Blueberries | Gourmandistan

Blueberry crumble pie deliciously deals with juicy blueberries

July 10, 2018 by Steve

When it comes to fruit, “juicy” is usually a good thing. But we all know at times one can have too much of a good thing—and cooked blueberries are a prime example. A crisp, buttery cobbler or pie crust can be lost in an ocean of blue juice, quickly becoming a soggy mess. This crumble-pie combo does a nice job of balancing sweet blueberry ooze with crunchy crust and a crumb topping. It works equally well, if even more juicy, […]

Categories: Baking, Blueberries, Desserts & Sweets, Food, Fruit Desserts, Pies & Tarts, Recipes

Blueberry, banana & poppy seed cupcakes sensibly say goodbye to blueberry season

July 26, 2016 by Steve

We are quite fond of cake in Gourmandistan. But with our small population, cakes often last past their enjoyment date. Of course Steve is not above trying to reduce the surplus by sneaking bits and pieces from under the cake dome, often late at night or when Michelle isn’t looking. But even these predations cannot stop the inevitable sections stuck in the freezer (where they are never quite as good once thawed) or a slide into the chicken bucket. And […]

Categories: Baking, Bananas, Blueberries, Cake, Desserts & Sweets, Food, Recipes, Vegetarian

Besting the queen with blueberry-ginger ice cream pie

June 26, 2015 by Michelle

We have quite often catalogued the various nature-related nuisances of where Gourmandistan is most often located: our sometimes raging and/or icebound creek, roaming bands of garden-gobbling deer, coyotes that creep near to the house and our many, many issues with mice. We have recently been reminded that we also have ants. Our somewhat wet spring saw the return of marching lines of little brown ants, invading the sugars in our pantry, infesting the cats’ kibble bowl and generally making us re-examine our food storage methods. […]

Categories: Blueberries, Cooking, Desserts & Sweets, Fruit Desserts, Ice cream, Recipes, Vegetarian

Blueberry lemon shortcake, because summer is finally here

June 25, 2014 by Michelle

After a long winter, Gourmandistan will bear rhubarb, and delight in strawberries, as spring weather begins to literally bear fruit. (Fine, strawberries are “literally” not fruits, but pseudocarp. Satisfied, pedants?) But when blueberries arrive, we know the peaches, plums, blackberries and other delightful summer treats will soon appear at local farmers’ markets, to be enjoyed until apple season signals the end of another (hopefully) bountiful year. We buy many, many blueberries at the markets, because Steve enjoys eating them as snacks. […]

Categories: Biscuits, Blueberries, Cooking, Desserts & Sweets, Food, Fruit Desserts, Recipes, Vegetarian

Poppin’ tags this blueberry lemon tart (it is f*cking awesome)

July 19, 2013 by Steve

Everybody likes pop. You might be a hip downtown aesthete, a strangely-haired Hoosier, a B-girl, a King or perhaps just a jiggly pile of dough. At least for last week, “pop” in Gourmandistan simply referred to Blueberry Lemon Tart. As we near the end of local blueberry season, Michelle felt like making at least one last blueberry dessert. She turned to a recipe from Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse Fruit, remembering how she liked this combination of blueberry and lemon curd. […]

Categories: Blueberries, Cooking, Food, Fruit Desserts, Lemon, Pies & Tarts, Recipes, Vegetarian

Blueberry Surprise Cake: a tasty surprise witness to unbelievable testimony

July 3, 2013 by Steve

As an attorney, Michelle is keenly aware of the unreliability of eyewitnesses, preferring the certainty of written documents to sworn statements which often color fact with fanciful opinion. Steve, who has himself coached “testimonials” from video subjects (“Would you say this hospital is one of the finest in the state?” “Yes.” “I meant would you say that to the camera.”) can be troubled by “true stories.” Which is probably why he started to poke holes in Michelle’s childhood recollection of […]

Categories: Blueberries, Cake, Cooking, Food, Fruit Desserts, Old cookbooks, Recipes, Vegetarian

Picking up a little blueberry almond tart

December 13, 2012 by Steve

This universe is vast and full of mysteries, replete with bosons, gluons, quarks and other micro-matter. So Steve understands that, possibly on some subatomic level, there could exist a condition known as “too much pie.” This theoretical event horizon, however, exists beyond any pie plate Steve might find himself within reach of. Not that Steve will eat an entire pie in one sitting—that would be gluttonous (besides Steve has usually stuffed himself on savories by the time dessert rolls around). […]

Categories: Blueberries, Cooking, Food, Fruit Desserts, Pies & Tarts, Recipes, Vegetarian

Plum, Dumb & Full of Crumb

August 21, 2012 by Steve

Sorry, people who put him in the “crazy” camp: Steve was not doing exactly the same thing and expecting different results. After all, these smaller, redder plums were purchased from a different vendor. And this time Steve did not leave them sitting in a bowl on the counter. He left them sitting on the counter in a paper bag, which somehow rendered them invisible. Fortunately, these plums ripened much less violently than their predecessors, with only a few having matured […]

Categories: Blueberries, Cooking, Food, Fruit Desserts, Plums, Recipes, Vegetarian

Blueberry jam with lemon verbena, British jubilee with venom verbiage

June 3, 2012 by Steve

Steve was very happy when Susan of the delightful Susan eats London gave a bloggy boost to his pressure on Michelle for more blueberry jam. Michelle had been avoiding making more for fear it would once again cook out too thick. But when Steve bought a few “extra” quarts at this Saturday’s market, she made another batch, and some sweet cream biscuits to boot. The chopped fresh lemon verbena in this version adds just a touch of herby tartness that […]

Categories: Blueberries, Cooking, Food, Jams & Preserves, Recipes, Vegetarian