Berries from heaven: Sweet and savoury fruit-based dishes
MAKE the most of an array of beautiful fruit with sweet and savoury sensations.
Make the most of an array of beautiful fruit with sweet and savoury sensations
Layered berry breakfast pots
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
75g (2¾oz) muesli
2 tbsps goji berries
100ml (3½fl oz) freshly squeezed orange juice or from a carton
500g (1lb 1¾oz) honey-flavoured
Greek-style yoghurt
350g (12¼oz) strawberries, hulled, plus a few extra, hulled and sliced
1 tbsp chia seeds
100g (3½oz) blackberries
Mix the muesli, goji berries and orange juice together then spoon half the mixture into the base of 4x370g (13oz) clip-top or screw-topped jam jar. Top with a layer of yoghurt.
Roughly chop then mash the strawberries. Mix with the chia seeds and spoon over the top of the yoghurt.
Cover with most of the remaining muesli then the yoghurt. Sprinkle with the blackberries, a few extra sliced strawberries and the rest of the muesli mixture. Clip or screw on the lids then serve now or chill until ready.
Naked berry celebration cake
Serves: 16-20
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 1¼ hours
For the lemon cakes:
400g (14oz) soft margarine
400g (14oz) caster sugar
Finely grated rind of 2 lemons
7 medium eggs
550g (1lb 3½oz) self-raising flour, sifted
5 tbsps semi-skimmed milk
For the lemon drizzle:
Juice of 2 lemons
150g (5¼oz) caster sugar
For the frosting:
100g (3½oz) butter, at room temperature
350g (12¼oz) icing sugar
100g (3½oz) lemon curd
75g (2¾oz) raspberries
For the decoration:
400g (14oz) strawberries, halved if large
225g (8oz) raspberries
100g (3½oz) blueberries
A little sifted icing sugar
Edible flowers, optional
Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/320°F/gas mark 2½. Cut long strips of non-stick baking paper a little taller than the sides of a cake tin. Fold up 1 of the long edges by 2cm (¾in) then make small scissor snips up to the fold. Arrange the strips around the sides of a 20cm (8in) wide and 13cm (5in) deep, round cake tin with the snipped edges downwards then add a circle of non-stick baking paper to the base of each tin.
Add the soft margarine, caster sugar and lemon rind to the bowl of an electric mixer then beat together until light and fluffy.
Add 1 egg and milk then beat until smooth. Add a second egg and a spoonful of flour and beat until smooth. Gradually mix in all the remaining eggs and flour alternately until the cake mixture is smooth.
Divide the mixture between the 2 tins so that they are a similar depth then smooth the surface and bake in the centre of the oven. Allow 50-60 minutes for the small cake and about 1¼ hours for the larger cake, until well risen, golden and a skewer comes out cleanly when inserted into the centre of the cake.
Meanwhile, mix the lemon juice and caster sugar then set aside. Add all the frosting ingredients to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until smooth. Cover the bowl and chill.
Allow each cake to cool for 5 minutes then turn out on to a wire rack set over a cooling rack so that the top is downwards. Peel away the lining paper and skewer what is now the top of the hot cake. Drizzle over the syrupy mixture and leave to cool.
When ready to assemble the cake, trim off the domed top if needed then turn the cake back over so that the syrupy base is now the top. Cut each cake into 3 layers with a serrated knife. Put the base layer on to a pedestal stand, spread with a little of the frosting then layer up the 2 other larger cake layers with frosting. Spread the top of the cake with frosting then add the base layer of the smaller cake and layer up cake with frosting.
Insert 3 long plastic cake supports through the top of the cake down to the second cake to hold them in place. Trim off the top of the cake to the level of the supports using scissors.
Spread a layer of frosting on the top of the cake then decorate the tiers and base of the stand with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Dust with icing sugar and scatter with edible flower petals, if using.
Very berry pancakes
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
For the pancakes:
100g (3½oz) plain flour, sifted
1 egg
1 egg yolk
200ml (7fl oz) semi-skimmed milk
2 tsps sunflower oil, plus 1 tbsp for frying
For the strawberry sauce:
400g (14oz) strawberries, hulled and quartered
Finely grated rind of 1 lime
To serve:
500g (1lb 1¾oz) lemon, vanilla or honey-flavoured Greek-style yoghurt
225g (8oz) raspberries
200g (7oz) blueberries or blackberries
A little sifted icing sugar
Sift the flour into a bowl, add the egg and egg yolk then gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Whisk in the oil and set aside for 10 minutes.
Add the strawberries to a liquidiser or food processor and blend until smooth. Press through a sieve to remove the seeds, if liked, then mix with the lime rind.
Whisk the pancake batter once more then pour into a jug. Heat the tablespoon of oil in the base of an 18cm (7in) non-stick frying pan, pour out the excess oil and keep in a small bowl.
Pour 2-3 tablespoons of the batter into the hot pan and tilt the pan so that the batter thinly covers the base. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the underside is golden, loosen with a knife then flip over and cook the other side until golden.
Slide the pancake out of the pan on to a plate and keep hot. Re-oil the pan as before and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used up.
Spoon a little yoghurt over each pancake, sprinkle with some berries then fold in half and arrange 2 pancakes on each serving plate. Sprinkle with any remaining berries, dust with a little icing sugar and serve with a drizzle of strawberry sauce.
Blackberry and gingerbread roast pork
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 40 minutes
1½kg (3lb 5oz) boned rolled pork loin joint with scored skin
1 tsp fennel seeds, roughly crushed
½ tsp cumin seeds, roughly crushed
Salt and pepper
2 tbsps sunflower oil
For the stuffing:
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 cardamom pods, split, outer case discarded and black seeds crushed
75g (2¾oz) ginger biscuits, crushed
75g (2¾oz) blackberries
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the beer gravy:
2 tsps plain flour
330ml (11½fl oz) German blonde beer
200ml (7fl oz) chicken stock
2 tsps light muscovado sugar
1 tsp German or English mustard
100g (3½oz) blackberries
Remove the string from the pork then carve into slices and serve with gravy.
Preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/475°F/gas mark 9. Remove the string from the pork, open out flat with the rind downwards on a board then cut a long pocket about 5cm (2in) down the length of the joint in the thickest part of the meat.
To make the stuffing, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the chopped onion and fry for 5 minutes until softened. Mix with the remaining stuffing ingredients then spoon into the pocket and put the rest on top of the pork. Roll up and re-tie with fresh string.
Put the joint in a roasting tin, rub the fennel and cumin seeds into the cuts in the rind then sprinkle with salt. Add the oil to the base of the tin then roast for 25 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4 then roast for 20 minutes per 450g (1lb) or until the meat juices run clear when the pork is pierced with a knife through the thickest part.
Lift the pork out of the tin, put on to a serving plate and keep warm in a low oven. Drain the excess fat from the roasting tin then stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the beer and stock then mix in the sugar and mustard and bring to the boil, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan.
Boil for 2 minutes, stirring until thickened, strain into a bowl then pour back into the rinsed roasting tin. Add the blackberries, season with salt and pepper then bring back to the boil to warm the blackberries through. Pour into a serving dish.
For more information and recipe inspiration, visit seasonalberries.co.uk.