Blueberries are in season now - sweet, tangy and full of antioxidants. Blueberry crumble, blueberry pie, blueberry muffins, blueberry clafouti....make your favorite now! The cold winter with lots of rain, followed by a long cool spring and finally a hot summer, helped the berries to ripen beautifully and they are so good right now.
When fresh blueberries are in season, I like to buy lots of them. I keep a few (of the biggest) on the table for snacking, bake a few into my favorite pastry, and freeze the rest. Blueberries freeze wonderfully - just don't wash them to death. Rinse them lightly, and dry completely before bagging and freezing.
When I was growing up in Seattle, my father kept 2 large blueberry bushes in the back yard. He had to drape a net of sorts over the tops of the bushes to keep the birds from stealing the bounty. During the season, if I had a hankering for blueberries, I'd go out back, stick my head under the net and pick the berries and eat them right off the bush. Then I'd pick a cup or so to use in making blueberry muffins. Here's my favorite recipe for blueberry muffins:
Blueberry muffins:
Preheat oven to 400F (200C)
Mix together in a large bowl:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar (or half sugar/half Splenda or Stevia)
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsps Baking powder
Beat in a small bowl:
2 eggs
Add to the eggs:
3/4 cup milk or buttermilk (or use 1 cup plain yogurt)
NOTE: 1/4 cup melted butter if using buttermilk or yogurt, increase sugar to 1/2 cup
1/4 cup melted butter
Combine the liquids into the dry ingredients with a few folding strokes. After one or 2 strokes,
Add:
1 full cup fresh Blueberries
Important: Do not overmix, or else muffins will be tough. It's ok to have lots of lumps.
Place paper muffin cups into the muffin pan OR liberally grease the cups. Blueberries are notoriously sticky and juicy, it is recommended to spray the muffin cups with nonstick spray. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full with dough. NOTE: if a crumble topping is desired, make the crumble topping for the pie recipe, below, and divide evenly among the muffins, placing the crumbs on top of each muffin.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on size of muffin. Makes 12 medium or 6 very large muffins.
To keep the sugar calories low, use half sugar and half Splenda or Stevia mixed with the berries and the topping. Small amounts of cinnamon and lemon zest add a bit of punch to the flavor. I prefer a pie with a crumble crust, and to make it healthy, I use whole wheat pastry flour and rolled oats with either hemp seeds or flax meal.
Berry antioxidants and Omega 3's in a dessert! you can't beat that for taste and health.
Blueberry Pie with crumble topping:
Sweet pie pastry:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg
Using a food processor with the knife blade attached, process the flour and the butter until coarse crumbs are formed. Add the sugar and pulse briefly. Add the egg and pulse just until mixed, do NOT overprocess. Pour the crumbs into a bowl and knead briefly until a ball forms. Dough should be soft but not sticky. NOTE: if you are using older or very dry flour, you may need to add a few drops of water but only to make the ball form. Wrap ball in plastic and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Filling:
5 cups blueberries, picked over and lightly washed and drained
3/4 cup sugar (OR 1/4 & 1/8 cup sugar with 1/4 & 1/8 cup Splenda or Stevia)
1/3 cup flour
2 tsp grated lemon zest
Crumble topping:
2/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
3/4 cup rolled oats (OR 1/2 cup rolled oats & 1/4 cup Flax meal & 1/4 cup Hemp seeds)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 to 8 tablespoons butter (not margarine)
Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
Directions:
Crust: Place a large square of parchment paper (12 inches square or bigger) onto a level surface. Place chilled pie crust in the middle of the square and rolling out from the center, evenly roll crust to fit your pie pan. Lift the parchment paper and crust from one end and fold in half. Lifting the folded crust from the parchment paper, carefully place onto the half of the piepan, then carefully redrape the folded half onto the rest of the pan. Smooth down into the pan, being careful not to tear the crust. Cut the edges uniformly and using your fingers, fold the edges of the crust under and pinch to form a design that will hold the juices into the pan. NOTE: if your pie pan tends to stick to crusts when cooked, make a parchment layer for the pie pan. Cut 2 parchment paper rounds, 1 round about 1 inch bigger than your pie pan circumference, the smaller one, the same as the bottom of the pan. Fold the bigger one in half and then in half again, and snip the 4 folded edges with scissors about half way to the middle. Place in the pie pan, folding the snipped parts over each other to fit. Place the small one in the bottom of the pan. Carefully drape the crust over the paper and cut the edges of the paper to fit the pan after you've formed the crust edges.
