Ingredients:

• 300 ml (plus 1 tbs) all-purpose flour
• 60 ml (plus 2 tbs) sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 120 g (stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 240 g raspberries
• 240 g fresh blackberries
• 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbs sugar

Method:

1. Make the dough: Combine 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Form a well in center of the dry ingredients and place the butter and 1 egg in the well. Using your hands, mix the ingredients into a soft, pliable dough. Form it into a 4-inch disk and place it on lightly floured parchment paper. Lightly dust the dough with flour and roll it into a 10-inch circle. Place dough with parchment on a baking sheet, cover the dough with plastic wrap, and chill for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Make the crostata: In a small bowl, mix remaining flour and sugar and set aside. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and evenly spread the flour and sugar mixture on the dough, leaving a 1-inch-wide border around the edge. Place berries on top of the mixture and sprinkle with lemon juice. Fold the 1-inch border over top of the berries to form a 9-inch crostata.
3. Bake the crostata: Lightly brush the top of the crostata dough with remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Bake on the middle rack of the oven — about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and slide crostata with the parchment paper onto a wire rack. Cool for 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: Crostata a free-form rustic tart is a quick fill-in for two-crust pie and can be made in under an hour. Perfect pastry is easy with Mixed-Berry Crostata and crostata isn’t limited to berries: take advantage of all of the seasonal fruits, like thin-sliced rhubarb or stone varieties. Equal amounts of peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines, or apricots can be substituted for some or all of the berries in this recipe, and you can create a different dessert each time. Vary repeat performances by adding a hint of flavor (grated orange zest, candied ginger, or cinnamon) to the crust. In the filling, toasted chopped nuts tossed along with the berries add a satisfying crunch.

(Photograph: Linda Nylind)

Ingredients:

(Serves two)

2 partridges, cleaned and gutted

Few sprigs of thyme

2 cloves garlic, unpeeled

Splash of olive oil

120g polenta

Small bunch of sage, half roughly chopped and half whole leaf

60g butter, plus a couple of knobs for inside the birds

1 cup milk

Punnet of good blackberries

Tumbler of red wine

1½ tbsp redcurrant jelly

Splash of sherry vinegar

Salt and pepper

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 220C/430F.

Choose a smallish thick-bottomed pan to make the polenta in. If it’s slow-cooking then you need to get it on first. Melt half the butter until just fizzling, then gently fry the chopped sage in it for a minute or two. There will be instructions for the amount of liquid you need to use, so just scale down for the quantity of polenta in this recipe, and where they generally advise water, we will be using half milk and half water.

Once the sage has released its aroma, pour in the milk and water. When steaming, but not boiling, slowly pour in the polenta while whisking it. Turn the heat right down and let the grains cook in the liquid, stirring regularly, which could take anything from 12-30 minutes, depending on the kind of polenta used.

If it starts to go cementy, a hefty splash of milk followed by vigorous whisking will restore the creaminess. Season with salt and pepper. When your polenta is 20 minutes away from being ready, stuff the thyme, garlic and a knob of butter inside each bird, and season inside and out with salt and pepper. Put an oven-proof frying pan on a high heat and melt the rest of the butter with a splash of plain olive oil.

Once hot, put the birds in the pan, breast side down. Brown them well on both breasts, then turn them over and pop them in the oven. After 15 minutes take the pan out, put it over a medium heat on the hob, and remove the birds, resting them breast side down covered with foil on a plate for the five minutes it takes to finish the sauce.

Fry the whole sage leaves in the pan for just a minute, then take them out and put next to the birds. Pour in the wine and a splash of sherry vinegar followed by the blackberries.

Give the berries a good roll around as the wine reduces to a saucy consistency, then stir in the redcurrant jelly until it melts.

Turn the heat off, season the sauce, give your polenta one last taste and consistency check, restoring it to full creamy potential with a splash of milk if necessary and serve on big, warmed plates: first the beautiful soft polenta, bird on top, sauce and berries all around and the sage leaves to finish.

(recipe by Allegra McEvedy is co-founder of the fast-food chain, Leon)

Ingredients:

(Serves 2)

55g (2oz) arborio rice

15g (1/2 oz) ground almonds

80g (3 oz) caster sugar

200ml coconut milk

150ml ordinary milk

50ml evaporated milk OR 3 tbsp of double cream

60 ml (4 tbsp) rosewater

juice of half a lemon

To garnish: Raspberries

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, combine rice, ground almonds, coconut milk, milk and sugar, cooking over very low heat until thickened and gently bubbly, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk. If mixture becomes too thick, add incremental amounts of additional milk. Cook for another five minutes.

2. Remove from heat then stir in evaporated milk/cream, rosewater and lemon juice. Adjust sugar to taste. Pour into individual bowls or glasses. Decorate generously with raspberries. Refrigerate until cool and firm.

