Blackberries are such a delicious fruit and well worth freezing, to use all year round @rorysfood #learnatballymaloe

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.@rorysfood blackberry and sweet geranium posset #Ballymaloe

Watch How to Cook Well with Rory O’Connell at 8:30pm on Tuesday evenings on RTÉ One.

By Rory O’Connell Celebrity Chef
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How to Cook Well, with Rory O’Connell


Watch How to Cook Well with Rory O’Connell at 8:30pm on Tuesday evenings on RTÉ One.
Ingredients
A classic lemon posset or set cream is a simple and lovely thing and my version here with blackberries and sweet geranium leaves is I believe a good and delicious variation on the theme. It is remarkable how easy this is and how without the aid of egg or gelatine, the mixture sets into a tender chilled pudding. I like the possets served straight from the fridge, so nice and chilly. 
I often make this during the winter months using wild blackberries that I have frozen in the late summer or early autumn. If you are using frozen berries, use them straight from the freezer. I never cease to be amazed by the value one gets from a few bags of frozen fruit when fresh local fruit is simply not an option due to the seasons.  
A little softly whipped cream is the perfect accompaniment along with a fresh organic or crystallised rose petal. The combination of rose and blackberry is a marriage made in heaven and I might be tempted to add a few drops of rose water to the cream when whipping. Be careful though as too much rose water will yield a flavour that is too strong and overpowering. The flavour of the rosewater cream should be akin to catching the scent of a rose while walking about the garden – there but almost illusive.
If you do not have the lemon or rose-scented geranium, you can just leave it out. The fragrant leaves do however bring a magical element to the dish. The plants are easily found at good garden centres and can be treated as a house plant living on a bright window-sill or if the weather is mild where you live, they can spend spring, summer and autumn out of doors in a sheltered sunny spot. I can’t imagine not having one of these plants for the ravishing flavour to bring to certain dishes. In fact, it is the sort of magic that one receives from this rather innocuous looking leaf that humbles and mesmerises me and reminds me every time I use it, how astonishing nature is and how fortunate that my career has brought me down this path where I handle these treasures all of the time. Oh, joy.
The possets can be served in little cups or glasses or the prettiest receptacle you like to use. The portions are quite small as this is quite a rich little dish but I always think it is better to be longing for one more spoonful rather than being faced with too much food.
 A thin lacy biscuit such as the Nougatine biscuits would also be good here and I might be tempted to add a few drops of rose water to the cream when whipping. 
Serves
400ml cream
90g caster sugar
5 leaves of rose or lemon scented geranium
100g blackberries
50ml lemon juice.
Method
Place the cream, sugar, geranium leaves and blackberries in a small saucepan and bring to a bare simmer.
Stir the saucepan occasionally to encourage the sugar to dissolve. Maintain that bare simmer for 5 minutes. If the cream boils hard the texture and consistency of the posset will be spoiled. 
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. You will notice the colour of the cream improving dramatically as soon as the lemon juice goes in.
Now strain the cream through a sieve to remove the geranium leaves and at the same time push as much of the blackberries through as possible. 
Pour the strained cream into 8 little cups or glasses and allow to cool before placing in the fridge for 3 hours to set.
The posset will keep perfectly in your fridge for several days. I like to cover them to protect the delicate flavour.
Serve with a little softly whipped cream and if you have them, a fresh or crystallised rose petal and a nougatine biscuit. 

Blackberries are such a delicious fruit and well worth freezing, to use all year round @rorysfood #learnatballymaloe

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Meringues with blackberries,raspberries,strawberries @bordbia #foodaware

meringues_with_summer_fruits2

Serves 10

Ingredients

  • 8 egg whites
  • 500g caster sugar
  • 1 teasp. white wine vinegar
  • 1 teasp. vanilla extract.

Summer Fruits & Cream Filling

Summer Fruits

  • 400g strawberries
  • 200g raspberries
  • 200g blueberries
  • 200g blackberries
  • 250g caster sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon

Cream Filling

  • 500g mascarpone cheese
  • 250g Compsey Greek-style yoghurt
  • Grated rind of one lemon

To Cook

For the meringues

Set the oven to 100ºC and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.  Combine the egg whites, sugar, vinegar and vanilla extract.  In the electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the whites into stiff shiny peaks.  Using a piping bag, pie mounds of meringue 7cm in diameter and 7 cm high onto the baking sheets.  Bake for about 2 hours.  Cool to room temperature.

Summer Fruits

Prepare the fruit and add half the berries to a medium saucepan, add the sugar and lemon juice and simmer gently for 5 minutes.  Process the fruit mixture.  Set aside.

Cream Filling

Whisk the mascarpone, yoghurt and lemon rind together.

To serve

Tap the centre of each meringue to form a nest.  Warm the coulis in a saucepan.  Turn off the heat and add the remaining whole berries.  Spoon the cream filling into the centre of each meringue, followed by several spoonfuls of the fruit.