After consuming a whole bunch of them by hand, my favorite way to use raspberries is by taking advantage of their freshness. I put them on my blue cheese salads, make a sauce to slather atop ice cream, throw handfuls of them in scones and muffins and make as many raspberry desserts as I can.

The bright, sweet tartness of a raspberry complements the following blue cheese dressing recipe that everyone is always asking me for. Once you serve this with fresh raspberries, you are ruined for life, as nothing tastes as special on this salad except a just-picked raspberry.

THE REALLY IMPRESSIVE SUMMER BLUE CHEESE SALAD

Serves 6

Mansfield Blue Cheese Dressing

4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1/3cup buttermilk*

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup sour cream

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Mash blue cheese and buttermilk until mixture resembles cottage cheese. Add remaining ingredients and blend thoroughly. I sometimes put all ingredients in my food processor and blend away. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

* Note: I have made this without the buttermilk; just use milk or half and half in place of it.

Spiced Pecans

These are tasty little treats added to a salad or just to eat on their own. Beware of “missing” pecans if left sitting around the kitchen too long. You also can use different kinds of nuts, such as walnuts or hazelnuts.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees

In a medium sized sauté pan add:

1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons water, G teaspoon salt, J teaspoon of allspice, G teaspoon cinnamon, J teaspoon cayenne pepper.

Turn heat to medium high and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Add: 2 cups pecans

Cook and gently stir about 3-5 minutes.

Spread mixture on cookie sheet sprayed with PAM or place on a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat.

Bake in 325-degree oven until pecans are brown and mixture has caramelized, about 5-8 minutes. Keep an eye on them, as they can burn quickly.

The Salad

Fresh summer salad greens

Fresh picked raspberries

Fresh blue cheese crumbles

Thin slices of red onion cut into bite size pieces

Spiced pecans

Get out your biggest, shallow serving bowl, the bigger the better, as it makes for a very impressive serving, then add your fresh greens to the bowl.

Drop spoonfuls of blue cheese dressing on top of greens.

Scatter red onion over all sparingly.

Scatter raspberries atop.

Place broken up pieces of candied spiced pecan over all.

Scatter more blue cheese crumbles.

Serve immediately.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH BLACK or RED RASPBERRY VINAIGRETTE

Serves 4

There is one short season when you can make this dish; in August when asparagus can be paired with fall’s raspberries.

1 1/2 pounds of fresh asparagus, stems snapped off

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt

Fresh ground black pepper

1 shallot, diced fine

Black or Red Raspberry Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar (black or red)

1 clove minced garlic

Pinch of allspice

1 teaspoon of sugar or honey

Kosher salt to taste

Fresh ground black pepper

One half cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix ingredients together in a small bowl and slowly blend in olive oil, drizzling in slowly.

2 cups fresh red raspberries

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, toss on the shallots and drizzle with olive oil. Toss lightly with your fingers until the spears are coated with a little oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast until tender, 8 minutes for thin ones, more for thicker.

Arrange asparagus on serving platter, spoon vinaigrette over all and then top with raspberries. Serve immediately or cover and chill two hours to serve cold.

RASPBERRY SPINACH SALAD

Serves 4

1 pound fresh spinach, washed and dried

1 pound fresh raspberries (or substitute one-half pound strawberries or mandarin orange slices)

1/2 cup pecans, slivered (may brown pecans in butter 10 minutes in 350 degree oven)

Raspberry Poppy Seed Vinaigrette Dressing

1/3 cup raspberry wine vinegar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 1/2 tablespoons minced onion - red, green or sweet white

1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Whip the first six ingredients in blender or food processor a day ahead if you have time.

Seal in container and store in fridge after adding poppy seeds. Just before serving, mix spinach with dressing in large bowl. Sprinkle raspberries and nuts atop and serve.

Until next time, have fun in the kitchen and in the raspberry patch.

My next column will feature sweet raspberry endings — delicious, fun desserts to make with red raspberries. All of my recipes are available on my Web site. Goggle Kachemak Bay Gourmet or go to http://www.acsalaska.net/~robl/.