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

Raspberries, Rowans, Chanterelles and Vanilla Custard ideas

I'm on annual leave for two weeks and have just spent the most relaxing few nights in a luxury log cabin on Loch Tay, with its own hot tub and sauna - absolute bliss! And no visit to Loch Tayside (for me) would be complete without a meal planned around foraged goods - so here is what I found, bought, elicited and made:


What I foraged/elicited for free:
(clockwise from top)

Rowan Berries
Honey (elicited from the local hotel breakfast selection!)
Green Hazelnuts
Chanterelle
Raspberries
Jack Daniels miniature (personal supply (not mine) - not pictured)









What I bought:

Malbec wine (from the local hotel)
2 wood pigeon breasts (shot locally and bought in Aberfeldy butchers)
Butternut squash
Shallot
Bacon (Ayrshire bacon - cue joke: "Is that your Ayrshire bacon?" "Naw, am just heating ma hauns!")
Vanilla Custard (from the reduced section in local shop)
"Donut" peaches

What I made:

Pigeon with Raspberry/Rowan sauce
Butternut and Chanterelle casserole
BBQ peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream
Raspberry Cranachan

Pigeon with Raspberry/Rowan Sauce

Ingredients:

2 pigeon breasts
Raspberries
Rowan Berries
Malbec (or any red wine - the fruitier the better)

Sugar

Method:

1. Fry pigeon for 2mins on each side then left in warm place to rest
2. Using the pan from cooking the pigeon - add 75g raspberries and 25g rowan berries and some sugar
3. Cook until sugar has dissolved and fruit has softened then squash fruit to a pulp
4. Add wine (approx 50ml) and cook gently to combine
5. Sieve and return to pan and boil rapidly to reduce volume and thicken sauce
6. Serve over pigeon breasts

Butternut and Chanterelle Casserole

Ingredients:

1/2 Butternut Squash, cubed
1 slice bacon, roughly diced
1 banana shallot, roughly diced
8 small Chanterelle, roughly chopped
Drizzle of honey

Method:

1. Fry bacon until crispy and set aside
2. Fry shallot in same pan for 5mins
3. Add Butternut Squash and fry for 10 mins - add water as required to stop it sticking
4. Add Chanterelle and fry for 5 mins
5. Add honey, salt and pepper and bacon and heat through
6. Serve

Pigeon with Raspberry/Rowan sauce
served with Butternut and Chanterelle casserole
and boiled potatoes

BBQ peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

3 donut peaches, sliced
1/2 carton of vanilla custard
Drizzle of honey

Method:

1. Put custard in freezer and mix every 30mins until ice cream constistency (about 2 hours) 
2. Thread peach slices onto skewers, drizzle with honey and BBQ
3. Serve peaches with Ice Cream

BBQ peaches and Ice Cream

Raspberry Cranachan

Ingredients:

Raspberries
Honey
Hazelnuts - Cranachan is traditionally made with toasted oats but I experimented with green hazelnuts as they are in season right now. However, I do not think their vegetable-y flavour was right for this dish. In the future I would use roasted, dried hazelnuts or walnuts instead.
1/2 carton of vanilla custard
1/2 miniature bottle of Jack Daniels - I'm sure using an American bourbon means that this is no longer authentic Cranachan, but foragers can't be choosers.

Method:

1. Whip custard to soft peaks
2. Add raspberries, pot of honey, toasted nuts, whisky/bourbon/liqueur of choice and mix
3. Chill
4. Enjoy

Raspberry Cranachan

All in a day's forage and evening's cooking :) And since we foraged 1kg of Chanterelle on the way home, I think there will be another post shortly . . .