Raspberry Delight

You could put them in muffins, in your cocktails, in a sauce for your pancake or for your grilled chicken… but raspberries are best eaten fresh, says RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA.

On a driving holiday around Tasmania recently, we were told a few times that we should go raspberry picking.

“There are many farms on your route,” they told us at every overnight stay. “Stop off and pick your own raspberries”.

We did, but never got to pick any fruit – and just barely managed to buy some: at every farm, it was strictly one small tray per customer, thank you.

Was there not enough fruit this season? Or are they just discouraging random pickers because the fruit are really too fragile? Who knows, but we were cleverly directed towards a whole host of raspberry products that were on sale – jams and sauces and conserves and spreads and yogurts, even vinegars.

But of course these can’t match eating the fruit the way God intended – just as they are. Fresh raspberries are simply wonderful just by themselves.

Throw some over your granola at breakfast, to eat with milk or yogurt. Toss raspberries with peeled lychees and melon, and dress with chopped mint, for an Asian-style fruit salad. Top a chocolate cake with raspberries and serve with a good quality vanilla ice-cream.

Raspberries are not really berries, but a collection of “drupelets”, each “drupe” containing a seed. They hold high concentrations of Vitamin C and are an excellent source of folate and vitamin E.

Raspberries do not store well, so consume as soon as you can. To store, place on a plate lined with paper towel, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge.

Remove raspberries from the fridge half an hour before serving – they taste best at room temperature.

Very Berry Salad
2 cups mixed fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)
¼  cup white sugar
Pinch cinnamon powder
Pinch salt
Almond cookies to serve

Chop strawberries and mix with other berries in a bowl. Add the sugar, salt and cinnamon and use a spatula to mix gently. Cover with cling-wrap and chill for half an hour. Mix gently again to coat with the natural juices that accumulate at the bottom. Chill for another half hour. Spoon into martini glasses, pour the juices over divide the berries into 4 chilled martini glasses and pour over the syrup made from the sugar and berry’s natural juices. Top with crumbled almond cookies.

If you wish, you can finish with a dollop of cream or ice cream or yogurt at the very top.

Raspberry Sauce
2 cups fresh red raspberries, rinsed
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tbsp orange juice
1/2 lemon, juiced
Pinch salt

Cook all the ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down, and cook, stirring, until the berries soften completely. Take off stove and force through a strainer, pressing with the back of a spoon to get a smooth finish. Discard seeds. Serve with ice cream, cheesecakes, chocolate desserts or pancakes.

Quick Raspberry Sauce
120 gm raspberries
75gm icing sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Blend raspberries with sugar. Strain through fine sieve to get a fine finish. Discard seeds.

Raspberry Sauce for Chicken
1 packet frozen raspberries, thawed
1 litre chicken stock
1 tsp thyme leaves
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp butter,
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
Pinch salt

Reserve 1/4 cup raspberries for garnish.
Put remaining raspberries, half the chicken stock and thyme to a heavy-bottomed pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer till raspberries are completely softened.
Take off heat and strain the liquid; discard seeds. Return to pan.
Mix cornstarch into remaining chicken stock in bowl until smooth and add to pan. Bring to boiling, stirring. Lower heat and simmer to thicken, about 2 minutes.
Take off heat, stir in butter, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt and reserved raspberries.
Pour over grilled or pan-fried chicken breasts.

Raspberry Sauce for Chicken (Cheat’s version)
3 tbsp store-bought raspberry preserve
½ cup balsamic vinegar

Heat pan and deglaze with balsamic vinegar. Reduce by half and add introduce the raspberry preserve. Cook on medium heat until preserve melts. Pour over grilled or pan-fried chicken breasts.

 
Berry Cocktail
120 gms fresh raspberries
150 gms fresh blueberries
1/3 cup caster sugar
750 ml chilled white wine (try a chardonnay)
Soda water, chilled

Place berries and sugar in a jug. Mash gently with a fork and mix until sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate. When ready to serve, put 2 tablespoons berry mixture into each glass. Add wine up to a third of the glass. Top with soda water, and stir to combine.