Dear Eric: My wife and I picked a big bucket of blackberries. Can you suggest some ways to use them?
Norm
Dear Norm: This type of query is one I seem to get every September and it's not surprising. Wild I'llgrow-just-about-anywhere blackberry bushes have fruit ready for picking this month. You can also still buy locally harvested cultivated blackberries at some food stores and markets.
Blackberries are one of my favourite fruits for several reasons. I love the look of them, enjoy their sweet (when ripe), almost winelike taste and they're good for me, containing such things as vitamin A and C, potassium, fibre and calcium.
Blackberries also freeze well, something you'll want to do if you picked or bought a bunch of them, as they'll keep only a few days in the refrigerator. To freeze them, place the blackberries in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Freeze solid, then transfer to freezer bags or containers. They will keep in the freezer several months.
Another reason I like blackberries is because you can use them in all sorts of tasty ways.
For example, you could simply add some to your morning bowl of cereal, or fold some into a muffin or pancake batter before cooking. You could blend blackberries with yogurt or soft tofu, and pomegranate or other juice to create a nutritious smoothie. You could also blend them with icing sugar to taste, and then strain the mixture to create a smooth and dark blackberry sauce to spoon over cheesecake, ice cream or other dessert.
Do you have a culinary query you would like Eric Akis to tackle in a future column? Send your questions by email to [email protected] or mail to Ask Eric, Times Colonist, 2621 Douglas St., Victoria, V8T 4M2.
Norm's blackberries could also be turned into a preserve by trying one of the recipes using blackberries on canning-jar manufacturer Bernardin's website, bernardin.ca. Below are two other ways to use the fruit in a West Coaststyle main-course salad and home-style dessert.
Eric Akis is the author of the bestselling Everyone Can Cook series of cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
Butter Lettuce with Smoked Salmon, Blackberries and Goat Cheese
Serve this main-course salad with some good bread and a glass of white or sparkling wine.
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: None Makes: 4 servings
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
- salt and freshly ground black
pepper to taste
1 medium head butter lettuce, separated into individual leaves
1/2 lb. (250 grams) hot smoked salmon, skin removed (see Note)
1 cup fresh blackberries
100 to 125 grams Saltspring Island or other soft goat cheese, pulled into small nuggets
To make salad dressing, place the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Divide and arrange the lettuce on 4 plates. Artfully arrange the salmon, berries and cheese on top of the lettuce. Drizzle the salad with the dressing and serve.
Note: Hot smoked salmon is a fully cooked product sold at most supermarkets.
Blackberry Apple Crumble
Blackberries and apples go well together, particularly when baked with a sweet and buttery oat topping. Serve bowls of the crumble with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Preparation time:
15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Makes: 6 to 8 servings
For the filling
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 medium apples
3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
1/3 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/4 cup golden brown sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
For the topping
1 1/4 cups large-flake rolled oats
3 Tbsp golden brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinches of other ground spices,
such as nutmeg, ginger and cardamom (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
To make filling, place lemon juice in a medium bowl. Peel, half, core and fairly thinly slice the apples. Add apple slices to the bowl and toss to coat with lemon juice. Add remaining filling ingredients and gently toss to combine. Spoon the fruit mixture into an 8-x 8-inch baking dish.
Place the topping ingredients in a second bowl.
Work mixture with your fingertips until crumbly. Distribute the topping over the filling.
Bake the crumble in the middle of the oven 40 minutes, or until the top is browned and the filling is bubbly.
Serve crumble warm or at room temperature.
Food Bites
- Chefs hope to survive Madrona Farm
The fifth annual Chef Survival Challenge and Feast takes place Sept. 30 at Madrona Farm, 4317 Blenkinsop Rd. Those who attend can watch some of Victoria's top chefs compete and display their culinary and athletic prowess.
The event runs from noon to 5 p.m. (gates open at 11: 30 a.m.). Organizers say participating chefs will hurdle haystacks, hang, balance, monkey bar, zip-line and race in boats to a place called "condiment island." There, they will forage for ingredients and create meals using camping gear in an open-field cooking demonstration.
During the afternoon, there will also be entertainment by awarding-winning Canadian musician Lester Quitzau, and special guests such as Olympic rower David Calder and Miss Canada 2011.
Tickets are $40 for adults and $100 for families. Included in the ticket price is a feast, rich with local ingredients. If desired, you can also bid on the meals the chefs create.
To purchase tickets and for more information, go to chefsurvivalchallenge.com. You can also buy tickets at the Madrona Farm stand, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday to Friday. All proceeds from the Chef Survival Challenge will benefit farmland conservation.
- Culinary students compete at Westin Bear Mountain
The Westin Bear Mountain hotel is once again hosting a series of dinner events called Open Chef Night. The first occurs Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
During the evening, two aspiring student chefs from local culinary schools will battle it out to see whose cuisine reigns supreme. They'll do that in the open kitchen of Panache, the hotel's fine-dining restaurant.
Providing guidance during the evening will be Iain Rennie, the hotel's talented executive chef.
Those who attend will be served a delectable threecourse meal. The cost of the meal is $45 per person.
Reservations can be made by calling 250-391-7160, or emailing [email protected]. For more information, including some of the past meals served during Open Chef Night, go bearmountain.ca, click on dining, and then Panache.
- Eric Akis
