Friday, July 11, 2008 4:02 PM CDT
Try these scrumptious recipes using fresh blueberries
By ARLENE MANNLEIN, Staff Writer
The 5-quart, former ice cream buckets are ready. It’s official. Blueberry season is here.
For those opting to gather fresh blueberries by hand, each bucket can hold 6 to 8 pounds of blueberries, said Richard Pontious of Pontious Farm near White Heath.
Richard and Nancee Pontious have operated the farm started by his father for about 10 years, he said. They should have blueberries throughout July.
People are encouraged to pick at their leisure, said the couple, who also offer picnic tables, a toy-filled sandbox, swing sets, a pass-along library and their own version of a petting zoo — llamas, horses, goats, geese, several dogs and many, many cats.
Some people treat the farm like their private park, said Nancee Pontious, and don’t pick anything at all.
“Some Saturdays, cars will be all the way down the lane.”
Another you-pick site for blueberries in the area is Prairie Hill Farm south of Bethany.
“We’ve got some nice berries this year,” said Barbara Kieft, who along with her husband, John, owns that farm.
Contact Arlene Mannlein at amannlein@herald-review.com or 421-6976.
Nancee Moster Pontious of Pontious Farm shares several recipes on the farm’s Web site and gave permission to have her “killer” Pontious Blueberry Crunch recipe published among a selection of other recipes.
Pontious Blueberry Crunch
1 (20-oz.) can crushed, unsweetened pineapple
3 cups blueberries
1¼ cups sugar, divided
1 package yellow cake mix
1½ sticks butter or margarine
1 cup chopped nuts
Grease a 9-by-12-inch baking pan. Spread undrained pineapple in pan. Spread berries over pineapple. Sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over berries. Sprinkle dry cake mix over sugar. Melt butter and drizzle over cake mix. Sprinkle nuts over cake mix. Sprinkle remaining sugar over nuts.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until done.
Serves 12 to 15.
— Source: www.pontiousfarm.com
Pontious Rhubarb Crunch
6 cups rhubarb
1½ cups sugar
5 Tbsps. tapioca
1 (11-oz.) can Mandarin oranges, drained
1 package yellow cake mix
½ cup brown sugar
1½ sticks butter or margarine
1 cup chopped nuts
In a bowl, toss rhubarb, sugar and tapioca. Let stand for 15 minutes; stir occasionally.
Pour into a greased 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Top with oranges. Sprinkle dry cake mix over oranges. Sprinkle brown sugar over cake mix. Melt butter and drizzle over brown sugar. Sprinkle nuts over brown sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until top is golden brown.
Serves 12 to 15.
— Source: www.pontiousfarm.com
A Healthy Twist
to an Old Favorite
2 bananas
1 medium watermelon
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
¼ cup caramel fruit dip
¼ cup honey roasted almonds
Peel bananas and cut in half lengthwise then cut each piece in half. For each serving, lay 2 banana pieces against sides of shallow dish. Using an ice cream scooper, place three watermelon “scoops” in between each banana in each dish. Remove seeds, if necessary. Top each watermelon scoop with a different fruit topping. Drizzle caramel fruit dip over all. Sprinkle with almonds.
Makes 4 servings.
— Source: www.watermelon.org
Brownie ’n Berries
Dessert Pizza
1 box (1 pound, 6.5 ozs.) Betty Crocker Original Supreme Brownie Mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on brownie mix box
1 (8-oz. package) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh raspberries
½ cup apple jelly
Heat oven to 350 degrees or to 325 degrees for dark or nonstick pan. Grease bottom only of 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray or shortening.
In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, pouch of chocolate syrup, water, oil and eggs until well blended. Spread in pan. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out clean or almost clean.
Cool completely, about an hour. In a small bowl, blend cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over brownie base. Arrange berries over cream cheese mixture. Stir jelly until smooth; brush over berries. Refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled. Cut into wedges. Store covered in refrigerator.
— Source: bettycrocker.com
Limoncé Blueberry
Semifreddo
4 egg whites
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, divided
2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsps. Limoncé Limoncello
1½ tsps. vanilla
Zest of ½ lemon
1 cup shortbread cookies, crushed
1 pint blueberries
Line a loaf pan with a double layer of plastic wrap and place it in the freezer to make sure the pan is very cold.
Using a stand or hand mixer, start whipping the egg whites in a very clean metal or glass bowl. When they reach soft peak, add ¼ cup of the confectioner’s sugar. Continue whipping until the egg whites maintain a stiff peak but are still glossy.
Transfer the whites to another bowl, and use the same mixing bowl to whip the heavy cream. Once it has thickened, stop the mixer and add the Limoncé, vanilla and remaining ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold 1 cup of whipped cream into the whipped egg whites and then fold all of the egg mixture back into the whipped cream. Gently fold in the lemon zest and ¾ cup of crushed shortbread cookies.
Place ½ of the semifreddo recipe into the chilled plastic-lined loaf pan, making sure to fill in the corners. Next, place all of the blueberries into the middle of the semifreddo and fill with the remaining semifreddo mixture. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup of crushed shortbread and cover completely with wrap.
Freeze for a minimum of 4 hours. This can be made a day ahead. Must be served frozen. Use a hot knife to make slices. Garnish with fresh blueberries, raspberries and mint.
Serves 12.
Simply Blueberry Sorbet
1 cup sugar
½ cup water, preferably spring water
½ tsp. salt
3 pints (about 2 pounds or 6 cups) fresh-picked blueberries, rinsed and patted dry
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 large egg white (optional)
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, water and salt. Cook, stirring, until the sugar and salt have dissolved, about 3 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes.
In a blender, puree the blueberries with the syrup and lemon juice until very smooth (you may need to divide this into several batches if your blender is not extra-large). If desired, strain through a fine-mesh sieve for a smoother texture. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Add the egg white, if using, during the last 2 to 3 minutes of churning. Store, tightly covered, in the freezer.
Variation: For blueberry-pomegranate sorbet, replace ¼ cup of the water with pure pomegranate juice.
— Source: epicurious.com, adapted from Gabrielle Carbone, co-proprietor of The Bent Spoon ice cream parlor, Princeton, N.J.
Raspberry Blueberry
Cheesecake Pie
1 (6-oz.) frozen pie crust
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 large egg white
4 Tbsps. sugar
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries, washed and picked over
1 cup raspberries, washed and picked over
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place ricotta cheese in bowl of a food processor; process until smooth and creamy. Add egg, egg white, sugar, nutmeg and vanilla; process again until well combined.
Spoon filling into frozen pie crust and bake until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes.
Cool pie and then arrange berries in concentric circles on top. Slice into 8 pieces and serve.
— Source: weightwatchers.com
Mango Blueberry Cobbler
Filling:
3 cups sliced peeled mangoes
2 cups blueberries
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsps. cornstarch
2 tsps. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
Biscuit topping:
½ cup flour
4 Tbsps. sugar, divided
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
¼ tsp. baking soda
Pinch salt
1/3 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the filling, mix mangoes, blueberries and lemon juice in a large bowl. Mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and ginger in a small bowl. Sprinkle over fruit; toss to coat well. Spoon into an 11-by-7-inch baking dish sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.
For the topping, mix flour, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, baking powder, ginger, ¼ teaspoon of the cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add buttermilk; mix well. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls into 6 portions onto fruit mixture. Mix remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle over biscuits.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until fruit is bubbly and topping is browned. Serve warm.
— Source: mccormick.com
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