Email
The coincidence of our late-summer berries and the start of the game season is one of nature's kindnesses, because the two make a joyful combination. Native wild fruits such as blackberries and whimberries are now out in abundance, and once you get home from a foraging trip (or Tesco), there are plenty of simple options for enjoying your booty: put a load of washed berries in some gin or vodka, say, wait a couple of weeks, then drink. Or serve fresh berries with a soft, crumbly goat's cheese and oatcakes. To turn your berries into jam, weigh the washed, picked fruit and add 90g of jam sugar for every 100g of fruit – cook slowly over a low heat until thick and sticky, then store in sterilised jars. This week's recipes offer a few slightly more involved ways with berries – the fruit involved is essentially interchangeable, so if you have lots of one sort of berry rather than another, any of these should work.
Sadly, this is my final column for Weekend. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have – it's been a blast.
Blackberry sauce for roast birds
This sauce goes well with duck, goose, mallard or grouse – in other words, birds with darker, gamier flesh. When you roast the bird, perch it on top of chopped carrots and celery, and deglaze the roasting pan afterwards with a cupful of water or red wine, so you have plenty of flavoursome roasting juices to play with. You can also make the sauce with raspberries (in which case use whisky instead of brandy) or blackcurrants (use crème de cassis). The sauce works well with other game, too, for instance hare or venison, especially if made with gorgeously tart blackcurrants. Makes enough to serve four to six.
300g blackberries
5g caster sugar
50g water
100g red-wine vinegar
50g brandy
The roasting juices from the birds
250ml stock (game stock, ideally, but chicken will do)
75g butter, cubed
Put the fruit and sugar in a saucepan with a splash of water, cook over a low heat until softened, then push through a sieve into another pan. Add the vinegar, brandy, juices and stock to the puree and reduce, stirring all the while, until thick and flavoursome. Whisk in the butter, check the balance of seasoning and acidity, and serve.
Fruit butter
A fruit butter is a fruit paste with a slightly softer set than a fruit cheese, of which membrillo is probably the best known. It's the way to go with soft fruits with low levels of pectin, because a firm set requires cooking for such a long time that the fruit invariably catches. Fruit butter keeps for an age in a sterilised pot and can be used as a garnish for a cheese board, with cold roast meats or with roast duck, game birds or venison.
1kg berries, washed and picked over
150ml water
Caster sugar
Put the fruit and water in a heavy-based saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring often, until the fruit is softened. Push through a fine-mesh sieve, then weigh the pulp. Tip back into the pan, add 90g of caster sugar for every 100g of pulp, then put on a low heat. It now needs to cook at a low heat for several hours, until thick and jammy – as it nears the end, the mix will need a lot of stirring, to prevent it catching (it's an idea to wrap your arm in a tea towel for this final stage, because the mix is prone to splutter). Test for doneness by putting a small dollop on a fridge-cold saucer, leave for a minute, then prod with a finger – if it wrinkles, it's ready. Transfer to sterile jars or plastic containers, seal and store.
Whimberry pudding
Mary-Ellen McTague's whimberry pudding: 'The anise really enriches the berry flavour.' Photograph: Colin Campbell for the Guardian. Food styling: Claire Ptak
Whimberries (aka bilberries, whinberries etc) are very labour-intensive to pick, so it's rare to find these native cousins of the blueberry in the shops. Luckily for me, the moors and hillsides around Bury are covered with them at this time of year, so we just pop out to pick up enough to make this lovely pudding. The anise really enriches the berry flavour. The sponge involves a bit more faff than usual, but it has a lovely, buttery flavour and airy texture. We use it as the base for trifle at the restaurant; it also works well with just a few fresh raspberries and whipped cream, and is excellent with today's raspberry and balsamic fool. Serves four to six.
250g whimberries (or blueberries)
20g sugar
20g water
1 star anise
140g eggs
125g sugar
125g unsalted butter
225g ground almonds
15g flour (gluten-free works fine)
Put the berries, sugar, water and star anise in a saucepan and cook over a low heat until thick but not quite jammy in consistency. Remove the star anise and set aside to cool.
In a stand mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar at top speed for 10-15 minutes, until quadrupled in volume. While the eggs and sugar are doing their thing, melt the butter, then leave to cool so that it is liquid but not hot. When the egg mix is ready, keep whisking and add the butter in a steady stream. As soon as all the butter is added, turn off the mixer, so you don't knock out all the air.
Mix the almonds and flour, then fold into the batter a bit at a time, taking care to lose as little volume as possible: the best way to do this is to sprinkle a layer of dry ingredients over the surface, gently turn some of the batter over the top, and repeat until everything's incorporated.
Heat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2. Line a pie dish or baking tray with greased baking parchment. Spread the berry mixture over the bottom of the dish, and top with the sponge. Bake for 60 minutes, turning the dish halfway through, then remove and leave to cool slightly. Loosen the edges of the sponge with a palette knife, place a plate on top of the pudding, then flip over and turn out. Serve warm or cold with creme fraiche, mascarpone or whipped cream.
Raspberry and balsamic fool
A lovely quick-to-knock-together dessert: the mellow richness of the balsamic vinegar balances the sharp fruit flavour. If you have a lot of raspberries to use up, you can also make this in large batches and freeze. Serves four.
200g raspberries
45g sugar
200g double cream
50g good-quality balsamic vinegar
Crush the raspberries and sugar in a bowl, then rub through a sieve to remove seeds (or don't, if you can't be arsed – I rarely bother at home). Whip the cream to soft peaks – ie, so it's still loose enough to drop off a spoon (if you whip it too firmly, the acidity from the raspberries and vinegar will split the cream). Fold the raspberries and vinegar into the cream, then transfer to serving glasses (or freeze in a plastic tub to use as a semifreddo). Serve with the almond sponge from the previous recipe, or with shortbread biscuits.
• Mary-Ellen McTague is chef-owner of Aumbry in Prestwich, Manchester. Her new venture, 4244 Edge Street, opens in the city's Northern Quarter on 23 September.
;