Recipe from: Luscious Berry Desserts book by Lori Longbotham

Ingredients:

2 cups cranberry-raspberry juice (divided use)

2 envelopes plain gelatin

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

5 cups mixed ripe berries

Method:

Pour 1/2 cup of the cranberry-raspberry juice into a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over it, and let soften for 5 minutes.

Heat the sugar with 1/2 cup of the cranberry-raspberry juice in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and add the gelatin mixture and lemon juice, stirring until the gelatin is dissolved. Stir in the remaining 1 cup cranberry-raspberry juice.

Place the berries in a loaf pan. Pour the juice mixture over them and press the berries down so they are submerged. Refrigerate, covered, until set and thoroughly chilled, at least 3 hours, or for up to 2 days.

To serve, run a table knife around the inside of the pan and dip the pan in hot water for about 5 seconds, then invert onto a serving platter and shake to release the terrine. Serve cut into slices.

Note: Serves 8 to 10. This is something for ‘Rainbow Colour Diet’ followers!

Ingredients:

185g butter, softened

1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind

1¼ cups (275g) caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten lightly

1 cup (150g) self-raising flour

1/3 cup (40g) ground almonds

½ cup (125ml) orange juice

250g strawberries

120g fresh raspberries

1/3 cup (110g) raspberry jam, warmed

1 tablespoon Cointreau

Mascarpone cream:

600ml thickened cream

1/3 cup (55g) icing sugar mixture

250g mascarpone

1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind

1 tablespoon Cointreau

NOTE: This recipe can be made two days ahead.

Method:

Preheat the oven to moderately slow (160°C/140°C fan-forced). Grease a 24cm fluted tube pan thoroughly.

Beat butter, rind and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined between additions. Fold in sifted flour, almonds and juice in two batches.

Spread mixture into prepared pan; bake in a moderately slow oven for about 50 minutes. Stand cake 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

For the mascarpone cream, beat cream, icing sugar and mascarpone in a small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Stir in rind and liqueur.

Reserve a third of the best strawberries and raspberries; halve the strawberries. Thickly slice remainder. Using a large serrated knife, split cake into three layers. Place base layer on serving plate; spread with half of combined jam and liqueur; top with half of the sliced strawberries and raspberries, and 1 cup mascarpone cream. Repeat layering, ending with cake.

Spread remaining mascarpone cream all over cake; decorate top with reserved berries. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Ingredients:

* 3 oranges

* 2 slices ripe honeydew melon

* 40g fresh raspberries

* 2tbsp orange liqueur or limoncello(optional)

* Sugar to taste

Method:

1. Squeeze the juice of one orange into a mixing bowl. Peel the other two, divide into segments and add to the bowl of juice.

2. Chop the melon and add to the bowl along with all the raspberries.

3. Stir in the liqueur and add a little sugar to taste. Mix gently and leave for 1-2 hours before serving, chilled. Serve with crème fraiche or ice cream and crisp finger biscuits.

Ingredients:

(Serves 8 )

Mousse:

* 1 cup sugar

* 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

* 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter , cut into 8 pieces

* 1 large egg , plus 4 large egg yolks

* 1 tablespoon dried or fresh lavender blossoms

* 3/4 cup heavy cream , whipped

Blueberry sauce:

* 2 cups fresh (or frozen, unthawed) blueberries , plus additional fresh blueberries for garnish

* 1/3 cup sugar

* 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest

* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

* 1 stick cinnamon

Method:

To make mousse: In a heatproof mixing bowl, combine sugar, lemon juice, butter, egg, egg yolks and lavender. Place over a pot of simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain into a bowl set in a larger bowl of ice water and stir until cold and thickened. Fold in whipped cream. Pour mixture into each of eight 5-ounce paper cups. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

To make sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar, 1/4 cup room temperature water, lemon zest, lemon juice and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Let mixture cool 10 minutes. Remove and discard cinnamon stick. Puree blueberry mixture in blender until smooth. Strain through a sieve set over a bowl. Discard solids; cover sauce and refrigerate.

To serve, peel paper cups off mousse and place mousse in shallow bowls. Pour sauce around mousse and garnish with blueberries.

Note: Dried lavender blossoms are available at gourmet markets. Be sure to buy a product intended for culinary use.

Ingredients:

* 1 cup whole milk

* 1 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin

* 3 cups whipping cream

* 1/3 cup honey

* 1 tablespoon sugar

* Pinch salt

* 2 cups assorted fresh berries

Method:

Place the milk in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over. Let stand for 3 to 5 minutes to soften the gelatin. Pour milk mixture into a heavy saucepan and stir over medium heat just until the gelatin dissolves but the milk does not boil, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, honey, sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour into 6 wine glasses so that they are 1/2 full. Cool slightly. Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours.

Spoon the berries atop the panna cotta and serve.