Whether you’re enjoying them fresh as a juicy summertime snack or frozen in your favourite smoothie or cake, berries are definitely a fruit to be appreciated. Berry, a name derived from the Old English word berie, which means ‘grape’, are a delicious and pulpy grape-shaped fruit that is grown in bunches.

From the beginning of their cultivation in the 17th century in parts of Europe and other countries, berries are among the healthiest foods you can get and provide a number of health benefits such as:

• Providing an array of vitamins and minerals

• Loaded with antioxidants

• May improve insulin and blood-sugar levels

• High in fibre

• Helps to fight inflammation

• May help lower cholesterol levels

• Great for your skin

Some tips just to keep in mind when you’re trying to make a berry-inspired dessert:

• Sometimes opt to use frozen berries rather than fresh ones. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with frozen berries – if anything, they may be the better choice for baking when compared to the fresh variety.
• Fresh berries need to be handled with care as you gently fold them into your batters, they are quite soft and not as solid as the frozen ones.
• Another top tip is to freeze fresh berries as it will preserve their lifespan – just be sure to dust them in a bit of flour before freezing so that they don’t sink to the bottom of your cake.
• Berries are lovely to work with, the only difference when baking with frozen ones are that you would probably need to bake your dessert for a slightly longer period of time. This is because frozen berries drop the temperature of your batter, so the oven would need a bit more time to level things out.
• You also don’t need to defrost them as the oven heat will suffice.
• Lastly, note that your cake filling should be slightly thicker, as frozen fruit will release more liquid than fresh fruit due to the ice formed. Other than that, you’re good to go!

MIXED BERRY TART 

SERVES 8

INGREDIENTS

For the pastry

115 g cold butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing

1 cup cake flour, plus extra for dusting

¼ cup ground almonds

1½ tsp sugar

Pinch salt

4–6 tbsp iced water

For the filling

1 cup mascarpone

⅓ cup double-thick cream

¼ cup sugar

2 tbsp marmalade

2 tbsp water

1⅓ cups raspberries

1⅓ cups blueberries

1⅓ cups strawberries, stems removed and quartered

METHOD

For the pastry

1 Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a large tart tin.

2 Combine the flour, ground almonds, sugar and salt together in a bowl. Add the butter and rub together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

3 Add the iced water 1 tbsp at a time, mixing until the dough comes together.

4 Transfer to a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Flatten into a 12 cm disc and wrap in cling film. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

5 Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Return to the floured surface and dust with flour. Roll the dough out until about 1 cm thick.

6 Press into the tart tin, pressing lightly into the curves. Prick all over with a fork, then bake for 10–15 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

For the filling

1 Beat together the mascarpone, cream and sugar in a bowl until stiff peaks form. Scoop the mixture into the tart crust and spread evenly.

2 Bring marmalade and water to a simmer in a pot over a medium heat. Remove from the heat.

3 Place all the berries in a bowl and pour the marmalade mixture over. Gently mix to coat the berries. Spoon the berries on top of the mascarpone, slice and serve

MIXED BERRY FRENCH TOAST

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

8 eggs

½ cup milk

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vegetable oil

8 slices bread

¾ cups water

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp honey

1½ cups mixed berries

2 tsp cornflour

1 tsp vanilla essence

¼ cup flaked almonds, toasted

METHOD

1 Whisk together the eggs, milk and cinnamon in a shallow dish.

2 Place a non-stick pan over medium-low heat and lightly grease with oil.

3 Soak the bread in the egg mixture until both sides have absorbed some of it.

4 Fry the bread in the hot pan for 1–2 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through.

5 Place the water, lemon juice, honey and 1 cup mixed berries in a pot over medium heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

6 Mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp water and add the paste to the berry mixture. Whisk until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the vanilla.

7 Stack slices of French toast on top of each other and pour the mixed berry sauce over them.

8 Top with the remaining berries and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

Words: Jezza-Rae Larsen | Photography: HM Images, Unsplash