blackberry season

i find it surprising that greek people don't eat blackberries*..they eat dandelions, frogs, snails, intestines..but not blackberries? and they don't eat mushrooms either*! i made a blackberry pie one autumn in edessa for eleftheria my landlady to try..she tasted it suspiciously and reported liking it but she never wanted to go foraging with me and she never accepted any on offer either..

i love them though and last week i was lucky enough to have a foraging day with my daughter alexandra..we didn't get many and the ones we did find were crunchy with seeds and a little past their best flavourwise..

my preserves cupboard is groaning with jam so i didn't want to make jam or jelly with them..instead i made an almond and blackberry cake and meringue nests filled with blackberry puree and cream and garnished with fig leaf dust** and blackberry syrup..that's it for this year's blackberries unfortunately..i had planned to go again with a friend but a daughter's wedding is taking priority over blackberries this year!

almond and blackberry cake

meringue nests with blackberry puree and cream garnished
with fig leaf dust** and blackberry syrup

note

*   my comments are based on the experiences i had while living in greece several decades ago
** i've recently discovered that fig leaves are edible so i dried fig leaves and crushed them to a very fine powder to use as a garnish

further reading

http://www.naturalcuresnotmedicine.com/2013/03/fig-leaves-just-as-healthy-as-figs.html (health benefits)
http://kimberlyshaw.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/08/fig-.html (fig leaf tea)

comments

~ i thought the almond and blackberry cake was a great recipe in which to use my precious blackberries because there were no other competing flavours to eclipse their beautiful autumn flavour..i think it's a versatile recipe that would work with other berries too and it would easily convert to gluten free by substituting the very small amount (40 gms) of plain flour with rice flour or any other gluten free flour


~ i like the flavour of the fig leaf dust..it tastes and smells just like a warm summer day under a fig tree

do you like blackberries or do you they're best left for the birds?

yeasted blackberry and apple bread

i bought some apples a couple of weeks ago..i got excited thinking they might be new seasons granny smiths because for me new season's apples and pears herald autumn..the gentle season..the season of muted colours and even temper and clarity in the air.. but even as i bought them they didn't look quite right but i went ahead anyway getting ahead of myself and the seasons..

they sat lingering for ages until i cut one up to see if they were salvageable..inside they were streaked brown through out and looked momentarily as if destined for the compost bin..but me being me just couldn't do that so i cut them up and threw them into a pot with a bit of water and cooked them, mashing them occasionally, until they were soft..i had no idea what i was going to do with them at this stage but i was considering apple jelly..after straining the pulp for 24 hours i had a lovely not brown at all liquid that tasted delicious..

my apple juice thoughts danced here and there but the one thought that stopped me in my tracks was the idea of putting the apple juice in a loaf of bread..that thought was added to another and another..i had more blackberries from another foraging session with one of my daughters and i now had proper new seasons granny's..my thoughts settled and blackberry and apple bread was made..

blackberry and apple bread

tea with hazel

ingredients 

bread dough

400 gms strong bread making flour
100 gms wholemeal flour
apple juice (strained from poaching apples in a little water and lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon (tsp) yeast
11/2 tablespoons ( tbs) salt (murray river)

filling

2 medium granny smith apples
1 tbs sugar
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly ground almond meal
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

glaze

1 tbs blackberry jelly
1 tbs boiling water
1 tsp gelatine
1 tsp lemon juice

method

~ mix flour and yeast with enough apple juice to obtain a soft shaggy dough and leave for 10 minutes
~ add salt, mix briefly, rest for 10 minutes
~ mix briefly once more, remove bowl from mixer, cover with greased cling film, and leave until the dough has doubled
~ remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and do one stretch and fold then rest for 15 minutes
~ repeat the stretch and fold cycle twice more
~ dice small the peeled and cored apples and cook with the sugar until just softening
~ mix the bread crumbs, almond meal and lemon
~ roll the dough into an oblong, sprinkle with bread crumb mix, and dot with blackberries and apple
~ roll the dough up sealing the end with a little water
~ place in a greased bread baking tin and leave until doubled or until a finger pressed into the dough leaves an impression
~ bake at 220 deg c (bread baking function) with steam for 25 minutes
~ reduce heat to 180 deg c and continue to bake for a further 20 minutes covering with foil if browning too much
~ mix the glaze ingredients well until the gelatine is dissolved using a bain marie if necessary
~ glaze the loaf as soon as removed from the tin


notes:

