Eight easy lingonberry recipes
Lingonberry — a tasty, healthy berry that can be downright indispensable in the kitchen. Dishes with it have an unmistakable tart-bitter flavor and are quick and simple to make. Lingonberry is perfect for sauces and baking; it’s added to salads and desserts. We offer eight interesting recipes.
Zalivnoy (pour-over) pie with lingonberries
If you suddenly want something sweet for dessert but don’t have much time, we suggest making a lingonberry zalivnoy pie. Anyone can handle it because you won’t have to fuss with the dough. We suggest buying it at the store. The taste won’t suffer, and you’ll save time and effort. If you like, you can easily swap this forest berry for currants or even strawberries.
Ingredients:
lingonberries — 300 g;
yeast dough — 500 g (1 pack);
eggs — 2 pcs.;
sour cream — 150 g;
sugar — 180 g;
vegetable oil — 1 tsp.
Method:
Roll out the dough to a thickness of half a centimeter.
Grease the baking tin with oil, lay in the dough, forming 2 cm sides.
Toss the berries with half the sugar.
Spread the lingonberries in the tin, brush the edges with egg yolk, and bake in the oven at 180°C (356°F) until golden (about 20 minutes).
Mix the sour cream with the remaining sugar, add one egg, and stir until smooth.
When the crust is golden, remove the pie, pour over the sour-cream custard, gently mix with the berries, and bake 20 minutes more to set.
Remove the finished pie, transfer to a plate, let cool slightly, and refrigerate.
Salad with caramelized apples, lingonberries, and salmon
Lingonberries aren’t often added to salads — and that’s a pity. The berry has a distinctive hint of bitterness and pairs beautifully with meat, vegetables, and fruit. We suggest a salad with lightly salted salmon, though other fish will work. Apples are easily swapped for pears. This salad will be a real centerpiece of a festive table.
Ingredients:
green apples — 2 pcs.;
lingonberries — 150 g;
salad mix — 200 g;
lightly salted salmon — 200–300 g;
sugar — 2 tbsp;
butter — 50 g;
orange (juice) — 1 pc.;
curry powder — a pinch;
balsamic vinegar — 2 tbsp;
salt, ground black pepper — to taste.
Method:
Peel the apples and cut into large cubes.
In a skillet, melt the butter with the sugar and curry, add the apples, and sear over high heat, turning carefully. Lift the apples out with a slotted spoon onto a plate and pepper.
For the dressing, pour the balsamic vinegar and the juice of one orange into the skillet or a saucepan. Bring to a boil, remove from heat.
Combine the salad mix, apples, and lingonberries, salt, drizzle with half the dressing, and plate.
Roll the salmon slices into rosettes, arrange them on the salad, drizzle with the remaining dressing, and serve.
Lingonberry smoothie
Lingonberries are often used for compotes, mors (berry drink), and nalivka (fruit liqueur), but we suggest turning them into a smoothie bright in both color and flavor. The thick drink will have a pronounced tang, while bananas and honey add sweetness. Kefir can be replaced with drinking yogurt. A lingonberry smoothie makes an excellent breakfast or snack, especially in autumn and winter when you want to recharge with vitamins.
Ingredients:
lingonberries — 400 g;
bananas — 2 pcs.;
honey — 2 tbsp;
kefir — 500 ml;
shredded coconut — 1 tbsp;
vanilla sugar — a pinch.
Method:
Place the lingonberries and sliced bananas in a blender and puree.
Add the kefir, coconut, honey, and vanilla sugar, and blend.
Pour into glasses and serve immediately.
Lingonberry dessert with whipped cream
This delicate dessert is very easy to make — it takes just a few minutes. The mix of textures and flavors will please gourmets. Canned peaches can be swapped for pears or other sweet fruit. Here lingonberries provide a piquant tartness, and airy whipped cream adds a romantic touch.
Ingredients:
lingonberries — 100 g;
canned peaches — 200 g;
sour cream — 200 ml;
powdered sugar — 50 g;
heavy cream (33%) — 150 ml.
Method:
In dessert glasses or bowls, layer diced peaches, then lingonberries.
