Ideas needed for blackberries

[heidih]

My neighbor came over with the two empty strawberry baskets and invited me to pick the ripe blackberries from his little patch as they would be out of town. I am not one to just eat them out of hand. My thinking was just cooking briefly with a bit a sugar, mashing and then using the result as a topping on yogurt or mixed with some whipped cream. There are not many as you can see, but if there is a simple dessert for just one or two people that springs out at you I would love to hear.

[annabelle]

Make a fool out of them, Heidi. Or, like you said a sauce since you don't have enough to make a pie.

[heidih]

I am leaning that way Annabelle - perhaps mash them with the sugar now and then tomorrow fold into whipped cream (none in the house now). I think I need to pick up a thin crisp cookie like gingersnap to have alongside. I guess my issue is whether cooking with a bit with sugar will enhance or detract from the flavor. They are tasty "raw" but not mind expanding.

Others ideas welcome.

[minas6907]

Toss with a little chambord, and serve with just a whipped cream.

[heidih]

I am seeing heavy cream as the ideal partner - will be picking some up tomorrow. I think I can put them in a glass jar without washing and they will be good in the fridge for a day. They do smell good and I have had a few out of hand.

[Fernwood]

Wild blackberries grow like crazy in our back yard. The extremely dark color makes it difficult to judge the ripeness by eye though, with experience, one does learn the subtle signs. When ripe they are yummy right off the canes but cooking them brings out a spicy quality that fascinates me.

I'm with Annabelle: If I had just a modest amount, I would probably make a fool. Fern

[Edited for punctuation]

Edited June 3, 2012 by Fernwood (log)

[heidih]

My OCD side showed itself and I could not rest without doing something with the berries. I tossed them in a saucepan, roughly mashed with a potato masher, added a bit of water (should have skipped this step as they were juicy), and added a bit of sugar. Simmered until it felt right - no MC specificity in my world - and poured into a jar. I wonder if all those seeds will release pectin and thicken it a bit. We shall see. I will play with it tomorrow. The color is so incredibly lovely.

[Pierogi]

You're right, Heidi, that color is glorious. How about straining some of that syrup and adding it to a batch of your iced tea?

[minas6907]

Strain it and made some Pate de Fruits

[cookingofjoy]

I really liked this mascarpone-limoncello cream . We used strawberries, currants and black raspberries, but I think any kind of berries could work, and I like blackberries and lemon. And the jam could be used instead of the raspberry preserves.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

For me, the obvious thing to do with that cooked stuff would be to strain out the seeds and pulp, and add neutral gelatine. Then serve cubed blackberry with rich cream or vanilla icecream.

Then again, I'm very fond of simply giving blackberries a whirl in the blender with some sugar, straining the pulp and seeds off, and blending with vanilla yogurt and coconut milk - it's the ultimate smoothie.

[chezcherie]

i've been making blackberry curd recently, to use as a tart filling, or spread on toast. i believe the original recipe was from cooking light?

3 cups blackberries

3/4 c sugar

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons cornstarch

pinch of salt, several grinds fresh black pepper

1 tablespoon butter

place the berries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. cool slightly, then puree in a blender. strain and return to pan. stir the cornstarch into the yolks, incorporating well. over medium heat, whisk the yolk mixture into the puree. simmer 1 minutes. add the salt and pepper, and stir in the butter. when butter is incorporated, transfer to a storage container, pressing plastic wrap onto the surface of the curd and refrigerate.

made a batch yeterday, which i used on a puff pastry/turbinado sugar base, with glorious nectarines, plums, black and blue berries. used the left over whites from the eggs to pipe a meringue border around the edges. purty and tasty.

Edited June 3, 2012 by chezcherie (log)

[YWalker]

We frequently have volunteer blackberry bushes pop up in our back yard. Since I generally try to keep these cleared out, I rarely get a whole lot of berries out of them. I don't like eating them out of hand, and I never have enough to make jam.

My favorite use for them is to throw them in with some fresh peaches to make a peach cobbler. The pairing of the two fruits is wonderful.

[kayb]

I believe I'd have to make a cobbler. Put them in a baking dish of the proper size for them to come up about halfway. Make a pie crust; trim it to fit the top. Take the trimmings, cut into small pieces, and stir gently into the fruit and liquid. Put the top crust on, pierce a few times, brush with a little melted butter, sprinkle some sugar. Bake at 350 until the top is browned.

Serve hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ideally, I like about about as much trimmed crust inside the pie as there is crust on top.

If God made anything better, He kept it for Himself.

[LizD518]

Years and years ago n Newport, RI, the bakery that supplied pastries where I worked did a blackberry-lime muffin that I have never forgotten. I think she used a plain Pillsbury boxed mix that she added fruit and flavorings to - there was a delicious peach one too. I still want to recreate that. May need to go to the farmers market today...

[curls]

There is a blackberry-merlot sauce in Sherry Yard's Secrets of Backing that is wonderful. The book uses the blackberry-merlot sauce as a base for sorbet and pate de fruit. Same book has a recipe for blackberry-lime curd (I haven't made that one yet).

[Jenni]

My favourite thing to do with blackberries is to put them straight in my mouth as I pick them off the brambles! However, my Mum always makes apple and blackberry at some point. This is bramley apples and blackberries cooked together with a bit of sugar. You can put a crumble topping on it too, but often she makes it without.