Blackberry Roly Poly

By now we’ve all heard about the massive frost we had in April and how it devastated our fruit trees. Well, Mother Nature has compensated and given us a really good berry year. So Chef Jerry Pellegrino, since blackberries are still in season, we’re in luck. And as Jerry added, “ Yeah, it’s kind of a blessing. I have an orchard and yes, we did get clobbered, but those people who raise berries did much better. Now as far as blackberries go, people in this part of the country have had a solution for using them for a couple hundred years. And that would be the blackberry roly poly. This easy to make dessert actually comes over from England and Scotland where it is still enjoyed today… although they are just as likely to use jam as fresh berries.” Al’s wife Vickie is devoted to roly polies! Her mom was a master at it and her brother was famous for stopping the car whenever he passed a wild blackberry bush. So it’s always been one of those traditional hand-me-down family recipes that you don’t have to go to school for. But let’s take a closer look. What we’re talking about is essentially what’s known as a roulade, a fruit filled rolled up pastry that is cooked and then sliced up for servings.