Oregon blueberries are the best!

7/17/13 Cook’s Corner

Betty Kaiser

Oregon’s produce season is just coming into full swing and it looks like both fruits and vegetables are going to be early this year. Our zucchini have already surprised us by growing to ridiculous lengths while lurking in the foliage. Usually, at this time of year tiny tomatoes are just starting to form on our bushes but right now, large green tomatoes are already hiding under the vines.

So far, the big disappointment of the season has been our blueberry crop. In late June, large and luscious berries were flourishing under protective netting. One day Chuck said, “Tomorrow, I’ll be picking berries.” The next morning, they were gone! Overnight, our crafty neighborhood crows discovered they could sit on the netting; collapse it and gobble up all those delicious berries. There were none left for us. We, the people, who had nourished and protected them from the neighborhood marauders, were forced to buy berries!

Fortunately, there has been a bumper crop of blueberries all across the Willamette Valley this year. Oregon blueberries flourish in our frosty, wet winters and our early dry summer has grown some very amazing fruit. So we’ve still been enjoying one of Oregon’s finest crops and our freezer is stuffed to the gills waiting to brighten up winter meals.

Searching for blueberry recipes I came across “Dungeness Crabs & Blackberry Cobbler,” a cookbook by Janie Hibler. Somehow the book has been hiding unnoticed in a corner of my bookshelf for several years! It offers recipes ranging from sour dough starter to trout stuffed with smoked salmon and of course, berry cobblers.

The author also offers some Oregon blueberry history: In the 1930s, 95-year old Beatrice Crawford Drury, a native of Salem, introduced Commercial blueberries to Oregon. She and her husband obtained two Rubel blueberry bushes from New Jersey. Originally wild blueberries, they had been crossbred by a USDA breeder for commercial purposes. Eventually, Mrs. Drury sold the berries to Union Pacific dining cars from Portland to Chicago where they survived on ice an entire round trip. Thus an industry was born.

In the book, a recipe for a  “Willamette Valley Blueberry Tart” reached out and grabbed me. The rich tart has a filling that combines the intense flavor of cooked blueberries with the juicy natural sweetness of fresh berries. This is a great strategy to use in pies and cobblers. Paired with a rich, short crust (that can be made in a food processor), it’s perfect for company on a warm summer night. 

Today’s next blueberry recipe was a second place winner in an Oregon Blueberry Commission recipe contest. Preparation is very similar to making lemon bars. First you bake a crust in a 9x13x1-inch pan. Then you pour the filling over and pop it back in the oven. Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar. Cool, slice and enjoy!

FAVORITE TART RECIPE

(Makes one 11-inch pastry shell)

2 cups flour

1 cup chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 egg

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Cream four and butter. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Place the dough on a floured surface and roll out to a 12-inch circle, 1/8 inch thick. Carefully fold the dough over the rolling pin and transfer to the tart pan. Push the dough into the corners with your fingers. Trim off the excess dough by running the rolling pin over the top of the tart pan. Prick the bottom and sides of the pastry with a fork and bake it for 8-10 min. Cool on rack.

WILLAMETTE VALLEY BLUEBERRY TART

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup water

3 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed, stems removed

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 baked tart shell

4 nasturtium flowers, stems removed

1/2 pint heavy cream (1 cup)

2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir the sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a medium pan and whisk in the water. Add 1 cup berries and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 in., stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.

Remove pan from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 cups berries, the butter and lemon juice. Pour the blueberry filling into the cooked tart shell and chill until set, about 2 hours.

Arrange the nasturtium flowers in the center of the tart. Whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla until it thickens and serve it in a bowl to accompany the tart. Serves 8.

Note: Flowers are optional!

OREGON BLUEBERRY-LEMON SQUARES

(Lorely French of Forest Grove, Oregon)

Crust:

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup powdered sugar

1 cup (½ lb.) butter

Filling:

4 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 cups Oregon blueberries, rinsed, stems removed

Garnish: Powdered sugar

Crust:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Mix flour and ½ cup powdered sugar until blended. Mix in butter, cut into small pieces with a large fork until dough holds together when squeezed. Press evenly over the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan. Bake in oven until crust is golden brown, usually 20-25 minutes.

Filling:

While the crust is baking, whisk eggs together with granulated sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice and baking powder. Stir in Oregon blueberries. Pour egg and fruit mixture over warm, baked crust. Return to the oven and bake until the filling is firm and does not move when gently shaken, usually 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar and let cool at least 15 minutes. Serve warm or cool.

Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! 

Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes 

that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.