Five Ways To Enjoy Blackberries
Blackberry Jam
Ingredients:
Makes five 500g jars
1.25kg blackberries
Finely grated zest and juice of 3 lemons
1.25kg jam sugar
Add the blackberries, lemon zest and juice into a large pan and cook on a low heat - stirring every now and then. Use the back of a ladle to press into the berries and release even more juice.
Next add the sugar and stir until the sugar fully dissolves, bring to a steady boil for 5 minutes and turn off the heat. Cool a spoonful of your syrup on a plate and use your finger to see if it wrinkles - if it does it's reached it's setting point. If it's still running, return the pan to heat and boil again for a couple of minutes then test again.
Remove the pan from the heat and use a spoon to take off any surface scum - leave for 5 minutes for the fruit to settle down into the syrup. Stir well, pour the hot jam into jars and cover with waxed discs and lids.
Blackberry, Goats’ Cheese & Spinach Salad
Ingredients:
Serves Four
150g blackberries
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
4 salad onions, trimmed and finely sliced
115g pack baby leaf spinach
25g pack flat leaf parsley, leaves picked
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 heaped tsp clear honey
150g soft goats’ cheese
Put the blackberries in a small bowl and pour over the vinegar. Stir, then set aside for about 15 minutes. Put the coriander and caraway seeds into a pan over a low heat, after 1-2 minutes tip into a pestle and mortar and crush.
In a large bowl, mix together your onions, spinach, parsley, toasted seeds, crushed spices and blackberries.
To make the dressing - whisk the oil, mustard and honey into the leftover vinegar. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and mix together - finishing by crumbling over the goats’ cheese.
Blackberry Crumble
Ingredients:
Serves 6
400-500g freshly picked blackberries
200g plain flour
85g butter
55g sugar
Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Place your washed blackberries in the bottom of a baking dish. In a large bowl, rub the butter into the flour until you get a breadcrumb-like consistency. Next, stir in the sugar and sprinkle your crumble on top of your blackberries. Bake in the oven around 40-45 minutes - you want the crumble to go a nice golden-brown colour.
Blackberry Compote
Ingredients:
Serves 5
375g blackberries, halved
50g golden caster sugar
Juice ½ lemon
Small pinch ground cinnamon
Use a food processor to mix two thirds of the blackberries with the sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Sieve to remove the seeds and fold the remaining fruit through the purée and set aside. Use within 2 days or freeze.
Blackberry and Frangipane tart
3cm Springform Tart tin
Set the oven to 180 degrees Fan
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
250g plain flour
80g icing sugar
125g unsalted butter cubed
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons water
200g blackberries washed and trimmed
1 tablespoon flaked almonds toasted in a hot pan for 2 mins
For the frangipane:
180g ground almonds
130g unsalted butter softened at room temperature
100g golden caster sugar
2 teaspoons almond extract
3 eggs
Also
1 tablespoon smooth blackberry or blueberry jam
2 tablespoons apricot jam
Method:
To make the pastry place the butter, sugar and flour in a food processor and blitz to get the consistency of breadcrumbs, then add the egg yolks and mix in, and finally add a little water to bind the ingredients. Form a ball and place in the fridge for 30mins. Then remove from the fridge, roll out and line the tart tin with the pastry and blind bake in the oven for 10mins. You can skip this step and use shop-bought shortcrust pastry.
To make the frangipane, cream the butter and sugar, then add the ground almonds and the eggs (one at a time) and mix well before adding the almond extract.
Spread a thin layer of the blackberry or blueberry jam on the pastry base then spoon on the frangipane mixture, and press in the blackberries distributing them evenly. Bake in the oven for 25/30mins until golden. Heat the apricot jam with 2 tablespoons water in a saucepan and stir until combined. Brush this syrup over the baked tart while it is still hot and scatter the flaked almonds before serving.
Thank you to @frenchfamilyfood for the lovely recipe.
