Just Peachy Blueberry Peach Pecan Scones

May 10, 2019 ~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 4 Comments

There are peaches, and there are peaches. There are the ones you buy at the supermarket with no taste, or the ones you buy and have to wait for 4 or 5 days for them to ripen before eating them, and there are just picked, juicy, ripe, let’s-eat-them-today peaches that taste like summer sweetness. I have met few folks who do not like a good, ripe peach that you can eat in hand while the juice runs down your arm, which is one of life’s simple joys. This post is an ode to those kind of peaches.

In a few days there will be a new peach cookbook released by Gibbs-Smith Publishers that I had the pleasure of working on. “Just Peachy” by Belinda Smith-Sullivan. She is a person extraordinaire. Not only do her familial roots run deep in the South, she is a woman-of-the-world in both a culinary and travel sense.

Here is one of my favorite pics of Belinda amongst all those ready-to-pick South Carolina peaches. The granddaughter of Mississippi sharecroppers, Belinda is also a chef, food writer, creator of her on line of spice blends and a commercially-rated pilot who resides in South Carolina where some of the best peaches in the world grow which are the inspiration for this book.

photograph of Belinda by Mark Boughton Photography

The lovely photography in this book is by Mark Boughton. Check out his work on line. I had the rare chance to both style the food and do all the tabletop photo-prop styling for this cookbook and it was a great, just peachy time! Thanks Belinda and Mark.

Cover Image by Mark Boughton Photography “

This recipe, “Blueberry Peach Pecan Scones”, is easy to make and bake in less than 45 minutes total time. Serve them warm from the oven with homemade peach preserves (another recipe in the book you will love) and a smear of softened butter.

Because of all the peaches and blueberries, these scones are not as dry as some and were still good a few days after I baked them.

You can add the lemon glaze that is part of the recipe, or as I did, just sprinkle them with decorating sugar for the crunch.

Here, have a bite. Enjoy.

Blueberry Peach Pecan Scones

Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar (I used half white and half raw sugar)
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cardamom (I love this spice so I used a bit more)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup buttermilk, or heavy cream
1 egg
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup of peeled and chopped ripe peaches
1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted
1/2 cup frozen blueberries (I frozen fresh berries on a flat tray and used instead of grocery store frozen, which you can use)
1/4 cup milk, for wash
(My addition – 1/2 cup plain decorating sugar)
Glaze recipe: 1/4 cup fresh squeeze lemon juice + 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom. Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry blender or your fingers until it resembles coarse meal. This step can also be done in the food processor.
Combine buttermilk, egg, lemon zest and almond extract. Stir into the flour mixture along with the chopped peached, pecans and blueberries just until combined.
On a lightly floured work surface, gather dough into a loose ball and flatten somewhat. Dust with flour, dough will be sticky, and roll out to about 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough into 4 inch square and then cut squares diagonally to make triangles. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with milk. (Dust with decorating sugar if you are using.) Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
For the glaze mix together lemon juice and sugar until sugar dissolves. Drizzle over warm scones if desired.

Based on original recipe by Belinda Smith-Sullivan from her cookbook “Just Peachy” published by Gibbs-Smith Publishers.

Teresa Blackburn teresablackburnfoodstyling.com

Small Batch Blueberry-Lemon Refrigerator Jam

June 18, 2017 ~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 31 Comments

Refrigerator jams are fast and simple to make. They will keep for a few weeks and is the best method for making small-batch jams. They don’t take a lot of time and can even be frozen to eat later in the year. I like this method as it is very rewarding and doesn’t take all day. I make a few jars at a time of different types of jams all summer. We eat some immediately and freeze a jar or two for later in the fall and winter.

Tennessee blueberries are in season and they are abundant. Plump and juicy, full boxes looking so beautiful at the Downtown Nashville Farmer’s Market that I could not resist….. I over-bought as usual. We have been putting them on all our salads and eating just out of the box or in yogurt and on cereal every day.

Three ingredients….blueberries, lemon and sugar…and about an hour of your time is all it takes.

The color alone makes it worth it!

Spooned into my new Weck Clamped Bowls (jars) from Food 52 and ready for the refrigerator and freezer.

The blueberries and the lemon peel combination resulted in one of my favorite ever small-batch homemade jams.

