Warm rolls stuffed with cranberry banana jam, a fried egg and a freshly brewed cuppa joe – what a great way to start a day!

August through early September see the peak of the berry picking season here at Chignik Lake. We start with salmonberries, move into blueberries, wineberries (aka nagoon berries), and crowberries (aka blackberries) and finish up with lingonberries (aka lowbush cranberries). Somewhere in the middle of all that, we can find porcini (aka bolete) mushrooms. But, those aren’t a berry, are they?

Berry picking has always been a joy for me. Something about finding little sweet edible treasures is pleasurable, but it’s more than the happiness of the find alone that I love. A couple of weekends ago, we went across the lake to pick cranberries. The berries grow by the bucketloads on little hillocks in and around boggy areas where blueberries and mushrooms also thrive. The air was sweet and pure, the breeze was soft. Sitting on the little hillocks, you can grab small handfuls at a time of the small red gems. At their varying stages of growth, they range in color from candy apple to a deep merlot. Their sizes, too, vary – with lunkers attaining the size of a large pea. Some people like to use a rake-like scoop (that works a lot like a bear claw) to pick the little berries. I enjoy picking them by hand. I find it is more satisfying to pick this way and it produces a cleaner haul.

The hike to the bog that day was beautiful, the trail colored up with the fiery reds and oranges of fireweed and wild geranium leaves, and the yellows, golds and browns of fall willows and grasses. Sometimes we pick together and talk quietly. On this day we were in sight of each other, but enjoying our immersive experience separately. I got so engrossed in my task, I didn’t notice the others who had joined us in the picking until movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. About a football field away was a mama bear and her two fat cubs. The big babies were tussling about while mama raked up berries with her long claws and feasted. I looked over at Jack, who was also a football field away from me in a different direction to see if he noticed. Sure enough, he and his camera were capturing the scene. The mama bear sniffed in our direction to ensure her babies were safe. Having detected no need for concern, the little family grazed for a while longer and then ambled on their way. What a place we live in, where we can safely berry pick alongside these great beings. The only other sound the entire time we picked was that of the breeze rustling through the vegetation and a few late sparrows chirping from the hillside.

When we got home, I rinsed and dried the berries and then popped them into the freezer for later use. Today’s recipe is made with one of my favorite jams, banana lingonberry. The recipe comes from a publication put out by the University of Alaska Fairbanks. It might seem like a strange combination of fruits as both bananas and lingonberries both have strong flavors. However, together they are quite complementary. Of course, the breakfast roll recipe can be made with any flavor of jam. These lingonberry gems were made in honor of the beautiful outing picking berries.

Wild Berry Jam Breakfast Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ tbsp yeast
• 1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp milk powder (can use whole, nonfat, buttermilk)
• Generous pinch salt
• ½ cup warm water
• 2 ½ tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 6 tbsp wild berry jam

Directions

1. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine ½ cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, yeast, sugar, milk powder and salt.
2. Mix in water and butter.
3. Beat in remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.
4. Switch to dough hook and knead for a couple of minutes. Dough should be smooth, soft, and springy.
5. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, about 60 minutes.
6. Grease an 8-inch cake pan or a 9-inch pie plate.
7. Cut dough into 8 pieces.
8. Roll dough into balls and place into prepared pan with space around them.
9. Using your thumb, make a depression in the center of each dough ball.
10. Cover pan with a double layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
11. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
12. Divide jam evenly into each depression in the rolls.
13. Place the pan in a cold oven and turn the heat to 350°F.
14. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Rolls will be golden brown when done.
15. Let cool slightly on a wire rack.
16. Serve warm from oven as is, or drizzle with powdered sugar glaze, or dust with powdered sugar.

Summertime around here is almost indescribable. At this time of the year, hundreds of thousands of salmon are ascending our river. Many shades of green have raced to the tops of the surrounding hillsides and to the highest points of all but the very tallest peaks. From riverbanks to the edges of mountaintop snow patches, there are flowers popping open in every imaginable color. And now the first berries of summer are starting to ripen – salmonberries. It is a well-documented fact that Alaska’s wild berries have an astonishing amount of health benefits due to our long sunlit days. But that’s not really why we pick them and eat them. They are beautiful and luscious.

The rainbow of colors that adorn ripe salmonberries is bewitching. They can be found in alluring golds, bright oranges, and deep reds. They can be as small as raspberries or as big as what I like to call lunkers, berries as big as a yellow school bus. I have a strong affection for all berries, but salmonberries in my opinion are the most beautiful.

