All Things Blueberry

[Suvir Saran]

Blueberry trifle, Blueberry & Pineapple upside-down cake

GordonCooks,

Thanks for your response. Do you have recipes for the two above? They sound great.

I may end up buying more berries so as to try all these recipes.

The trifle was just a simple layering of pound cake (brushed with lemon curd), english custard, fresh blueberries ( the kicker was simmering the half the berries in water, sugar, Grand Marnier, a shot of fresh oj into a syrup) I would make a layer of custard and drizzle in the syrup and give a few circular strokes as to "marble" the mixture. These were done single serving in big martini glasses and topped with whipped cream.

The Upside down cake was a direct and blatant verbatim rip-off of the Pineapple Polenta upside down cake in my Trotter Cookbook ( I think Kitchen sessions, but it could be the First one - I'm pretty sure it wasn't out of the "Dessert" book.)

I thought by adding blueberries, I would appease my guilt- but low and behold, I can't even look at myself in the mirror anymore.

Thanks for the references. Much appreciated!

[Suvir Saran]

man these threads grow fast!!!!

You guys are amazing with your ideas

Suvir,here is the recipe I mentianed before.

I have not made this yet,but it looks right on.

Thanks a caped chef!

It is members like yourself and everyone above and around the site that one can enjoy cooking and posting around here.

Now I have soooo many options and only a pound of berries. I will have to go buy more and try out several recipes through the weekend.

[Sandra Levine]

Suvir, for the biscuit dough you can use the recipe you used for the strawberry shortcake. It will be perfect.

I like to make blueberry tart, inspired by the late, great baker Paula Peck. I think I've posted this elsewhere on the site, but here it is again anyway:

For a 9-inch tart

2 pints of blueberries

3/8 cup of sugar

grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine 1/ 1/2 cups of the blueberries with the sugar, lemon rind and juice and cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved, Raise the heat and boil for 8 -10 minutes or more, if necessary until you have jam. Cool.

Combine the remaining fresh blueberries with the jam and turn into a baked tart shell.

I like to use a pate sucree that sometimes I just pat into the pan rather than rolling it out. I know this marks me as a just a rustic home baker, but so what.

2 cups of flour

pinch of salt

1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar, to taste (the sweeter the fruit, the less sweet the

pastry needs to be)

1/2 cup or more of room temperature butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice

grated lemon rind, if desired

You can make this by hand, in an electric mixer, or the food processor. It should rest for an hour after mixing.

Combine the flour, salt, sugar and butter.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix until you have a smooth dough.

Let the dough rest before trying to roll it out. If it is very hot, refrigerate the dough.

Roll out or simply pat into a tart shell with a removable bottom. Prick the bottom of the shell all over with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. During the first few minutes of baking, take a peek and press the sides of the shell up if necessary. If the bottom of the shell has puffed up, give it a poke with the fork to release the air.

Let the shell cool before filling.

N.B. this makes quite a bit of pastry. You will have some left over, even though it should be rolled or pressed somewhat thicker in the pan than a regular pie crust. The dough freezes well, or you can use the leftovers to make some cookies.

As you can see from all the blueberry posts, blueberries have an affinity for lemon.

I can't wait to see the recipe for the cornmeal pastry. Blueberries and cornmeal -- so American!

[Suvir Saran]

Thanks Sandra!

I realized earlier this evening that the recipe for the strawberry shortcake dough would be the same. Thanks for looking out for me.

I like this recipe you posted. Will have to get a lot more berries so I can try all the recipes.

[Blue Heron]

This is kind of late, but I remembered Stellabella posted recipes for Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake, Blueberry Dumplings, and Blueberry Cobbler at the end of her bio Click Here

[Suvir Saran]

Never too late for good things!

As I said.. I will buy more to play around more with Blueberries... Thanks for sharing the link Blue Heron!

[B Edulis]

Suvir -- take blueberries, stuff in mouth, chew. Mmmmmmm.

Just kidding. I'm up in the Catskills at a friend's, it's early in the morning, and I was just about to go out and do some early morning blueberry picking -- the wild bushes are out in the meadow.

Last night I made a blueberry peach pie. They're great together! We ate it served on Stangl "Blueberry" plates! With their chrome yellow border it was beautiful.

Blueberries and cornmeal are a wonderful combo -- can't wait to see that old tart recipe!

A friend of mine makes what she calls "blueberry caviar" -- blueberries swirled in a pan with butter and sugar. Serve on anything that's rich and, what's the word I'm looking for? Bland? Like vanilla ice cream, pound cake, crumbled cookies. It would be good with a little lemon zest added.

