SHOPPING : Sweet Huckleberries, Tiny Mushrooms, Tea

The dictionary makes little difference between a blueberry and a huckleberry. Both plants are classed as shrubs belonging to the heath family. And, according to Webster’s, a huckleberry is “loosely, a blueberry.”

But taste and appearance are different matters. And no one tasting the huckleberry compote that pastry chef Francisco Machado of Checkers Hotel in Los Angeles has devised would confuse the berries. The flavor is somewhere between that of a blueberry and a red currant, and the berries themselves are deep red.

Machado is working with wild mountain and coastal huckleberries shipped from Oregon. The mountain berries are blueberry size. The coastal berries are tiny and more intense in flavor.

The compote is part of a dessert that Checkers will offer until the end of September, when the berries disappear. Machado serves it warm around scoops of pale ginger ice cream set inside sweet lemon biscuits.

To make the compote, he combines 1/4 cup each of sugar and water in a small saucepan and cooks this over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Then he stirs in two cups of huckleberries, brings them to a boil and removes the pan from the heat.

For an easy adaptation of Machado’s dessert, arrange a scoop of vanilla ice cream in an dish, pour the compote around it and garnish with sugar cookies.

There would be no point in giving this recipe if huckleberries were only available by special order to hotels and restaurants. Fortunately, that is not the case. They’re in stock at the Irvine Ranch Farmers Market. The price is high--$4.99 for half a pound. But think of huckleberries as a once-a-year splurge. They’re worth it.

The huckleberries are flown in from Oregon packed in one-pint baskets, each in its own net bag and encased in blue ice.

Honshimeji mushrooms have a much longer trip. They come from Japan. Flown in once a week, they are being marketed by World Variety Produce under its Melissa’s label.

These little mushrooms, which are nicknamed Japanese honey mushrooms, have long stems and small brown caps. When cooked, they remain firm. Even a microwave operating at high power failed to weaken their texture. And be sure you do cook these mushrooms. The small print on the package label warns not to eat them raw.

Once only found wild, the honshimeji is now cultivated in Japan. Although small, it has good meaty flavor to contribute to soups (a few strands would look pretty in clear consomme), sauces, pasta dishes and salads. Or make a topping for steaks by sauteing a handful with butter or olive oil and adding a generous dash of coarsely ground black pepper.

Harvested in clumps that are attached at the bottom, the mushrooms are sealed in 3-ounce trays. Look for them at Hughes Markets in Malibu and Granada Hills.

The next best thing to a vacation on a palm-studded island is a tall cool drink of Paradise Tropical Tea. Richly flavored with exotic fruits, the teas are as aromatic in the bag as a sachet. And when brewed, they exhibit a natural fruit sweetness that makes additional sugar unnecessary. “It’s like drinking a party drink,” says one fan.

Ceylon and orange pekoe teas and imported fruit extracts combine to produce the fragrant effect. The teas are at their best when iced and garnished with fruit or flowers rather than the traditional lemon wedge. Until recently, they’ve been available only in restaurants. Now, they’re out in retail packs, which means you can sip these scented teas around your swimming pool or take them to the beach in a Thermos.

The suggested retail price for the packets is $3.99. Each contains four bags, which together yield six quarts of brewed tea. The flavors are passion fruit, mango, papaya, peach and original blend, which is a combination of fruits. There is also a caffeine free blend.

Shops that carry the teas include the Coffee Emporium in Marina del Rey and Newport Beach; the Four Seasons Hotel gift shop in Los Angeles; the Broadway Deli in Santa Monica, Bristol Farms, the Chapman Market and Irvine Ranch Farmers Market.