Brian Maule at Chardon d’Or is set to excite taste buds this season with a selection of soft fruits. As we head ever closer to the summer’s warmth, these sumptuous seasonal offerings, such as strawberries, raspberries and currants of many varieties, offer mouth-watering options to help add something different to well-loved recipes, as well as inspire a few new dishes.
At this time of year, these soft and flavoursome fruits are widely accessible and keep for some time. Once over-ripe, they are best saved for cooking experiments.
Seasonal summer fruit is abundant in Scotland and very versatile; use it to make a deep, fruity sauce for favourite meat dish – venison and other game works well with sweet and sharp blueberries, redcurrants or gooseberries.
Preserves and jellies provide wonderful accompaniments to rich starters such as pate and with the addition of some carefully-selected spices can add a real wow-factor to a first course.
Refreshing desserts can be made with raspberries and strawberries, pureed with sweet liqueurs and used to flavour a meringue-based Eton mess or served simply with indulgent chocolate puddings.
Equally, soft fruits are delicious on their own or incorporated into a fruit salad, ideal picnic food. Try making summer fruit smoothies for a mouth-watering breakfast treat, or throw together a quick but delectable snack by layering fresh Greek yoghurt, honey and soft fruits.
Brian suggests that to gain optimum taste from soft fruit it should be refrigerated until ripe and then stored at room temperature. This keeps the fruit fresh and full of flavour.
But perhaps best of all, sweet soft fruit is perfect for delicious summer cocktails. Pour equal measures of raspberry vodka and champagne into a cocktail glass and add a few raspberries ... delicious.
