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.

1-3/4 cups unsweetened grape juice, divided
2 cups fresh blueberries, divided
1 Tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

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!
  

Index to Carefree Gourmet Articles

Sourdough Sensations June 29, 2007

Kitty Treats June 29, 2007

Dog Treats April 20, 2007

Sandwich Plan March 23, 2007

Carefree Wacky Ingredients March 8, 2007

Homestead Hearth January 25, 2007

Carefree Cooking 101 January 11, 2007

Holiday Punch December 23, 2006

Holiday Treats December 12, 2006

Thanksgiving II November 20, 2006

Standby Favorites October 16, 2006

Cabbage October 11, 2006

Apples September 22, 2006

Kids Cook July 6, 2006

Wacky Tips June 8, 2006

Graduation May 11, 2006

African Cuisine April 13, 2006

A Bit of Irish March 23, 2006

Crazy for Carrots March 9, 2006

February Vacation February 23, 2006

Easy Budget January 12, 2006

Christmas Treats December 22, 2005

Sweet Surprises December 8, 2005

Turkey Times  November 22, 2005

Grand Champions - Part 2 - October 13, 2005

Janet Boyer September 22, 2005

Grand Champions September 5, 2005

Blueberries  August 12, 2005

Halibut and Zukes July 28, 2005

Orange Juice July 14, 2005

Happy Birthday June 30, 2005

Honey June 9, 2005

Picnic Dishes May 26, 2005

Celebration Salads May 12, 2005

Kraft Foods April 21, 2005

Shrimp April 7, 2005

Carry on Airline snacks March 25, 2005

Sandwiches March 10, 2005

Back from Vacation February 24, 2005

Super Bowl Snack Attack  January 14, 2005

Ginger Snaps December 29, 2004

Christmas Memories - December 12, 2004

Thanksgiving November 23, 2004

Glen and Meat  October 29, 2004

Blueberry Pie Champion  September 30, 2004

Fair Winners  September 2, 2004

Glen's Knives June 11, 2004

Aunt Aggie Tells All... May 13, 2004

Crazy About Catsup April 29, 2004

Carefree Clearance Special April 8, 2004

Seattle Adventure March 26, 2004

Vegas, part 2 March 12, 2004

Vegas Wind February 12, 2004

Casserole Bonanza January 11, 2004

No Fuss Dishes  December 19, 2003

Fake and Bake Christmas  December 11, 2003