Category: Blueberry

Blueberry Custard Pie or Tart

7/3/2015

This was adapted from a Country Living recipe. The first attempt was both weirdly my least-favorite but my family's most-favorite baking attempt ever - I simply could not get over the weird snot-thick consistency of the blueberry topping that came from the original recipe's 3 tbsp of cornstarch, though my father and brother literally gobbled up over half the tart in the space of a morning. A second try not only improved the texture but the appearance considerably, and after substituting lactose-free milk for whole milk, I was also able to enjoy it tablet free! With the sweetness dialed down somewhat and a few extra steps added to improve custard and topping consistency, the second one disappeared nearly as quickly as the first.

1 graham cracker crust, either store-bought or hand-made

The custard:

1.25 cups whole milk
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp unsalted butter

The blueberry topping:

4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
1.5 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cups water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp butter

In a saucepan, cook the milk, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Stir in vanilla and butter. Transfer custard to a shallow dish to cool.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, mix 1 cup of blueberries with sugar over medium to high heat. Stir occasionally, until the blueberries start to soften and burst and become a slurry. Mix the cornstarch into the water, then pour into the saucepan. Bring to a boil while continuing to stir, until the mixture thickens. Stir in lemon juice and butter, then remove from heat and let cool. Gently stir in remaining 3 cups of berries.
Once the custard is near room temperature, spread it into the bottom of the graham cracker crust. Top with the berry mixture and refrigerate until set.

Note: If you're going to use lactose-free milk instead of whole milk, you might want to dial down the sugar amount for the custard slightly, as lactose-free milk tends to be sweeter. The filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated separately. To prevent the custard from forming a film, press cling film all over the surface.

Blueberry Walnut Scones

4/9/2015

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These scones have the dubious honor of weaning my mother off of Cost Co scones. (Which is actually no small matter, I assure you. After trying these for the first time, she literally threw out a whole box of the store-bought ones - and considering how she feels about waste, that is definitely high praise!)

I'm not usually a fan of eating large amounts of "bread", but between its great, crumbly crust and the tons of berries and nuts I toss in (it almost has a hard time holding together - the best type of scone!), even I'm scarfing down a whole wedge at a time. Be prepared for a mess when making it, though - this batter is VERY sticky.

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
5 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
8 tbsp very cold, unsalted butter, cut into 16 equal-size pieces
3/4 cup cold buttermilk, cream, thinned yogurt, sour cream or crème fraiche
1 large, very cold egg

1 1/2 cup blueberries
1 cup chopped walnuts

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Dump out onto a clean work surface.
Distribute butter over dry ingredients and toss lightly to coat the pieces with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll over mixture to flatten the butter. Using a dough scraper, push mixture together, and repeat the rolling process two more times, scraping off the rolling pin between each process. Scoop mixture into mixing bowl and refrigerate.
Puree 1/2 cup blueberries and the liquids. Whisk in the egg. If not using immediately, refrigerate. Crumble or chop the walnuts.
Remove mixing bowl from fridge. Using a large, flexible spatula, add walnuts and 1 cup blueberries, mixing evenly. Now add the liquids gradually, gently folding into the developing dough.
Turn dough out onto work counter and gently move it around to ensure all portions are uniformly moistened. Do not knead dough!
If desired (for extra flakiness), after dough is formed, flatten somewhat and gently make 2 letter folds in opposite directions. (You can cover with cellophane and store for a day in the fridge.)
Pat dough into the desired shape and cut into 8 equal-size scones (or to make more personal sizes, cut these in half again to make 16 roughly triangular mini-scones).
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Put scones onto lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for about 16-18 minutes, until scones are light brown on bottom and just golden on top.
Remove scones to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. To store, let scones cool completely, then seal in an airtight Ziploc bag for as long as a day before eating. Otherwise freeze scones and later reheat in a 350 degrees F oven for 5 minutes or in a microwave for 10-15 seconds.

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Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

1/1/2015

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Ice Cream:

8 ounces cream cheese
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch salt

Swirl:

2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
(optional) 2 teaspoons kirsch (If you're using other berries, experiment with liqueurs — maybe Grand Marnier for raspberries, vodka or creme de cacao for strawberries.)

(Note: The "cheesecake" taste may be a bit too heavy for some people, so you may wish to cut the portions of cream cheese and sour cream a bit.) To make the ice cream base, cut the cream cheese into small pieces. Zest the lemon directly into a blender or food processor, then add the cream cheese, sour cream, half-and-half, sugar and salt. Puree until smooth.
Place the mixture in the refrigerator to chill.
While the ice cream mixture is chilling, make the swirl.
In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, heat the blueberries and sugar until the berries begin to release their juices. Mix the cornstarch with the cold water and lemon juice until lump-free. Stir the slurry into the blueberries.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the kirsch, if using. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
When the ice cream base is thoroughly chilled, freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. When it is done, pour roughly 1/3 into a container. Top with half of the chilled blueberry mixture and add another 1/3 ice cream base. Top that layer with the remaining blueberry mixture, then cover with the remaining ice cream base. Put in the freezer to set, 2 to 4 hours.

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ARCHIVE: Blueberry Cream Pie

1/1/2015

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1 cup flour
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup chopped walnut
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz whipped cream
1 can blueberry pie filling

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
For bottom crust: mix flour, margarine/butter, and walnut evenly and pour into pan. Put into oven for 1/2 hour before setting aside to cool.
For middle: Mix cream cheese and sugar, then add whipped cream. Pour into pan and distribute evenly over the crust.
Pour blueberry pie filling evenly over the cream mixture.
Chill in the refrigerator before serving.

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Blueberry Custard Pie or Tart

Blueberry Walnut Scones

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

ARCHIVE: Blueberry Cream Pie

Sweet Enough

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