A taste of summer on toast. Enjoy.

Small-Batch Blueberry-Lemon Refrigerator Jam

Time: 1hr
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Ingredients:

2 pints of fresh ripe blueberries, rinsed and drained
1 juicy lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water

Directions:

Carefully cut the peel from the lemon. Slice into thin strips.
Juice the lemon.
Place blueberries into a non-reactive pan. Add lemon peel strips, lemon juice, sugar and water.
Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn to low simmer, stir often, cooking for about 20 minutes until mixture is reduced and thickened. Jam will thicken more after it cools.
Spoon jam into clean jars with tight-fitting lids. Refrigerate.
If freezing remember to not fill jars all the way up. Leave a 1/2-1 inch space at the top to allow the jam to expand when frozen. This keeps the lid from popping off in the freezer. I learned this the hard way!

Teresa Blackburn http://www.teresablackburnfoodstyling.com http://www.foodonfifth.com

Blueberry-Apricot Slab Tart….Happy 4th of July….E.A.T. #17

July 4, 2016 ~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 18 Comments

I am not a fussy cook. I find cooking, especially baking, very soothing. Keeping it simple and easy is my approach…some of it is intuitive but mostly not being afraid of the possibilities of missteps. It helps to be intrepid but it is not necessary. A good sense of humor helps as well! Many holiday days you can find me in my kitchen trying out new recipes and just playing around and this July 4th is no exception.

This recipe for my “Blueberry-Apricot Slab Tart” is very easy. Don’t you think the “slab” part is appropriate? The directions are easy, not many ingredients are needed and you can substitute the fruit as you like…peaches, blackberries, strawberries, cherries, plums are good substitutes.

A homemade or store-bought pie crust works equally well depending on how much time you have. I make my own crusts and when I do, I make extras and freeze to use later. This crust is one of my freezer crusts thawed, rolled out and topped with Creme Fraiche mixed with raw sugar and lemon juice then scattered with zest.

Apricots sliced, no peeling necessary. Blueberries nestled all around…..

….star shapes cut out of the pastry scraps and a dusting of decorating sugar this tart is ready for the oven! Easy-as-This!

Happy 4th of July. Peace and Love.

Blueberry-Apricot Slab Tart

Servings: 8
Time: 1hr 30mins
Difficulty: easy as this
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Ingredients:

1 pie crust dough (enough to cover a half sheet pan with scraps)
8 ounces creme fraiche (or cream cheese softened)
1/4 cup raw sugar
the zest of one lemon
the juice of 1 lemon
6 apricots, sliced
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
decorating sugar (the crunchy kind used for cookies)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line the sheet pan with parchment paper.
Roll pie crust dough out large enough to fit into the pan and up the sides. Trim edges and save for decorating top.
Mix together the creme fraiche, raw sugar, and lemon juice. Spread mixture over the bottom of the crust.
Scatter the lemon zest over the filling.
Arrange apricot slices over the top and sprinkle the blueberries over all.
Roll out and cut dough scraps into decorative shapes using a cookie cutter. and randomly place over the tart.
Bake for 35-45 minutes until top is bubbly and crust is lightly browned. Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Serve cut into slabs.

teresablackburnfoodstyling.com foodonfifth.com

Adios, Adieu, Goodbye for Now, “Pear, Blueberry Jam with St. Germain”

September 6, 2014 ~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 15 Comments

September crept in right on top of the last days of August…it has been tropical…. rainy and humid and hot, windy with bouts of unusually cool days scattered in between. Most of the local fruit is gone…the peaches, berries…plums and now my pears….adieu, adios and goodbye until next year sweet ones.

In the early dark days of fall and winter I will have my consolations on a shelf in my kitchen. A few jars of preserves…peach and plum. Jars of jam…pear and blueberry with a splash of St. Germain will be there, ready to comfort me.

Ripe and Ready.

The evening before I made this jam I cored, peeled and roughly chopped the pears and tossed them in a bowl with some raw sugar and lemon juice, covered the bowl and refrigerated the fruit overnight. The sugar and lemon juice help to pull some of the juices from the fruit, breaking the fruit down naturally which shortens the cooking process.

