Blackberry

Blackberry is a dark purple to almost black fruit with a full, wine-like sweetness and a lightly fresh tartness. Blackberries are delicious eaten out of hand, but they are also ideal for compotes, jam, tarts, sauces and syrups, and give both sweet and savoury dishes a deep fruit flavour.

Latin name: Rubus fruticosus agg.
Origin: Europe and Western Asia
Plant family: Rosaceae (rose family)
Height: 1–3 m
Flowering period: June–August
Life span: perennial

Description

The blackberry grows on an often thorny shrub that produces long, arching canes and easily weaves its way through hedgerows and woodland edges. The fruit consists of many small drupelets that together form one blackberry. Unripe blackberries are firm and red to purple, but they are only truly ripe when they turn a deep dark colour and almost come away on their own. Because of their higher juice and pigment content, blackberries quickly add colour to anything you make with them.

In the kitchen

Blackberries taste rich and rounded, with a light tannic note reminiscent of dark fruit. They pair beautifully with vanilla, cinnamon, star anise and lemon, but also with nuts such as hazelnut and almond. In savoury dishes they work well with game, duck, pork and robust cheeses; a blackberry sauce with a splash of balsamic vinegar or red wine is often surprisingly elegant. Heat blackberries briefly for a compote with texture, or simmer them longer for jam. They contain quite a few seeds; for a smooth coulis, you can strain the purée.

Storage & preparation

Blackberries are delicate and do not like being stacked. Store them unwashed in the fridge, preferably spread out in a shallow dish, and use them within 1–2 days for the best flavour. Rinse them only very briefly and gently just before use and let them drain well. They also freeze very well: first freeze the blackberries separately on a tray, then transfer them to a well-sealed bag or container. Frozen blackberries are perfect for smoothies, compote, baking and sauce, although they do lose some firmness after thawing.