At this time of the year, countrywide, the hedgerows are sparkling with free autumnal berries. Sloes, rosehips and elderberries are all making an appearance, but it’s the bountiful blackberry that takes centre stage for most foragers. This autumn there seems to be an abundance of berries free for the picking. Rich in antioxidants and packed with vitamin C, these luscious berries are best eaten straight from the bush. They do, nonetheless, make the juiciest of fillings for tarts, pies and crumbles. 

Some evenings there is neither the time nor the need for indulging in puddings, so on that particular evening, where a good bounty of blackberries have been retrieved, I take the opportunity to make my annual Blackberry Brandy. As sophisticated as it may sound it is incredibly easy to make. Freshly picked blackberries, sugar, brandy and ideally a kilner jar are all that is needed to create this deliciously fruity liqueur. However, you do need a little patience, as it will be a number of weeks before you get to sample a sip of this tipple. When made in mid-autumn, this blackberry brandy will be ready just in time to serve at a Christmas feast. It can be drank with just ice, included in a cocktail mixture {I would love some suggestions, on this one} or used as a rather impressive pudding ingredient. After straining the brandy an added bonus are the beautifully preserved blackberries, which are perfect to be used in a Christmas pudding mixture or simply served over pancakes with a dollop of yogurt, as a very grown up breakfast treat.

Blackberry Brandy

Ingredients

250g blackberries

125g caster sugar

400mls brandy

Method

1. Sterilise a medium sized kilner jar or a large, wide-necked jar.

2. Very carefully wash the blackberries, then dry them using a paper towel.

3.Place the blackberries in the jar and top with the sugar. Pour over most of the brandy. 

4. Close the lid and gently shake the jar, helping the sugar to dissolve and topping up with the brandy as it sinks into the berries.

5. Place the jar in a cool, dark place and take it out daily, for the first 2 weeks, to give it a little shake. After this, just give it a shake once a week for 6 weeks. The blackberry brandy can then be left at the back of a dark press for another few weeks.

6. When ready to use, strain the brandy, using a muslin-lined sieve, into another sterilised bottle or jar and reserve the berries, which can be used as part of a dessert or popped into a glass as a tasty addition to a blackberry based cocktail. The strained blackberry brandy can be kept in a cool, dark place for at least a year.

The month of September has slipped away without me barely noticing. I'm a lover of lists and each evening I jot down the intended work, be it columns or photographs, for the next day. The pleasure that comes from ticking off completed jobs seems to never lack satisfaction; please tell me that you are all like this, or is it a case that I need to get out more?  However, for the past few weeks I've been unable to happily tick all the boxes each evening, as I have been unbelievably busy. Columns, recipes, photographs, radio interviews and cookery demos have proved September to be my busiest month since the release of the book. Naturally for someone like myself, who relies on freelance work, this most certainly is a good thing. 

I try to have the bulk of my day's work completed once the children arrive in from school, apart from an odd photo or email. With each new school year it appears that the homework has doubled, so most evening's are consumed with grammar, maths, spellings and the odd disagreement or two. I was never much of a homework-fan and as the years have passed this hasn't changed. Over the past few weeks, on any evenings which were dry, as soon as homework was complete,the children and I would each grab a basket and take to the fields to forage for berries, nuts and anything pretty we could get our hands on. It turns out that that evening walk really clears the head and works wonders as a stress buster for all of us.

Blackberry & Apple Cobbler 

I love foraging for autumn treasures. From what we've already collected we've been making jam and pies aplenty, but I'm also filling my freezer with small batches of berries for the making of autumn pies right through the winter. Blackberry season is almost coming to an end, so take the opportunity, this weekend, to enjoy a country walk and hopefully you'll pick enough berries, and maybe a few apples, to make this rather tasty cobbler.

Ingredients

1 large cooking apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

200g blackberries

75g caster sugar

Cake Batter

110g butter

110g caster sugar

175g self-raising flour

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

1 teasp vanilla extract

1tbsp oats

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas 6. Grease a medium sized casserole dish, with a little butter.

2. Line the bottom of the casserole dish with the apple slices and blackberries. Sprinkle over the 75g of sugar.

4. In a food processor or mixer add all of the batter ingredients, apart from the oats, and mix for a few minutes, until well combined.

5. Spoon the cake batter evenly over the apple and blackberries. Smooth over with a knife and sprinkle over the oats.

6. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes, until the pudding has risen, is golden in colour and cooked through. Serve hot or cold with custard, cream or vanilla ice-cream.

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In Other News

I'm absolutely delighted to announce that Nessa's Family Kitchen has made it into the final of The Irish Blog Awards. I'd like to whole-heartily thank those who voted for my blog. The other blogs in my category are ones which I read and respect, so to be included in such a line-up is an honour.

Autumn most certainly has made its presence known, as there is a little bite in the air and the evenings are drawing darker. I love this time of year, as once the rain is at bay, there are endless opportunities to forage in our surrounding hedgerows. I'm not sure if I have ever collected more blackberries than I did in the past fortnight, but my freezer is now well packed for winter crumbles, pies and jams. It has also been a wonderful year for apples. Upon collecting a few baskets full of juicy apples I declared that I was going to try my hand at cider-making. As my brother-in-law, John, has made some wine in the past he has agreed to help with this process. So with any luck I will be featuring recipes with lovely home-made cider in the near future.

