Bless Your Spoon

By Stephanie Williams Dean

There’s no better way to spend the couple of hours that follow sunrise than backyard berry picking – when temps are still so cool that crystal-like drops of dew still cling to the fresh berries. Blueberry picking with Don and Sarah Wood at the home of their son Harold and his wife, Amy proved worthy – not only a bushel of beautiful, organic berries.  The in-season experience – handpicking, telling tales, and sharing recipes – go hand in hand with great folks and good, simple fruit – bonding over berries. Did you know that eating a cup of blueberries daily helps ward off heart disease, cancer and aging of the brain? This tiny berry is on the top of the list of most nutritious foods.

LEMON BLUEBERRY BARS

4 beaten large eggs

2 cups sugar

4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

½ tsp baking powder

5 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest

Confectioners sugar

1 ½ cups fresh blueberries

In a mixer, mix eggs and sugar. Add flour, baking powder, lemon juice, and rind. Fold in blueberries. Pour into pastry crust.

Pastry Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup confectioners sugar

1 cup softened butter

In a mixer, combine flour and sugar. Add butter and mix until dough consistency. Press into the bottom and 1-inch sides of a 13 x 9 pan. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes or until done.

YUMMY BLUEBERRY SQUARES

½ cup softened butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped pecans

2 cups fresh blueberries

1 cup sugar

¼ cup water

¼ cup cornstarch

3 Tbsp. water

1 8oz. pkg. softened cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 9 oz. carton thawed Cool Whip

In a mixer, blend butter with flour and add pecans. Press dough into a 13 X 9 dish. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. Cool crust. In a saucepan, combine, blueberries, sugar, and water. Cook at medium heat 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 3 Tbsp. water. Add to blueberry mixture. Allow to cool. In a mixer, combine cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust. Pour blueberry mixture on top. Refrigerate.

BLUEBERRY CHUTNEY

2 lbs. fresh blueberries

½ pint apple cider vinegar

¼ pint chili vinegar

¼ lb. onions

¼ lb. seedless raisins

8 oz. light brown sugar

1 tsp. yellow mustard

½ tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg, salt and cayenne pepper

In a deep pot, combine blueberries and two kinds of vinegar and mash fruit to a pulp. In a processor, chop onions and raisins. Combine raisin mixture and all other ingredients to blueberry mixture. Simmer at medium heat until thick. Pour into jars and cool. Cover. Makes 2 pints.

BLUEBERRY PEACH SANGRIA

6 ripe, peeled and sliced peaches

2 quarts blueberries

½ cup peach schnapps

2 bottles Riesling

2 bottles Chardonnay

1 bottle Champagne

Place peeled and sliced peaches in a beverage container. Add blueberries. Add schnapps, Riesling, and Chardonnay and mix. Refrigerate for one day. When ready to serve cold, top each glass with some Champagne.

BUTTERMILK BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

2 beaten eggs

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 cups buttermilk

¼ cup melted, salted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp salt

Dash of nutmeg

1 cup fresh blueberries

In a mixer, beat eggs. Add sugar, and melted butter. Add flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and nutmeg, alternating with buttermilk and mix into a batter. Fold in blueberries. Cook on a hot, greased griddle, spacing them 2 inches apart.

HAROLD WOOD’S BLUEBERRY LATTICE PIE

6 cups fresh blueberries

2/3 cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

2 tsp. lemon zest

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

2 Pet-Ritz 9” Pie Crusts

¼ stick butter, in bits

1 egg whisked into 1 Tbsp. milk

Combine blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, juice and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix gently. Place 1 pie crust in bottom of 9-inch pie plate. Pour blueberry mixture into pie crust. Dot pie with bits of butter. Take second pie crust and cut into strips. Form a lattice across the top of pie and crimp edges. Brush pastry with egg and milk mixture. Bake in a 425-degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake additional 30 minutes.

BLUEBERRY COMPOTE OVER VANILLA CREAM

½ cup water

½ cup sugar

2 strips of lemon zest

2 cups fresh blueberries

1 ½ Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 cup cream

1 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan, boil water, sugar, and zest for 5 minutes. Discard zest. Stir in blueberries and simmer until blueberries begin to burst. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Add vanilla to cream. Serve warm or at room temperature. When serving, place a little cream in a bowl and spoon blueberries over the top.

BERRIES AND CUSTARD

3 beaten eggs

5 Tbsp. sugar

3 cups milk

1 Tbsp. flour

2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a mixer, beat eggs. Add sugar. In a saucepan, add flour to milk and heat until smooth and very hot but not boiling. Whisk ¼ cup scalding milk into egg mixture to warm it. Then add egg mixture into hot milk mixture on the stove. Continue to stir with a whisk for 15 minutes or more until thick enough to coat a spoon. Whisk in vanilla. Cool, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Be careful not to let stick and not overcook or curdle. When serving, place custard in a bowl and add fresh blueberries on top.

FRESH BLUEBERRY STRATA

10 slices of crustless, white bread, cubed

4 ounces cubed cream cheese

1 cup fresh blueberries

9 beaten eggs

1 ½ cups milk

½ cup half and half

¼ cup maple syrup

Additional maple syrup

Confectioners sugar

Line the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 baking pan with 2/3 of bread cubes. Sprinkle with the cream cheese and blueberries. Top with remaining bread cubes.

In a mixer, beat eggs. Add the milk, half and half and maple syrup until blended. Pour over the prepared bread dish. Press with a spatula. Chill, covered overnight or at least 8 hours.

Bake in a 325-degree oven for one hour or until light brown. Dust with confectioners sugar and serve with maple syrup.

Note: Amy Wood submitted her mother, Judy Rhodes, a recipe for Yummy Blueberry Bars. To schedule a time to pick blueberries, call Sarah Wood at 336 751-2826