I grew up eating blueberry cobblers with drop bisquits on top, but other kinds of cobbler using pie crust dough seem more common. I saw a recipe recently for the bisquit type in an old cookbook (Meta Given's Encyclo.) that called it an old Mohawk recipe! (Didn't know that baking power was an indiginous ingredient (My mum put the blueberries in the oven in the pan while she made the bisquit dough to give them a head start in cooking, and she sprinkled sugar over the bisquit drops.

Thanks all for the excellent ideas! I believe in gorging on what's in season till you're sick of it!

Next thread -- blackberries! They're out there ripening now!

[Varmint]

The L.A. Times has a simple recipe of a peach and raspberry "crustless" pie (one man's crustless pie is another man's cobbler, crisp or grunt). Anyhow, the combination of peaches, a tart berry such as blackberries (gooseberries are great!), and blueberries is a great combination. I make tons of fruit cobbler this time of year, and the two constants are peaches and blueberries. Anyhow, click HERE for the recipe.

[rozrapp]

I was clicking around the t.v. dial the other day and stopped when I spotted Martha Stewart making a tart consisting of a layer of blueberries on the bottom, topped with frangipane, and "decorated" on top with apricot halves. I have made a similar recipe, also of hers, using pears (it was winter time) which was phenomenally delicious. So my guess is that this one would also be "a good thing." Though I didn't write this recipe down, I'm pretty sure I can construct it based on the other one which I do have. Let me know if you would like me to post it.

[Suvir Saran]

I was clicking around the t.v. dial the other day and stopped when  I spotted Martha Stewart making a tart consisting of a layer of blueberries on the bottom, topped with frangipane, and "decorated" on top with apricot halves.  I have made a similar recipe, also of hers, using pears (it was winter time) which was phenomenally delicious.  So my guess is that this one would also be "a good thing."  Though I didn't write this recipe down, I'm pretty sure I can construct it based on the other one which I do have.  Let me know if you would like me to post it.

Rozrapp, would love to see the recipe. Thanks!

Varmint and B Edulis, many thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree... With these berries in season, I must try all these recipes.

I love desserts.. and I am sure I will enjoy each of them.

[CathyL]

The nectarines are as gorgeous as the blueberries this year and they're delicious together in a crisp. I toss sliced nectarines with a little flour (will try tapioca next time), spread them in a baking dish and sprinkle the berries over.

Topping (for 2-3 pounds peaches):

1/4 c flour

1/4 c brown sugar

2 oz. cold butter

1/4 c oatmeal

3 oz. toasted pecans, roughly chopped

cinnamon, nutmeg and/or lemon juice, maybe

Flour, sugar and butter pulsed in a small processor until crumbly, nuts and oats stirred in

(This holds nicely in the refrigerator for hours.) Scattered over the fruit just before baking at 375 until the top browns and thick juices bubble.

With vanilla ice cream, there is no finer summer dessert. Until the blackberries ripen, anyway.

[Suvir Saran]

Cathy,

Thanks for the great recipe. It seems most appropriate. And as luck would have it I brought back great nectarines from my shopping excursion. Will make your recipe for dinner tonight. Thanks for sharing!

[rozrapp]

Blueberry Frangipane Tart

Pate Sucree for 10” Tart Pan

(I'm presuming that you either know how to make a pate sucree or have a recipe for it.)

Frangipane:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

¾ cup blanched almonds

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons dark rum

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 pint blueberries, washed and picked over

(I don't know how much Martha used, so this is a guess. You might need more or less.)

4 apricots or peaches, peeled and halved

Apricot glaze

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly butter a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Roll out pasty dough into circle large enough to fit pan with some overlap. Fit circle into prepared pan and trim edge. Transfer to freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.

To make apricot glaze: Spoon ½ cup apricot preserves into saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon rum. Cook preserves over medium heat until melted. Set aside to cool.

To make frangipane: Grind the almonds finely in a food processor. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add ground almonds, 3 tablespoons rum, egg, almond extract and flour. Beat until smooth.

Remove tart shell from freezer. Brush some of the glaze all over the pastry bottom. Spread the blueberries in a layer over the pastry. Pour the frangipane over the blueberries. Arrange the apricot or peach halves on top of the frangipane. (They may sink in a bit. That's o.k.)

Bake until the tart shell is golden brown and the frangipane is puffed and brown, about 40 to 45 minutes. When tart is removed from oven, brush top all over with apricot glaze.

Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

[Sandra Levine]

Frangipane makes a great base for a caramelized orange tart -- a winter favorite.

[Suvir Saran]

Thanks Rozrapp!

[oliva]

Blueberry Fool, most simple dessert to make in the world. And no one mentioned bread puddings. Blueberries and bread puddings are lovely and easy easy easy to make. No labour involved!