Do you know about “Pomona’s Universal Pectin”? I like to use this brand as the recipes for jams, jellies & preserves can be made with less sugar. I do not like cloying sweet preserved fruit so this pectin is just right. The instructions are easy to follow and there are plenty of recipes inside the package. It is preservative free, kosher, vegan, gluten-free and non-gmo. I usually buy it a Whole Foods, but it is available online at their site as well.

I had la few cartons of fresh blueberries left over from a photo shoot so I tossed them in with the peeled and chunked pears. The blueberries gave the finished jam a lovely soft color. A generous splash of St. Germain elderflower liqueur added another layer of goodness.

You always want to “test” your jam or jelly after cooking to make sure it “sets up”. I do this by spooning some of the mixture out onto a chilled plate. Leave it to sit a few minutes and then check the consistency. This batch “jammed” to perfection.

Every time I begin to can I feel like a novice….no matter how many times I have done it. This is where I am my most careful-self in the kitchen. I read the instructions, reread and double-check before starting. I gather all my canning supplies, pans, jars, ladles before hand and get everything cleaned, sterilized & all lined up ready to go. My best advice is just do what the recipe & canning instructions say…verbatim…all will be well.

Pears, Blueberries Jam with St. Germain

Servings: 6-8 half pints
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Ingredients:

6 cups cored, peeled & chopped pears
3 cups blueberries
2 cups raw/turbinado sugar
1/2 cup Elderflower Liqueur/St. Germain
juice of 2 lemons
Pkg of Pomona’s Universal Pectin (or other pectin if you prefer, most have easy, simple canning instructions inside the box. I used the directions for canning pears.
Equipment: clean 1/2 pint glass canning jars & lids, canning equipment (or if you prefer you can do this jam for the freezer…no hot water bath canning processing required.)

Directions:

The night before you plan to can, mix the pears, sugar & lemon juice in a mixing bowl, cover & refrigerate overnight.
The next day put the pear mixture in a large saucepan. Add 1 cup of water. Bring to a low boil. Add the pectin according to the package directions, turn stove to low simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes stirring often.
The last 10 minutes of cook time add the blueberries & St. Germain. Stir gently.
While fruit is cooking, wash & rinse canning jars in hot water. Set aside to drain on a very clean dish towel. Use new lids & rings. Put these in a pan of hot water until ready to use on low heat. There are many, many methods for hot water bath canning so use one that works for you.
When jam is almost finished cooking test the jell by spooning some jam mixture onto a chilled saucer, refrigerate for a few minutes. Test to see if the jam is the consistency you prefer. If not continue cooking another 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Fill glass jars with hot jam mixture to within 1/4 inch from the top of the glass rim for hot water bath canning process, 1/2 inch for freezer jam. Wipe each jar rim clean before adding lids. When all jars are filled & wiped clean, top with lid and ring.
For hot water bath place filled jars into your canner rack, lower into the canning pan, cover jars with warm water covering by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, process for 10-15 minutes. Turn heat off. Raise jar rack out of the water bath & place jars on a cooling rack. As jam cools you should hear a soft “pop” as each jar seals. If some jars do not seal then refrigerate to use immediately.
For freezer jam after #6 let jars cool down completely & store in the freezer until ready to eat. Remove jars from freezer a few hours before using.

“Pear-Blueberry Clafoutis Southern-Style”

August 29, 2014 ~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 32 Comments

I am quite smitten with my pears this summer. I have spent some time gazing at them and even more time posing them, turning them this way and that, looking at how they catch the light at different hours of the day. They are very willing models…silent, accommodating and seductively gorgeous.

This is not Food on Fifth’s first “pear rodeo” so to speak. In years past I have posted “A Series of Coincidences Involving Pears”, “Pear Infused Vodka” and “A Seasonal and Southern Red Bartlett Pear-Almond Cake”. Soon a pear jam will appear on these pages…not today, but soon.

A Clafoutis (lovely to say aloud softly and be sure to keep the “s”), and very French…a perfect pairing with my Southern twist…cornbread mix from “Southern City Flavors”, which you can buy at Whole Foods Markets or online, and blueberries….a very oooh la la morning moment.

This recipe is my adaptation of the classic French clafoutis which is pretty hard to trump. I was working on a photo shoot with Mike Weeks, proprietor of “Southern City Flavors” recently and he gave me a couple of bags of his cornmeal mix. Familiar with this product via Batch Nashville, I knew it would be a good fit with my Southern-style clafoutis.

