Blackberry Archives - Gimme The Recipe - You came for the food now stay for the romance!

My all-time favourite simple dessert is fresh fruit and Irish Dairy cream. Simple. Add one more step of crushing up some shop-bought meringue nests and you can elevate it to something that looks quite classy despite the name ‘mess.’ Based on Eton Mess here I’m using stewed fruit – Blackberry and Apple, but you can use whatever fruits you have – stewed rhubarb for example would work equally well or just some apple on its own.

To be as visually appealing as possible serve this in nice sparkling glasses and layer up whatever way you choose.

I came across these meringue nests in SuperValu today made by ‘The Tipperary Kitchen‘ and there are 2 ingredients : Irish Free Range Egg whites from O’Egg and Caster Sugar. I love discovering great Irish Food Products.

Blackberry & Apple Mess:
You will need:
6 meringue nests
350g stewed blackberry, apple & sugar (50g) cooled
280ml double cream (approx. carton sizes vary)
Method:
Roughly crush the meringue nests and set aside.
Whip the cream until holding soft peaks.
Spoon a little of the stewed fruit in the base of a glass and top with a layer of crushed meringue.
Mix the remaining stewed fruit (reserve 1 tbsp for later) with the whipped cream and then stir through the remaining crushed meringue (reserve a little crushed meringue dust for decorating).
Spoon the creamy mixture on top of the fruit and meringue layered in the glasses.
Top with a little fruit and a blackberry and then sprinkle with meringue dust.
Enjoy!
‘Til next time, Sheila.
p.s. A final shout out for your Vote for Irish Blog Awards please – vote for Gimme The Recipe to reach to Irish Blog Awards 2015 Finals -voting closes tomorrow 21st September – fingers crossed!

September is probably my favourite month of the year and not just because it is when my birthday falls. It’s the beginning of the new school year, a time when many people decide to take courses, a time to buy a new notebook and write out a plan. The days are still bright and it is a time of abundant harvest. Hedgerows are heaving now and it’s the last chance to forage and gather juicy, ripe blackberries.

For a number of years my husband has become a seasonal blackberry and apple jam maker. The berries are picked by his Uncle Paddy and stored for collection by his mother Kitty. He called to her a couple of days ago and indulged in her delicious blackberry pie before collecting his blackberries for jam making.

Kitty's Blackberry Pie — Kitty’s Blackberry Pie

Blackberries are rinsed and joined by chopped up cooking apple and caster sugar in a large saucepan where they simmer and bubble together merrily until he decides it is time. Jars of every shape and size are gathered and sterilized and he then proudly dispenses his jam. How lovely to see these richly filled jars lined up and glistening like the deepest jewels.

The jam will be used as a straightforward jam of course but we will also use it bulked up with more apple to make pies and crumbles. I couldn’t wait to test it out and today I used it to make this deliciously moist Blackberry & Apple Loaf Cake. It cuts beautifully and is perfect with a cup of tea… and while you’re waiting for the tea to brew you could vote for Gimme The Recipe to reach to Irish Blog Awards 2015 Finals – go on, go on, go on, go on, go on.

The vibrancy of the mixture is so beautiful it’s almost a shame to cook it.

I hope your September is going well for you and that you’ll get to enjoy all that Autumn’s harvests have to offer.

Blackberry & Apple Loaf Cake

You will need:
75g unsalted butter plus extra to grease loaf tin
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
250g self-raising flour
1 jar (350g approx.) thick-set blackberry & apple jam
Method:
Preheat a fan oven to 180C
Grease a loaf tin with butter and line the base with a long piece of baking paper.
Cream together the butter and caster sugar with an electric mixer.
Then beat in half the beaten egg and half the flour followed by the remaining egg and flour.
The mixture is quite heavy and thick so use a wooden spoon to stir in the blackberry & apple jam until evenly distributed.
Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the hot oven for 40 minutes.
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and to cool fully (if you can wait) until cutting as it will cut better.
Enjoy!
‘Til next time, Sheila.