Aronia

More Aronia – hurray!  Okay, so most folks do not want to eat Aronia (commonly known as Chokeberries) fresh.  I concur.  But, the astringent quality of this berry disappears when baked.  What is left is a mild apple/cherry type taste and a blue/purple coloration.  This makes for some fun in baking.

I love trying every berry in waffles, but didn’t want to add these berries as they are a little large.  Inspiration struck after two Russian women visited our booth at the Ithaca Market this past Saturday.  The women purchased the Aronia with the intent to crush the berries and add a little honey.  They keep this in a sealed container in the refrigerator and eat a little everyday.  Some folks drink a glass of orange juice (not a local fruit by any stretch of the imagination) others a dose of Aronia.

To make waffles, I crushed about 3/4 of a pint of Aronia and added this to my waffle mix (and lessened the milk just a bit).  Recipe below.  The result was a colorful waffle with a slight cherry taste.  I served the waffles with our Colorado Rose potatoes fried in olive oil with basil (thanks Six Circles), a duck egg omelet with Northland Sheep blue cheese (just 2 eggs served the three of us), and a slice of our Ambrosia melon.  Breakfast from the backyard.

Waffle recipe:

Mix 2.5 cups 50/50 flour & 2tsp. baking powder.

Make a well in the center, add 1 pinch salt, 1/2 cup (or less) sugar, 1/2 cup melted butter, 2 duck eggs, crushed berries.

Gradually add 2 cups of milk.  Let the batter stand for 1 hour.