Berry Crazy

A couple of days ago I found myself with a fridge full of all kinds of berries. M. went to the market. The joy of having so much fresh fruit, literally, at hand, sparked a different creative thought - why not try to dress them in a different outfit?

I discovered this easy recipe in Beatrice Peltre's cookbook La Tartine Gourmande. I brought it with me from the States and every now and then I flip through it for inspiration.

This recipe is simple and straightforward; the touch of lemongrass is delightful, while raspberries are almost zesty (she used blackberries). I suggest using the mold of an interesting shape for baking - makes these teacakes that much more adorable!


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Prije nekoliko dana, M. je išao na pijacu, pa smo kao rezultat toga imali pun frižider borovnica, kupina, malina, ribizli... Mi ih volimo jesti svježe, ali s vremena na vrijeme nije loše probati ih u kombinaciji sa nečim drugim.

Ovaj lagani recept otkrila sam u knjizi Beatrice Peltre La Tartine Gourmande, koju sam donijela iz Amerike i koja mi je svako malo izvor inspiracije.

Recept je jednostavan i jasan, s tim da je aroma metvice lijepo iznenađenje, a maline daju osvježavajuću i kiselkastu notu. Pekla sam ih u kalupima za šape, što ih je učinilo interesantnim za serviranje.

Raspberry Teacakes

Ingredients

70 g unsalted butter (plus more for molds)

45 g white flour

60 g almond meal

60 g confectioners' sugar

pinch of sea salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 vanilla bean

1 lemongrass stalk, finely chopped

2 large egg whites, lightly beaten until foamy

raspberries

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Lightly butter any type of mold you prefer (e.g., muffin), set aside.

Melt the butter in a small pot and set aside. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder), and add vanilla seeds and chopped lemongrass. Make a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour lightly beaten egg whites into it. Gently mix together until smooth. Stir in the melted butter.

Place fresh raspberries in the molds and pour batter over them. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool before unmolding.


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Kolačići sa malinama 

Sastojci 

70 g neslanog maslaca (plus još malo za kalupe)

45 g bijelog brašna

60 g bademovog brašna ili sitno mljevenog badema

60 g šećera u prahu

prstohvat morske soli

1/4 kašičice praška za pecivo

1 vanilin štapić

1 vezica matičnjaka, nasitnjena

2 velika bjelanceta, lagano umućena (do pjene)

maline

Zagrijte pećnicu na 180 C. Lagano premažite kalupe komadićima maslaca.

Otopite maslac i ostavite ga da se hladi na kućnoj temperaturi. U zdjeli pomiješajte suhe sastojke (brašno, šećer, sol, prašak za pecivo), dodajte zrna vanilije i nasitnjen matičnjak (poznat i kao metvica, melisa). Napravite rupu u sredini suhih sastojaka i uspite u nju bjelanca. Lagano miješajte dok smjesa ne postane glatka. Dodajte otopljen puter i sjedinite smjesu.

U svaki kalup stavite 1-2 maline i prelijte ih smjesom. Pecite oko 30 minuta i ohladite prije vađenja iz kalupa.

My berry adventure didn't stop there. I also tried a recipe Layla and I first tested in Chicago - Fany Gerson's yogurt ice pops with berries. Definitely helps beat the scorching weather outside.

Both of these recipes are great for when your berries have been sitting for some time and started to go soft and mushy.

The almost ripe blackberries you see in the photos were taken in a village Lohovo, which is located in the northern Bosnia, right by the Una river. The village and its people were a wonderful discovery to me, and Lohovo itself is known for its great fruit. I look forward to visiting them again next week!

We walked around the village and by the river. The water seemed motionless, humbly reflecting the image of the sky above. A wonderfully kind lady gave me half of her thyme plant (I planted it for myself and it is adjusting nicely in its new home), and I learned how to distinguish between blackberry and raspberry leaves.

It is difficult to think of the time better spent.

Paletas de yogurt con moras

Ingredients

1 lemon

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened Greek-style yogurt

2 tablespoons good quality honey

2 cups fresh blackberries, or the berry of your choice

Rinse the lemon under warm water, then peel it (this recipe uses only the peel, so save the lemon for a different time). Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon peel, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve, then refrigerate until chilled.

Place the yogurt and honey in a blender, add the chilled syrup, then blend to combine. Pour a bit of the yogurt mixture into each of the molds, about 3/4 of a mold full. Freeze until the mixture begins to set, about 40 minutes.

If the blackberries are large, cut them in smaller pieces. Divide them among the molds and pour in the remaining yogurt mixture. To finish the process, use the same method we used here.

