By Staff
Everything around Brewton is blue this week as residents and visitors make plans for the annual Blueberry Festival.
Blueberries are wonderful little treats. You can find them in dishes throughout the year, but every June cooks around this area put blueberries in everything from muffins to ice cream to delectable desserts.
With the bountiful harvests of this fruit filling refrigerators and freezers a collection of blueberry recipes is just the ticket this week.
Although many cooks have plenty of recipes for blueberry muffins and fabulous desserts there are some unusual recipes that call for blueberries as the main ingredient.
For a cool summer treat to begin a meal, a Blueberry Salad would be refreshing. This is another opportunity to put blueberries on the table before the dessert. This recipe can be found in one of the Blueberry Festival cookbooks available at the Greater Brewton Chamber of Commerce offices. This submission is courtesy of Sally Lovelace.
Blueberry Spinach Salad
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
10 oz. fresh spinach
4 oz. blue cheese
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans
In a jar with a tight lid, combine oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar and salt; shake well. In a large salad bowl, toss spinach, blue cheese, blueberries and pecans. Add dressing and toss gently. Serve immediately.
Kate Settles has found a way to include blueberries in a breakfast recipe that isn't a muffin or pancake. A fabulous make-ahead breakfast, this recipe is perfect for hot days and baskets of blueberries.
Blueberry Surprise-Breakfast Before
1 lb. bulk pork sausage, hot or mild
1/2 cup oleo
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 whole eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder 1
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup blueberries
1 cup pecans, chopped
Blueberry Sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 cups blueberries
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
The night before: Crumble sausage in medium skillet and fry until brown. Drain sausage on paper towels and allow to cool o room temperature while preparing remaining mixture. Cream oleo with both sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and sour cream; blend well. Sift flour with baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture, blending well. Add cooled sausage, then gently fold into blueberries. Grease and flour 2-quart casserole dish or 9×13 baking pan. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over bottom of dish or pan. Pour batter into pan spreading evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Next morning: preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until done. Serve warm with blueberry sauce.
Blueberry sauce: combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in water. Add blueberries; bring to a boil. Simmer until clear and thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Serve warm.
This recipe is one that can be found in blueberry cookbooks from all over. The old-fashioned recipe is one that can be made with staples found in just about any cupboard or pantry.
Blueberry Grunt
3 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the blueberries in the bottom of a casserole dish; sprinkle 1 cup sugar over the blueberries. Cream together the shortening, 1/2 cup sugar, and egg. Add the milk, flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat until evenly combined. Drop by spoonfuls on top of the blueberries. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
There are so many recipes that call for a can of blueberry pie filling that are tasty and easy. With so many fresh blueberries coming in these days, the thought of buying a can of blueberry pie filling at the grocery store seems like a waste of money. If you have plenty of blueberries on hand, here is a recipe you can use to make your own “can” of blueberry pie filling. This recipe works well with any kind of soft fruit like peaches or berries including strawberries.
Blueberry Pie Filling
1 c. sugar
3 tbsp. corn starch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. water
4 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tbsp. lemon juice
In saucepan combine sugar, salt and corn starch with water, blueberries and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until thick. Remove from heat and allow to cool before using.
The great thing about this recipe is that you can control the sugar content. If you have people who are watching their sugar intake, Splenda can be substituted for the sugar in this recipe.
There has been much discussion around town on which dessert is better: Blueberry Crunch or Blueberry Delight.
The discussions that I have been involved in have mostly been about the difference between the two dishes.
A blueberry (or other fruit) delight is usually prepared in such a fashion as to end up with a crunchy (hence the confusion) crust on the bottom.
A blueberry crunch is usually made with a variety of ingredients that results in a soft, cake-like top.
To help keep things straight in your mind, I've decided that a blueberry crunch isn't crunchy and a blueberry delight is anything but “light.”
I'm including both recipes so that you can look at them and decide for yourself.
Now, here's my favorite recipe calling for one of those “cans” of blueberry pie filling. The crunch of the crust and the creamy center topped with sweet and tangy blueberries is just the ticket. As a matter of fact, I don't think a summer family reunion is complete without this dish.
Blueberry Delight
Crust:
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
1 c. chopped pecans
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 cup sugar
Filling:
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 lb. box confectioners' sugar
Topping:
2 cans blueberry pie filling
Mix together the butter, flour, sugar and pecans and press into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned, in a 350 degree oven. Allow to cool before filling. In a medium bowl mix together the cream cheese, Cool Whip and confectionery sugar until mixture is smooth. Pour this mixture on top of crust. Finally, pour the blueberries on top of the cream cheese mixture and to refrigerate overnight.
For those of you who are doing the comparisons between the two dishes, this next recipe is a typical “crunch” recipe. This recipe is from a previous edition of the Blueberry Cookbook and was submitted by Leah Fuqua.
Mrs. Pearl Fuqua's
Blueberry Crunch
1 stick butter, melted
3 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar
1 lg. can crushed pineapple
1 box yellow cake mix
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour crushed pineapple and blueberries in the dish. Sprinkle 3/4 cup sugar over berries. Pour cake mix over sugar. Pour melted butter over cake mix. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over cake mix and butter. Spread pecans on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
Finally, here's a quick and easy recipe that you can throw together if you have unexpected guests. Just keep the ingredients on hand and you can whip up a delicious treat in minutes. This was submitted to the Blueberry Cookbook by Glenda Fields.
Blueberry Breeze
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
1 can blueberry pie filling
8 oz. whipped topping
1 baked or graham cracker crust.
Mix pudding according to package directions. Chill until set. By hand, beat into pudding 1 1/2 cups of whipped topping just until blended. Fold in blueberry pie filling. Cover with remainder of whipped topping and garnish with fresh blueberries.
I plan to pick up with more ice cream recipes next week, so be sure to get your recipes to me if you would like to share them. You can email at lisa.tindell@brewtonstandard.com or give me a call at the office at 867-4876.
Until next week, happy cooking.