Been Picking Blackberries? Some Recipes and Ideas for You!

These delicious ideas for blackberries work just as well, of course, if you bought the berries from the supermarket but it is so satisfying (and free) to forage for them yourself!

We live in Cornwall (lucky us!) and the blackberries are ready to pick here towards the end of August but, of course they also finish earlier than up country. The important thing to remember is that, according to Cornish legend, the Devil spits on any berries that have not been picked by the end of the 10th of October. This probably applies to the whole of Britain and is worth beating in mind!

See here for lots more useful info on foraging for blackberries.

We recently discovered a lovely footpath not far from our home with all sorts of interesting old waterwheels and other abandoned buildings hidden away amongst the somewhat industrial landscape of clay country, where we live.

We’ve been back several times just to walk and explore but particularly now while the blackberries are ready for picking, all clean and undisturbed being far from the road. I have really stocked up.  Now what shall I do with them? 

Blackberry and Apple Thing obviously!

Could be a crumble, a pie, a cobbler or, as we had just now a sponge pudding.  For 4 people put 750g fruit (in this case sliced apples with stemmed and washed blackberries) in an ovenproof dish.  Add the appropriate topping and bake.

Crumble Recipe

240g plain flour
160g cold butter or margarine
120g sugar

~   Preheat oven to 180ºC/350°F/160ºC fan/gas 4.
~   Rub in the flour and butter till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
~   Stir in the sugar.
~   Put peeled and sliced apples and some blackberries in a pie dish.
~   Sprinkle over the crumble mix.
~   Bake till the fruit is hot (and cooked, if using raw) and the crumble is golden.

Cobbler  Recipe

So called, apparently, because the scone dough resembles a cobbled street!

225g self-raising flour 
a pinch of salt
60g cold butter or margarine
25g caster sugar
100ml milk

~   Stir together the flour, salt and baking powder.
~   Add the butter or margarine and “rub in” with your fingers until a breadcrumb texture is achieved.
~   Stir in the sugar once you have finished rubbing in; if you add it earlier it’s uncomfortable on the hands although, of course, it does exfoliate.
~   Add the milk and mix in, by hand is easiest, add a little more milk if too dry or a little more flour if too wet – work just enough to form a soft dough.
~   Either form into rough dollops or on a floured surface press or roll the dough out to about ½” thick and cut into rounds.
~ Lay the pieces of dough on top of the fruit and bake till risen and golden and wonderful. 

This picture shows an apple and raspberry cobbler I made whilst wiring The Secret Life of Scones which gives an amazing range of delicious things that can be made with this dough.

Sponge Recipe

75g soft butter
100g caster sugar
100g self-raising flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten with ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp boiling water

~   Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350°F/160ºC fan/gas 4.
~   Cream together the butter and sugar till light in both senses; pale and fluffy.
~   Briskly stir in the egg mixture plus 1 tbsp of the flour (this helps prevent curdling).
~   Fold in the rest of the flour and then the boiling water at the last minute.
~   Spread lightly on top of the fruit and bake till it is risen and golden and bounces back when (if) you poke it – about 40 minutes.

Or …

Blackberry and Apple Pie

Just stick some pastry on top and bake it!

Serve all these darlings hot with custard or cold with cream, clotted cream or ice cream.

Blackberry Pancakes

See here for how to make pancakes without even having to buy the mix!

Make the Thick Fluffy American Style Pancakes and sprinkle blackberries onto surface of the pancake just after pouring and then drizzle over a little more batter. This protects the fruit from the harsh heat of the pan when you flip it.

Blackberry Mess

I mean this in a nice way – a great autumnal variation on the Eton variety. Simply fold crushed meringues and blackberries into whipped cream plus an optional drip of vanilla extract.

Blackberry Coulis

It is said that the word “coulis” either referred to ‘the juices that flow from meat when cooking’ or that it came from the Latin verb to strain. These days, however, it is just a posh word for a cooked fruit purée. 

fresh blackberries (de-stalked and washed)
sugar (approximately half the weight of the fruit)

~   Put the prepared blackberries in a small saucepan.
~   Add the sugar.
~   Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat giving the berries a helpful squash now and then.
~   When the fruit is soft and collapsed strain through a fine nylon sieve pushing on the debris to extract as much coulis as poss.
~   Cool, cover and chill till needed.

