The taste of summer: what is prepared with seasonal berries in restaurants
The tradition of adding berries to dishes dates back many centuries, but it was in the last century that this culinary technique turned into a trend that has not lost its relevance today. The pioneers in this direction were the masters of haute cuisine from France and Italy, who decided to rely on seasonal products and new, lightweight cooking techniques. This idea is widely used today in Russian restaurants, where fresh and lightly processed berries can be found not only in desserts, but also in salads, soups and main courses. Read more about the subtleties of using berries in summer dishes in the Izvestia article.
Which berries are used by chefs in June
Work with seasonal berries in restaurants usually begins in June and ends in August. The products used are those that are at the peak of ripeness and ripening, so in summer their use in the menu varies from month to month.
"The honeysuckle season is starting now, the first berry in our strip, and we are immediately putting it to work," the chef of the Zakroma and Skazka restaurants told Izvestia. Food and Wine", (Yaroslavl) Pavel Trifonov. — Fresh honeysuckle is served with yogurt ice cream and blackcurrant gel. The berry has a soft texture and a complex taste with notes of blueberries, blueberries, and red grapes. It literally melts in your mouth.
Our interlocutor also explained that he tries to maximize the use of seasonal, regional berries in fresh form, without freezing and heat treatment. Such products are important not only gastronomically, but also functionally, as they carry a lot of benefits. The same honeysuckle, for example, is rich in vitamins and has a good effect on vision.
Oven dumplings with rhubarb jam and raspberries
"If we talk about the first month of summer and Siberian berries, we now have wild strawberries, an expensive but incredibly fragrant berry," the brand chef of Sadko, Dze and Dzemi restaurants (Krasnoyarsk) told our publication Mikhail Mikhailov. — It is more appreciated not even by taste, but by aroma, so we actively use it in desserts in June.
Matzoni with seasonal berries
The expert also added that sweet dishes with strawberries are currently on the menu of his restaurants. As examples, he cited whipped cream on matzoni with confit made from fresh berries and shu cake with strawberries and vanilla cream. As the season progresses, panakota with strawberries and sorrel, chocolate cake and malt brownie combined with cherries will appear in the dessert section. By July, taiga raspberries, black currants, and wild cherry will be ripe. They can also be integrated into different positions, and not only in desserts.
— In early summer, I use and harvest green fruits: gooseberries, currants, blackthorn. I work with marinades," Andrey Anikiev, brand chef of Roomi restaurant, shared his approach. — I work with berries exclusively from the wild — their taste is much brighter.
Black broken gingerbread
In the desserts "Arkhangelsk goat" and "Black broken gingerbread" he uses blueberries, blueberries and princesses, emphasizing them with coniferous fir oil. Thus, brand chef Anikiev tries to preserve and convey the original taste and aroma of the northern forest.
Arkhangelsk goat
— In June, we definitely use mulberries in some dishes, — adds Alexander Molchanov, chef of the Bjorn Northern cuisine restaurant (Moscow). — This berry has a rather mild taste, besides, it often has a low acidity, which makes it well combined with green leaves and some seafood.
Deer's heart and tongue, black chanterelles and mulberry
As an illustration, our expert cited a salad from a new seasonal set, in which a trumpeter stewed at low temperature is complemented by a mix of wild plants with pickled nasturtium fruits, white cherries and mulberries, which is responsible for the calm filling of the entire dish. Mulberry is also good to use with meat, as in the case of another course from the set, where the fresh berry plays well with the tender boiled and smoked tongue and dried heart of spotted deer, black chanterelles and young shoots of spruce. Mulberry adds juiciness to the whole position and successfully emphasizes the iron tint in the taste of game.
What you need to know about trendy berry soup
In recent years, cold entrees or light snacks made from mashed berries and vegetables have become increasingly common on summer restaurant menus. These soups are best eaten in the morning or on a hot afternoon to refresh yourself.
Gazpacho with strawberries, shrimp or crab
— An example of a cold soup with berries is gazpacho with strawberries, — explained the chef of La Raquette bistro (Moscow) Philip Kvyatkovsky. — The combination of strawberries and tomatoes is interesting from the point of view of taste chemistry. There is a theory of food packaging: if products have the same color, they usually have similar flavor components. Both strawberries and tomatoes have a red color due to certain pigments, which determines their compatibility.
Strawberries and strawberries are great for summer soups, our interlocutor continues. It may also be interesting to combine blueberries with cold beetroot, as these ingredients have similar shades of color. You can also make a similar soup based on Greek yogurt with cherries. This berry is perfect for gazpacho. When preparing such soups, it is important not only to rely on the principles of harmony of taste and color, but also to use the most ripe, seasonal berries and vegetables — then the dish will turn out to be truly summery and bright.
What foods are best combined with different berries?
Berries are a valuable seasonal resource that needs to be used to the maximum. There is sweetness in the taste of some, sourness or slight bitterness in others. All these properties of berries will give the dishes a bright accent and completeness.
Strawberry soup
"Almost every berry is great for hot dishes, but each one has its own way," says Chef Trifonov. — Black currants are gastronomically versatile: in their green form, they can be salted like capers, and the ripe ones can be processed into gels and served with game, which we use in a dish with duck breast. By the way, we make fragrant oil from the leaves.
Tomatoes with strawberries, strachatella and pistachios
Cherries, cherries, blackberries, and blueberries also go well with poultry, game, and red meat, our interlocutor continues. They complement the dish, giving acidity, sweetness and depth of taste. Strawberries and cherries work well with seafood, especially sweet ones such as scallops, shrimp, white fish (for example, cod, halibut). Red currant is bright, juicy, with a sweet and sour taste, perfectly complements fatty meat dishes. Cranberries and cranberries are used as broths, a kind of base for sauces and marinades. Red gooseberries are suitable for desserts or meat dishes, green – for salads or fish. Pickled green gooseberry goes well with walleye, balances the fat content of the fish and adds acidity and crunch.
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