This muffin recipe is inspired by the classic dessert – Peach Melba. This dessert showcases the complementary flavors of poached peaches and fresh tart raspberries. I’m sure this muffin recipe could be improved with the substitution of fresh peaches in place of canned. But thousands of miles from a fresh peach, canned sufficed in my remote Alaskan kitchen. What makes these muffins work so well is the technique of tucking the berries into the middle – a lovely surprise for diners.

These muffins taste like a celebration of summer. We enjoyed ours this morning with a big cup of French Roast coffee, a fried egg and a thick slice of our friend Michelle’s homemade bacon. Now we’re fueled up and ready to go for a hike up one of those beautiful green-sloped mountains.

Salmonberry Peach Muffins

Ingredients

• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• ½ cup milk
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• ½ of 15 oz. can peaches in light syrup, chopped
• ½ cup fresh or frozen salmonberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Grease 6-muffin tin (I use a silicone pan without the butter).
3. In a bowl, whisk together sugar, egg, butter, and milk.
4. Stir flour, baking powder and salt into the mixture.
5. Carefully stir in chopped peaches.
6. Evenly divide ½ of the batter into each muffin cup.
7. Evenly divide salmonberries on top of batter.
8. Cover salmonberries with remaining batter.
9. Bake muffins until golden and springy to the touch, about 25 minutes.
10. Let cool in pan on rack for about 5 minutes before removing muffins.
11. Serve warm as part of a delicious summertime brunch.

A few years ago, something happened. Was it the weather, the climate? Did something happen to the soil? Or just a part of a greater normal cycle? That year there were very few berries growing around the Lake. We were worried. Was that the end of our precious little fruit? There’s nothing like a year of berry paucity to make a person like me anxious every year to see how the wild berry crop will be. Not only are berries a favorite fruit, we rely on them through the winter as a means to keep fresh fruit regularly in our diet. Of course, picking our own berries is much more practical than ordering berries to be flown out to our remote locale – from a freshness and a financial perspective. Blueberries are the only berry that will ship out here without rotting on the way. And interestingly, studies have shown that our wild little berries pack more nutritional punch than the farmed variety most people see in grocery stores. The long, light-filled days of summer have a farther-reaching positive effect than meets the eye.

Every year, since that berry drought year, we make it a habit to hike around to our favorite picking spots early in the season to check on the flowers. A nasty rainstorm at just the right (wrong) time can knock all the flowers or young berries down, so just seeing buds doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods. But it is a worthwhile and enjoyable task to go out and check. A few days ago, we finished our round of exploratory hikes. Those walks revealed flowers. So many flowers! The salmonberry flowers are already turning to fruit. And the berry bogs are loaded with buds. It’s looking like it will be a banner year for berries. I can already taste all my favorite creations – syrups, jams, jellies, fruit butters, and IQF (individually quick frozen), which makes up the majority of our kept berries.

Inspired by the upcoming picking season, I dug into our freezer to see exactly how many berries remained from last summer. My search revealed several bags of IQF blueberries and IQF salmonberries. Hurrah! There were enough to whip up a taste of summer to tide me over before picking season. And it happened that friends invited us to dinner, which gave me a ready excuse to get baking.

I have created many recipes featuring berries. For this dinner, I wanted to bring something that really highlighted the berries. I also wanted something I could carry easily without bringing a dish or pie pan to deal with later. Blueberry hand pies, or turnovers, would be perfect. I could pack them with fruit and they would be easy to carry over in a little box.

And they were extremely easy to whip up. Pie dough, berries, sugar, lemon juice, clear gel, vanilla and Done! They are perfect as is. But to add an aesthetic Wow factor, I drizzled icing made with powdered sugar and lemon juice on the cooled pastries. That did the trick. My friends oohed and aahed and requested the recipe (a true sign that a dessert hit the mark).

So, friends, here’s the recipe for Wild Blueberry Turnovers.