Whip the sour cream with powdered sugar and spread half over the berries.
Repeat the peach and lingonberry layers.
Pour over the remaining sour cream.
Whip the heavy cream, transfer to a piping bag, decorate the dessert, and arrange lingonberries on top. Serve chilled.
Lingonberry soup
Lingonberry soup is unusual, but don’t rush past it. It has a unique taste and aroma and works for lunch or dinner, especially in autumn and winter when immunity needs support. Serve it hot or cold, and garnish with whipped cream or fresh mint leaves.
Ingredients:
lingonberries — 250 g;
grain (semolina, millet, or rolled oats) — 50 g;
water — 1 l;
sugar — 3 tbsp;
cinnamon — a pinch;
salt — to taste;
honey or mint — for serving.
Method:
Pour water into a saucepan, bring to a boil, and add the lingonberries. Cook 5–7 minutes so the berries release their juice and aroma; gently mash with a spoon or wooden pestle.
Strain the berry decoction through a sieve, pressing the pulp.
Add the chosen grain to the strained lingonberry liquid. Cook until done, 5–10 minutes.
Add sugar, a pinch of salt, and cinnamon. Taste — the soup should have a pleasant tang.
Serve warm or chilled. Before serving, add a teaspoon of honey or garnish with fresh mint.
Duck fillet with lingonberry sauce
It sounds restaurant-worthy, but in fact it’s simplicity itself. Fragrant, tasty duck in a sweet-and-tart lingonberry sauce suits both weeknight dinners and holidays. The duck fillet will have a crisp skin and tender meat inside. By the way, lingonberry sauce is ideal for other meat dishes — beefsteaks, schnitzels, and chops.
Ingredients:
duck fillet — 400 g;
lingonberries — 100 g;
honey — 3 tbsp;
red wine — one-third cup;
whole-grain mustard — 1 tbsp;
vegetable oil — 1 tbsp;
salt, ground black pepper — to taste.
Method:
For the marinade, mix 2 tablespoons honey with the mustard.
Rinse and pat the duck fillets dry. Rub with the marinade, add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Place the duck in an oiled baking dish, cover with foil, and cook for half an hour.
Put the lingonberries in a small saucepan over heat. As soon as they soften, pour in the wine and simmer for a few minutes. Then add one spoonful of honey and let the sauce thicken.
Slice the fillets and spoon over the lingonberry sauce.
Lingonberry jelly
This dessert made from lingonberry decoction and juice will please both adults and children. It turns out brightly colored and delicate in texture. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios or garnish with mint before serving.
Ingredients:
lingonberries — 200 g;
water — 500 ml;
sugar — 120 g;
gelatin — 20 g.
Method:
Soak the gelatin in a small amount of cold water.
Mash the lingonberries. Strain the juice.
Cover the pressed berries with 500 ml water, bring to a boil, and simmer 5 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine sieve.
Add the sugar to the decoction and bring to a boil again.
Remove from heat, stir in the lingonberry juice, and add the gelatin. Stir until dissolved.
Pour the jelly into molds and refrigerate for 8 hours until fully set.
Oatmeal cake with lingonberries
A cake using oat flour and lingonberries will be crumbly, soft, and velvety in texture — the kind that simply melts in your mouth. You can bake it with any berries, but with lingonberries it gets an unmistakable piquant tang. Serve with jam or a light sweet sour-cream sauce.
Ingredients:
sugar — 180 g;
butter — 100 g;
wheat flour — 130 g;
oat flour — 100 g;
kefir — 100 ml;
lingonberries — 100 g;
eggs — 2 pcs.;
baking powder — 1 tsp;
powdered sugar — 1 tsp.
Method:
In a bowl, combine softened butter and sugar; beat with a mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs and beat again.
Pour in the kefir and beat once more until smooth.
Sift the oat and wheat flours with the baking powder. Add to the kefir-egg mixture and mix into a batter.
Fold the lingonberries into the batter gently with a spatula.
Spoon the batter into a loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake 35 minutes at 180°C (356°F).
Let the cake cool slightly, remove from the pan, and dust with powdered sugar.