Quick and so easy, a warm, just out of the oven clafoutis with local berries & pears, light and custardy, just a hint of cornmeal crunch….powdered sugar or not…is what Sunday’s are made for. Oui? Oui!

Sans a dusting of powdered sugar……..with a dusting of powdered sugar.

Pear-Blueberry Clafoutis, Southern-Style

Servings: 4-6
Time: 1hr
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clafoutis

Ingredients:

6 small ripe, but firm pears, halved & cores removed
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 TBSP softened butter
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup raw sugar, divided
3 large eggs
1 generous TBSP vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
3/4 cup white cornbread mix
powdered sugar if desired

Directions for Cooking:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter an 8 to 10 inch baking dish. Sprinkle the buttered dish with 2 TBSP of the raw sugar. Arrange halved & cored pears cut side down in the bottom of the dish. Scatter the blueberries over the pears. Set aside.
In a blender or with a hand mixer, blend the milk, remaining sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, salt & cornbread mix together.
Pour batter over the pears & blueberries gently tapping the dish on the kitchen counter to get out any air bubbles.
Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown on top.
Serve warm with a dusting of powdered sugar if desired.

Borrowed from the British “A Summer Fruit Pudding” for the Fourth of July

June 30, 2014July 3, 2014 ~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 32 Comments

“A Summer Fruit Pudding”

This classic British dessert is just the thing to make for the upcoming 4th of July holiday weekend. I do hope the irony of this is not lost on you.

All you need is some fresh berries….blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or strawberries…any combination of these summer berries and a loaf of day old bread. There is no baking so no heating up the kitchen. It is easy to make, a beauty when finished and the taste is like biting into “summer”…very refreshing, not overly sweet and served with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream or whipped mascarpone cheese.

The most important part is allowing the fresh berries to macerate with sugar for about 30 minutes ahead of time.

Choose a bread with some body that is a day or two old and just a bit dried out. I used a Brioche but a loaf of plain old white bread works just as well, as does Angel Food Cake.

After the berries have macerated they are slowing boiled for a few minutes with some water until the berries release most of their juice and get a bit softened. This takes about 5-8 minutes on a low boil.

I used a glass mixing bowl lined with plastic wrap for the mold, but a metal bowl or plastic will be fine. Later when the pudding is chilled it will be easy to turn it upside down on a serving platter.

While I am slicing the bread (you can make with or without the crust), and lining the bowl I let the berries drain very well so there is about 3 cups of berry juice to about 4 to six cups of softened sugared fruit.

Dipping the slices of bread and lining the bowl comes next.

Don’t you just love that color? The berries are then scraped into the center of the bread, topped with a couple of more soaked bread slices and covered with a sheet of plastic.

The pudding needs to have pressure on it so that the bread and the berries become “one”. I do this first with my hands and then place a plate with a heavy can sitting on top while the pudding is chilling for at least 12 hours or overnight.

Here is the turned out, chilled, a firm “pudding” (what the British pretty call dessert for the most part….as in “What’s for pudding?”) topped with additional berries and superfine sugar (caster sugar). I served this with a dollop of whipped mascarpone.

For a dinner party I recently made this again but this time I used an Angel Food Cake instead of bread. As the cake was already sweet I used less sugar on the berries. This version may be my new favorite. I served it with homemade vanilla ice cream. Another variation on the theme. Maybe next time I will try pound cake?

Traditionally this “pudding” was served as a healthy alternative to heavy sugary desserts at health spas in England. If you give this a try let me know how your version turns out.

Summer Berry Pudding

Servings: 8-10
Time: 45 minutes prep + overnight to chill
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summer fruit pudding

Ingredients:

6 cups of mixed summer berries, rinsed & drained + 1/2 cup mixed for garnishing
1/3 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar) + extra for garnishing
1 loaf of day old bread (White, Brioche or you can use an Angel Food Cake)
1/2 to 1 cup water

Directions:

Toss 6 cups of berries with 1/2 cup sugar. Leave to sit for about 30 minutes.
Add berries & juice to a saucepan. Add 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil. Turn to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile cut bread into approximately 1″ slices. You can remove the crust or not.
Line a glass, metal or plastic round mixing bowl (about a 2 qt bowl) with plastic wrap allowing it to hang over the edges of the bowl completely covering the inside.
Pour berries & juice through a strainer sitting over a bowl. Let drain for 10 minutes.
You will need about 3-4 cups of juice. Add more water if need be.
Gently dip each slice of bread into the juice lining the bowl completely with the soaked bread. Place one piece of bread in the bottom of the bowl to cover the center.
Dump the berries in the middle of the bowl & cover them with 2 more slices of juice soaked bread. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap, pressing down with your hands to make sure all the bread is soaked.
Place a saucer or small plate over the plastic wrap and top with a heavy can to press the mixture together over night in the refrigerator.
When ready to serve, remove the top sheet of plastic wrap & turn the bowl upside down onto a serving plate. Remove the bowl & plastic wrap from the summer pudding.
Garnish with additional fresh berries and a generous dusting of sugar.
Use a spoon to scoop out servings and add a scoop of ice cream or whipped mascarpone if desired. Whipped cream would be good as well.

Notes: You can make this with sliced Angel Food Cake as well for an interesting twist. Try adding some peaches to the berries or plums. Tip: If you do not have caster sugar…which is just a finer granulated sugar..you can make quickly by putting regular granulated sugar in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds. Very easy to do.

recipe and photos by Teresa Blackburn foodonfifth.com teresablackburnfoodstyling.com

A Vintage Recipe Box + The Peach Truck = Summer Peach Pies

June 9, 2014June 9, 2014 ~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 35 Comments

A few weeks ago I was rummaging around in an antique mall and found an old recipe box (see below) with each recipe carefully written out in old-fashioned beautiful “Cursive”. As you can see the box has been mended with tape multiple times and bears all the tell-tale signs of being much used. I fell in love with it.

Don’t you think it is beautifully interesting? Whose was it? Why does some daughter or son not have it in their kitchen right now? Whoever you are, or were, your recipe box is going to be well taken care of.

As I was looking through the recipes I noticed something interesting when it came to the desserts…cakes, pies, puddings. They all call for about half as much sugar as what I am used to seeing in newer recipes. Perhaps this was just particular to the owner of this box, perhaps someone in the family needed to watch their sugar intake, or maybe these dessert recipes are from a time where our palates had not become so used to “sugar overload”? I wanted to try this recipe for “Peach Pie (Fresh)” because it just sounded so simple and “fresh”.

This same week I had purchased my first bag of “The Peach Truck” Georgia peaches (featured in the Summer Issue of “Sweet Paul” magazine) at the Downtown Nashville Farmer’s Market. I left them in the bag for a few days to ripen. A great pair…this recipe & the ripe peaches!

What you will need to make this “Peach Pie (Fresh)”

6-8 fresh ripe peaches

1/2 cup raw sugar or white sugar + extra for dusting on top of the finished pie

1 pie crust for a double crust pie – 1 to line the pan + 1 for the lattice top (I used a wonderful slightly sweet pie dough recipe based on one found in Alisa Huntsman’s cookbook “Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe”(see end of blog for directions for this wonderful crust which I highly recommend.) If you do not “make pie crusts” then use a store-bought one dusted with a bit of powdered sugar.

Before we make the pie I am going to show you the easiest way in the world to peel a peach……

peach peeling — Cut an “X” in the bottom of each peach.

Remove peaches from simmering water after about 2 minutes & quickly plunge into ice water.

Peeling peaches — Using your fingers gently peel back peach skin from the bottom of each peach where you made the “X”. The skin will slip right off with just a bit of coaxing.

Now we will make our basic lattice topped “Peach Pie (Fresh)”.

1. Roll out and fit one of the pie crusts into the bottom of 8 or 9 inch regular pie pan somewhat “fluting” the sides if you like. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Cut peaches into wedges away from the pit & place in a bowl. You should about 6 cups of cut-up peaches for this pie. Add 1/ 2 cup white granulated sugar as the recipe calls for or raw sugar if you prefer. Toss the peaches & sugar together.

3. Fill bottom pie crust with sugared peaches & their juice.

4. Roll out 2nd/top crust to make the lattice. Cut into random strips with a sharp knife. Place the strips over the top of the peaches weaving them over and under each other in opposite directions. I do not even try to make my “lattice” tops perfect but a bit more artful and random which I think is prettier. As you may have guessed I am not a lover of perfection, just things that are perfectly, beautifully not perfect.