Elderflower Syrup

Last Saturday was one of the most beautiful days of my life. It was one of those days when you are so in awe over the nature and everything it offers.

M. and I went to the mountains looking for elderflowers to make an elderflower syrup. The first time I tasted elderflower juice (made by diluting some syrup with water) was during the war - it was a real specialty at the time (elderflower juice is a traditional drink in the Balkan region, usually consumed during hot summer months).

We first rode by the Tušilacki potok, as elderflowers grow near water, but didn't spot any. The road took us to Tušila on Visočica mountain, where we sat with the local mountain hut owners and enjoyed some of their homemade elderflower juice. I asked where they picked it and they said that they got it from one of the villagers - it grew in their yard. According to them, there weren't any others nearby. Any elderflower bushes in Umoljani?, I asked. The answer was negative.

No elderflowers in Umoljani, I thought, but how can that be? We saw many from the car on our ride up, but you really want to pick those that are away from the roads and traffic. Nevertheless, we decided to go to Umoljani for one of our favorite walks to the Seven Mills. I thought I'll just keep on looking along the path. After all, I already brought the paper bags with me (always keep the picked flower heads in paper, not plastic, bags, where they can breathe).


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Prošla subota bila je jedna od najljepših u mom životu. Bio je to onaj dan kad punim plućima uživaš u prirodi i svemu što ona nudi.

M. i ja smo dan proveli na planini tražeći cvjetove zohe kako bi od njih napravili sirup. Ja sam prvi put u ratu probala sok od zohe (koji se pravi razmućivanjem sirupa u vodi) - u to vrijeme sok od zohe je bio istinski specijalitet. Zoha, zova, bazga, kako god da je zovete... Razmišljala sam koju imenicu ja da odaberem u svom tekstu, pa sam se odlučila da je zovem onim imenom kojim su je zvale moja nena i majka.

Prvo smo se vozili uz Tušilački potok, i, iako zoha raste blizu vode, nismo primijetili nijedan grm. Put nas je doveo u Tušila gdje smo sa čuvarima planinarskog doma popili njihov domaći zohin sok. Pitala sam ih gdje su je brali, i rekli su da im je jedan od seljana u Sinanovićima dopustio da beru u njegovom vrtu. Rekli su mi da su to jedine dvije u blizini. A u Umoljanima? - pitala sam. Gore, rekli su, nema.

U Umoljanima nema zohe? Kako je to moguće? - mislila sam. Jutros kad smo vozili prema Igmanu i Bjelašnici, naišli smo na mnogo grmova. Tu nismo brali jer su preblizu putevima i izloženi raznim zagađenjima. Odlučili smo da svejedno odemo do Umoljana i prošetamo do vodenica, pa ćemo gledati i tražiti usput. Baš sam bila pripremila papirne vrećice za zohu (u njima, za razliku od plastičnih, cvjetovi mogu disati i duže izgledaju svježi).

On our way to the mills, we came by one bush, but noticed that it hasn't bloomed yet. Elderflowers start blooming in April in lower altitudes. July is when they bloom in the mountains. I had no luck - we came to the spring above the mills and there was no elderflower bushes in sight. I'll keep on looking elsewhere, I thought.

We stayed at the spring for a while - the day was very hot and we decided to cool under a nice shade that hovers over the spring. Suddenly, we heard some noise to the right of us, where the path continues up to Rakitnica canyon. We assumed it was some other hikers like ourselves. 

After a while, two ladies appeared from the source of the noise, carrying bags. I glanced and noticed that one of them was carrying a bag full of something that looked an awful lot like elderflowers.

Excuse me, I said, may I ask where you found the elderflower?

It is right here, one of the ladies replied, pointing. I walked to her, and there it was - a tall elderflower bush, literally ten meters from where we were sitting. To think I almost gave up! Needless to say, I was really happy, and we went and picked just enough for our juice. It was the only bush there, and we didn't want to pick everything there was, because elderflowers will become elderberries, which is what birds feed on, and if I want to pick it again next year, I need to leave some flowers on.

I could now go and make my syrup! And I did.


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Na putu do vodenica naišli smo na samo jedan grm koji, nažalost, nije bio procvjetao. Zoha u nižim područjima počne cvjetati još u aprilu. Do jula stigne i na planine. Nisam imala sreće - došli smo do izvora iznad vodenica i nismo našli nijedan grm. Tješila sam sebe da ću je naći negdje drugo, iako sam se istinski nadala da će je biti na čistom zraku Bjelašnice.

