Blueberry time

It's blueberry time again -- or maybe just past blueberry time, depending on where you live. But if you still have some fresh berries on hand or have stashed some in the freezer, be sure and try these tried-and-true recipes!

BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE

Coffee cake batter:
2 1/3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Cheese filling:
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 Tblsp. sugar
1 Tblsp. grated lemon peel (or substitute 1/2 tsp. pure lemon extract)

Streusel topping:
1 cup reserved crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
To make batter, combine flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Cut in
butter until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of this crumb mixture and set
aside. Add baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla to dry mixture
remaining in bowl. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl
often. Pour evenly into greased 13x9” baking pan. Sprinkle blueberries
evenly over batter.

For cheese filling, blend all ingredients together
until smooth; spoon evenly over blueberries.

For topping, combine
reserved crumbs with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts if using them.
Sprinkle over cheese layer.

Bake at 350º for 45 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly before cutting. Makes 1 13x9” coffeecake -- about 20 to 24 servings.

This is my favorite blueberry coffeecake recipe. The ricotta filling makes it deliciously different.

BLUEBERRY FRENCH TOAST

12 slices day-old white bread, crusts removed, cut in 1” cubes
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, cut in 1/2” cubes
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
12 eggs
2 cups milk
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
SAUCE:
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 Tablespoon butter

Place half of the bread cubes in a greased 13X9X2" baking dish. Top
with all of the cream cheese cubes. Top with blueberries and remaining
bread cubes. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk and syrup; mix
well. Pour over bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or
overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover
with foil and bake at 350° for 30 minutes; then uncover and bake 25 - 30 minutes more or until golden brown and the center is set.
For sauce:
In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; add water. Bring to a boil
over medium heat; boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in
blueberries; reduce heat. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until berries
have burst. Stir in butter until melted. To serve, cut the French
toast into squares; serve with blueberry sauce ladled over each portion.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

This is a wonderful breakfast or brunch dish for company! If you want to make a smaller amount, you can cut the recipe in half and bake
it in a 9” square dish.

MRS. EDITH SHAW'S BLUEBERRY CAKE
2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup butter or margarine
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 egg yolks
1 cup milk
2 egg whites
1 cup blueberries

Grease and lightly flour a 13x9x2-inch pan. Sift together flour and sugar into large mixing bowl. Cut in the butter until particles are the size of small peas. Measure 3/4 cup of this crumb mixture into a small bowl and set aside for topping.

Now add the baking powder, salt, egg yolks and milk to the remaining crumb mixture in the large mixing bowl. Beat at low speed for 3 minutes.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold the egg whites gently but thoroughly into the batter. Spread batter into prepared pan. Arrange the blueberries evenly over the batter. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over the blueberries. Bake at 350º for 40 to 50 minutes.

Serve cake warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

I found this recipe in a community cookbook I relied on as a new bride. There are many great recipes in that book, and this is one of my favorites.

AUNT DOT'S BERRY PUDDING
2 to 4 cups berries (raspberries, blueberries, etc.)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
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1 cup sugar
1 Tblsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup boiling water

Place berries in a greased 9-inch square baking dish. In a mixing bowl, cream the 3/4 cup sugar and the butter; add milk. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients. Spread the batter over the berries in the pan.

Combine the 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Sprinkle over batter.

Pour boiling water over top, but do not stir. Bake at 375º for 45 to 60 minutes, or until batter tests done in center.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

I had completely forgotten about this dessert. I need to make this again! (That's the problem with only making desserts occasionally ... one wants to make "show-stoppers" and forgets about the more simply delicious old favorites. I think the aunt who gave me this recipe served dessert at most meals except breakfast, and she and my uncle were none the worse for it.)

DOWN EAST BLUEBERRY COBBLER
3 cups blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest (optional but yummy)
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tblsp. butter
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1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tblsp. sugar
2 Tblsp. cold butter
1/3 cup cream or evaporated milk

Heat oven to 425º. In a bowl, toss the berries with the next four ingredients (sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla). Place the mixture into a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate. Cut the butter into pieces and scatter over the berries.

Sift the 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together into a mixing bowl. Cut in the 2 Tblsp. butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cream and stir with a fork until the dough comes together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead 30 seconds or so. Roll the dough into a round slightly smaller than your pie plate and about 1/4 inch thick. Place the dough over the berries in the pie plate and cut several deep slashes in the top.

Bake the cobbler at 425º for 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruit is tender. Cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with powdered sugar sifted over the top.

Serves 4.

BERRY SAUCE FOR PANCAKES OR WAFFLES

1/2 cup sugar
1 Tblsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup water
2 cups blueberries, raspberries, OR cut-up strawberries

Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in the water. Add the fruit and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Serve warm. Makes about 2 cups.

This is a wonderful, versatile recipe that tastes so good on waffles in particular. It’s also good on pancakes or French toast and would probably be good on vanilla ice cream as well. You can make blueberry sauce, raspberry sauce, or strawberry sauce -- all are wonderful. Or you might like to use a mixture of these berries to make a mixed berry sauce. When I do this, I usually also add a few cranberries to the mixture.

BLUEBERRY BREAD PUDDING
1 - 1/2 Tblsp. butter
3 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tblsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
Cubed bread* to fill a 9-inch square baking dish (Do this first, then remove bread from the dish and set aside. You are going to be melting butter in this dish, so the bread can't be in there too.)
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 cups fresh blueberries
Sugar to sprinkle on top of pudding

Place the butter in the 9-inch square baking dish and put it in the oven, while preheating the oven to 350º. When melted, swirl the butter around in the pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla and spices. Add the bread cubes* and let the bread soak in the egg mixture for 10 minutes. Fold in the lemon zest and blueberries; pour into the prepared dish. Sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of sugar.

Bake pudding until set, puffed, and beginning to brown, about 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold, with or without cream or vanilla ice cream.

* I used cubed blueberry muffins!

This great recipe is from my favorite cooking newsletter, Cook & Tell. I happened upon this recipe (from the June 2001 issue; I love re-reading the back issues of C&T) just at the same time someone gave me a half dozen or so convenience-store blueberry muffins. It had occurred to me that these could be cubed up and substituted for bread in bread pudding. (My grandmother frequently did this with baked goods other than bread, so I thought I would try it.) Then I came upon the recipe for blueberry bread pudding. It turned out really well and was a great way to use up those gigantic muffins.

BLUEBERRY TOPSY-TURVY CAKE
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 - 1/2 cups blueberries
Juice of 1 lemon
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1 - 1/3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla

Melt the butter in an 8- or 9-inch round or square cake pan. Add the sugars. Stir well. Cool 5 minutes, then spread the blueberries over the sugar mixture in pan. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top.

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter. Add the dry ingredients and the egg, milk, and vanilla. Stir until well blended, but do not overbeat. Pour batter over berries in pan.

Bake at 350º for 45-50 minutes, until cake springs back when touched. Cool 5 minutes. Then invert a serving plate over the pan; invert both plate and cake. Let stand 1 minute; remove pan. Serve cake warm with whipped cream.

I must admit I have never tried the above recipe. I copied it out of the Butt'ry Shelf Almanac, many years ago, but have never baked this that I know of. It's essentially a blueberry upside-down cake. I think it sounds scrumptious (especially with that touch of spice in the batter) and will be trying it if I'm able to get my hands on more fresh blueberries.

And there is my Blueberry Festival! Hope someone tries and enjoys these blueberry recipes!