Berry Season

she says:

So after returning home from our very damp across the bay voyage, we hid away in the comfort of our dry, warm, solid roofed cabin for days to escape the rain.  Finally, after at least a week of relentless rain, we got some relief.   So to celebrate we decided to get out and go for a hike to Riou point (the ocean), however it very quickly became a day of Salmon berry piking!  So exciting.   

We have eaten a few wild strawberries while we were across the bay, tiny, but deliciously sweet.  Moby really enjoyed them as well, and with his superior sense of smell he even helped us seek out the fantastically ripe strawberries (what a dog!)  Unfortunately the strawberries are not close to ripe on this side of the bay, as much rain and little sunshine isn't the best combination for ripening.  The salmon berries on the other hand are coming along quite nicely (though they are considerably more bitter than strawberries, even at the peak of perfection)  

So with a stroll around Moraine Bay and a half a galloon 

of salmon berries in tow we headed back to the lodge and I started to dream up just what to make with our pick of salmon berries... after much deliberation and reviewing my many baking cook books I decided on a Salmon Berry Almond Galette!  I combined the almond paste from a Sour Cherry Galette recipe by Martha Stewart and I altered a Corn Meal Pie Crust from the JOY and matched it with the preparation for a berry filling from Nigella Lawson (substituting the salmon berries for the blackberries and apricots Nigella calls for)... and of course a bit more sugar since the berries are so bitter.  

And vala!  After dinner treat and celebration of summer dessert complete!  The crust was divine, and overall the dessert was a hit however I think the berries and scrumptiousness of the flaky

 crust overpowered to almond paste... though it didn't get many complaints.  Yum Yum

Jeff and I decided to end the evening by enjoy a bottle of wine the "bird crew" got us in town (we've been saving it for quite awhile.)  So in the warm glow of our dimly lit cabin we sat and sipped pinot nior out of mason jars, talked about our day, this experience and the dreams to come... man I've missed vino.