Books and Blueberries
I tend to read nonfiction books, often reading my way through quite dismal and gloomy subjects until every so often my mum hands me a novel and tells me it’s time for a bit of fiction, some fantasy away from the bleak trauma of Irish History or the grim facts and statistics of environmentalism. I can begin to feel a bit down, exasperated with the former dragging the past to the present and the latter shattering the future. I’ve just moved on to a novel after finishing The Darkness Echoing by Gillian O’Brien; I really enjoyed the witty and informative stories about misery, suffering and death. Upbeat!
I tend to read quite slowly, taking in the information after a long day can be arduous and I find myself re-reading paragraphs or sentences over and over. But I am hungry for the information, I like to learn. (If I could actually remember any of the facts I read that would be extra impressive!)
My most favourite books of all are of course food related; especially food memoir or a food and travel combo, true blissful escapism. Facts mingled with romantic prose of warm Mediterranean air and noisy markets full of citrus or bright lights in huge cities under ancient temples and unbelievable street snacks or vast landscapes cooking meals over fire. Peter Mayle, Caroline Eden, Felicity Cloak, Stanley Tucci and Anthony Bourdain have all been great bedtime travel companions! I would love to hear your favourites or any recommendations you have.
As the end of summer draws near I’m craving a little more sun, one last burst of heat or maybe it’s a holiday I’m yearning. For us in Ballycastle there is one last hurrah of the summer, The Lammas Fair. Dubbed Ireland Oldest Fair, supposedly running for over 400 years; famous for horse trading and Dulse and Yellowman*. The festivities take over the whole town on the last Monday and Tuesday of August (although it has started to include the whole weekend now too). It is complete sensory overload. It’s hard to describe the buzzing atmosphere and bizarre sights, smells and sounds; the main streets in the town centre are closed off to vehicles, lined with stalls and filled with people. There’s amusements, street entertainment, many MANY burger vans, live music and fireworks. I think most local people have a bit of a love hate relationship with it. Traffic and parking is a nightmare and it’s very loud; I can hear the amusements from the garden and we live 3 miles out of town! For many the Wednesday after the Fair is a real marker, for some their favourite day of the year; the people have gone, the streets have been cleaned, it’s quiet and the summer is well and truly over. Hibernation ahead.
*Dulse is a seaweed, collected and dried and enjoyed as a salty but nutritious snack. Yellowman is the polar opposite, a hard yellow candy, super sweet and sticky, prone to pulling teeth out!
Whilst the heat and sun are gone we are right in the thick of beautiful local produce, even my own polytunnel is bursting with beans, spinach, tomatoes and courgettes. My veg box is filled with potatoes, chard, cucumber, aubergine and beautiful herbs. Whilst much of the summer fruit is at an end, the blackberries are still going strong and there’s a race against time to get them picked when it’s dry and make jam/jelly/wine etc. The haw and rosehips are plump and apple and plums are almost here in full force.
Blueberries
We are also enjoying beautiful Blueberries from Banner Berries in County Clare. I love snacking on them at home and we love using them inthe bakery, mainly topping Danish pastries or brioche or in fruit tarts. This recipe is trying to make the most of the berries; it’s a shame not to enjoy them as they are, a fragrant and delicate tasting berry but they also make the most delicious jammy compote. This shortcake reminds me of a delicious scone I used to get at a cafe called Teed Street Larder in Auckland when Dara and I lived there- it had lemon zest and just a hint of cinnamon. I added the gorgeous Valentia Island Vermouth to the whipped cream for a sweet but slightly bitter back note to go with the berries and shortcake.
For the Jammy compote
150g berries
70g caster sugar
Juice from half a lemon
Put all ingredients together in a pan and bring to the boil. Boil for 7 minutes. Leave to cool. You can enjoy this on your granola, toast or yoghurt.
For the Shortcake
200g plain flour
50g oats
250g cold butter
180g caster sugar
Tsp baking powder
Lemon zest
Generous pinch of salt
Half teaspoonful cinnamon
2 eggs
1 egg for eggwash
Add the flour and oats to the bowl of a food processor and blitz until fine, add all the rest except the eggs and pulse until breadcrumb texture. Finally add the eggs and briefly pulse until just coming together. This is a very sticky dough. Have 2 sheet of greaseproof sheets ready, lay the dough on one sheet and bring together quickly then top with the other sheet, roll out a little. Chill for around half an hour.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease a 9cm cake tin and line*. Take the dough out and roll out until you have the shape and size to fit the tin. Peel off one sheet and quickly lay the dough into the tin, use the other sheet to secure using your fingertips then remove. Egg wash the top and bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool in the tin.
To finish whip some cream and decorate with the compote and berries. Best eaten on the day.
*I used 10cm tart rings for smaller portions, they took slightly less time in the oven.
❤️
Highly recommend Life Is Meals by James and Kay Salter. I read this every Sunday morning for a year just before I took my blood pressure. Plus, it has a fantastic argument for making your own by hand, scratch mayonnaise.