Michelle Darmody: Making the most of our summer berries

Raspberry sponge slices

It looks like we might be in for a bumper crop of blackberries later this year. When out walking I have seen bushes laden with blossoms and green budding fruit.

While waiting in anticipation for the blackberries, I am making the most of other, earlier ripening berries. Raspberries are ruby red, plump and ripe at the moment, and are most delicious in these warmer weeks of the summer.

They are an easy fruit to use in a huge variety of baking and desserts and pair very well with the gently sweet flavour of vanilla in these three recipes.

When scraping out the seeds of a vanilla pod you can keep the outer husk. It has many uses; you can use them to flavour a batch of icing sugar, which is delicious lightly sieved over warm cookies or on top of cakes such as the Raspberry Sponge Slices. Another use is making homemade vanilla extract. If you collect enough pods you can place about six into 400mls of vodka.

You simply store it in a cool dark place for a few months until the liquid colours a light brown and use it as you wish.

Make sure to keep the vanilla pods submerged by continuously topping up the vodka as you use your extract. You can also add more husks as you have them.

Bourbon whiskey is a good alternative to vodka and gives you a slightly richer extract. In most cases the alcohol will evaporate when the extract is used in baking, you will be left with the lingering sweet flavour.

Raspberry sponge slices

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

These raspberry sponge slices are simple to make, and even easier to enjoy

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Baking

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• For the sponge:

• 200g soft butter

• 190g golden caster sugar

• 4 eggs

• the zest of an orange

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 200g self-raising flour, sieved

• To glaze:

• 35g golden caster sugar

• 25mls Grand Marnier liqueur – or similar

• For the filling:

• 250g mascarpone cheese

• 15g icing sugar

• 250ml cream, whipped to stiff peaks

• 200g ripe raspberries

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C and line two square 8-inch tins with parchment.

2. To make the sponge, beat the butter and sugar until very pale and light and fluffy.

3. Lightly whisk the eggs with the zest and vanilla.

4. Gently stir in the egg mixture to the batter, a quarter at a time, alternating with dessert spoons of flour to stop the mixture from curdling.

5. Stir in the rest of the flour and make sure the mixture is completely combined. Scoop it into the prepared tin and bake for just less than twenty minutes until golden, keeping an eye to see if they are done earlier as the cakes are quite thin.

6. Once cool enough to handle, place each cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.

7. To make the glaze, very gently heat the sugar and liqueur until the sugar has melted and then set it aside to cool completely.

8. When both the cake and glaze are cool brush the glaze onto one side of each of the sponges. This will stop the cream mixture from soaking through too quickly.

9. Mix the stiffly whipped cream with the icing sugar and mascarpone. Very roughly mash about three-quarters of the raspberries and fold them through the cream mixture.

10. Before serving spread this onto a glazed side of the sponge and place the other glazed side on top. With a sharp knife cut gently into squares.

11. Place into the fridge for about twenty minutes. Sprinkle with icing sugar if you wish and dot the rest of the raspberries on top before serving.

Vanilla frozen yoghurt with fresh raspberries

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

A refreshing sweet treat

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 3 hours 5 mins

Total Time

 3 hours 5 mins

Course

 Dessert

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 500g natural Greek yoghurt

• 170g condensed milk

• 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out and husk set aside

• 2 handfuls of ripe raspberries

Method

1. Place all of the ingredients into a large bowl and whisk until everything is well combined. Scoop into a freezer-proof tub that has a lid. Place the sealed container into your freezer.

2. After an hour remove the tub from the freezer and vigorously stir the frozen yoghurt. Place it back into the freezer and repeat this step two more times in the next two hours.

3. Remove the tub from the freezer at least a half an hour before serving. Once soft, scoop into small bowls and dress with plump ripe raspberries.

Raspberry vanilla roulade

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

A delicious summer dessert

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 40 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 5 mins

Course

 Baking

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 5 egg whites

• 275g golden caster sugar

• 350mls cream, whipped to stiff peaks

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 5g icing sugar

• 200g ripe raspberries, very roughly chopped

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C and line a Swiss roll tin with parchment.

2. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks. Continuously whisk and add the sugar a dessert spoon at a time until it is well combined.

3. Scoop the mixture into your prepared tin and spread it out flat. Bake for about 5 minutes then turn your oven down to 160 degrees and bake for a further 20 minutes until firm.

4. Allow to cool in the tin for five minutes then turn out onto a clean damp tea towel and set aside to cool completely.

5. When you are ready to serve, and the roulade has cooled completely, prepare your filling.

6. Fold the sugar, vanilla and raspberries into the stiffly whipped cream. Spread it over the roulade leaving about an inch on all sides. Gently roll the roulade with the aid of the tea towel and turn it onto a serving plate with the seam placed underneath.