Blueberry Chef Salad
This is one of those salads that is good any time of the year. A local produce market had the most beautiful blueberries this week. I decided to enjoy some of them in this salad. Besides, it was hot today and I didn’t feel like cooking.
The dressing is a honey French type dressing. It really makes the whole salad work. You can add the berries to the dressing, or serve them on top of the salad. I topped it with cashews, but you could add croutons, if you prefer.
Blueberry Chef Salad
Dressing:
1/3 c. honey
1/4 c. white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 t. paprika
1 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. olive oil
3 cups blueberries
Salad:
6 c. torn salad greens
12 oz. cooked chicken, turkey, ham etc, cut into strips
1 c. cubed cheese
1/2 c. cashews
In blender, combine first five ingredients and start running machine on high. Add oil in a slow stream until mixture becomes thickened. Pour into bowl and stir in berries and chill, several hours if you can. When ready to serve, arrange greens on one large platter or on smaller salad plates. Arrange meat and cheese on platter or plates. Spoon over the dressing and cashews then serve. Serves 4-6.
Blueberry Sweet Rolls
These sweet rolls are a favorite recipe of mine. They are not too sweet, even with a powdered sugar glaze. Great for brunch or breakfast. Sweet enough to be dessert, too. I am bringing them to a brunch with friends.
The base of the rolls is a rich, yeast dough. The dough is divided in half, rolled out, then brushed with butter. Then the dough is sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and topped with blueberries. The dough is rolled up, jelly roll fashion, then sliced into rolls.
The rolls are baked in 2 (9-inch) cake pans. The recipe makes 24 blueberry rolls. The rolls can be frozen.
I used fresh berries, but frozen work too. A good reason to buy extra berries and freeze them!!
Blueberry Sweet Rolls
3-3 1/2 c. bread flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/3 c. evaporated milk
6 T. butter
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1 egg
6 T. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. grated lemon or orange peel
2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
In bowl combine 1 1/2 c. of the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt. Heat together the milk and 2T. of the butter until warm and add to the flour mixture, beating 2 minutes. Add egg and beat 2 minutes longer. By hand stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding flour as needed until dough becomes moderately stiff. Place in greased bowl, turning once to coat and cover. Allow to double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down, cover, and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 14×8 inch rectangle. Brush dough with the melted butter. Combine the remaining sugar, peel and cinnamon and sprinkle over the dough. Top with the blueberries and press the berries into the dough. Starting at the long side roll up dough jelly roll fashion and seal edge by pinching. Repeat with second roll. Cut each roll into 12 slices and place 12 rolls in greased 9 inch round pans. Cover pans and allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. While rolls are warm, you can top with a powder sugar glaze, if desired. Makes 24.
Blueberry Mini Tarts
When a friend gave me some beautiful blueberries from her garden, I decided to use them to make mini blueberry tarts in cooking camp this week. Thanks, Anita.
You can use store bought pie filling, but I include the recipe at the bottom of the post. The recipe makes 4 cups of filling- you can use all the dough and all the filling and have 48 tarts.
The kids were divided into two groups and each group made 24 tartlets. We had a little blueberry filling left over.
Blueberry Mini Tarts
Flaky Pie Crust
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
3/4 c. butter, chilled – you could use coconut oil, lard or shortening
1 T. cider vinegar
4-5 T. cold water
Combine flour and salt in food processor and add butter. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Toss in vinegar and water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing as you add, until dough just holds together. Remove from processor and press dough together to form a ball. Chill at least 30 minutes before using. Makes enough for 2 pie crusts or up to 48 tarts.
Blueberry Pie Filling
3 1/2 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen
3/4 c. sugar, or to taste
1/4 c. cornstarch
1 c. water
1 T. lemon juice
In saucepan, bring blueberries and sugar to a boil, stirring often. Combine cornstarch with water and lemon juice and add to the blueberry mixture. Return to the boil and cook until thickened and bubbly. Makes 4 cups. You will not need the whole batch for the tarts.
