cup non-dairy ricotta
1 ear of corn
1 cup fresh blackberries

Preheat your oven to 425°
Heat the water in a small pot over a low heat.
Add the ground flax and simmer for 3 minutes whisking occasionally until it's thick.
Turn off the heat and set aside.
Melt the Earth Balance in a 10" cast iron skillet.
Turn off the heat and swirl the butter around to coat the skillet.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup of the flour with the cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, and flax goop.
Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon of flour over the blackberries and gently shake to coat them.
Scrape the corn from the cob.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold to combine.
Fold in the corn and ricotta.
Gently fold in the blackberries.
Put the batter into the skillet.
Bake for 25 minutes.  
A toothpick should come out clean and the edges should be golden brown.
Allow to cool for 30 minutes before cutting.