John Wright
LATIN NAME
Vaccinium myrtillus
ALSO KNOWN AS
Blaeberries, huckleberries, whinberries, whortleberries
SEASONALITY
August–September
HABITAT
Heathland, moors and open woodland in the north and west of the British Isles, with a few populations in the south
MORE RECIPES
Chicken and blueberry salad with coriander dressing
Why just sit around on a piece of heathland in August and September enjoying the fine weather when you could be usefully employed picking bilberries? Gathering this fruit, characteristic of acid uplands across the British Isles, is a foraging task that takes some time as each bilberry bush will generally bear but a few fruit, and they are considerably smaller than the brazen cultivated blueberry (see Blueberries). However, there are likely to be several thousand of the shrubs in any one location, so a substantial collection can be made with a little dedication.
If your intention is to take them back for tea you’ll need the self-control of a saint not to eat every last one on the spot, and it is true that not a single bilberry among the thousands I have picked has ever made it home. But I have a dream that one day I will bring back sufficient to cover a cheesecake or previously cooked flan. It would certainly be worth it – these berries are quite superb.
With thicker skins and less juice than their cultivated cousins, bilberries are more intense, sharper and richer in the mouth. They are bracingly delicious raw but also cook well – with a splash of water and a sprinkling of sugar to make a versatile compote. For more elaborate recipes, turn to Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book, which contains one of the most erudite paeans to the fruit you’re likely to find, celebrating the traditional bilberry pies of the English North as well as French dishes for mountain myrtilles – including ices, sauces and pastries. Bilberry jam is exceptional too, I am told, but the idea of ever gathering enough for the preserving pan must remain, for me, a fantasy.
PEAR AND BILBERRY CRUMBLE TART
This makes the most of even the smallest haul of bilberries (or blackberries, or cultivated blueberries), which go exceptionally well with pears. The addition of thyme gives a delightful, sweet fragrance, but it is optional. Serves 6–8
FOR THE PASTRY
200g plain flour
35g icing sugar
A pinch of salt
100g cold unsalted butter, diced or coarsely grated
1 medium egg yolk
2–3 tbsp cold milk (or water)
FOR THE FILLING
4 ripe pears
100–200g bilberries
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
Leaves from 1 sprig of thyme
2 tbsp clear honey
FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING
100g plain flour
80g cold butter, cubed or coarsely grated
75g porridge oats
50g caster sugar
25g walnuts, crushed or chopped
For the pastry, put the flour, icing sugar and salt into a food processor and blitz briefly to combine (or sift into a bowl). Add the butter and blitz (or rub in with your fingers) until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and just enough milk or water to bring the mix together into large clumps. Knead lightly into a ball, wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4.
Roll out the pastry to a circle, 3–4mm thick, and use it to line a 20cm tart tin, about 4cm deep; leave the excess overhanging the rim. Prick the pastry base with a fork. Stand the tart tin on a baking tray and line the pastry case with baking parchment and baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and parchment and return the pastry case to the oven for about 10 minutes until it looks dry and lightly coloured. Trim away the excess pastry. Turn the oven up to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5.
For the filling, peel, quarter and core the pears, then cut each quarter into 2 or 3 wedges. Lay the pear wedges in the pastry case. Scatter over the bilberries, sugar and thyme leaves, and trickle over the honey.
For the crumble topping, put all the ingredients into a bowl and work together with your hands until you have a well-combined, lumpy mix. Spoon this over the pears and bilberries (if you have a little left over, freeze it for another pud).
Bake the tart in the oven for 25–30 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown. Allow to cool slightly, or completely, before serving with plain yoghurt or cream.