Wild Alaskan Blueberry Turnovers

Ingredients

• 1 small egg
• 1 ¼ cup wild Alaskan blueberries, frozen or fresh (other berries can be substituted)
• 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp clear gel (corn starch will work)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla paste (vanilla extract would work)
• Single pie crust

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Whisk egg with a teaspoon of water in a small bowl for an egg wash. Set aside.
4. In a bowl, gently mix blueberries, sugar, clear gel, lemon juice and vanilla.
5. Divide pie crust into 4 portions.
6. Shape pie crust sections into circles, about 1/8” thick (3mm).
7. Place crusts on prepared baking sheet.
8. Divide blueberry filling evenly onto pie crust circles.
9. Brush edges of the crust with egg wash.
10. Fold dough over, creating ½ circle-shaped turnovers.
11. Crimp edges with the tines of a fork.
12. Cut slits on the top of the turnovers to allow steam to escape.
13. Brush with remaining egg wash.
14. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Pastries will be golden brown when they’re done.
15. Let cool on wire rack.
16. Serve as is, or drizzled with lemon icing, or with your favorite vanilla ice cream.

Although halibut can be caught any time of the year, I think of them as summertime fish. The images that come to mind are of calm seas and sunshine and Gillie drifting in a light breeze over a bottom of reasonable depth, something around 5 to 20 fathoms. We look for “chickens,” the young 20 to 40 pound flatties that eagerly hit jigs, aren’t too much trouble in the boat, and fillet into firm white pieces perfect for the kitchen. Fired, baked, broiled or served as sashimi or in a soup, halibut are as versatile as any fish that swims. The thick fillets are just right for stuffing with shrimp, crab or, in this case a classic accompaniment, bleu cheese. Halibut cooked just right flakes beautifully. To achieve those moist flakes, avoid overcooking it. The meat is very rich. Barbra and I typically share a six to eight ounce fillet.

This is our favorite halibut recipe. In the photo, it is served on sautéed parsnips and saffron rice, but this works well as a sandwich, too. You don’t have to marinate the fillet… but you’ll be happy you did.

Panko Crusted Halibut with Bleu Cheese (for a 6 to 8 ounce fillet)

Ingredients:

• 6 to 8 ounce halibut fillet, skin on, patted dry
• 1 heaping tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1 egg, beaten, with a dollop each of soy sauce and Cholula mixed in 
• panko in a shallow dish 
• equal portions extra virgin olive oil and butter (about ⅛ inch in frying pan)

For the marinade: In a dish just large enough to hold the fillet, or in a small sealable plastic bag, mix together…

• ½ tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon Chulula 
• juice from ½ lime (about 1 tablespoon or more)
• mesquite (for the smokiness) to taste
• a chipotle-type dry seasoning to taste
• ½ tablespoon brown sugar
• cold water (sufficient to completely cover fillet)

For the filling: Mix together while bacon is still warm…

• 1 strip thick-cut bacon, fried soft and cut into small pieces
• crumbled bleu cheese
• tarragon (just a hint)

Directions: 

1. Use a very sharp knife to cut a pocket into the fillet, taking care not to cut all the way through the other side.
2. Marinate the fillet in the refrigerator for 20 minutes up to about 2 hours. Remove and pat dry with paper towels.
3. In a small frying pan, melt the butter into the olive oil over medium heat.
4. Fill the fillet pocket with bleu cheese mixture. 
5. Spread the flour on a cutting board and roll the fillet so all sides are covered.
6. Dip the fillet in the egg mixture to evenly coat.
7. Roll the fillet in panko to thoroughly coat.
8. The cooking oil is ready when a panko crumb placed into it bubbles and sizzles. Place the fillet in the frying pan skin side up. Make sure the fillet is sizzling, but that the oil is not so hot that the panko burns. Cover, reduce the heat a little, and cook for three minutes. Covering the fillet at this point helps ensure that the fish is properly cooked through. You might want to take a quick peak a couple of minutes into the cooking to make sure the panko is browning up properly.
9. Remove lid and continue cooking for one minute. (Four minutes total per side).
10. Carefully turn over the fillet so that it is now skin side down, presentation side up. Do not cover. Cook for four minutes. Adjust temperature as necessary to ensure panko is browning, not burning. Periodically spoon some of the oil-butter mixture onto the top of the fillet. Don’t worry if some of the filling melts out; it’s an indication that the fillet is cooked through. During the final minute of cooking, you may want to use tongs to hold the fillet so that the edges are properly browned. 
11. When serving, you can spoon a little of the oil-butter mixture onto the fillet and offer lemon wedges.

Each fillet serves one hearty appetite or can be cut into two portions. This dish pairs well with Chardonnay or a cold, crisp lager.