Barberries are also known as Zereshk in Persian and these red little gems can definitely upgrade any dish such as pilafs and frittatas. It can also be stuffed in chicken, whole fish or even turkey. But the best part is that these rather sour and tangy treats can give a unique twist to any sweet dessert, transforming it from good to great.
Scones
Uplift the taste of any scone with the lemony and tangy flavour of barberries along with orange zest. A drizzle of sweetened orange glaze will perfectly balance the tartness brought about by the barberries to the palate. For a barberry orange scone that is perfectly paired with a hot cup of tea, you will need some white flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, light cream, eggs, orange zest and orange juice, as well as vanilla extract and salted butter. Of course you also need some barberries which have been previously soaked for ten minutes and sauteed in butter with a tablespoon of sugar.
Follow the standard baking procedure of mixing all the dry ingredients first before combining the wet ingredients. From there, fold the sauteed barberries carefully before popping the dough into the oven. For the orange glaze, you need to mix some confectioner’s sugar into the orange juice and when the scones are fully cooked, drizzle the glaze above it.
Nougat and Cookies
A mix of red and green colours from saffron and barberries can certainly make a sweet and chewy nougat a festive treat. For this incredible treat, you need two pinches of the legendary spice, and a generous cup of barberries. You also need some water, sugar, corn syrup, honey, egg whites, and a pinch of salt. The key in making this recipe a success is the constant monitoring of the temperature and how the eggs are cooked slowly with hot sugar. The result will be a saffron barberry nougat that will definitely be hard to resist.
Aside from nougat, saffron and barberries also make the perfect pair in sprucing up cookies. For this you need some flour, baking powder and sugar, as well as some butter, egg yolks and cardamom powder. You will also need some yoghurt and of course, saffron and barberries. You can even gather some slivered pistachios for the perfect garnish. Preheat the oven just as you would in baking any other type of cookie. But the key is in adding your barberries on the dough after you are done kneading, without handling the dough too much. You also need to cool the dough in your fridge for about half an hour before baking.
To wrap things up, you can explore how you will be able to infuse barberries into the desserts that you have loved ever since or desserts that you have just recently discovered. Scones, nougats, and cookies are only some of the treats that can definitely be transformed with a touch of these red gems. Perhaps this is the perfect time for you to uncover a sweet treat with a unique twist.