Blackberries

[pamjsa]

A friend gave me 1 and not-quite-one-half pints of blackberries yesterday evening--someone had given her a bunch of them, and she's not a big berry fan, so rather than let them go to waste she brought them to a church function and let those of us who wanted some split them up. So, I wound up with the aforementioned odd quantity.

Not quite enough for a pie or cobbler (unless I go small, and that would seem to violate the very spirit of pie). I've considered a fruit salad, but blackberries are so dramatic and lovely that I fear they'd be minimized among the other fruits.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[jsolomon]

A small batch of blackberry jam.

Delish.

[lesfen]

Bowl + Berries + Milk + Sugar = Pure Bliss

If they make it past that point, I usually make a compote to put over ice cream or pancakes/waffles.

[carpetbagger, esq.]

blackberry tarts

you could use the recipe here.

personally, i like a two or three berry pie, so I wouldn't be afraid to mix in some blueberries or something.

[phlawless]

you could do a small summer pudding:

-toss berries with sugar to taste, wait till they secrete their juices, season with lemon

or cordial of choice if needed/desired

-line your mold with plastic wrap with a couple of inches hanging over the edge

-cut white bread in pieces so that it completely lines the inside (don't use the crusts),

then saturate with berry liquid

-fill with berries

-top with a 'cap' of bread

-wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours

-serve with anglaise or whipped cream

yummy!

[ludja]

Pretty amazing to have blackberries so early, do you know if are they local?

If you just want to enjoy the berries relatively straight up, I'd probaby just opt to eat them lightly sugarad with heavy cream. A great breakfast or dessert would also be to have them lightly sugared alongside some fromage blanc or some other fresh cheese. If you have a firmer cheese like Farmer's cheese, I'd lighten it up with some heavy cream.

They would be great with this simple cream sauce recipe I deposited in RecipeGullet as well: http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1644.html, alone or with some pound cake or a crisp cookie.

Three cups of berries is enough to also make a quart of blackberry ice cream.

edited to add: I guess all my suggestions include CREAM. (I love berries and cream). They would also go great lightly sugared and alongside a panna cotta...

Edited May 11, 2006 by ludja (log)

[forever_young_ca]

One of the best pies in the world is peach/blackberry. I don't know if edibile peaches are available where you live, but this is a heavenly combination.

I use the receipe in the Joy of Cooking for fresh berry pie - it thickens with tapioca. I used slighlty more peaches than blackberries, as I find the peaches cut the blackberry seediness.

Enjoy.

[petite tête de chou]

Lots of ideas to help you out...

Blackberry Sauce, Need help for roast pork loin

Blackberries, matches with what?

Blackberries!

[pamjsa]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I think I might go with a small tart, or perhaps the peach-blackberry pie (sounds heavenly, and the colors will be lovely together.)

Ludja, yes, the berries are locally grown. I was surprised to see blackberries this early, too--where I grew up, in the Pacific northwest, they were always a late summer treat. But these are fully ripe, and absolutely delish.

Thanks again, everyone.

[goldie]

Save back a few and toss them into a glas of champagne-yum. We have a bush in the backyard and munch the warm berries while drinking the cold champagne.

Also, make some shortcakes or biscuits and top with marscapone and blackberries sprinkled with a little sugar.

I also like to toss them into a regular chess pie.

[ludja]

Save back a few and toss them into a glas of champagne-yum.  We have a bush in the backyard and munch the warm berries while drinking the cold champagne.

Also, make some shortcakes or biscuits and top with marscapone and blackberries sprinkled with a little sugar.

I also like to toss them into a regular chess pie.

←

Yum, those all sound like great suggestions. I don't know why don't remember to use them for shortcakes. The mascarpone is a good idea too; I like making shortcakes with creme fraiche also, as a filling.

[merstar]

Blackberry ice cream!

[MissAmy]

I've made a citrus brulee pie, and use blackberry coulis and fresh blackberries as garnish. They go really well with citrus, so if you don't have a lot of them, you might want to make a citrus tart of some kind and use them as the garnish/flavor enhancer.

You could also get a few more other kinds of berries and do a mixed berry cobbler. Always good.

[emilyr]

I just wanted to bump this in anticipation of the roughly 1 billion tons ( ) of the berries my local (secret) patch is getting ready to produce.

My first couple pints have gone onto shortcakes, macerated for ice cream (with orange and cinnamon) and tossed onto salads. I'm particularly interested in any savory recipes you might have. Someone mentioned a barbeque sauce, and I may try that this weekend.

I bumped a thread in the baking fourm, too, so this one is more for savory dishes.

Thanks in advance!

Edited June 30, 2006 by emilyr (log)

[petite tête de chou]

I just wanted to bump this in anticipation of the roughly 1 billion tons (    ) of the berries my local (secret) patch is getting ready to produce. 

My first couple pints have gone onto shortcakes, macerated for ice cream (with orange and cinnamon) and tossed onto salads. I'm particularly interested in any savory recipes you might have. Someone mentioned a barbeque sauce, and I may try that this weekend.

I bumped a thread in the baking fourm, too, so this one is more for savory dishes.

Thanks in advance!

←

Hi emilyr. I was the one who mentioned the bbq sauce.

Either in a steamer or in a pan with a bit of water in the bottom, steam three cups of hulled blackberries until soft. Mash and strain seeds from berries. To this puree add 1-2 cups of sugar (depends on how sweet your berries are and how sweet you like your bbq sauce), 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1 tsp. mustard seeds (I often leave these out since I don't always have them), 1 T. yellow mustard, 1/2 tsp. dry mustard, 1-2 T. worchestershire sauce, 1/2 T. salt (more or less), 1 cup of uncooked, hulled blackberries, 1/2 minced onion, a couple cloves of minced garlic and a large pinch of brown sugar. Simmer on low, stirring often for about an hour or more until it's nice and thick. It will become even thicker once it cools so don't over-reduce it. Thin with a bit of water if it gets too thick. Optionals- 1-2 minced jalapenos or other fresh chili, 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke, splash of ketchup or a few pats of butter.

This sauce can be used to glaze chicken, pork or meatballs.

[Anna N]

I recently ran across a recipe for duck breasts with blackberry sauce which really set my taste buds atingling. If you are interested, I will try to locate it in the mess in my corner.