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I've discovered a huge patch of bilberry bushes in the woods where I walk my dog and have got adicted to them and so here are a few recipes I've tried so far that taste great.
First and foremost though, you have to just eat the freshly picked sprinkled over some really good vanilla icecream.
Banana and Billberry Crumble
I used a large round flan dish for this and as I made up the quanities it's best to just use as much or a little to fit the size of dish you have.
Cover the bottom of the dish with chopped banana. Put your billberries in a bowl and sprinkle over them one teaspoon of cinamon and the juice of half a lemon. Mix well and then spoon these out to cover the bananas inthe dish. At this point I sprinkled over a little brown sugar but we found it a bit sweet and so since then not bothered with that step - it depends on how sweet you want it to be, but the fruit provide enough sweetness on their own I think.
Then make a crumble mix - I made up the quanitites for this at the time as I couldn't be bothered looking it up but it's about 8oz flour mixed with 4oz of margarine and 3oz of brown sugar.
Put this in the oven [200 degrees C] for 20minutes and then take it out and cover it with foil and bake for another 20minutes. Then serve with icecream or custard - delicious!
I also tried this with pears instead of bananas but I didn't hink it was as good.
Billberry and Banana Milkshake
I don't drink Milk so I used Soya milk for this but it should be fine with the normal white stuff.
Get a tall glass and fill it half way up with billberries. I then put these berries into a measuring jug and added a chopped banana and then 3/4 of a glass full of soya milk. I added an icecube to make it really cold, but you could freeze the banana and billberries instead if you think ahead. I do have a tuperware box int he freezer full of bilberries and so I don't add the icecube anymore. Whizz the lot up with a hand held blender and drink straight away.
Billberry Muffins
-9oz self-raising flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-2oz margarine [at room temperature so it's soft]
-3oz caster sugar
-6oz fresh billberries
-grated rind of 1 lemon
-2 x eggs [I used medium sized ones I think - hard to tell as they are from the local smallholder]
-250ml milk
First - put the oven on so it's ready at the right temperature when you put the muffins in to bake - needs to be 200 degrees C.
Put the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and rub in the margarine. Then stir in the sugar, billberries and the lemon rind. In a separate container mix the eggs and milk together and then then pour the mixture all in one go into the bowl containinf the flour mixture. Fold in quickly and don't worry if it looks lumpy - it's meant to be.
Put some paper muffin cases into a tray - not sure what they're called - probably pie trays - the type you use to make buns and mince pies etc. Carfeully spoon the muffin mixture into the paper cases, filling almost to the top. The muffins will rise so you don't want to over fill.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes until well risen, golden and firm to the touch. You can leave them to cool if you like but I like to eat them warm.
Billberry sauce for pancakes...yummy!
Approximate measurements again...
-a cup of fresh billberries
-a cup of red wine
-pinch cinnamon
-a tablespoon of caster sugar
-half a teaspoon of vanilla extract
Put all the ingredients in a pan and simmer for about 10 minutes - stir regularly and it's ready when it's reduced to a syrupy consisitency. Then make some pancakes - or cheat and buy some small or large scotch pancakes and drizzle the syrup over them - you can also add some icecream or cream and nuts.
I am also going to try the following recipes that I found online:
Blueberry Chutney - but substituted with Billberries
Ingredients
drop of vegetable oil for frying
one shallot, finely chopped
2 punnets blueberries
1 tbsp caster sugar
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
pinch ground allspice
2 tbsp cider vinegar
Method
1. Sauté the finely chopped shallot in a pan with the vegetable oil.
2. Add the blueberries then the sugar and spices, shake the pan, then add the vinegar and reduce for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
3. Serve warm with grilled goats' cheese on a bed of lettuce.
4. If there is any left over you can put it in jars and give it away as a present or keep it for another time.
Cranachan - but substituted with Billberries
Ingredients
85g/3oz porridge oats
1 tbsp caster sugar
200ml/7fl oz double cream, whipped
drizzle of honey
1 lemon, juice of
50g/1¾oz raspberries
3 blueberries
Method
1. Heat a frying pan and pour in the oats and sugar. Toast until slightly caramelised and golden.
2. In a bowl, mix together the whipped cream, honey and lemon juice.
3. Layer the porridge oats, raspberries and cream in a tall glass and serve topped with the blueberries.
I've discovered a huge patch of bilberry bushes in the woods where I walk my dog and have got adicted to them and so here are a few recipes I've tried so far that taste great.
