Blaeberry Bites

Blaeberries

Once again, the sun has been shining on Scotland. We've also had plenty of rain, as we always do. This combination makes for some wonderfully juicy Blaeberries and an excuse to blog.

Coming from part-Yorkshire stock, I grew up calling these Bilberries, but I now usually use the Scottish term. Around the UK these are called many different things, including Wortleberry and Whinberry. Whatever you call them, they are delicious - and here they are plentiful.

In a previous blog, I made a Blaeberry Pie, which is also worth checking out. This time I decided to make some bite-size Blaeberry snacks, so that I could share them with my colleagues.

This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen and I haven't changed it, other than using Blaeberries instead of Blueberries.

Blaeberry Bites

Ingredients

• 4 cups Blaeberries
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tsp cornflour
• 3 cups plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 225g cold, unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 and a half cups of sugar

Method

• Preheat oven to 190°C
• Mix together the lemon zest, salt, 1 cup of sugar, flour, butter and egg to make a flaky dough.
• Press half of this mixture into a baking tin or casserole dish
• Mix blaeberries with remaining sugar, lemon juice and cornflour
• Spoon blaeberry mixture over the dough in the tin/dish
• Top with crumbled pieces of the pastry
• Bake for 45 mins or until golden brown on top
• Allow to cool in fridge overnight
• Slice into sections and keep refrigerated until you eat them (not for long, I'd imagine)

Until we meet again (hopefully soon) - Good Foraging! Xx

Baked Blaeberry Crumble - ripe and ready for slicing

Wild Raspberry Sorbet

Yesterday I went for a 3-hour forage in Dean Plantation, outside Dunfermline. The plan was to look for Porcini, but there were so many Raspberries that I felt I had to pick some.

Raspberry Sorbet

I realise that my posts have become more cooking-focused, so I thought I'd remedy that by adding a few mushroom tips today. 

We are currently in Chanterelle season, with a few Porcini and others starting to show. Porcini, aka Boletus Edulis, are part of the Bolete family of mushrooms. These are identifiable by their lack of gills (the brown bits under the cap of cultivated Portobello and button mushrooms). Boletes have pores - think the holes in a sponge or the bubbles in an Aero. There are many types of Bolete in the UK, and the majority of them are edible - just stay away from any specimens with pink or red pores.

On my walk, I also spotted some Shaggy Parasols (pictured). These are a good, firm mushroom and are often cooked in breadcrumbs/batter and served with a dip. The green plant that looks like clover is also edible, it's called Wood Sorrel. It contains a chemical called Oxalic Acid (also found in Rhubarb leaves) and this plant should not be eaten in large quantities.

Shaggy Parasol Mushroom and Wood Sorrel

And now for the recipe. I'm hoping to pick some Salmonberries this month and as I'm not a fan of ice-cream, I plan to make a sorbet. This recipe is my trial run.

Raspberry Sorbet

Ingredients:

• 500g raspberries
• 1 and a half cups of sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Juice of 1 lemon

Method:

• Squash raspberries through a sieve to extract the juice and remove the seeds.
• Add all other ingredients to the raspberry juice.
• If using an ice-cream machine, add mixture to machine and follow the manufacturer's instructions. If you don't have a machine, then put mixture in a container and put it in the freezer. Remove every two hours (about 2-3 times) and mix with a fork to break down ice-crystals.
• Serve once slushy or freeze for later use.
• Yummy!

Hopefully my next post will be Salmonberry Sorbet. Until then, Good Foraging xx

Cherry No-Bakewells

Last week I wrote that I might make a Blaeberry recipe this week, but something else appeared which grabbed my attention.

I took my car into the local garage in Kirkcaldy and on the walk back to pick it up, I found a Cherry tree with beautiful ripe cherries hanging from it. How could I pass that opportunity by!

I have previously made Bakewell Tarts with Wild Strawberries, but I wanted to try something new. Facebook helped me to make my decision: several people have been raving about the new Nakd Bakewell bars, so I decided to make my own.

The recipe is from The Kitchen Shed and I haven't changed it.

I picked 750g of cherries (weighed with stones) and they dehydrated to 120g, although I over-dried them by mistake.

I don't have a food processor (it's on my wishlist for payday), so I used my coffee grinder to chop the nuts and cherries. I chopped the dates with a knife.

Cherry No-Bakewells

Ingredients:

90g dried cherries
150g cashews
6 Medjool dates

Method:

• Chop all ingredients finely and mix together thoroughly
• Press mixture firmly into a container
• Refridgerate for 2 hours+ (I left them overnight)
• Tip out the hardened mixture and cut into 8 sections
• Eat

These tasted delicious! However, I didn't think they tasted like Bakewell Tarts. If I were to make the recipe again, I would substitute ground almonds for some (if not all) of the cashews.

While I was making this recipe, I realised that I could have made a Black Forest Gateau. Never fear, I shall revisit the tree and aim to make a gateau next week. Until we meet again, Good Foraging!