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The berries pictured here speak for themselves. Both delicious and beautiful, "super food" berries are little dynamos of nutrients whose intense blue, purple and red hues serve as visual indicators of the powerful antioxidant compounds they contain. Science aside, there are emotional ties to enjoying berries, too, as many of us, including me, recall berry-picking excursions when more berries were eaten in the wild than were actually taken home. Sometimes outings provided enough berries for making a pie or cobbler, but mostly we ate fresh-picked berries out of hand, or as toppings for tarts, similar to the delicious pastry cream tart featured here. Today, I buy more berries than I pick, and when they are in season and prices are good, I buy a lot. Keeping berries from spoiling can be a problem, however, so this tip shared by Sun City resident, Caroline Kennedy, whose mouth-watering recipe for "Peach-Blackberry Cobbler" follows, is particularly valuable: "Wash berries in a bowl with 3 cups of cold water mixed with a cup of white vinegar. Drain in colander and rinse un der cold running water. Place berries in a salad spinner lined with three layers of paper towels. Sp1in for 15 seconds, or until the berries are completely dry. Alternatively, lay berries on a terry cloth towel and cover with another towel until dry. Store berries in a paper towel-lined sealable container, keeping lid slightly open to allow excess moisture to escape. Raspberries last a week, or more. Strawberries, a lmost two weeks." If you decide to freeze your berries after they are rinsed and dried, chill them thoroughly in the refrigerator before freezing. Not only does chilling the berries hinder freezer burn, but also the berries will freeze faster, which helps to minimize damage to the cell structure of the fruit.
Sue Ade is a syndicated food writer with broad experience and interest in the culinary arts. She has worked and resided in the Lowcountry of South Carolina since 1985 and may be reached at kitchenade@yahoo.com.
