Author

 KURSAKOVA Maria

 Certified Chef, Vegetable Pastry Chef and Gourmet Journalist

 Maria Kursakova - about sweets, salads and hot dishes with bush berries

 Since childhood, I have kept a tradition: as soon as the raspberry season begins, I take a wicker basket and go to the forest.  At the summer cottage, the berry also grows, but picking wild is quite another - gastronomic romance.  But this is not the end of my annual custom.  The next step is to come up with something new with raspberries, so that you can collect and treat your friends later.

 Delicacy of Zeus and Old Russian kvass

 According to archaeological excavations, the berry became a food product in the Stone Age.  The very first mention of raspberries as one of the fruit plants is considered to be a record in the 3rd century BC.  e.  ancient Roman writer and politician Cato the Elder.  How raspberries got their delicious color is even told in ancient Greek myth.  The god of thunder and lightning Zeus was raised on the island of Crete in secret from his father Kronos, who was afraid of the prediction that one of his children would overthrow the ruler, so he swallowed the heirs one by one.  Zeus's nanny was the nymph Ida, the daughter of the Cretan king Melissa.  One day Zeus burst into tears, and in order to console him and not disclose to Kronos the whereabouts of her son, Ida began to pick delicious white berries, but she scratched on the bush and painted them crimson.

 As a medicine, raspberries were already written about in the second half of the first century - the ancient Roman writer Pliny the Elder, in his largest encyclopedia of antiquity "Natural History", recommended using it with water in case of stomach pains.  By the way, raspberries were appreciated not only for their delicious berries, but also for their leaves - they are still dried and brewed like tea.

 In Russia, the berry was first mentioned in the 11th century.  Juice was squeezed out of raspberries and added to kvass, which was made from rye malt with mint, thyme and oregano.  And a little later, Prince Yuri Dolgoruky laid the first raspberry garden.  And to this day, Russia is considered the main world producer of this delicious berry.

 Quercetin and not many calories

 100 g of raspberries contain a quarter of the daily value of fiber, which is necessary for the smooth functioning of the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract).  The product has the ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid: one to two.  This means that the berry does not provoke internal inflammation in the body.  It is not for nothing that raspberry jam was so popular in childhood - this berry helps to strengthen the immune system.  Raspberries have three whole antioxidants: almost half the daily value of vitamin C, quercetin and ellagic acid.  Therefore, the berry has an anti-inflammatory effect and protects the cells of the body from destruction.

 In addition, the berry contains B vitamins that help us cope with daily stress;  a lot of manganese - a structural component of antioxidant enzymes;  as well as vitamin K - for blood clotting, vascular flexibility and bone hardness.  And, of course, it's nice that there are only 52 kcal in the berry.

 Psyllium Jam and Camembert Chutney

 I confess that I haven't made raspberry jam for a long time.  I am more impressed by the healthy raw food version, where maple syrup is added to mashed fresh berries for a "caramel" sweetness, and psyllium, psyllium husk, is added as a thickener.  But if you really want jam, I recommend making this recipe.  Place raspberries in a saucepan, add Jerusalem artichoke syrup, a little water, grated ginger, ground cinnamon and nutmeg for a piquancy, as well as orange zest and one clove.  Bring to a boil, cook over low heat for about 10 minutes or until thickened, then cool.

 

 For toast, crackers, and baked camembert, I make raspberry chutney, a thick Indian sauce.  To do this, fry the red sweet onions in olive oil until soft, then add the raisins, lemon or orange peel and salt well.  This is followed by apple and balsamic vinegar and some Jerusalem artichoke syrup for sweetness.  Cook over low heat for half an hour, then add fresh raspberries and simmer for another 5-7 minutes.  This sauce is surprisingly good in turkey, cheese and microgreen sandwiches.

 Raspberries are also great for almost any dessert.  For example, as a topping for cheesecake, chocolate mousse, chia pudding, or as a filling for shortcrust pastry and oat crumble.  The berry goes well with nuts: especially hazelnuts, almonds and pistachios.

 In the heat, I love raspberry nice cream (vegetable ice cream) - I make it on the basis of frozen banana with maple syrup.  If you mix berry puree with freshly squeezed lemon juice and mint, and then pour chilled filtered or carbonated water, you get a healthy lemonade.  Another escape from the summer heat is raspberry gazpacho: just add a generous handful of fresh berries to the classic recipe.

 And if you want to cook something very unusual with raspberries, try salmon fillet in a sauce made from this berry.  Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan, add finely chopped garlic and fry for about 30 seconds for a pleasant aroma.  Next, put the previously soaked, and then finely chopped dates (the bones must be removed) and fresh raspberries, pour in a little balsamic vinegar.  Stir the sauce gently and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes.  Strain to remove seeds and add fresh thyme.  Then generously spread the sauce over the salmon slices and place in the oven.

