Fruits!

I thought I would share a couple of simple recipes that are perfect for using up your summer fruits.
The onset of summer always fills me with a strong desire to go fruit picking, those glossy red berries seemingly symbolising everything wonderful about the summer, and reminding us of eating raw berries with stained fingers when we were children.
Unfortunately, the shelf life of soft berries is as transatory as the season itself and unless you know people who will gratefully accept jars and jars of jams, you may find yourself throwing out strawberries than have grown grey fur coats out to the birds (they're not as picky as us humans).
Fortunately, it is really easy to freeze fruits, you just need to lay them out flat on a baking sheet in the freezer for a day or so, before bagging up. By freezing in this way, you're left with whole fruits that haven't been crushed by other freezer hogging fruits that are demanding their own space in the bag.
The two recipes that I'm sharing are really simple but dazzingly effective, one for quenching your thirst and the other for a relaxed summers meal.
Firstly, you can use any berries you want. I used a combination of frozen blueberries and strawberries (which particularly benefit from the baking sheet method of freezing) but raspberries, loganberries, blackberries or currants would be just as good. It gives you a feeling of having grasped onto a fleeting moment of the summer when, in the middle of winter, you extract a bag of frosty berries from the freezer.
The first usage of fruit is just a simple fat-free smoothie which was inspired by the banana ice cream of several weeks back. I have been experimenting with freezing various fruits and then blending them to see what is achieved and the most succesful thing (in Paul's eyes - or tastebuds) was this chilly drink. The banana isn't obligatory and if you enjoy the tartness that some early season berries carry, then you'll love this. If, like me, you have a sweet tooth that constantly needles your pancreas, then the banana adds a natural sweetness as well as a definite creaminess and makes this drink more like a milk-shake than a healthy drink. Always a winner in my book if the health aspect is downplayed.
FROZEN BERRY SHAKE - makes about 1 pint
Ingredients:
Handful of Frozen Berries of your choice
One banana, peeled and chopped (doesn't have to be frozen)
Skimmed Milk, about 3/4 Pint
METHOD:
Throw the berries into your blender and whizz up until they start to resemble unpolished rubies. Now add the chopped banana and blend some more until roughly amalgamated. You don't want to blend the fruits to obliteration at this point as you want to retain that icy cold flavour.
Finally, pour in some skimmed milk and process so that you have a hot pink shake. Add more milk if you prefer a more liquid shake. Pour into a glass (or two if you're sharing, I certainly couldn't manage a pint of milkshake although Paul can - and does) and enjoy!

The second dish is lifted from Ina Garten's latest book, The Barefoot Contessa at Home, Frozen Berries with Hot White Chocolate. It is a recipe that I fell in love with as soon as I saw it, the simplicity of the two ingredients, the slightly refrosted fruit and the silky chocolate and their stunning relationship on the plate, a bit like Rupert Everett and Anna Falchi in Delamorte Dellamore. One is earthy and bold, the other ethereal and pale.
And, whilst this isn't entirely healthy (white chocolate and double cream), it does feel like your body is somehow benefitting from this treat. It is also adaptable enough to serve at a romantic meal for two or at a casual get-together for eight.
FROZEN BERRIES WITH HOT WHITE CHOCOLATE - serves 4
Ingredients:
300g Mixed Frozen Berries
150g White Chocolate
180ml Double Cream
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
METHOD:
About 15 minutes before you want to serve the berries, remove from the freezer and spread out, in one layer, on each serving plate (or shallow bowl).
To make the sauce, melt the white chocolate with the cream and vanilla extract in a bowl placed over gently simmering water. Do not let overheat or the chocolate might split (although a drop or two of cold water and some vigorous whisking should bring it back again). As soon as the sauce is completely melded together and is diaphanously fluid, pour over your prepared berries and serve to your eagerly waiting guests. And enjoy!