The Carefree Gourmet - August 12
Blueberries
by Joyce McCombs
If you haven’t seen a
blueberry around Delta, you just aren’t trying! There’s a bumper
crop out there, according to the folks I know who love to go out
picking. Big, juicy and plentiful, this year’s berries are a nice
change from the shriveled bits of blueberry raisins people found
clinging to bushes last year.
Everyone from Martha Stewart Living to Taste of Home Magazine has
featured blueberries this month so I thought we’d better coast
along on the trend and see what sounded good from the Carefree
Gourmet files. I found some tasty favorites, and a couple new
things have come my way over the past couple years. The Extension
Office featured blueberry lore and recipes not long ago on the
Delta News Web (deltanewsweb.com),
so I won’t repeat those here. I will remind you, however, that
blueberries freeze perfectly and that you don’t have to thaw them
before adding to recipes. You do need to be careful when folding
them in to batter – unless you want purple baked goods! Better to
save that delicious juice for a sweet surprise in every bite.
Don’t forget to enter your best blueberry pie in the Alaska State
Blueberry Pie championship at the Deltana Fair this weekend. Not
only will you win a beautiful ribbon and $50 to call your own,
you’ll carry home the coveted engraved golden pie pan to proudly
display in your kitchen. The winner will hold the state title for
a full year and get an interview your columnist besides (I promise
I’ll be gentle!) Pies in the contest are auctioned off after the
winner is announced and it’s always fun to see how much they go
for. Come join the fun and reward yourself with a sweet treat from
some of Delta’s best bakers – good picking and good luck to all!
BLUEBERRY CREAM MUFFINS
So easy you can even make a dozen first thing in the morning
before you’ve had your coffee! Choose sour cream for moistness, or
use yogurt for tanginess.
Preheat oven to 375 and find these things:
2 cups Bisquick
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 cup blueberries (no need to thaw if frozen)
Another 2 Tablespoons sugar
Combine Bisquick and 3/4 cup sugar, set aside. In another bowl,
combine the eggs and sour cream (or yogurt) then stir into dry
ingredients until just combined. Fold in blueberries. Fill paper
lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Sprinkle tops with remaining
sugar. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.
BLUEBERRY BUCKLE
A buckle is an old-fashioned, single-layer cake with a
streusel-type topping. The batter is quite dense. As the cake
bakes, the batter sinks to the bottom of the pan, which makes the
streusel “buckle” on top. Whatever you call it, it’s tasty!
Butter an 8” square baking dish and set aside. Preheat oven to
375.
Sift together in a large bowl:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a separate bowl cream together until light:
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
Add butter mixture to the flour mixture, mix well.
Toss:
1 pint blueberries with
2 Tablespoons flour
Fold carefully into batter until just mixed. Pour batter into
prepared pan.
For topping, combine until crumbly:
1/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Sprinkle evenly over the batter. Bake one hour or until toothpick
comes out clean.
SUGAR AND SPICE BLUEBERRY CRISP
Don’t be scared of all these ingredients – you only have to use
one bowl!
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 pints blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cold butter cut up
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375 and butter or spray a 2 quart glass baking
dish. Combine sugar and cornstarch until blended. Add blueberries
and lemon juice; stir gently to coat evenly. Spread berries evenly
into baking dish.
In same bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, butter, and
cinnamon. Mix with fingers until coarse crumbs form. Crumble over
blueberry mixture.
Bake crisp on a foil lined cookie sheet (it always bubbles over)
about 35 to 40 minutes or until well browned. Cool on wire rack 1
hour to serve warm or cool completely to serve later. This
microwaves well, but be sure to cover it because it splatters
easily.
PURPLE COW
Simply moooo-valous on a hot summer day and full of the calcium
everyone needs.
Combine in blender:
1 1/4 cup blueberries
1 cup chilled orange juice
2 cups plain, low-fat or fat-free yogurt
1/4 cup low-fat or fat-free milk
Dash of nutmeg
Blend until smooth and serve in tall glasses.