To make the tarts: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thickness on lightly floured board. Cut out with 2-inch round cutter and place dough circles in mini muffin tins or mini tart pans. Re-roll scraps and keep cutting out until you have 48 circles. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling in each tart. I used fairly shallow pans, you can add more filling if your pans are deeper. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn down the oven to 350 and bake about 15 minutes longer, or until edges of the tarts are golden brown. Cool a little before you remove from the pans. Makes 48.
Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup
For breakfast I can’t think of a better dish than blueberry pancakes with fresh made blueberry syrup. These would make a great breakfast for Mom on Mother’s Day.
I was talking to a friend yesterday about some of our favorite breakfast foods. Blueberry pancakes were at the top of both our lists.
This is why I freeze blueberries. So I can have these wonderful pancakes whenever the mood strikes.
The secret is to fluffy pancakes is not to over mix the batter. The ingredients are stirred until just combined. I used a homemade biscuit mix as the base. The recipe follows.
The baking mix is normally made with shortening, but I use coconut oil. You can use the mix in any recipe that calls for baking mixes, like Bisquick or Jiffy mix. When using coconut oil, you might want to store the mix in the fridge in hot weather. Normally I store it at room temperature, but pop it in the fridge during the summer. You could also make the baking mix with butter- store in the fridge.
The syrup is pretty simple. Just three ingredients; blueberries, sugar and a little water. Sometimes I add some vanilla or a little lemon zest. I served it warm over the pancakes.
Blueberry Pancakes
2 c. biscuit mix*, like Jiffy Mix or Bisquick
1 c. milk – I used half and half
2 eggs
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
Combine mix, milk and eggs until just blended. Fold in berries. Pour batter by scant 1/4 cups in lightly greased griddle or skillet over moderate heat. Turn when pancakes are dry around the edges. Cook until golden brown. Makes about 13.
* Like Bisquick or Jiffy Mix or home made- recipe follows
Biscuit Mix
8 c. flour
1 c. powdered milk
1 c. powdered buttermilk (or 1 more cup powdered milk)
1/4 c. baking powder
1 T. salt
1 1/2 c. shortening* I use coconut oil
Combine dry ingredients and cut in shortening until well mixed. Store in tightly covered container. Makes 10 cups.
* You can substitute coconut oil or butter for the shortening- but mix will have to be kept cool. Refrigerate if using butter and use withing 3 months.
Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup
Blueberry Syrup
4 c. blueberries
1 c. water
1½ c. sugar
In saucepan heat berries and water to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Crush berries with a potato masher as they cook. Add sugar and cook for 10- 15 minutes on medium heat until mixture thickens. Process syrup with an immersion blender or in a blender until smooth. Cool, then refrigerate. Keeps a couple of weeks. Can be frozen. Makes about 3½ cups.
Blueberry Chef Salad
This is one of those salads that is good any time of the year. A local produce market had the most beautiful blueberries this week. I decided to enjoy some of them in this salad.
The dressing is a honey French type dressing. It really makes the whole salad work. You can add the berries to the dressing, or serve them on top of the salad. I topped it with cashews, but you could add croutons, if you prefer.
Blueberry Chef Salad
Dressing:
1/3 c. honey
1/4 c. white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 t. paprika
1 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. olive oil
3 cups blueberries
Salad:
6 c. torn salad greens
12 oz. cooked chicken, turkey, ham etc, cut into strips
1 c. cubed cheese
1/2 c. cashews
In blender, combine first five ingredients and start running machine on high. Add oil in a slow stream until mixture becomes thickened. Pour into bowl and stir in berries and chill, several hours if you can. When ready to serve, arrange greens on one large platter or on smaller salad plates. Arrange meat and cheese on platter or plates. Spoon over the dressing and cashews then serve. Serves 4-6.
Blueberry Sweet Rolls
These sweet rolls are a favorite recipe of mine. They are not too sweet, even with a powdered sugar glaze. Great for brunch or breakfast. Sweet enough to be dessert, too. I am bringing them to a brunch with friends.
The base of the rolls is a rich, yeast dough. The dough is divided in half, rolled out, then brushed with butter. Then the dough is sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and topped with blueberries. The dough is rolled up, jelly roll fashion, then sliced into rolls.
