Blueberry Vinegar

Extended Shelf Life for: Blueberries

I did this the same as all the other vinegars. Although I used the whole berry rather than just the skins. Some were also moldy, so I'm not sure how it'll turn out, but if it's good - it's going to be a friggin-fantastic dressing addition, right?

Peels/Fruit + 1 quart of water to 1/4 cup of dissolved Sugar until fruit is covered + Cheesecloth and room-temperature for a week = Step one Vinegar Making

Strain Fruit + Cover with Cheesecloth for 2-3 weeks until it's obviously vinegar = VINEGAR!!!

I'll be sure to update on the results once it's finished.

From the Archives:

January 10th, 2012: No Bake Cookies
January 10th, 2012: Ddeok-guk

Cucumber-Blueberry Smoothie

This recipe showed up in my email from Vegetarian Times and lead to immediate smoothie creation.

I kept the main theme of Blueberry meets Cucumber but added a couple of bananas, some flax seed and used honey rather than agave nectar. 

Absolutely refreshing and highly, highly recommended!

My First Blueberry Pie

My goal throughout May, and kind of throughout the upcoming 'golden year' is to master making Pie's. I have some habits that I believe are a bit grandmotherly ~ early to bed, early to rise, no desire to watch TV, a love for canning and preserving, making things from scratch, etc. But, the true mark of a perfect grandmother is a perfectly flaky pie crust - something I have not mastered, because in general, I'm not big on Pie. However, take me to the other side of the world where Pie is hard to find and delicious pie even harder and suddenly I want nothing more than a perfect piece of pie and I'm the only one who is capable of meeting that desire.


Ingredients/Directions :
From Amy Sedaris' I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence

Mix 3 Tbsp. flour, 1 cup Sugar, and 1/8 tsp. Salt in a bowl. Add 4 cups fresh or frozen Blueberries, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, 2 tsp. Vanilla, and 2 tsp. Cinnamon - toss well. Pour into pie shell and dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Crimp of flute and cut several vents. Bake at 425 (218) for 10 minutes then turn down to 350 (177), cover edge with aluminum foil to prevent burning and bake for 30-45 minutes. Enjoy fresh out of the oven!

Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

Do you appreciate alliteration?
I do.
Buttermilk. Blueberry. Breakfast.
I should call it Bread, rather than cake.

Did I tell you I had some mishaps with my second-batch of yogurt? Nothing too dramatic, but a lot of seperation of curds from whey and sour tasting, runny yogurt-milk, rather than beautiful creamy yogurt.

However, thanks to our dumpster diving days and a ton of Extended Shelf Life recipes and an understanding that food is usable a lot longer than we normally give it credit for, even if smells a little funky or isn't perfect, convinced me that nothing needed to be tossed.

Whey could easily be fed to the dog or used in bread items (which it was later in the week), curds could be drained and used as a soft cheese (which it was later in the week) and runny-yogurty-milk that tastes a little sour could be used as buttermilk...which it was, for this Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake Bread

Ingredients/Directions:

Recipe barely adapted from Alexandra Cooks

Preheat oven to 350*F (177*C) and prepare a single round pan or square pan with oil or butter, set aside. Cream together 1/2 cup softened Butter with 2 tsp. Orange Zest and 7/8 cups Sugar (that's the same as 3/4 cups minus 2 Tbsp.) Add to this creamed mixture 1 room temperature egg and 1 tsp. Vanilla, beat until well combined. Toss 2 cups of fresh or forzen blueberries with 1/4 cup Flour. Next, mix together 1 3/4 cups Flour, 2 tsp. Baking Power and 1 tsp. Salt. Add flour mixture to the creamy butter mixture alternating with 1/2 cup buttermilk. Fold in blueberries. Sprinkle batter with 1 Tbsp. Sugar before baking 35-45 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before enjoying or save for breakfast the following morning.

Lemon Blueberry Bread

Unfortunately, I cannot take any credit for this recipe but rather, must tip my hat to TheJoyofBaking for this Lemon Blueberry Bread which we recently enjoyed while watching a bit of internet TV.

The following recipe comes straight from the website and I take no credit for any part of it, other than preparing the dish and serving it in my home.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin of the lemon)
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze:
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch) (23 x 13 x 8 cm).
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the 1/4 cup (50 grams) of sugar and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the hot loaf all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top of the loaf with the hot lemon glaze. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. This bread is best served on the day it is made.

Makes 1 loaf.
Sources:
Beranbaum, Rose Levy. 'The Cake Bible'. William Morrow & Company, Inc. New York: 1988.
Bon Appetit Magazine, August 1991 Issue.
Read more:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/LemonBlueberryBread.html#ixzz1HV22LMh4