First and foremost though, you have to just eat the freshly picked sprinkled over some really good vanilla icecream.
Banana and Billberry Crumble
I used a large round flan dish for this and as I made up the quanities it's best to just use as much or a little to fit the size of dish you have.
Cover the bottom of the dish with chopped banana. Put your billberries in a bowl and sprinkle over them one teaspoon of cinamon and the juice of half a lemon. Mix well and then spoon these out to cover the bananas inthe dish. At this point I sprinkled over a little brown sugar but we found it a bit sweet and so since then not bothered with that step - it depends on how sweet you want it to be, but the fruit provide enough sweetness on their own I think.
Then make a crumble mix - I made up the quanitites for this at the time as I couldn't be bothered looking it up but it's about 8oz flour mixed with 4oz of margarine and 3oz of brown sugar.
Put this in the oven [200 degrees C] for 20minutes and then take it out and cover it with foil and bake for another 20minutes. Then serve with icecream or custard - delicious!
I also tried this with pears instead of bananas but I didn't hink it was as good.
Billberry and Banana Milkshake
I don't drink Milk so I used Soya milk for this but it should be fine with the normal white stuff.
Get a tall glass and fill it half way up with billberries. I then put these berries into a measuring jug and added a chopped banana and then 3/4 of a glass full of soya milk. I added an icecube to make it really cold, but you could freeze the banana and billberries instead if you think ahead. I do have a tuperware box int he freezer full of bilberries and so I don't add the icecube anymore. Whizz the lot up with a hand held blender and drink straight away.
Billberry Muffins
-9oz self-raising flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-2oz margarine [at room temperature so it's soft]
-3oz caster sugar
-6oz fresh billberries
-grated rind of 1 lemon
-2 x eggs [I used medium sized ones I think - hard to tell as they are from the local smallholder]
-250ml milk
First - put the oven on so it's ready at the right temperature when you put the muffins in to bake - needs to be 200 degrees C.
Put the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and rub in the margarine. Then stir in the sugar, billberries and the lemon rind. In a separate container mix the eggs and milk together and then then pour the mixture all in one go into the bowl containinf the flour mixture. Fold in quickly and don't worry if it looks lumpy - it's meant to be.
Put some paper muffin cases into a tray - not sure what they're called - probably pie trays - the type you use to make buns and mince pies etc. Carfeully spoon the muffin mixture into the paper cases, filling almost to the top. The muffins will rise so you don't want to over fill.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes until well risen, golden and firm to the touch. You can leave them to cool if you like but I like to eat them warm.
Billberry sauce for pancakes...yummy!
Approximate measurements again...
-a cup of fresh billberries
-a cup of red wine
-pinch cinnamon
-a tablespoon of caster sugar
-half a teaspoon of vanilla extract
Put all the ingredients in a pan and simmer for about 10 minutes - stir regularly and it's ready when it's reduced to a syrupy consisitency. Then make some pancakes - or cheat and buy some small or large scotch pancakes and drizzle the syrup over them - you can also add some icecream or cream and nuts.
I am also going to try the following recipes that I found online:
Blueberry Chutney - but substituted with Billberries
Ingredients
drop of vegetable oil for frying
one shallot, finely chopped
2 punnets blueberries
1 tbsp caster sugar
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
pinch ground allspice
2 tbsp cider vinegar
Method
1. Sauté the finely chopped shallot in a pan with the vegetable oil.
2. Add the blueberries then the sugar and spices, shake the pan, then add the vinegar and reduce for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
3. Serve warm with grilled goats' cheese on a bed of lettuce.
4. If there is any left over you can put it in jars and give it away as a present or keep it for another time.
Cranachan - but substituted with Billberries
Ingredients
85g/3oz porridge oats
1 tbsp caster sugar
200ml/7fl oz double cream, whipped
drizzle of honey
1 lemon, juice of
50g/1¾oz raspberries
3 blueberries
Method
1. Heat a frying pan and pour in the oats and sugar. Toast until slightly caramelised and golden.
2. In a bowl, mix together the whipped cream, honey and lemon juice.
3. Layer the porridge oats, raspberries and cream in a tall glass and serve topped with the blueberries.
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