Berry Soup

Although there are many wild berries in the mountains, at this time, they have not yet developed on the vine, ie., blackberry, chokecherry, gooseberry, thimbleberry, and wild strawberry . Commercial raspberries and dried elderberries have been used in this recipe. It can be expanded to combine any type of wild or dried berry.

l package fresh raspberries (about 1 1/2 c)
1/2 c chopped currants or dried mixed berries
1 T dried elderberries www.obpeoplesfood.coop
1 t cornstarch

Mix and cook to a boil then simmer till the mixture becomes slightly thick. Cool. Serve in small bowls with berry leaves on the plate around the bowl. Add a few whole berries to the leaves. Accepts many garnishes including a very light sprinkling of balsamic vinegar.

Mountain Cookies

MOUNTAIN COOKIES
Commercial gingerbread and ice cream with walnuts were used to try out the new mountain cookie cutters found online, with hopefully a recipe including local ingredients to follow.

First Mountain Dinner - Dessert

WALNUT CHOCOLATE, MIXED RAISIN AND BERRY DESSERT

Surprisingly enough, this dessert starts out with acorn base which is just a mixture of acorn flour and water that is boiled until gelatinous. It has a very mild, somewhat nutty flavor and as such takes well to flavorful additions.

Acorn base
Mix 3 T of acorn flour (available at some Korean markets) with 1/4 c water. Drop into 3 cups of boiling water. Mix thoroughly and continue stirring for about 8 to 10 minutes. When a little bit is dropped into cold water and it floats, it is finished. Mixture will turn dark.

Presentation
Pour mixture into 8 small bowls or ramekins, about 1/2 inch thick. To see which mixture you or your guests prefer, Mix 1/2 of bowls with shredded dark chocolate and walnuts, the other 1/2 with raisins and dried or fresh berries. Refrigerate. Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, soy ice cream or rice ice cream and a sprig of mint(not pictured).