As the blackberry season is upon us, it’s time to take a walk, and don’t forget the containers. The blackberry season offers us the ideal opportunity to fill our faces with this juicy fruit ,as we wander along the hedgerows. I always think that if it’s a serious picking session, it’s best to eat before setting out, as this guarantees double the harvest, especially if there are small children involved.
Blackberries are high in antioxidants and vitamin C. They have been used since Greek and Roman times as a remedy for sore throats, gout and whooping cough and are also claimed to reduce brain inflammation and memory loss. When you read the list of healthy attributes you realise we should all be out there picking, future-proofing our immune systems. Blackberries offer more vitamin C and antioxidants than blueberries, so it would be a good idea to fill our freezers full for the winter, ready to make smoothies, muffins, cakes and so on. There’s an endless list of recipes. The other important fact is that they free!
Pick the best blackberries, nothing soggy or damaged. If they are perfectly ripe they will come away from the stem with a gentle pull. Containers work better than bags to put them in as this prevents them from getting squashed, which is quite important as, apart from spoiling the fruit, one thing I didn’t mention above is that they can also be used as a dye.
Folklore has it that blackberries shouldn’t be picked after Michaelmas day on October 11 as the devil (puca) has made them unfit to eat by spitting, stepping or fouling on them. I don’t know about the devil but it makes sense to pick them in good condition, so gather your containers and get out there while they are juicy and plump.
There are so many ways to use blackberries – apart from just popping them in your mouth – that we are spoilt for choice. When we had our restaurant, many moons ago, I used to make a blackberry delice, which was a posh sponge with blackberry mousse on top. The sponge is a bit of a faff so I’ve downscaled the recipe to just mousse, which makes a sublime dessert with less effort.
This recipe made eight small mousses, I fill small glasses, which look quite elegant but bowls would be good too. You could of course make bigger portions in bowls – I don’t think there would be any problem eating them, as we had no problem eating ours. They will keep in the fridge for two to three days. You can of course halve the amount of ingredients and make less.
Gelatine is available in leaf form in the baking section of most of the big supermarkets. It is easier to use than the powder form. The leaves I used were roughly 12cm x 7cm, which seems to be the standard size these days – they used to be much bigger so, just to avoid any confusion, I thought I’d mention that. Just soak the gelatine in cold water for a few minutes to soften it. Don’t use hot water as it will dissolve.
Blackberry Mousse
Ingredients
• 450g blackberries
• 4 eggs, separated
• 300mls cream
• 4 leaves gelatine
• 125g sugar
• Juice of half a lemon
Fill a bowl with cold water and slip the gelatine leaves in. Leave aside.
Put the blackberries, 25g sugar and the juice of half a lemon into a liquidiser, food processor or jug with hand held blender and buzz until smooth.
Pour the blackberry puree into a sieve and pass through with the help of a spoon or spatula. Discard all the pips.
Put the egg yolks into a bowl with 75g sugar. Whisk until the yolks become paler and the whisk leaves a trace. The cream should now be coming to the boil.
Put the cream into a saucepan then heat gently. When the cream reaches boiling point slowly whisk it onto the yolk mixture. Put the yolk/cream mix back into the saucepan and heat gently, stirring all the time. Don’t rush this. The mix will slowly thicken a little as the heat increases but whatever you do don’t let it boil as the yolks will scramble. Err on the side of caution. Take the mix off the heat and pour into a large bowl. Take the softened gelatine out of the water and stir it into the mix. The gelatine will dissolve. Stir the blackberry puree through.
In another large clean bowl whisk the egg whites to soft peaks (good and frothy but not solid) then add 25g sugar and continue whisking until the whites are stiff and hold up.
Tip one third of the whisked egg whites onto the blackberry custard and gently fold through with a large metal spoon or spatula. IT doesn’t have to be perfectly mixed, add the rest of the whites in two lots and gently fold through again. `Do not stir or you will knock all the air out. When properly mixed pour the blackberry mix into glasses or bowls.
Chill for four hours to set before eating.
Decorate with a splotch of whipped cream and a few blackberries.
Enjoy the autumn.