The rolls are baked in 2 (9-inch) cake pans. The recipe makes 24 blueberry rolls. The rolls can be frozen.
I used fresh berries, but frozen work too. A good reason to buy extra berries and freeze them!!
Blueberry Sweet Rolls
3-3 1/2 c. bread flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/3 c. evaporated milk
6 T. butter
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1 egg
6 T. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. grated lemon or orange peel
2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
In bowl combine 1 1/2 c. of the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt. Heat together the milk and 2T. of the butter until warm and add to the flour mixture, beating 2 minutes. Add egg and beat 2 minutes longer. By hand stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding flour as needed until dough becomes moderately stiff. Place in greased bowl, turning once to coat and cover. Allow to double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down, cover, and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 14×8 inch rectangle. Brush dough with the melted butter. Combine the remaining sugar, peel and cinnamon and sprinkle over the dough. Top with the blueberries and press the berries into the dough. Starting at the long side roll up dough jelly roll fashion and seal edge by pinching. Repeat with second roll. Cut each roll into 12 slices and place 12 rolls in greased 9 inch round pans. Cover pans and allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. While rolls are warm, you can top with a powder sugar glaze, if desired. Makes 24.
Blueberry Crumb Cake
This has always been a favorite cake of mine. The mixture of moist cake and berries would be great on their own, but that crunchy, crumb topping- oh my! Talk about a wonderful combination.
It isn’t a difficult cake to make at all. It is an extra nice cake to take along to picnics and cook outs since there is no frosting to worry about. It can be served plain, or served with a scoop of ice cream of some whipped cream.
So here is the recipe. Enjoy!!
Blueberry Crumb Cake
For cake batter:
2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
½ stick (¼ cup) butter, softened
¾ c. sugar
1 egg
½ c. milk
1 pint blueberries, fresh or frozen
For topping:
½ c. sugar
¼ c. flour
½ t. cinnamon
½ stick (¼ c. butter, chilled and cut into bits)
Combine dry ingredients and set aside. In mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and milk. Add flour mixture gradually until just mixed in. Fold in blueberries. Grease and flour an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan and add prepared batter. Combine topping ingredients until they resemble coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over batter in pan and bake in a preheated 375-degree oven and bake for 35-45 minutes. Use toothpick to test.
Note: I have used a 9-inch round pan and it worked fine.
Mom’s Crepes
I should make crepes more often. Crepes are so versatile. They taste great, too. Crepes are one of those foods that everyone seems to love, but very few love to make them. I hear that all the time. There is some sort of irrational fear of crepe-making that I hope to dispel.
Crepes aren’t hard to make. Once you make a couple, you fall into a sort of rhythm. I do. I use a tiny sauce ladle to portion out the batter. In it goes. I tilt the pan to get an even, thin coating over the bottom of the pan. It just takes a couple of minutes for the crepe to brown lightly. A flip of the spatula, another minute or two- done. Then on to the next.
I always think about my Mother when I make crepes. I loved watching her make them. One after the other- all perfect. She said the first crepe never worked. She said there is a crepe “tradition” that the first crepe of the day always looks like an amoeba. So if this happens to you- just keep going. They get easier to make, I promise. You get into a sweet spot where the pan is the right temp, you are putting the right amount of batter in. Once this happens, you’ll have a stack of perfect crepes in no time at all.
I made a classic recipe- the same recipe my mom used. I have other recipes for crepes, but this one is a sentimental favorite.
These crepes can be filled with either sweet or savory ingredients. I made a blueberry filling for some of the crepes, then froze the rest to use as pancakes for moo shu duck. You can just smear the crepes with you favorite jam or jelly, fold and enjoy.
So here is the recipe for both the crepes and the blueberry filling.
Mom’s Crepes
3/4 c. flour
1/8 t. salt
3 eggs, beaten
2 T. melted butter
3/4 c. milk, approximately
Butter or oil for pan
Beat together flour, salt and eggs until smooth. Stir in melted butter and then stir in milk until batter consistency is that of cream. Let stand for 30 minutes before using, or can be refrigerated, covered, overnight. Beat again, just before using.