Drizzle on ice cream, top with fizzy water for a different sort of cordial …

… or make ice cream.

Blackberry and Clotted Cream Ripple

I use the clotted cream ice cream recipe from my ice cream book because these being Cornish blackberries, it felt appropriate.  See Luscious Ice Cream without a Machine for 100+ ices based on this one simple recipe.

suddenlunch.com/cookbooks/ice-creams-without-a-machine/↗

250ml clotted cream
250ml single cream
200g condensed milk
150ml blackberry coulis

~   Slowly whisk together the two creams till merged and then up the speed and whisk till thick.
~   Fold in the condensed milk.
~   Decant the mixture in a shallow container and drizzle over cold blackberry coulis in a figure of 8 or any other enthusiastic swirly shape.
~   Stir it through just once or twice making sure to do a large expansive sort of stir down to the bottom and out to the sides of the ice cream. 
~   Freeze.

This is a little hard when it comes out of the freezer but quickly softens. When the ice cream is served the cutting, scooping and spooning will cause it to ripple further.

Speaking of Clotted Cream – blackberry jam is very acceptable instead of strawberry but, of course, jam first is imperative.

Blackberry and Apple Vodka

This is an experiment. I really don’t like gin except when it is sloe gin which I have made plenty of over the years.  Last year I also made a batch of blackberry gin and it too is delectable. This year I am going to make blackberry and apple vodka – it should work. This is what I am doing …

300g blackberries
1 peeled, cored and coarsely chopped apple
300g sugar
1 ltr vodka

~   Put all the fruit into a large sterilised jar – a Kilner or similar.
~   Add the sugar and the gin.
~   Seal tightly.
~   Put in a cool, dark place and give it a viddy sherrek (Cornish for good shake) every day until you can discern that the sugar has completely dissolved.
~   Leave it alone for as long as you can – a few months at least, but the longer it sits the better it is and we are talking years here.

This is the blackberry gin that I made last year – if you look carefully you will see I took the trouble to store it in a bottle with blackberries on it! It.

Oh, and if you have started a Rumpot you could add some blackberries to that too.

Bramble Jelly

Makes 4 x 370g jars.

1100g fresh, (or frozen) clean blackberries – rinse them well in cold water
960g sugar (with pectin, if possible)
45ml lemon juice

~ Place a saucer in the fridge!
~ Mix together the berries, sugar and lemon in a saucepan and place over low heat.
~ Cook gently (there must be no simmering) till the sugar has dissolved.
~ Place a nylon seive over a deep bowl and pour in the fruit and juices.
~ With a wooden spoon or similar push and work the fruit and juices through the strainer,
into the bowl.
~ Discard the seeds and return the fruit juices to the pan.
~ Bring to the boil and boil for 90 seconds. If you have a sugar thermometer you are aiming
for 150°C/300°F.
~ Test to see that the jelly is ready by placing a teaspoonful on the chilled saucer. If, when you
nudge it, the surface is tacky and crinckly the jelly is ready. If not boil a little more.
~ Pour into hot, sterilised jars – see below.

How to Sterilise Jars

~ Preheat oven to
~ Wash and rinse the jars thoroughly.
~ Place them upside down on a baking tray, together with their lids, and put in the oven for
15 minutes.
~ As soon as they are out of the oven pour in the hot jam and put on the hot lids

More Ideas for Blackberries ..

~ Blackberry Butter using the recipe for Crushed Berry Butter here
~ Blackberry Syrup
~ Blackberry Vinegar by varying this Raspberry Vinegar recipe appropriately
~ Blackberry or Blackberry and Apple Fool

Freezing Blackberries

If you can’t decide what to do or, like me, have loads of blackberries you’ll be pleased to know they freeze very well and, as they do decline in the fridge, I’d do this as soon as possible with those you are not using immediately.

Simply spread the berries in a single layer on a tray and freeze, then transfer them to an airtight container. We tend to pick loads of blackerries and I then freeze them in individual 500g ish portions for our crumbles, pies, cobblers and sponges till next picking season.

One nice idea is to freeze some in ice cubes for pretty drinkipoos later or, alternatively, just drop frozen blackberries into your drink to chill and flavour it.

Incidentally if you have a lot of apples too there is loads of info here.

More ideas for blackberries, apples and for 450 or so other possible gluts or leftovers in my book, Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers.

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