 Parfait with raspberries and mango

 This is a light dessert that I like to have for breakfast in raspberry season.  The recipe is based on the perfect combination of berry and mango.  By the way, coconut yogurt can be replaced with vanilla cashew sauce - it resembles cream, which also works well with raspberries.  To do this, grind the nuts, any liquid sweetener (for example, Jerusalem artichoke or maple syrup), a little water, natural vanilla extract and a pinch of salt in a blender until smooth.

 What you need (for four servings):

 Raspberries - 250 g

 Dried mango - 200 g

 Fresh mango - 200 g

 Coconut yogurt - 470 g

 Natural vanilla extract - 1 tsp

 Filtered water for soaking dried mango

 Pistachios, lemon zest and fresh mint leaves - for serving

 What to do:

 Soak dried mango in filtered water for an hour - it should completely cover the fruit.

 Transfer the mango to a blender bowl, add a little of the soaked water and chop until it becomes a thick puree.

 Peel fresh mango, pitted and cut into medium cubes.

 Wash and dry the raspberries.

 Put a layer of mango pieces, then coconut yogurt, then raspberries in transparent glasses or bowls, and pour the mango puree on top.  Decorate the parfait with chopped pistachios, lemon zest and mint leaves.

 Spinach, rucola and raspberry salad with gorgonzola and toasted walnuts

 I love serving this summer salad at parties.  Here you can change the herbs and cheese to taste.  The simplest country lettuce, romano, small tender chard leaves, or any salad mix will do.  Cheese is generally one of the most successful products with which raspberries are combined.  Any blue cheese, goat cheese, feta, or camembert can be used in this recipe.  For additional ingredients, try avocado and fried shrimp.

 

 What you need (for four servings):

 Spinach - 70 g

 Rucola - 70 g

 Red sweet onion - 0.5 pcs.

 Raspberries - 180 g

 Gorgonzola cheese - 60 g

 Walnuts - 100 g

 Extra virgin olive oil of the first cold pressing - 3 tbsp.  l.

 Dijon mustard - 1 tsp

 Freshly squeezed lemon juice - 1 tsp.

 Jerusalem artichoke syrup - 1 tbsp.  l.

 Parsley leaves for serving - 20 pcs.

 Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste

 What to do:

 Heat a heavy-bottomed non-stick skillet, brown walnuts until golden brown, then cool.  You can omit this step.

 Wash and dry the spinach, arugula, parsley and raspberries.  Peel the onion and cut into half rings of medium width.

 Crumble the gorgonzola with your hands.

 Gently mix herbs, raspberries and cheese in a salad bowl.

 Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Jerusalem artichoke syrup, salt and pepper until smooth.

 Season salad, sprinkle with walnuts and parsley leaves and serve.

 Baked duck breast with peaches and raspberry sauce

 Not only does the cranberry shade and refresh the duck - the raspberries do it very well.  In this recipe, I bake poultry breast with peaches - they replace the usual apples and are better combined with berry sauce.  As a side dish, I like to serve a mix of Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, couscous or wild black rice.

 

 What you need (for two servings):

 Breast fillet - 2 pcs.

 Rosemary - 6 sprigs

 Peach (large and very ripe) - 1 pc.

 Sea salt, ground black pepper - to taste

 For the sauce:

 Raspberries - 180 g

 Shallots (large, can be replaced with sweet red) - 1 pc.

 Dry red wine - 100 ml

 Extra virgin olive oil - 2 tsp

 Filtered water - 50 ml

 Jerusalem artichoke honey or syrup - 2 tsp

 Thyme - 2 sprigs

 Sea salt and ground black pepper - to taste

 What to do:

 Wash and dry the raspberries.  Mash 150 g of berries in a bowl.

 Peel the onion and chop it.

 Separate the thyme from the twigs and chop the leaves.

 Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add onion and simmer for 5-7 minutes.

 Add wine and simmer until the volume is halved.

 Add raspberries, water and cook the sauce over medium heat for 5 minutes.

 Strain the prepared sauce through a sieve, add honey or syrup and thyme, season with salt and pepper.

 Rinse the duck breasts thoroughly, pat dry with a paper towel.

 Carefully make several cruciform cuts on the skin without touching the fillet.  This will melt the fat a little and soften the meat fibers.  Rub the fillet pieces with salt and pepper and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

 Wash and dry the peach.  Cut in half and remove the pit.  Cut each half into three equal slices.

 Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

 Place the duck fillets, skin side down, in a very preheated dry non-stick heavy-bottomed skillet and fry for 5 minutes.  Then turn over and fry for another 5-7 minutes.

 Cover a baking sheet or ovenproof dish with foil, put the toasted fillet in the center, and peaches around it.  Cover with rosemary sprigs, cover with foil and place in oven for 25 minutes.

 Remove the foil from the top and cook for another 10 minutes.

 Slice the duck breasts diagonally across into thick slices, transfer to plates with the peaches.

 Pour the raspberry sauce over the dish, sprinkle with the remaining raspberries on top and serve.

Sincerely, Lyubov Sultanova.

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