Whether you eat them plump and juicy right off the bush, crisp and refreshing from the freezer or warm and gooey in pancakes, blueberries are a seasonal delight.
Folks who need convincing usually haven’t been hanging around the real deal.
Blueberry imports can be flavorless – at best – or downright mouth-puckering. If that’s been your experience, I encourage you to hunt down some blueberry vendors at your local farmers market and start sampling. Say please! You will be surprised at the range in color, size and flavor.
When you find one you really like, remember its name. After all, we grow more than 50 varieties in the Northwest, offering blueberry lovers a taste for every preference, from robust and zippy to smooth and aromatic.
The early varieties arrived in late May, and included the Earliblue and Bluetta, which are medium-sized and firm, with a rich color and good, sweet flavor. Also early, the Spartan variety is dramatically large, with a brilliant blue color and exquisite flavor.
Bluecrop, Berkeley and Elliot are mid- to late-season varieties, and are appearing through August.
Selection: They gotta be ripe to be flavorful. So look for plump, evenly colored berries of uniform size, relatively speaking.
Some perfectly delicious varieties have a more gray-blue color than the traditional “blueberry” blue, so again, it’s smart to sample before you buy. You may discover something really wonderful that you would have have otherwise overlooked. On all varieties, the silvery “bloom” on the skin is the fruit’s natural protective waxy coating.
Freezing: Simple! Simple! Simple! Just pack the berries into freezer bags or boxes and pop them into the freezer. Their quality will hold for at least 6 months.
Blueberry cake
1cup all-purpose flour
1teaspoon baking powder
1/4teaspoon salt
2large eggs, separated
1cup butter, softened
1cup sugar
1teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3cup milk
1cup blueberries
Optional toppings: It’s great all on it’s own, but this cake can be equally delicious served with a bit of freshly whipped and sweetened heavy cream, vanilla ice cream or a dollop of ganache (chocolate truffle sauce; see recipe below).
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch square baking pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Beat the eggwhites with an electric mixer to firm peaks; set aside. With the same beaters, beat the butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks. Add the vanilla. Then, alternately add the milk and dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Fold in the egg whites and then the blueberries. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry – except for the blueberry juice!
Makes about 9 3-inch servings.
Ganache (chocolate truffle sauce): Place 1 pound of semisweet chocolate pieces (a good-quality chocolate chip works great) into a large heat-proof bowl. Now place the bowl over a saucepan filled with very hot or barely simmering water. Let the chocolate mixture begin to slowly melt while you proceed with the recipe.
In a small heavy saucepan, bring 11/3 cups cream to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and immediately pour it over the chunks of chocolate, stirring constantly until the chocolate has melted. Keep the bowl positioned over the hot water because this will help keep the temperature at the melting point. Once the chocolate is smooth and creamy, stir in 5 tablespoons softened butter cut into chunks, continuing to stir until the mixture is well blended and smooth. You can use the sauce almost immediately, or pour into a container and let cool completely before screwing on the lid. Refrigerate the sauce if not using right away. It will become firm, but simply scoop out the sauce as needed and either warm in a pan on the stove, or at low power in the microwave.
Makes about 21/2 cups sauce. Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
Blueberries and cream
2pints fresh bluberries
1/3cup sugar
1teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4cup dry red wine
1teaspoon minced fresh mint
Garnish: fresh mint
Cream:
2teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1cup heavy cream
1/2cup sugar
1cup sour cream
1teaspoon vanilla extract
1teaspoon lemon zest
For the blueberry sauce: In a small saucepan over moderate heat, combine 1 pint of the blueberries, the sugar, lemon zest, and red wine. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until the mixture is syrupy. Remove from the heat and cool. When thoroughly cooled, stir in the remaining blueberries and mint. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
For the cream: In a saucepan over moderate heat, combine the gelatin, cream and sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. In a bowl, combine the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest. Gradually add the hot cream mixture, stirring until the mixture is smooth.
Rinse a 21/2 cup metal mold with cold water (or use individual ramekins). Shake out the excess water but do not dry. Pour the cream mixture into the wet mold. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, until the mixture is set and firm.
To serve, unmold the cream by dipping the lower portion of the mold in a warm water bath for a few seconds to loosen the cream. Invert the mold onto a cutting board. Slice the cream into serving pieces and with a spatula lift them onto chilled plates. Spoon the prepared blueberry sauce around. Garnish with mint sprigs.
Adapted from “From the Earth to the Table,” by John Ash.
I’ve adapted a wonderful condiment developed by Greg Higgins, owner of and chef at Higgins, a popular downtown Portland, Ore., restaurant. It’s fabulous over grilled salmon, Ahi tuna, poultry, and pork.
You can start with fresh blueberries for this first go-around, then dip into your frozen cache later on in the year.
After making this chutney, simply ladle it into jars and refrigerate. It’s not a candidate for boiling water canning, because I think that its acid level may not be high enough to be sealed and stored safely at room temperature.
Blueberry chutney
4cups fresh (or frozen) blueberries
1large yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2cup red or white wine vinegar
1/3cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3cup dried cherries
2tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
2tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2tablespoons good-quality curry powder (preferably Madras)
2teaspoons yellow or brown mustard seeds
1/2teaspoon salt
3tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Wash 4 half-pint jars and lids. (Note: Because this chutney will be stored in the refrigerator, you don’t have to use canning jars.) Set aside until needed.
In a heavy-bottomed medium-sized pot, combine the blueberries, onion, vinegar, brown sugar, dried cherries, ginger, garlic curry powder, mustard seeds, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the onions are very tender and the chutney has thickened (about 20 to 25 minutes). Stir often to avoid scorching. Remove from heat and let cool before adding the mint.
Spoon the mixture into the clean jars. Attach lids. Refrigerate. Will keep, refrigerated for at least 3 to 4 weeks.
Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by e-mail, at janrd@proaxis.com.
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