RECIPE
Autumnblackberry
treat
By Sue Bradley
Leaves are turning brown, nights are drawing
in - and hedgerows are dripping with glorious,
juicy blackberries.Sue Bradley shares one of
her favourite ways of enjoying this delicious,
free autumn treat.
LACKBERRYpicking
is one of my mostB
abiding childhood
memories of the autumn. My
mum, grandmother,sister and I would set
out straight after breakfast on dewy
September Saturday mornings,armed
with big baskets and crooked walking
sticks with which we would hook down
the taller branches that we knew would Blackberry
yield the biggest, sweetest fruits.
There would be lots of chatter as we’d & Raspberry Ingredients
make our way along lanes and footpaths
to get to the hedges containing the finest Egg Custard 225g (8oz) plain flour
blackberries.Once picking began, 125g (4oz) unsalted butter
however,ahush would fall over the task Tart Pinch of salt
in hand - punctuated only by calls for 200g (7oz) caster sugar
help to release jumpers snarled by 1 egg yolk
unrelenting thorns. 2 X 15ml (2 tablespoons) cold water
When everyone’s basket was full we’d 450g (1lb) blackberries
trudge home with purple fingers and 450g (1lb) raspberries
pounds of plump fruit destined, more 3 eggsRecipe by
often than not, for a batch of blackberry 1 X 15ml (1 tablespoon) cornflourSue Bradley
and apple jelly.Later juice from the 250 ml (1/2 pint) single cream
stewed fruit would drip into a bowl from
Picture bya big,purple muslin sack suspended from Method
Mark Watkinsa beam in mum’s kitchen. It would stay Make pastry base by sieving flour and salt into
there, like a big purple pregnant belly, a bowl and rubbing in butter until the mixture
until gravity had caused every last looks like bread crumbs.
delicious drop of liquid to fall. Stir in 25g (1oz) caster sugar.Mix the yolk with
Blackberries have long been prized for the cold water and stir into the flour mixture.
their nutritional qualities and it wasn’t so Bring mixture together into a firm dough,
long ago that country folk were paid to adding more water if needed. Chill for 30
pick the fruit to provide war weary minutes.Roll out pastry and line a 25cm (10inch)
Londoners with a much-needed source of flan tin. Chill again and then bake blind at 200˚C
vitamin C. or Gas Mark 6 for 10 to 15 minutes.Remove
With the arrival of autumn, I’m looking baking beans and bake for a further five minutes
forward to picking late-fruiting until pastry is lightly cooked through.
raspberries on the allotment to combine Fill pastry case with blackberries and
with wild blackberries in this old- raspberries.Sprinkle with 125g (4oz) caster sugar.
fashioned egg custard tart. If you haven’t Beat eggs,remaining sugar and cornflour
got raspberries growing in the garden, together and stir in cream. Pour over fruit and
most supermarkets stock packets of bake in centre of oven pre-heated to 180˚C or
frozen ones. Gas Mark 4 for 35 to 40 minutes,or until the
custard is set. Serve hot or warm, with cream.
34 COTSWOLDESSENCE September - November 2008 Inspiring life in the Cotswolds
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