~ i purposely didn't add any sugar to the dough or the bread crumb mix because i didn't want a sweet loaf
~ i cut the loaf way too soon so it looks a bit doughy in the photo
~ for me the flavours worked well..not too sweet with a lovely apple and blackberry flavour that wasn't eclipsed by the subtle but welcome hint of lemon

it doesn't feel like autumn here in melbourne with temperatures over 30 deg c for another week but it's not going to stop me celebrating its imminent arrival..

this post submitted to yeast spotting

blackberry clafoutis

we took off east last week to go in search of blackberries again after our meagre pickings out west the previous week..as soon as we arrived at the spot i had in mind we spied the burgeoning bushes..in a short amount of time we filled our containers and we could have continued to pick an almost unlimited amount but we were constrained by a lack of containers and the heat..i've eaten quite a few of the 3 kilos i picked, made a blackberry syrup, frozen about half a kilo and today i made a blackberry clafoutis..

blackberry clafoutis
tea with hazel

ingredients

350 gms blackberries

330 mls milk

60 gms cooled melted butter

60 gms plain flour

80 gms sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

extra butter

1 tablespoon extra sugar

method

~ heat oven to 180 deg c

~ butter a 2 litre oven proof shallow dish

~ place berries in the baking dish

~ beat eggs, add flour and butter, and beat well until flour incorporated

~ mix in vanilla, milk and sugar

~ strain mix over berries

~ cook for 30 minutes

~ sprinkle with extra sugar and continue to bake until the top is browned and the custard is just set (mine took 10 more minutes) 

serving

serve warm

i served it with a spoon of double cream and a drizzle of chambord


note

i don't like clafoutis too heavy or sweet so i have adapted my recipe over time to suit my preferences

it's worth it

they drove north west into the open landscape and were surprised by how dry it was

it didn't rain in january they said 

the blackberry bushes growing close to where she used to live were parched

leaves berries and canes all withering helplessly 

she remembered somewhere else

close to the railway bridge over riddell's creek

a huge oak lovingly arching its massive branches

offering solace from that heartless celestial orb

nestled into the shoulder of the railway embankment

there're only a few small blackberries they said

they picked fingers stained scratched and bleeding

it's worth it they said

from wikipedia

blackberry and elderberry jelly

tea with hazel

ingredients

blackberries and elderberries* (a fork easily removes elderberries from their stalks)

filtered water

sugar

lemons

method

~ wash berries well, pick off any remaining stalks, and drain well

~ place berries in a large saucepan and just cover with water

~ bring to the boil and then simmer gently until the berries are soft

~ once they are soft mash the berries with a potato masher

~ pour the berries and juice into a jelly bag or muslin lined colander placed over a large bowl

~ place in the fridge once cooled and leave to drain for 24 hours (for a clear jelly don't squeeze the bag) 

~ measure the juice and for every 600 mls use 450 gms sugar and the juice, pips and pulp of one lemon

~ wrap the lemon pips and pulp in muslin and tie securely

~ put the berry juice, sugar, lemon juice and muslin sachet in a large saucepan and put on to heat

~ heat gently stirring until the sugar granules dissolve

~ increase heat and boil vigorously until the jelly reaches a good set**

~ pour into sterilised jars***

notes: *   this year, for the first time since i planted my elderberry, i have managed to pick a few umbrels but alone they were not enough to make a jelly so i added them to the blackberry jelly

           **/*** go here for information on jam/jelly set, sterilisation and other useful jam making tips

a lot of effort for only one 750 ml jar of jelly
but it's worth it!