BLUEBERRY SLUMP
A slump or grunt resembles a cobbler, but it in the old days, it
was steamed on top of the stove (often in a cast-iron skillet),
instead of being baked as this version is. The finished product
resembles dumplings rather than crisp browned biscuits. "Grunt,"
they say, is the sound the fruit makes as it stews. Either slump
or grunt, it’s fun to say and even more fun to eat. This only
makes four servings, so double up if you’re expecting a crowd.
3 cups blueberries
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 Tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 350 and spray or butter an 8” square baking dish.
Add the blueberries to the dish, then drizzle evenly with orange
juice. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over berries.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and the remaining
sugar. Make a well in the center, then add milk and begin working
dough by hand. Add butter and continue to work until fairly
smooth. Drop by spoonfuls on top of blueberries. Bake for 20
minutes or until golden brown. Best served warm with Northern
Lights vanilla ice cream.
FRESH BLUEBERRY SAUCE
Perfect over ice cream, frozen yogurt or angel food cake, and it
also makes a great topping for pancakes and waffles.
Combine 1 cup grape juice, 1 cup blueberries, juice concentrate,
ginger and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce
heat, and simmer 3 to 5 minutes or until blueberry skins pop,
stirring occasionally.
Combine cornstarch and remaining 3/4 cup grape juice, stirring
until smooth, then add to blueberry mixture. Cook over medium
heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat; let
cool completely. Stir in remaining 1 cup blueberries. Cover and
refrigerate leftovers – if any!
BLUEBERRY JAM
I am trying this for the first time this year, as it’s a sugar
free jam that’s legal for the Carefree spouse’s diet. It also
doesn’t take involve processing in a hot water bath – something
that’s always mystified me. The way jam disappears around our
house, I’m not sure it's worth the time and effort to seal it up
in canning jars anyway!
1/2 of a 6-ounce can frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
Pour the apple juice concentrate into a saucepan; sprinkle with
gelatin and allow to soften for several minutes.
Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, finely chop
blueberries, 1 cup at a time. Add lemon juice, spices and 2 cups
of chopped berries to gelatin; heat over medium-low until gelatin
is dissolved.
Remove from the heat; stir in remaining berries and mix well. Pour
into jars or plastic containers; store in the refrigerator up to 3
weeks. Yield: 4 Cups.
BLUEBERRY GINGERBREAD
As I write this, the temperature is pushing 80 degrees and it’s
too warm to think about baking Gingerbread. But on a crisp fall
day, maybe after a Saturday hike, this is going to taste mighty
good with a cup of cocoa on the side.
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup molasses
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups blueberries
1 cup hot water
Cream butter until light, then add sugar and molasses and egg
until well combined. Sift dry ingredients together and use a small
amount to coat berries. Add remainder alternately with hot water
to first mixture, beating until smooth. Fold in floured
blueberries. Bake in greased and floured 13x9x3 inch pan at 350
degrees for about 35 minutes. Serve hot or cold. Makes 9 servings.
BLUEBERRY FLIPS
A frosty treat that serves four thirsty souls with just one cup of
your precious berry ration – such a deal! If you don’t care for
the bananas, try strawberries.
1 cup blueberries
1 cup sliced peaches
2 bananas, sliced
Vanilla ice cream
Ginger ale
In a medium bowl combine all the fruit. Spoon 1/2 of the fruit
into 4 tall glasses. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Add
the rest of the fruit and another scoop of ice cream. Fill the
glasses up with ginger ale and serve. Makes 4 servings.
Good luck to all the local chefs who enter the Culinary Division
at the Fair! I’ll probably be lurking about on Saturday afternoon
hoping to interview the Grand Champion winners so please don’t run
away when you see me approaching with my trusty notebook and pen,
ok? Thanks in advance to those who so graciously share their
secrets and surprises with Delta Wind readers – it’s one of the
most fun columns of the year to put together because of your
generosity. Enjoy the Fair!
