It's fair to say that the term "health nut" is unlikely ever to be applied to me, but I like to think I generally balance the books when it comes to the profit and loss of the good and the greedy. I don't obsess over food groups, or count calories, or tot up my five a day. Ido, however, sometimes find myself saying, "That's probably enough cheese/ice-cream/cake for now. Or at least until elevenses."
I think I more or less pull off the nutritional balancing act because I'm as likely to pile into something that's good for me as I am into something that's a tad indulgent. Provided, of course, I can get excited about its taste. Luckily, Ilike a lot of vegetables, many of them raw – Ican happily demolish alarge pile of carrots, say, especially if grated and dressed with olive oil, orange and lemon juice, and a dash ofhoney. More on that next week.
But, for me, the perfect coincidence of the delicious and the nutritious is our summer berries. They are not so much a guilt-free pleasure as a virtue-inducing indulgence. Best of the lot are blueberries. I love raspberries, but due to their acidity I have an upper limit. Strawberries are great, too, until suddenly their aromatic sweetness palls. But blueberries Ican guzzle all day. Right now, I'm enjoying handfuls of these bouncy little fruits every day. I love the way they pop on the palate like little juice bombs, and I relish their lovely, sweet-but-not-sickly, tart-but-not-harsh flavour – as well, of course, asthe knowledge that every single one of them is doing me good.
I won't lecture you on vitamin C, antioxidants and fibre – blueberries are one of those foods you only have to taste to know that they're doing you good. Even looking at them – that lovely, dusky, deep, blushing blue – makes me feel better. I have only one self-imposed rule of blueberry consumption: much as Ilove to cook with them, flinging them into cakes and tarts, I make sure that, on balance, I eat more raw.
Cultivated blueberries barely existed in the UK 50 years ago (though their wild relatives, bilberries, certainly did). But now that we've "discovered" them, the UK crop is on the up and up. David Trehane of the Dorset Blueberry Company tells me that the acreage covered has increased 15-fold in the past 15 years, and growers are popping up all over the place. In short, it will get easier and easier to find locally-grown blueberries – and you can't say that about many fruits.
I'm hoping they'll get cheaper, too, because right now this is one pricey little berry. That's because they are either imported or, in this country, grown on acidic soil. Since that occurs naturally in Britain only sporadically, many growers have to raise their plants in pots. The fruits are fragile, too, and need lots of TLC. All of this combines to make blueberries more pricey than, say, strawberries (though they're often cheaper than raspberries), so it's just as well there are plenty of recipes that make the most of just a handful: mixed fruit salads and pies, juices and smoothies, pancakes and muffins, to name but afew. But once in a while, at the height of the season, I push the boat out and cook up aload in a dish such as a clafoutis.
Raw, blueberries are great for near-instant puds. One of my favourites isa pile of berries adorned with aspoonful of thick, plain yoghurt and a dollop of tangy lemon curd; the three mingle together deliciously. Believe it or not, I also like them tossed into a dish of just-cooked baby broad beans mixed with snippets of crisp bacon – the cool, sweet fruitiness balances the edge of bitterness in the beans and the saltiness of the meat.
Supermarket blueberries can vary enormously in terms of flavour and sweetness – it all depends on the variety and ripeness when picked – so it's a bit like buying chillies: you never know what you've got until you try. Look for berries that are agood size and adeep, dark blue; if you can find out the variety, so much the better: Bluecrop, Duke and Draper are usually good, flavoursome types.
Growing your own, meanwhile, will give you a ready harvest, pretty much guarantee you good flavour and save money in the long run. (You'll find bushes in most good garden centres, or order from trehane.co.uk.) As long as you can give them the acidic soil they need (grow them in containers filled with ericaceous compost) and a decent dose of sunshine, you should have no trouble raising a healthy bush. Amature, five- to six-year-old plant can yield up to 4kg of fruit in a good season. Icould make that last for days. Well, a couple of days, at least.
Blueberry clafoutis
The classic clafoutis is made with cherries, but blueberries work atreat, too, releasing their vibrant purple juice as they bake inside the tender batter. Serves six.
Butter, for greasing
75g plain flour
Pinch of salt
75g caster sugar
2 medium eggs, plus 1 medium eggwhite
300ml whole milk
400g blueberries
A little icing sugar, to finish
Double cream, to serve
Heat the oven to 190C/375F/gasmark 5 and liberally butter a25cmx 20cm rectangular dish, ora25cm-diameter round one.
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, and stir in the sugar. Beat together the eggs and egg white, then pour into the centre of the flour and whisk in, gradually incorporating the flour from the sides. Slowly add the milk, whisking all the while, until you have a smooth batter.
Spread the blueberries in the buttered dish, then pour in the batter. Bake for 35 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown. Leave to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with icing sugar, with double cream for pouring.
Blueberry and strawberry salad with basil
A gorgeous, fresh-flavoured bowlful of raw fruit. Ifyou prefer, use mint instead of basil. Serves four to six.
250g strawberries, hulled and quartered
250g blueberries
2 tbsp caster sugar
Squeeze of lemon juice
12 large basil leaves, finely shredded
Combine everything in a bowl, stir gently but thoroughly and leave tomacerate in a cool place (but not the fridge) for at least an hour. This is lovely just as it is, but you could serve it with thick, plain yoghurt and/or with a few thin shortbread biscuits.
Spiced blueberry compote
This spiced mixture is lovely warm – it's very good on breakfast pancakes – but I especially like it chilled and served with thick, plain yoghurt, ice-cream or double cream. Serves four.
400g blueberries
Juice of ½ lemon
20g sugar
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2-3 pieces thinly pared lemon rind
Put everything in a pan and heat gently, stirring, until the berries begin to release their juices, then simmer for three to four minutes, until rich and juicy. Serve hot or cold.
Oat, blueberry and walnut muffins
Some shop-bought muffins are like cotton wool. These are quite different: moist, substantial and full of flavour. Leave out the walnuts, ifyou want. Makes 12.
125g light wholemeal flour
125g porridge oats
3 level tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
100g soft brown or light muscovado sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
100ml plain yoghurt
100ml whole milk
50g unsalted butter, melted
200g blueberries
75g roughly chopped walnuts (optional)
20g demerara sugar
Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6 and put 12 large paper cases into a muffin tray. Put the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, sugar and lemon zest in a bowl, and mix with a fork until well combined.
In another bowl, stir the egg, yoghurt, milk and melted butter, then tip into the dry ingredients and mix lightly. Scatter in the berries and walnuts, if using, and fold in briefly. Don't over-mix.
Divide between the muffin cases, scatter a good pinch of demerara oneach and bake for 25 minutes, until well risen and golden. Cool on a rack and eat within 24 hours.
