Finders keepers: Yotam Ottolenghi’s blackberry recipes( and how to make them last longer)

Jam and jelly are great ways to preserve blackberries, whether bought or foraged. But this year Ive decided to pickle them with brilliant results

Recipe writing involves a lot of second-guessing about the climate. A column about ice-cream in July, say, is as likely to appear on a cold-snap Saturday as to melt seamlessly into a balmy weekend. But an understanding of how the weather affects our render sets us on firmer ground. According to the Woodland Trusts Natures Calendar survey, which asks the public to record the signs of the changing seasons, ripe blackberries were reported in only 31 locations by 1 August this year( there were more than 300 in 2015, and as far north as Newcastle ). This years colder-than-average spring held back the plants leafing, which in turn delayed the ripening of the fruit.

So when I eventually got hold of some blackberries this year, my reply was to suspend them in time. Jams, preserves and jellies are all great ways to spread your blackberries over the season, but this year I opted to pickle them, turning a few punnets of fruit into a jar that will last the best part of three months. They also freeze well( handy if you want to file away the crumble recipe until autumn ), but rather than freezing the berries as they come, instead spread them out on an oven tray lined with baking newspaper, then freeze. That route, theyre guaranteed to be frozen whole, rather than squished together; once frozen, simply transfer them to a bag or container to lie, ever so reliably, in wait.

Pickled blackberries

This induces more than you need for the duck or salad recipes that are consistent with, so try mixing the leftovers with herbs and serving with grilled mackerel or salmon, or serving them with meat, especially bacon or roasted partridge; they also go well with goats cheese. Makes one 750 ml jar.

150 ml red-wine vinegar
180 ml water
15 juniper berries
2 bay foliages
Shaved scalp from 1 small orange
75 g caster sugar
1 tbsp flaky sea salt
320 g fresh blackberries, gently cleaned and left to dry

Put everything bar the blackberries in a small saucepan and cook on a medium-high heat until the sugar and salt dissolve and the liquid is just coming to a simmer. Take off the hot and leave to cool completely.

Put the blackberries in a sterilised jar you want them to fit snugly, with a 2cm gap at the opening of the jar then pour over the cooled liquid, stimulating sure the berries are fully submerged( press them down gently with a clean spoonful and, if need be, weigh them down with a small saucer ). Screw on the lid and leave at room temperature for five days, by which hour theyll be ready to eat. Store in the fridge, where theyll maintain for up to three months.

Roast duck with pickled blackberry and mint salsa

One duck serves two generously, but you could always double the duck element and roasted two at the same hour on two trays, to serve four to six. If you do so, youll need to increase the sums for the sauce and salsa by only a third or so.

For the duck
2 tsp juniper berries
Flaky ocean salt and black peppercorns
1 whole duck, including giblets( 2kg )
1 big orange, cut into 8 wedges
2 bay foliages
15 g thyme sprigs
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed For the sauce
1 duck neck( from the giblets )
2 tsp plain flour
1 tbsp duck fat( from the roasting tin )
1 banana shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
5g thyme sprigs
1 cleave garlic, peeled and crushed
300 ml blackberry pickling juices
200 ml chicken stock
1 tbsp maple syrup
Flaky ocean salt
For the blackberry salsa
180 g pickled blackberries
5g mint leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil

Heat the oven to 200 C/ 390 F/ gas mark 6. Set the juniper berries in a spice grinder with a teaspoon and a half of flaky sea salt and half a teaspoon of peppercorns. Blitz to a fine powder, then scratch all over the skin of the duck, including the wings and legs. Put half of the aromatics the orange wedges, bay foliages, thyme and garlic inside the bird and scatter the rest in the base of a high-sided roast tray. Lay the duck on top breast-side up, then roast for an hour, basting every 20 minutes. Turn down the oven to 180 C/ 350 F/ gas mark 4 and cook for 30 minutes more, basting halfway through, until cooked, then take out of the oven, covering with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Half an hour before the duck is cooked, start on the sauce. Set a medium saute pan on a medium-high flame, and add a tablespoon of the fat from the duck roasting pan. Toss the duck neck in flour and add to the hot pan with the shallot. Cook, stirring, for three minutes, until the neck is seared all over and the shallots are golden-brown, then add the thyme and garlic, and cook for another minute. Pour over the pickling juices, stock and syrup, bring to a boil, turn the heat to medium and simmer for 15 -2 0 minutes, until reduced by two-thirds and the consistency of a thin gravy. Strain into a small clean saucepan, discarding the neck and aromatics, bring to a simmer on a medium-high hot, and leave to bubble away for five minutes, until the sauce is thick and theres 100 ml left in the pan.

Just before serving, mix all the ingredients for the salsa in a bowl.

Carve the duck breasts and lay on two serving plates; carve off the leg and put one on each plate. Spoon the salsa alongside and finish with a drizzle of sauce over the duck. Serve with the remaining sauce on the side.

Pear and blackberry crumble

Apples and blackberries are a crumble match constructed in heaven, true, but pears work well, too. Ive used williams here, but any sweet, ripe pear will do. Serves six.

450 g fresh blackberries( or frozen and defrosted)
3 large ripe williams pears, peeled, cored and chopped into 2cm pieces
75 ml marsala( or other sweet wine )
80 g caster sugar
1 tbsp corn flour
tsp ground allspice
tsp ground cinnamon
tsp freshly ground nutmeg

For the crumble topping
80 g unsalted butter, fridge-cold and cut into 2cm cubes
100 g ground almonds
90 g plain flour
80 g soft dark brown sugar
50 g rolled oats
1 pinch salt

Heat the oven to 160 C/ 320 F/ gas mark 2. Mix the blackberries, pears, marsala, caster sugar, corn flour and spices in a bowl, then tip into a high-sided 23 cm x 18 cm cooking dish.

Put the crumble ingredients in a medium bowl, then scratch together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Sprinkle the disintegrate over the fruit, so its completely covered, then cook for 40 minutes, until the crumble is browned and the fruit is starting to bubble up at the edges. Cover with foil, cook for 15 minutes more, until the fruit juices bubble vigorously to the surface and the disintegrate is crisp on top, then leave to rest and cool a little before serving warm with some ice-cream or yoghurt alongside.

Bittersweet peach and pickled blackberry salad

This salad will leave you with most of the pickling juices from your blackberry jar. Use them to make another batch of pickled blackberries: just add washed fresh blackberries, stimulating sure they are all submerged, seal and put the jar in the refrigerator straight away, rather than leaving them to steep at room temperature. Leave for a week, then savor for readiness. Serves four to six.

80 g rocket
100 g radicchio leaves, torn
2 heads white chicory, trimmed and leaves separated
270 g pickled blackberries
3 peaches, stoned and each cut into 8 wedges
10 g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
For the dressing
60 ml pickled blackberry juices
60 ml olive oil
tsp caster sugar
Salt
1 small shallot, peeled and thinly sliced

Start with the dres. In a small bowl, whisk the blackberry juices, oil, sugar and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, then mix in the chopped shallot and put aside for at the least 15 minutes.

Put all the salad ingredients in a large bowl, pour over the dres, fling very gently to coat and serve at once.

Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/ patron of Ottolenghi and Nopi in London.

Read more: www.theguardian.com