[Suvir Saran]

Blueberry Fool, most simple dessert to make in the world. And no one mentioned bread puddings. Blueberries and bread puddings are lovely and easy easy easy to make. No labour involved!

How do you make your fool and bread pudding?

[oliva]

As for my bread pudding, - I take a few eggs, let's say three- or four and whisk with around a cup of sugar till it turns a pastel yellow.

In another saucer on medium heat warm some milk and cream, (you could also use half and half). I would say a cup of milk and a cup of cream. Also add about a teaspoon of vanilla essence, or if you want to be more fancy, add vanilla caviar from the bean.

Temper your eggs with the warm milk and cream mixture. Your custard is ready.

I usually use a baguette for my bread puddings, but use any type of bread you like- challah maybe? Even the plain sliced bread we have for breakfast would work and I never cut off the crusts.

Cut the baguette into 1 inch slices, dip into the custard mixture and layer in a buttered baking dish. Top with blueberries. Layer again with the custard dipped bread and sprinkle blueberries again. Pour the rest of the custard over the baguettes and let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour. (If you don't have time and need to pop it into the oven immed, go ahead, it will come out just fine, no worries...) Bake for 45 mins on 350 F.

Make a blueberry spice sauce to round this dish out. Just boil some blueberries with a little bit of lemon juice, some castor sugar, water and nutmeg and cinammon.

Going a bit off the subject of blueberries, I would like to add:

The great thing about bread puddings is that you can make up your own recipe as you go along. Sometimes I use only egg yolks, sometimes I use 1 yolk and 2 eggs. It is really up to you. Sometimes you can change the recipe and add white chocolate bits to the pudding , or dried cranberries or even sultanas with apples. It is so versatile.

Once I was really pressed for time and did not have any time to warm the milk or temper the eggs. I just whisked some milk, cream, sugar and three egg yolks together and poured it over some sliced bread and sultanas in a casserole dish and baked it. It turned out fine!

Blueberry Fool

is just a fancy way of saying- stew blueberries with some lemon, sugar, nutmeg and cinammon, then puree, and when it has cooled off, fold in some whipped cream and serve in a fancy dessert dish!

[Suvir Saran]

Thanks Oliva!

[B Edulis]

Another one! I got this one from Desserts 1-2-3. You take a couple of cups of blueberries, a cup of water and some sugar (under a cup) and simmer it for 20 minutes and then strain and squeeze out the berries. Reduce the syrup for a while.

Meanwhile, cut some peaches in half, sprinkle with a little sugar, put them in a roasting pan with a little water, and roast them at 450.

Take 'em out, plate 'em, mound more fresh blueberries on top, then pour syrup over.

It's great, especially with vanilla ice cream. Probably also good with shortbread cookies. Of course, fat-free by itself.

[jaybee]

I am happy to report that a fellow poster located a copy of the recipe for the rustic blueberry tart with a cornmeal crust that I so longed for, and sent it to me in a PM. (to avoid any copyright problems). According to my source, it was originally in a 1992 Food & Wine magazine, and since reprinted in Michele Sciolone's La Dolce Vita. I can't wait to make one this weekend!

I''ll send the recipe via PM to anyone who would like it.

[Suvir Saran]

I''ll send the recipe via PM to anyone who would like it.

Thanks Jaybee for sending the recipe. Your source and you are very kind and generous!

[kpurvis]

I'd second the blueberry-lemon pie -- blueberry and lemon are one of the most amazing combinations, right up there with chocolate and raspberry. But recently I tried a promising variation -- lemon bars sprinkled with blueberries. The recipe was in the "Foster's Market Cookbook," although pretty much any good lemon bar recipe would do it. Just sprinkle a couple of cups of blueberries over it before you bake it, then top with the confectioners' sugar as usual.

[JennyUptown]

Reviving this thread, I'd love to see a recipe for blueberry-pineapple upside down cake (or just blueberry no pineapple).

Anyone have one to share?

[chromedome]

My parents made a lemon pound cake with wild blueberries, when they owned their bakery in Nova Scotia (where blueberries are a major industry). Use your favourite lemon pound cake recipe, but stir in a quantity of blueberries at the last minute. Top the still-hot cake with a thick mixture of fresh lemon juice and sugar.

Very nice.

I'm tired and might have missed it upthread (apologies if so), but you might also cook your cobbler in a pot on the stovetop. Just leave room for the berries to steam and simmer, and cook it in a pot with a tight-fitting lid (rather like the old-fashioned chicken soup & dumplings beloved by North Americans of rustic roots). This dessert has various regional names (grunt, bangbelly, and similar inelegant terms) and is quite delightful, if not especially attractive. Serve with cream or ice cream.