Filling: mix all the ingredients for the berry filling in a medium size bowl and pour into the pie crust filled pan.
Crumble topping: Place all ingredients into the same medium bowl that you used for the berry filling. Microwave for 20 to 40 seconds to melt the butter, watching carefully to not over cook! mix thoroughly with a spoon or fork. Crumble the topping over the berries in the crust, evenly distributing over the top of the berries.
Bake: 40 to 50 minutes in preheated center of the oven, until browned on top and crust appears lightly browned and done. Cool over a wire rack at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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Blueberry pie takes a lot of berries (5 cups!) and is best with a very sweet dough but with not too much sugar mixed in with the berries.
To keep the sugar calories low, use half sugar and half Splenda or Stevia mixed with the berries and the topping. Small amounts of cinnamon and lemon zest add a bit of punch to the flavor. I prefer a pie with a crumble crust, and to make it healthy, I use whole wheat pastry flour and rolled oats with either hemp seeds or flax meal.
Berry antioxidants and Omega 3's in a dessert! you can't beat that for taste and health.
Blueberry Pie with crumble topping:
Sweet pie pastry:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg
Using a food processor with the knife blade attached, process the flour and the butter until coarse crumbs are formed. Add the sugar and pulse briefly. Add the egg and pulse just until mixed, do NOT overprocess. Pour the crumbs into a bowl and knead briefly until a ball forms. Dough should be soft but not sticky. NOTE: if you are using older or very dry flour, you may need to add a few drops of water but only to make the ball form. Wrap ball in plastic and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Filling:
5 cups blueberries, picked over and lightly washed and drained
3/4 cup sugar (OR 1/4 & 1/8 cup sugar with 1/4 & 1/8 cup Splenda or Stevia)
1/3 cup flour
2 tsp grated lemon zest
Crumble topping:
2/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
3/4 cup rolled oats (OR 1/2 cup rolled oats & 1/4 cup Flax meal & 1/4 cup Hemp seeds)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 to 8 tablespoons butter (not margarine)
Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
Directions:
Crust: Place a large square of parchment paper (12 inches square or bigger) onto a level surface. Place chilled pie crust in the middle of the square and rolling out from the center, evenly roll crust to fit your pie pan. Lift the parchment paper and crust from one end and fold in half. Lifting the folded crust from the parchment paper, carefully place onto the half of the piepan, then carefully redrape the folded half onto the rest of the pan. Smooth down into the pan, being careful not to tear the crust. Cut the edges uniformly and using your fingers, fold the edges of the crust under and pinch to form a design that will hold the juices into the pan. NOTE: if your pie pan tends to stick to crusts when cooked, make a parchment layer for the pie pan. Cut 2 parchment paper rounds, 1 round about 1 inch bigger than your pie pan circumference, the smaller one, the same as the bottom of the pan. Fold the bigger one in half and then in half again, and snip the 4 folded edges with scissors about half way to the middle. Place in the pie pan, folding the snipped parts over each other to fit. Place the small one in the bottom of the pan. Carefully drape the crust over the paper and cut the edges of the paper to fit the pan after you've formed the crust edges.
Filling: mix all the ingredients for the berry filling in a medium size bowl and pour into the pie crust filled pan.
Crumble topping: Place all ingredients into the same medium bowl that you used for the berry filling. Microwave for 20 to 40 seconds to melt the butter, watching carefully to not over cook! mix thoroughly with a spoon or fork. Crumble the topping over the berries in the crust, evenly distributing over the top of the berries.
Bake: 40 to 50 minutes in preheated center of the oven, until browned on top and crust appears lightly browned and done. Cool over a wire rack at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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