31 December, 2022
Cooking With Blueberries
Fresh blueberries are available all year long. And that is possible because in North America, (U.S. &Mexico) blueberries are harvested and available from April to late October.
During the winter months of North America, South America is experiencing summer, and blueberries are harvested between November and March. With Peru being the top exporter during these months.
Frozen blueberries are available all year round as well.
Purchasing & Storing Blueberries
When shopping for berries look for those that are uniform in size with a deep purple to nearly black in color.
The best berries will be dry, plump, and firm. A silvery sheen is typical on blueberries.
When you get them home, it is best to store them in the fridge in the original plastic clamshell and eat them within 20 days.
Do not store them in the crisper drawer where air doesn’t circulate well.
Do not wash your berries until you are ready to eat them or cook with them.
Cooking With Blueberries
Blueberries are an incredibly versatile ingredient. They pair well with a variety of flavors both sweet and savory.
These can include, but not limited too: salads, muffins, breads, cobblers, pie, pancakes, for making jam, syrup and so much more.
Blueberry Syrup
1/3 cup cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 1/4 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
In 2-quart saucepan, beat cold water and cornstarch with whisk until cornstarch is dissolved.
Next add the blueberries, sugar, maple syrup and vanilla. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring frequently and mashing blueberries with a potato masher.
Reduce heat and simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. The mixture will thicken slightly as it cools (store any leftovers in a mason jar with a tight lid – use within 8-10 days).
Try This Savory Salad Dish With Blueberries – Warm Goat Cheese & Chicken Salad
Blueberries pair well with herbs and spices. Such as: basil, cinnamon, ginger, lavender, thyme, nutmeg, rosemary, mint, and many more!
Try This Sweet Recipe Of Blueberries Combined With Maple Syrup & Cinnamon –
An almost unbeatable combination is blueberries and lemons. They are even a great addition to banana bread.
Read More Here About The Many Uses Of A Lemon
Blueberries are not only for smoothies in the morning. You can also enjoy them with a French Toast Roll-Up.
Blueberries can also be used to make doughnuts (doughnut bites) or add them to a breakfast casserole.
Kitchen Tips When Baking With Blueberries
Don’t you just hate it when the fruit you add to your cake batter doesn’t distribute evenly through the batter. And therefore, not every bite is enjoying the fruit flavor.
Here are some tips to help your blueberries distribute evenly through your cake batter when they are folded in.
To make sure almost every bite contains a fresh blueberry do the following.
Follow your recipe as noted, measure out the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately.
Before mixing the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, remove 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredient mixture.
Take that tablespoon of dry ingredients and mix with the blueberries.
The flour mixture coated blueberries will be more evenly distributed in your cake batter.
When using frozen blueberries you may have noticed those greyish-green streaks in the batter.
To prevent this, do not thaw the blueberries before adding them to the batter.
Keep the blueberries frozen and gently stir them into the batter to prevent those greyish-green streaks.
When cooking down blueberries, some of the skin will be left behind. To achieve a smoother finish for a blueberry sauce, sieve the sauce through a fine mesh strainer.
For a chunkier texture, like for a chutney, don’t overcook blueberries so they are able to maintain their texture.
More Ways To Cook With Blueberries
- Buttermilk Blueberry Cupcakes
- Blueberry White Chocolate Bread Pudding
- Melon Berry Fruit Salad with a Mint-Lime Dressing
More Deliciously Yummy Recipes
- 10 Healthy Winter Vegetables – includes recipes
- 4 Ingredients You Can’t Do Without In Cooking & Baking
- A Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich
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- African Drumsticks
