A recent visit to The Old Spot Pub in Dublin 4 reminded me of the arrival of one of my favourite ingredients and, by default, seasons. After a long summer of sunshine, sweat and suncream stinging my eyes, autumn is here. With it comes an abundance of brilliant produce and wild food. I might only be speaking for myself, but as a chef, I start to get excited when September rolls around. But back to The Old Spot, where I managed to nab the last portion before it was scratched off the blackboard: “Steamed blackberry pudding with pistachio crumble and milk ice cream” – yes, please. Blackberries have graced our hedgerows with their presence in abundance over the past few days. A cousin of the raspberry, they have a deep purple colour with a lovely balance of sweetness and acidity. Fascinating fact: blackberries retain their tough core when picked, while raspberries kindly leave it behind on the stem at their departure. This means blackberries often require prior cooking to soften or remove the core if picked too early.
This week’s recipes celebrate the humble autumnal fruit without any fuss or faff. The first dish is a nostalgic warm rice pudding that, while simple in appearance, has a knack to it. The key to cooking sweet rice for pudding is to firstly wash off any excess starch to avoid a glutenous finish and second is to bake it in the oven under a sheet of parchment. The blackberry compote is as simple as it gets, involving cooking it out with sugar, lemon juice and some cinnamon. If you have a bumper crop, this can be bulked up and either frozen or stored in the fridge for an extended period of time. Toasted almonds are the make or break of the dish, adding texture and their signature caramelised flavour.
The second recipe is, yet again, a classic that has a hundred different iterations – this one focuses on the details. The compote of apple and blackberry is cooked in advance, as is the crumble topping. This gives you control over both the texture and flavour of each, meaning you just have to warm it up when the guests arrive. I have seen too many recipes over the years that assemble the crumble in its raw form and expect the oven to turn it into a masterpiece – it just doesn’t happen. These can also be assembled ahead of time and kept in the fridge ready to be heated and served up with a classic crème Chantilly on the side, although ice cream works just as well.
Tip of the week: if you are making rice pudding, rinse the rice to remove excess starch before baking it in sweetened milk and cream in the oven. This will avoid the mix turning to baby food.
Recipe: Warm rice pudding with blackberry compote and toasted almondsRecipe: Apple and blackberry crumble with spiced crème Chantilly