Enough with the blueberries already?!

Never!

Mix together fresh blueberries, Greek yogurt, a little sugar, a splash of milk and lemon juice. Throw it all in an ice cream maker and you get a delicious frozen yogurt – one that’s not too sweet – to compliment the pie! The tartness of the yogurt seems to just intensify the flavor of the blueberries, which was the whole reason to make the yummy goodness in the first place!

With a few cups of blueberries left over from last weekend’s picking, I started craving blueberry pie. And although the taste of blueberry-infused gooey pie crust is fabulous, the weather is just too hot and muggy to be fooling around with lots of dough. So I went with a quick and simple galette version – a rustic pie, if you will. I was barely able to let it cool before devouring 2 slices … and worth every calorie!

Rustic Blueberry Galette

1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
8 tbsp butter, room temp
1 tbsp heavy cream or whole milk
2 tbsp ice water
3 cups fresh blueberries
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp butter, cold
1 tbsp heavy cream or whole milk
2 tsp sugar, granulated or raw sugar
1 tsp powdered sugar

Using food processor, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Pulse until the texture is sandy with very tiny lumps throughout – about 30 seconds. With the food processor running, pour in the cream and ice water. Process until the dough begins to hold together. If it holds together, it is done. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of ice water and process briefly, then check again. Shape dough into a flat disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator until firm before using, about 2 hours. Dough can be made a day ahead. Preheat oven to 375F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let sit for 15 minutes to soften. Mix berries and sugar in a mixing bowl and toss to distribute evenly. Roll out the dough to a large circle about 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place dough circle on a parchment lined baking sheet. Mound the sugared berries in the center of the dough circle, leaving a 3 inch border all around. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and place evenly over the berries. Fold the border up so that it partially covers the berries. Brush the dough with the cream/milk, being careful that it doens’t pool on the baking sheet. Evenly sprinkle the sugar over the dough. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until light golden. Lightly dust with powdered sugar before serving.

1 friend + 2 ziplock bags + 4 berry pickin’ hands = 7 cups of yummy fresh blueberries

After staking out a friend’s blueberry backyard (ok, yes, they are on vacation, but, in my non-risk taking defense, picking permission was granted previously) and finally finding an entrance into the netted house around the bushes, we managed to pick the first blueberry crop of the season – with PLENTY more to come! I haven’t baked much with fresh blueberries as I normally find the frozen wild ones to be just as good. But my attempt at Blueberry Scones and Blueberry Muffins got rave reviews – even if slightly biased :)

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Blueberry Scones

The scones don’t have a lot of sugar added, just the way I like it, but if you like things on the sweeter side, add a few more tablespoons of sugar. But a nice butter or cream spread works just as well.

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
5 tbsp cold butter
2/3 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375F. Add the dry ingredients together. Cut small pieces of the cold butter into flour mixture until you get a bread-crumb like texture. Add the sour cream and egg. Gently fold in the blueberries. The dough will be a little sticky. Kneed gently on a floured surface until you can roll it out easily. Be gentle so the blueberries don’t crush. Roll dough into 2-inch thick round – expanding about 9-10 inches. Cut it into wedges and place on a greased baking sheet (I used my silpats) and bake 20-30min until golden brown. Cool and store in a air tight container.

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Fresh Blueberry Muffins

Unlike the scones, these are loaded with sugary goodness – especially with the cinnamon sugar crumble topping! The fresh blueberries jam pack the muffins with moisture, so they’re almost cake-like.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400F and grease a muffin pan or line with paper cups. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium measuring cup, pour in the oil, add the egg, and then enough milk to fill to 1 cup. Mix the oil/egg/milk mixture with flour mixture and fold in blueberries gently. Fill muffin cups to the top. Mix the last 4 ingredients together with a fork, and sprinkle over muffins. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.