Neko vrijeme smo odmarali pokraj izvora - temperatura je bila jako visoka a hlad koje je pravilo drveće iznad izvora, te žubor hladne vode, činili su ovo mjesto idealno za odmor. Dok smo odmarali, desno od nas gdje nastavlja put za kanjon Rakitnice čuli smo zvukove koji su ličili na ljudski govor. Pretpostavili smo da su to drugi planinari.

Nakon nekog vremena, dvije žene su došle iz pravca iz kojeg je dolazila buka, noseći kese u rukama. Pogledala sam i primijetila da jedna nosi kesu punu cvjetova bež boje - sličnih zohinim!

Oprostite, pitala sam, možete li mi reći gdje ste našli zohu?

Odmah tu, odgovorila je jedna od njih pokazujući rukom. Otišla sam do nje i pogledala u pravcu njene ispružene ruke. Visoki i rascvjetali grm zohe nalazio se na nekih pet metara od mjesta na kojem smo mi odmarali! A ja sam bila odustala! M. mi je pomogao da skupimo cvjetove za naš sirup - nismo ubrali sve jer uvijek treba ostaviti što više cvjetova na grmu. Oni će postati bobice kojima se hrane ptice i od kojih se također pravi sirup. Ako ne ostavimo dovoljno cvjetova na grmu, možda ga iduće godine nećemo ni zateći.

Sad sam mogla napraviti svoj sirup. I odličan je!

Elderflower Syrup
(Recipe courtesy of my awesome boss who brought some of his own juice for us to have at the office)

Ingredients

1,5 L water
1,8 kg sugar
50 elderflowers
5 medium size lemons

Wash the lemons under warm water to scrape off the wax from their skins. Cut them horizontally in thin, round slices. 

Combine lemons, sugar and water in a pressure cooker (or other deep boiling pot with a heavy lid). Slowly bring to a boil, uncovered, until the sugar has melted. Turn the heat off and let cool to about room temperature.

Carefully inspect and clean the flowers. When picking, you really want to get the fully bloomed ones, but not those that are past their prime. Also, smell them. The smell will tell you a lot about the plant; the healthy ones are very fragrant, and a quality elderflower has an unmistakable elderflower smell. I should also note that all other parts of the plant are poisonous, so consume nothing but the flowers.

Add the flowers to the water, sugar, and lemon solution. Lightly mix, cover tightly with a lid and let sit in a cool place for three days.

Strain (and squeeze) the syrup into glass bottles (or plastic ones if you want to freeze the syrup). Keep tightly closed and very cold (fridge is fine). To serve, pour about 2-3 tablespoons of syrup into a cup (1:6 ratio for larger doses) and fill it up with water or mineral water (adjust for taste). Alternatively, freeze (raw syrup or syrup and water juice mentioned earlier) as ice cubes and add to mineral water. Syrup can be used on its own, poured over fruit, or as a muesli sweetener.

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Sirup od zohe
(Prema receptu mog šefa)

Sastojci

1,5 L vode
1,8 kg šećera
50 cvjetova zohe
5 limunova srednje veličine

Operite limunove pod toplom vodom, i dobro ih istrljajte kako bi skinuli vosak sa kore. Isjecite ih na tanke kolutiće.

Pomiješajte komade limuna, šećer i vodu u pretis loncu, ili drugoj dubokoj šerpi koju možete čvrsto zatvoriti. Polako (u nepokrivenom pretisu) prokuhajte mješavinu kako bi se šećer otopio. Sklonite sa toplote i ostavite da se ohladi do sobne temperature.

Pažljivo pregledajte cvjetove i očistite ih od suhih ili truhlih dijelova. Kada berete zohu, birajte najljepše cvjetove i izbjegavajte one koji nisu procvali kao i one sa kojih su sitni cvjetići već počeli da opadaju. Također, pomirišite ih; miris će vam reći puno o biljci. Zdrava zoha ima jak i prepoznatljiv miris. Bitno je napomenuti i da su svi ostali dijelovi zohe otrovni, stoga konzumirajte samo cvjetove.

Dodajte cvjetove mješavini vode, šećera i limuna. Lagano ih umiješajte, čvrsto poklopite i ostavite tri dana na hladnom mjestu.

Procijedite (i iscijedite) sirup u staklene boce ili tegle (plastične ako planirate zalediti sirup). Čuvajte ih čvrsto zatvorene na jako hladnom mjestu (npr. u frižideru). Sok se pravi tako što se sirup razmuti u (mineralnoj) vodi (2-3 kašike sirupa po čaši vode, ili omjer 1:6 za veće količine; prilagodite za svoj ukus). Sok se može i zalediti pa dodati običnoj ili mineralnoj vodi u obliku ledenih kocki. Sirupom se također može zasladiti voće ili zobene pahuljice.