Celebrating Blueberries
In July 2003, the US Department of Agriculture proclaimed that July is National Blueberry Month in the USA. Along with Blueberries, July is; National Ice Cream Month, National Grilling Month, National Hot Dog Month and National Picnic Month.
Blueberries are native to North America and 95% of the world’s blueberries come from North America. Blueberries are considered a ‘superfood’ and eating just a few each day can have great benefits to your health.
Benefits of Blueberries
Compared to other fruits, blueberries have the highest level of antioxidants which boost your immune system and help prevent infections. Blueberries help; reduce the risk of cancer, help with weight loss, promote tissue growth and wound healing, support bone development, improve brain health and reduce the risk of memory loss. They help the body to process cholesterol and convert carbohydrates to energy and the dietary fiber in blueberries reduces the risk of heart diseases and obesity. They really are a SUPER food!
BEST Homemade Blueberry Ice Cream
This creamy ice cream is bursting with flavor. Take it to the exotic and use huckleberries instead of blueberries!
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients
- 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup granulated sugar divided
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ vanilla bean may substitute ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ex-large egg yolks
Instructions
- Combine ¼ cup sugar, blueberries and fresh lemon juice in a small, non-reactive saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil and mash berries. Puree blueberry mixture and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Set aside.
- Combine milk, 1 cup heavy cream, remaining sugar, salt, and ½ vanilla bean** in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar.
- Whisk egg yolks in a small bowl.
- When milk mixture begins to steam, temper the eggs yolks by slowly drizzling 1 cup of the warm liquid into the yolks while continuously whisking. Pour egg mixture into saucepan followed by the blueberry puree. Stir to combine and continue cooking until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. (175° F on an instant read thermometer)
- Pour batter through mesh strainer into remaining 1 cup heavy cream. Stir and cool to room temperature over an ice bath. Cover and chill thoroughly, 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Churn according to manufacturer's directions. Transfer churned ice cream to a freezer safe container. Cover and freeze until solid.
The Best Peach Ice Cream Recipe
This delicious and creamy recipe is made with fresh and simple ingredients; heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, eggs and of course, the Belle of the Ball, fresh ripe peaches!
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh (ripe) peaches peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar divided
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Peel peaches by cutting a small "X" into the bottom of the peaches and placing them in boiling water for about 2 minutes to loosen the skins.
- Immediately transfer peaches into an ice bath and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, pull the skins off and cut into slices or chunks.
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the peaches with 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the fresh lemon juice. Allow them to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, until the peaches have released their juices to create a syrupy liquid and the peaches have softened. Once they have released their juices, mash them really well with a potato masher, being sure to leave only very small pieces of peach.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the juice into a separate bowl, reserving both the liquid and the mashed peaches. Place in refrigerator until ready to use.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar, until pale yellow, about two minutes. In a medium sized saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, another 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the salt. Heat over medium heat until steaming hot, don't allow to boil.While whisking the egg yolks and sugar mixture, slowly pour 1/2 of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks to temper. Pour the tempered egg yolks into the saucepan with the remaining hot cream mixture and stir gently with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until the custard base reaches a temperature of 175 degrees F and the mixture is just thick enough to coat the back of the spoon or spatula. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Strain the custard base through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl, then stir in liquid from the mashed peaches and refrigerate for 4 hours or over night, until thoroughly chilled.
- Pour peach ice cream batter into ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions, until it looks like 'soft-serve', about 25-30 minutes. Add the reserved peaches during the last minute or so of the churning process.
- Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze at least 4 hours to firm up.
Blueberry-Filled Ebelskivers
These filled pancakes are light, airy and delicious. They are always a huge hit at my house!
Servings: 40 Ebelskivers
Equipment
- Ebelskiver Pan
- Electric Mixer
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1½ tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 large eggs separated
- 1¾ cups buttermilk
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 pint fresh blueberries
- Confectioners sugar for dusting
- Maple or Blueberry Syrup
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt.
- In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the egg yolks and buttermilk. Whisk the yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy.
- In another clean bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, (2-3 minutes).Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions.
- Put ½ teaspoon butter in each well of an Ebelskiver pan. Place over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 tablespoon batter into each well and cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, 3-5 minutes. Put 5 or 6 blueberries in the center of each pancake and top with 1 tablespoon batter. Using 2 wooden skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and blueberries.
- Dust the pancakes with confectioners sugar and serve warm with syrup.
Blueberry & Spinach Salad with BBQ Shrimp Skewers
This recipe is quick, easy, colorful and delicious. A great summer meal to serve to guests on the patio.
Equipment
- BBQ (optional)
Ingredients
BBQ Shrimp
- 8-10 wooden skewers soaked in water for 1 hour
- 2 lb large raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 large red onion cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 fresh pineapple peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3/4 cup BBQ sauce
- 3-4 whole fresh lemons cut in half
Blueberry Spinach Salad
- 1 bunch baby spinach washed and dried
- ⅔ cup fresh blueberries
- ⅓ cup toasted sliced almonds
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese crumble yourself from a solid block of feta
- ½ bunch arugula washed and spun dried
Lemon Blueberry Vinaigrette
- 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- 1 tbsp honey
- zest of 1 lemon finely grated
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2½ tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
- 5 tbsp grape seed oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Blueberry Lemon Vinaigrette
- Place blueberries and honey into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for 3-5 minutes, mashing the fruit to release the juices.Strain through a fine mesh sieve and cool completely.Combine the cooled blueberry juice with remaining ingredients and allow to rest in refrigerated to marry flavors for a minimum of 1 hour.
BBQ Shrimp Skewers
- In a large bowl, toss shrimp, onion and pineapple with bbq sauce.Thread alternately onto wooden skewers.Place sliced lemons, (cut sides down) and shrimp skewers onto medium-high, preheated grill rack, cover and cook lemons for 2-3 minutes and skewers until done, approximately 8 -10 minutes, turn skewers once.
Blueberry Spinach Salad
- Assemble salad ingredients into a large bowl and dress with Blueberry Lemon Vinaigrette
Notes
I also like to add a 1 inch slice of ginger to the saucepan with the berries for a little extra kick.
Blueberry Clafoutis
The texture of this French dessert is between a custard and a cake. It is one of my favorite recipes because it is not too sweet and special enough to make for guests.
Ingredients
- 1 pint fresh blueberries rinsed and drained
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup flour
- pinch kosher salt
- confectioners' sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°FLightly butter a 8"x8" baking dishArrange the blueberries over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.Whisk together the eggs and egg yolks until light and fluffy. Stir in the sugar, and continue whisking until mixture thickens.Whisk in the milk, vanilla extract, sifted flour and salt, one at a time, until mixture is light and airy.Pour mixture over the berries to cover evenly.Bake on center rack in preheated oven until top is golden and spring back when touched, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly and cut into 8 equal pieces.Dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve immediately.
Chocolate Ice Cream
This is an Alton Brown recipe, with a couple slight modifications. If you like chocolate, you will love this!
Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 3 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 6 jumbo egg yolks room temperature
- 9 ounces sugar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170°-175°F
- Pour the mixture through a sieve into a batter bowl. Place the bowl inside another bowl filled with ice water and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours ur until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.
- Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This Should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.
Lisa! Loved seeing all these ice cream recipes and the blueberry info! Thanks so much!
Had no idea that blueberries consisted of such nourishment – what we take for granted.