Here are a few recipes (and puns) on some of the most tastiest berries found in the market this season
Executive Chef G. Muthu kumar, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre I love you berry much and you’re berry awesome. We’ve run out of puns for berries, but what you won’t run out of this season are just that... berries!
Winter can be quite a trouble if you’re not a fan of the chill in the air, but there is always something amazing about this season. And since berries are found in abundance now, why not make the most of it
Strawberries, mulberries, rasberries, blueberries... the list seems endless and the recipes are yes simply fantastic. But what is more fascinating about these simple fruits is that they are not just interesting to cook but the fact that they come packed with so many nutrients.
For me, the idea of a strawberry was completely different until I happened to taste it. From the looks of the fruit, I never expected that it would have this sweet and tangy flavour to it... and I’ll tell you, this innocent looking fruit will always keep you on your toes while cooking.
Unlike other fruits, there is no way to judge a strawberry until we get to taste it and so it becomes very important to adjust the sugar content and the other ingredients based on how the fruit tastes, that is a huge challenge!
Mulberries, on the other hand, (found abundantly in Hyderabad, I just realised) are as sweet as they look. Their subtle sweet undertones make the berry a delight to work with and it complements a lot of desserts!
And this is why I chose these two berries and have created three simple recipes that will be a hit at any party that you host!
Winter brings with it many miseries, but I’m pretty sure that these berries are not one of them!
Strawberry mascarpone stracciatella
Ingredients For Mascarpone cream 3 egg yolks 100 gm castor sugar 1 vanilla pod 250 gm whipped double cream 250 gm
Mascarpone cheese 250 gm chocolate (finely scraped or made into thin sheets) 250 gm fresh strawberries cut into halves
Method For mascarpone cream Whip the egg yolks, 50 gm castor sugar and vanilla pod (keep a bit of the vanilla scraping from the pod for the macerated strawberries) on a double boiler. Remove from the heat, let it cool and add the mascarpone cheese and mix well. Add whipped cream and fold carefully.
For macerated strawberries Mix sugar, strawberry halves, vanilla bean scrapping and macerate for 30 minutes. Use your imagination to assemble this simple yet flavourful dessert. This (above) is one way you can present.
Strawberry Cobbler
Ingredients 100 gm fresh strawberry 100 gm flour 2 gm baking powder 100 gm castor sugar 2 eggs 100 gm + some for greasing butter
Method For the cobbler: Pre-heat the oven to 1800C. Meanwhile, butter a ceramic bowl, spread the halved strawberries in it and set aside. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and castor sugar. Add the eggs, softened butter and mix till crumbly and till all the ingredients are incorporated. Spread this over the strawberries. Top with remaining halves of strawberries. Bake until the top is golden and the mixture is bubbling. Remove from the oven, it can be served warm or at room temperature. It goes well with vanilla ice cream.
Blanc mange with mulberries
Ingredients 100 gm blanched deskinned almonds 250 ml milk 125 gm castor sugar 3 gelatine sheets 300 ml double cream 100 gm mulberries
Method Make a fine powder of almonds and set aside. Meanwhile, let the milk simmer on low heat then add almond powder, let it boil till it is combined well, then add castor sugar and let it dissolve in mixture.
Strain through a muslin, reserve almond sediments for later use. Bloom the gelatine sheet and add it to the strained mixture. Meanwhile, whip cream and fold it in. Set in a mould or glass, serve chilled and top with fresh mulberries.
