food to glow

A smaller and healthier version of a beloved US-style dessert, this “buckle” is so-called (perhaps; no one knows really) because when you pour a load of fresh fruit onto a sizzling batter the whole thing buckles under the weight. Truly delicious with almost any ripe fruit, but blackberries – or in this case, Scottish wild brambles – are the best. Use plain unbleached flour to make it lighter, but I hope you like it with the wholegrain stuff. xx

Batter

100g (3/4 US cup) wholemeal flour (I use wholegrain spelt flour)

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp fine salt

¼ tsp ground cardamom (two-three green pods-worth)

2 tbsp (packed) muscovado or raw sugar

30g (1/4 cup) ground almonds/almond meal OR coarse cornmeal

150ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) almond milk or other milk

1 tsp real almond extract (optional)

The Rest

175g (1 & 1/3 cup) blackberries/brambles OR full-flavoured blueberries

1 tbsp demerara sugar/raw sugar (more if the berries seem bitter)

1 ½ tbsp extra virgin coconut butter or organic dairy butter

30g (slightly heaped 1/3 cup) flaked almonds

You will need: a 20cm diameter (small) well-seasoned cast-iron skillet for best results, or use a favourite pie pan of the same size. You want one that will help give a golden crust to the bake.

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.

2. Make up the batter by dry-whisking the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom and stirring in the sugar and almond meal/cornmeal in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the almond milk and extract (if using) until you get a thick batter. Set aside for now.

3. Heat the butter in the pan until starting to foam/the coconut oil is completely melted and fragrant – I use a skillet so I heat the fat on my hob over a medium flame. Swirl the fat so that it comes up the sides a bit – you are wanting this buckle to have a crisp crust.

ready for the oven

4. Spoon the batter onto the hot fat, but don’t spread it quite to the edge. Top with the berries, slighting pressing them into most of the exposed batter and piling the remainder on top. Sprinkle over the sugar. Immediately place in the preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the edges are crusty and firm.

5. During the last five minutes add the almonds to a small tray and pop them into the oven. Remove both pans from the oven and serve the blackberry buckle warm with ice cream, crème fraiche, yogurt and more fruit – sliced red plums are nice. Sprinkle over the toasted almonds – don’t forget them as they are really super on this pudding.

A bigger slice? This recipe is easily doubled; use a larger pan and increase the baking time to 1 hour.

Another dimension? Add a small handful of chopped apples, and use a little less berries.

Nutrition, taste and preparation notes: Here is an accessible and factual article on SFGate, but basically blackberries (especially wild ones) are low in calories, high in fibre, chock full of disease-preventing ellagic acid and loads of vitamins and minerals and may help fight cognitive decline.

I try and eat some kind of wild berries every day, mostly ones I have picked and frozen. If you are out picking, chose an unpolluted, low-traffic area and pull off the deepest-coloured but still pluckable fruits (really ripe ones will disintegrate in your hand – picker’s perk). Other similar fruits to look for are listed here on Serious Eats.

When home, line a couple of baking trays with parchment paper and tumble the fruits onto it, whacking them into the freezer for at least an hour then pouring the frozen berries into labeled freezer bags.  They will keep up to a year quite well, and with little deterioration in nutritional value. Fresh or frozen berries are perfect for this low-sugar but deeply flavourful dessert. Defrost if frozen and pat with some paper towel. Foraged berries will have a spectrum of flavours. Depending on the hedgerow you happen upon you may find berries that taste faintly of cedar, cloves, or mint. The ones where I pick taste ever so gently of rose.