Last week we welcomed a new member into our 'backyard family'. A beautiful little chick, whom we've yet to name. Even as a day old chick he was mimicking his mother's actions. Isn't nature just incredible?

It seems like since the children have returned to school I've been trying to catch up on my writing and photography work, but I will post a new recipe here very soon. It will most probably feature either blackberries or apples.

In Other News

The lovely Rosanne Hewitt - Cromwell, otherwise known as Like Mam Used To Bake, is launching her beautiful new book...'Like Mam Used To Bake' next Tuesday in Dubray Books on Grafton St. I'm truly honoured that Rosanne has asked me to say a few words on the evening. I can't wait to have a read of the book and I'm really looking forward to celebrating this special evening with Rosanne and her family and friends. 

Blog Give-Away Winner.

Thank you to all who entered my latest give-away. All names were popped in the hat and the winner is ..

 myfoododyssey.com said...

Hey Nessa. Sounds delish! I'm signed up to your blog and I'm sure I've gotten emails before, but I didn't get one for this post. Not sure if there's a ghost in the machine somewhere! June.

September 12, 2013 at 8:52 PM

June, could you please drop me an email with your postal address.Thank you!

This summer there are so many amazing food festivals cropping up all around the country. A few weeks ago I got the opportunity to demonstrate at one in Cloughjordan in Co. Tipperary. A food festival which was very much focusing on local food producers. There wasn't only food stands and cookery demonstrations but also butter making, butchering demonstrations, organic food debates and so much more. Previous to this I was forwarded a list of the participating producers and in turn I devised the recipes I would demonstrate incorporating as many of these foods as possible.
At the festival I got the chance to visit each of the food stalls, sampling their produce and chatting with those responsible for bringing many delicious goods to our kitchen tables. Instantly it was apparent that these hard working producers held a real passion and belief for their product. Each displaying such a genuine entuasism for good food that it was incredible. Many had found their passion for artisan food production merely by chance. What initially started as a way to make a little extra cash over time would  become so much more than a job, a devotion to deliver something to the public that they truly believe in.
I certainly appreciate the time and effort that goes with making produce to sell at markets etc as I have made jams, chutneys and baked goods to sell at my classes. As a consumer there are just so many benefits to choosing a hand made Irish product in place of a cheaper supermarket alternative with the quality and taste of home-made products generally being superior to the mass produced substitute. Most importantly when you choose to buy one of these products you are supporting an Irish company and in turn you are helping to keep jobs in Ireland, encouraging a brighter future in the agriculture and food sector. So when at all possible we should try to shop local.
Here is the recipe for one of the dishes I demonstrated at Totally Tipperary. It's a Summer Berry Crumble which makes perfect use of the beautiful Irish fruit that is on sale countrywide. Any combination of berries is perfect but if you wanted to substitute the berries in the crumble it would also work well with rhubarb or apples. Enjoy!

Summer Berry Crumble


 Ingredients

125g (5oz) caster sugar

250ml (9fl oz) red wine

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 whole star anise(optional)

Squeeze of lemon juice

450g (1lb) fruit -125g gooseberries 

                                  125g raspberries

                                  125g strawberries

                                  125g blueberries

Crumble

75g (3oz) butter

150g plain flour

75g (3oz) soft brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

50g (2oz) sunflower seeds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. To prepare the fruit, place the sugar in a heavy-based pan with the red wine, vanilla extract, star anise (optional), and lemon juice.

2. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened and syrup-like.

3. Stir in the fruit and then remove from the heat and leave to cool.

4. To make the crumble, place the flour in a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon and sunflower seeds until well combined.

5. Spoon in the berry mixture into four individual ovenproof dishes or large ramekins. Sprinkle over the crumble mixture and arrange on a baking sheet, then bake for about 20 minutes, until the crumble topping is golden brown and bubbling around the edges.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

This article was published in The Westmeath Independent on  6th July 2011.
Photos & styling by Nessa Robins.

It is now high season for blackberries. Hedgerows and clumps of briars are laden down with these delicious berries. As with most fruit this year the crop is plentiful. Generally, I would transform blackberries into a jam but since I haven't yet recovered from my 'jam making marathon' in June I opted to turn these beautiful berries into a coulis.

Blackberry picking is a tradition in our house that the children really look forward to, however, beware it is difficult to retrieve the berries without getting a few thorns.

Blackberry Coulis

Blackberry Coulis is a wonderfully versatile fruity sauce, which is perfect for a wide variety of desserts. I stirred some through my basic bun mixture which made them quite moist.
The coulis will be perfect in the fridge for 3-4 days, but it also freezes extremely well  and should last for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Ingredients 
Makes about 150ml/¼ pint

250g blackberries
50g caster sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract

Method
1. Put the blackberries and sugar into a small pan with 100ml/31⁄2fl oz water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 mins until the fruit is soft. Stir in the vanilla, remove and cool a little.
2. Tip the contents of the pan into a blender or food processor, and whizz to a purée, then strain through a sieve, rubbing it through with the back of a ladle or spoon. Serve warm or chilled.
3. Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.