Heat 6 or 7 inch skillet. Brush with butter or oil and pour in about 2 tablespoons of batter, tipping pan to cover bottom of pan completely with batter. Cook until edges start to brown, turn over and cook until lightly browned (about 2 minutes per side.) Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining batter.
Crepes can be made day ahead. They can also be frozen. To freeze, layer crepes between sheets of waxed paper and wrap in plastic wrap of place in a freezer container or freezer bag. Freeze. Makes 12.
Crepes can be filled ahead or guests can fill their own. Fillings can be served warm or cold. These crepes can be filled with either sweet or savory fillings.
To make the blueberry crepes: Lay a crepe on work surface. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the blueberry compote onto one half of the crepe. Fold in half, then fold again to create a fan shape. You can also spread the filling all over and roll up the crepe instead. Serve dusted with powdered sugar, if you like. You can also serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Blueberry Compote
2 pints fresh or frozen blueberries
Zest of 2 oranges
Juice of two oranges
¼ c. honey
Pinch of salt
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook, over medium heat, until berries soften. Continue cooking, over medium low heat, until most of the liquid has cooked off and mixture thickens. Stir from time to time, to prevent sticking. Watch more closely as mixture cooks down. If you like a sweeter product, you can add a little sugar. Set aside until ready to use. Can be spooned into crepes warm or at room temp. Makes about 2 cups.
Blueberry Waffles
I recently posted a recipe for blueberry pancakes and it got me to thinking- why didn’t I ever make blueberry waffles? I gave it a try and loved the way they came out. I just added some berries to one of my favorite waffle recipes. They are light and crispy, but still tender in the middle. I served them with butter and maple syrup. They would also be great with powdered sugar.
The blueberries made them special. Makes for a special breakfast. They could also be used as the base for a shortcake. Topped with ice cream or whipped cream, they would make a wonderful dessert.
Blueberry Waffles
1 1/3 cups flour
4 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 t. sugar
2 eggs, separated
½ c. butter, melted
1¾ c. milk
2 t. vanilla
1 c. blueberries, fresh or frozen
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients. Separate the eggs, adding the yolks to the dry ingredient mixture, and placing the whites in a small mixing bowl. Beat whites until moderately stiff; set aside. Add milk, melted butter and vanilla to dry ingredient mixture and blend. Fold stiff egg whites into mixture. Fold in blueberries. Ladle mixture into hot waffle iron and bake. Makes about 6 waffles.
Blueberry Sweet Rolls
Since I froze blueberries last summer, I have plenty to cook with now. It has been a lot of fun. Sometimes, I just eat the blueberries right out of the freezer.
These sweet rolls are a favorite recipe of mine. They are not too sweet, even with a powdered sugar glaze. Great for brunch or breakfast. Sweet enough to be dessert, too.
The base of the rolls is a rich, yeast dough. The dough is divided in half, rolled out, then brushed with butter. Then the dough is sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and topped with blueberries. The dough is rolled up, jelly roll fashion, then sliced into rolls.
The rolls are baked in 2 (9-inch) cake pans. The recipe makes 24 blueberry rolls. The rolls can be frozen.
I used frozen berries, but fresh work too. A good reason to buy extra berries and freeze them!!
Blueberry Sweet Rolls
3-3 1/2 c. bread flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/3 c. evaporated milk
6 T. butter
1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1 egg
6 T. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. grated lemon or orange peel
2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
In bowl combine 1 1/2 c. of the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt. Heat together the milk and 2T. of the butter until warm and add to the flour mixture, beating 2 minutes. Add egg and beat 2 minutes longer. By hand stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding flour as needed until dough becomes moderately stiff. Place in greased bowl, turning once to coat and cover. Allow to double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch dough down, cover, and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 14×8 inch rectangle. Brush dough with the melted butter. Combine the remaining sugar, peel and cinnamon and sprinkle over the dough. Top with the blueberries and press the berries into the dough. Starting at the long side roll up dough jelly roll fashion and seal edge by pinching. Repeat with second roll. Cut each roll into 12 slices and place 12 rolls in greased 9 inch round pans. Cover pans and allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. While rolls are warm, you can top with a powder sugar glaze, if desired. Makes 24.
