Donal Skehan’s summer fruit bakes – jam crumble shortbread bars, blueberry muffins and strawberry and rhubarb pie

It’s a time of year that is filled with hope and optimism. In our little cottage garden, I’ve gambled on filling banks with wildflower seeds in the hopes they will erupt in a few short weeks with plenty of bright, colourful flowers to keep us and the bees happy. It’s also the time of year when some of Ireland’s finest fruit and berries step into the limelight. To celebrate, I have three simple recipes to make the most of them.

Jam crumble berry bars are a sweet treat to make with the kids and grandkids. This is a very satisfying bake, in that the base and the crumble topping are made from the same dough. Switch up the jam as you wish and feel free to swap with whatever seasonal fruits you fancy.

For a summery Saturday morning, bank these blueberry muffins. Light and fresh with the addition of lemon zest, they are wonderfully easy to make. I sometimes add a couple of tablespoons of fine polenta or semolina for texture and colour to the batter in place of a tablespoon or so of plain flour. It’s a basic muffin recipe which could be adapted with additions like chia seeds and a splodge of jam stirred through the mix. Served from the oven with a mocha pot of steaming espresso and you have my dream weekend morning.

A summer showstopper is always required when the best of the season is on offer, and this strawberry and rhubarb pie delivers just that. With a cheesecake filling and crumbly puff-pastry crust, it is the most flawless canvas to allow seasonal ingredients to become the star of the show. It’s a little more involved than the other recipes here but the pay-off is worth the effort. I’ve suggested strawberries and rhubarb, but summer raspberries, blueberries or even griddle stone fruit would all be wonderful additions.

Jam Crumble Shortbread Bars

Cook time 45 minutes

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 150g desiccated coconut
• 150g caster sugar
• 200g butter, cold
• 300g plain flour
• 1 large free-range egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 400g raspberry jam
• Icing sugar, to dust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/Gas Mark 6. Place the coconut, sugar, butter and flour in a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Remove roughly 180g of this mixture and set aside for the topping. Add the beaten egg to the remaining mixture along with the vanilla extract, and blitz until the dough begins to clump together.

3. Press the dough into the base and sides of a 23cm square tin until you have a smooth surface. Place in the oven on the middle shelf to bake for 10-12 minutes.

4. Mix the raspberry jam with a spoon to loosen it. Remove the tart tin from the oven once baked and spread the jam across the base. Use your fingertips to form little clumps of the reserved pastry mix, put these clumps on top of the tart and pop back in the oven to cook for 15 minutes until the topping is golden brown.

5. Remove from the oven and allow the tart to cool on a wire rack before removing from the tin, slicing, dusting with icing sugar and placing on a serving platter.

Bursting Blueberry Muffins

Cook time 40 minutes

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 210g plain flour
• 150g caster sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 75g butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 160ml buttermilk
• 200g blueberries

For the crumble top

• 70g plain flour
• 110g light-brown sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 40g butter, melted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F/Gas Mark 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper liners.

2. Start with the crumble topping. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and cinnamon together then pour in the melted butter and mix until crumbs form.

3. For the muffins, in a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.

4. In another large bowl, whisk the melted butter, egg, and buttermilk — don’t worry if this mixture looks a bit curdled, it’s all good!

5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir just enough to bring the batter together. Take care not to overmix, which can make your muffins tough.

6. Add in the blueberries and fold them in gently, just enough to distribute them, again taking care not to overmix the batter.

7. Scoop the batter evenly into the 12 muffin liners, then sprinkle the crumb topping over each muffin, breaking up the crumbs with your fingertips as you go.

8. Bake for 28-30 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Strawberry & Rhubarb Pie

Cook time 2 hours + cooling time

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1 block all-butter puff pastry
• 1 egg white
• 50g icing sugar

For the swirl

• 120g rhubarb, cut into 2cm lengths
• 25g caster sugar
• Zest of 1 small orange
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp cornflour

For the cheesecake filling

• 300g cream cheese
• 65g caster sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 65g sour cream
• 60g double cream
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste

For the macerated strawberries:

• 100g strawberries, hulled and roughly diced
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Method

1. Start by making your rhubarb sauce. Add the rhubarb, sugar, orange zest and juice to a medium saucepan and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the rhubarb is broken down.

2. Combine the water and cornflour in a small bowl, mixing to dissolve, then add the slurry into the saucepan while mixing. Cook for another minute or so until the mixture has thickened.

3. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before blending until smooth. Allow to cool.

4. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/Gas Mark 6.

5. Place a circle of greaseproof into a 20cm, deep, fluted tart tin with a loose bottom.

6. Roll the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface until it’s approximately 2cm thick. Lift the pastry into the tart case and line, pushing into the edges. You can trim any large excess bits but leave some overhanging pastry to help prevent shrinkage.

7. Line the pastry case with a crumpled piece of parchment and place a heavy-based metal saucepan — no plastic handles — that sits as flush to the edges as possible in the middle. Bake for 30 minutes before removing the pot. Be careful as it will be hot.

8. Remove the parchment and trim the edges of the pastry with a knife or by rubbing a fine grater over the edges.

9. Mix the egg white and icing sugar into a paste and brush the interior of the pastry with a pastry brush. Return the case to the oven for 5 minutes to set the glaze.

10. Lower the oven heat to 150C fan.

11. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese on low for a minute to beat out any lumps then add the sugar and a pinch of salt and beat for a further 30 seconds.

12. Add the egg and yolk and beat to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

13. Finally, mix in the sour cream, double cream and vanilla.

14. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the tart case then drizzle a few tablespoons of rhubarb sauce on top. With a knife or skewer, swirl the sauce into the cheesecake filling to create a swirl pattern.

15. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the edges are set, but the middle still has a slight wobble. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

16. For the strawberries, mix everything together and set aside for 1 hour to macerate.

17. Serve the cooled cheesecake with the strawberries on top.