07/31/2006

Foodie with the family

Blueberries are good dressed up — or straight out of the patch

BY REBECCA LINDAMOOD
Local columnist

My sweet 2-year-old baby, Leif, came sidling into the house a few minutes ago. He's sporting a fat lip and a couple scrapes on his forehead from flying bum over teakettle onto the floor after a rather spectacular fall from a dining room chair.

He was wearing a striped T-shirt smeared with ketchup handprints. (He eats ketchup on nearly everything. I am praying it's a phase.) The entire bottom half of his face was purple from fresh picked blueberries eaten in his own inimitable way; mainly cramming as many as his mouth will hold simultaneously.

In his hand, he ever so carefully clutched a tiny little weed top like it was the rarest and most precious orchid. He held it out and said, "Ah you, Mommy!" which means "For you, Mommy!"

I took it and thanked him and squeezed him as tightly as I could without hurting him and told him I loved him. He said, "Ah you, Mommy!" which means, "I love you, too, Mommy." ("Ah you" is kind of like "aloha.")

He stood there smiling sweetly while I carefully sandwiched and pressed my weed top orchid in between two sheets of plastic wrap. He yanked on my pant leg and motioned for me to come down to meet with him on his level. I lowered myself so he could look me in the face. He met me with his ocean-on-a-stormy-day blue eyes and said, with head tilted, "Inda bidda bog a wingo, Mommy!" which means, well, I don't know ... but it sounded tender.

So far the boys and I have picked 18 pounds of blueberries. We have made five batches of blueberry jam, a household staple and all-around favorite prized for its ability to raise a plebeian PB&J or boring toast to new heights.

We have also packed two gallon-sized freezer bags full of "blue gold" and we hope to put up at least two more bags full. A handful of frozen berries with a peeled frozen banana, a cup of yogurt and a splash of apple juice or water in your blender make a vitamin-packed healthy smoothie for even the most confirmed avoider of fruits and veggies. It is spirit-lifting and tastebud-pleasing to have blueberries stashed in your freezer for those winter months when you want a taste of far-off summer.

You can throw a few into your pancakes, waffles, oatmeal or cold breakfast cereal to boost the HQ — health quotient — of whatever you're making or eating.

Here are a couple blueberry recipes to help you use all those fresh and frozen blueberries that you picked. Alternately, here are a couple mouth-watering reasons to go pick blueberries if you ordinarily don't.

This first one is great for whisking with an equal amount of olive oil to drizzle over a baby spinach salad as a super tasty healthy salad dressing! It also makes a gorgeous gift when decanted into a pretty bottle tied with raffia or ribbon.

Blueberry Basil Vinegar

• 3 c. fresh blueberries, crushed
• ½ c. fresh torn basil leaves
• 4 c. vinegar (rice or cider vinegar preferably, but you can use white in a pinch.)

Place crushed blueberries and torn basil leaves in a sterilized large wide mouth jar or non-reactive container (larger than quart size.) Stir around to combine.

In a non-reactive saucepan, bring vinegar to the boil. Pour freshly boiled vinegar over the blueberry basil combination and cover the jar. Allow to steep undisturbed at room temperature for two weeks. When the two weeks are up, strain through a couple layers of cheesecloth and pour into bottles or containers with tight fitting lids. Discard the strained pulp.

If you make a pan full of this buckle and serve scoops of it topped with vanilla ice cream, you will have a show-stopper dessert that is almost impossibly easy to make. If you have company and have fresh mint available, a couple leaves perched on top of each serving will make this a feast for the eyes as well as the body.

Blueberry Buckle

• ½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• ½ t. salt
• ½ t. baking powder
• 2½ c. fresh or frozen blueberries (partially thawed)
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Confectioner's sugar (optional)
• Vanilla ice cream (optional, for serving)
• Mint leaves (optional, for serving)

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray a two-quart baking dish. Cream the butter and sugar together in a stand-mixer or in a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer until the mixture is fluffy and light colored. Add eggs, one at a time, taking the time to make sure each one is fully incorporated before adding the next one. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt and baking powder with a fork or whisk. While the mixer is on low speed, carefully and gradually add the flour mixture until incorporated.

Spread the batter in your baking dish and evenly scatter the blueberries over the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the buckle comes out clean and the top is GB&D (golden brown and delicious!) Let cool at least 20 minutes.

At this point it can be served as is or gussied up. You can take this dessert to heavenly by dusting lightly with confectioner's sugar, topping with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and placing a mint leaf or two on top before serving.

Rebecca Lindamood is a northern Lower Michigan native now living in New York state. A food lover and mother of five children, she'll write occasionally on issues relating to preparing creative, yet affordable, meals for a family. Drop Rebecca an e-mail at shakeyourfoodie@yahoo.com or write to her care of the Record-Eagle.