5. Tuck ends of lattice strips under the bottom crust edge and re-flute.

6. Place the uncooked pie on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Dust with some additional sugar if desired, pop in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 and cook for another 30 minutes or until the peaches are hot and bubbly and the crust is golden brown and crispy. Serve warm as is or with a scoop of ice cream.

Okay, now let me tell you a couple of things about this recipe. It was indeed not icky sweet nor “gloopy” as fruit pies can sometimes turn out with too much cornstarch. The bottom crust was not soggy, the top crust was flakey and over all this pie tasted like I think a peach pie should taste. This is how a fruit pie should taste…like the ripe fruit used complementing a flakey crust & just enough sugar to call it dessert. No soggy crust or gloopy-ness!

Here are a few other variations on this peach pie recipe I made with the extra dough…

“A Wee Fresh Peach & Blueberry Pie”

Made the same way with the addition of fresh blueberries & a cookie cutter cut out crust top in a little 6″ pie pan.

and…..”A Very, Very Wee Fresh Peach Pie”

Just fresh sugared peaches, pie crust leftovers rolled out in a 3 inch tartlet pan.

And here is how to make this very good pie crust. Thanks Alisa!

Here is my version of Alisa’s pie crust:

1. Measure 2 1/2 cups flour + 1/2 cup confectioner sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a couple of times.

2. Cut 1 1/2 stick of butter into small cubes & freeze for 5 minutes. Then sprinkle over the flour-sugar mixture & pulse a few times to mix in.

3. To the processor add 3 cold egg yolks & pulse again 3 or 4 times to blend somewhat.

4. To bring it all together drizzle 1/4 to 1/2 cup cold buttermilk or regular milk over the flour mixture through the feed tube of the processor until a dough ball begins to form. Remove dough & form into 4 dough balls flattened. Wrap each one with plastic & chill for 10 minutes before rolling out to make your pie crust.

Oh no!!!! we are finished yet…here’s a few tips for fitting your wonderful crust into your pie pan. Roll it, fold it in half…

…fold again…..place in pie pan with the point in the center….

…unfold the same way you folded…..

…flute or not, & fill.

Spider: [eating the peach] Mmmmm. Better than ladybugs.

Ladybug: What?

Spider: Excuse me.

Earthworm: It’s not dirt…

[takes a bite of the peach]

Earthworm: But it’s not bad.

(from “James and the Giant Peach”

Tennessee Blueberry Shortcake Biscuits (Gluten Free)

July 17, 2013 ~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 16 Comments

TN Blueberries

Mid July

Summer Saturday mornings…Farmer’s Market early…a few…just a few cartons of local blueberries sitting on the plank counter just waiting for me…I am sure of this.

Blueberry Biscuits

Sunday summer mornings…lazy time to make biscuits…just a little bit sweet with blueberries..softened butter, hot coffee with milk…the best of the summer in a bite.

Here is what you need: 1 cup fresh blueberries rinsed & drained; 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur Gluten Free Flour) ; 2 tsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 cup raw sugar; 1/3 cup frozen butter (the measurement is right on the stick); 1 egg; 3/4 cup buttermilk

Biscuit Ingredients

Let me talk a bit about gluten-free flours…as the name says they are without the gluten that gives dough or pastry its elasticity, therefore pie crusts such as I made recently for my Rainier Cherry Galette or for these biscuits, have a “shortbread” quality. The finished crust or biscuits will be more tender and crumbly than when made with regular flour. Just keep this in mind when working with a product such as this one…handle a bit more gently and the results will be amazing.

Here is how you do it:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar & salt in a mixing bowl.

2. Very quickly grate the stick of frozen butter into a bowl. It is already “pea size”!

cold butter grated cold butter

3. Using your fingers toss flour mixture & grated butter together. Make a “well” in the center of the flour.

flour with butter

4. Crack egg into buttermilk & gently whisk together. Pour into the flour well. Mix wet & dry ingredients together until a “slaggy” dough forms.

Yogurt/Milk Mix

5. Sprinkle blueberries over dough. Carefully blend berries into the dough.

Blueberries in wet dough

6. Dump mixture out onto a floured work surface. Use your hands to form dough into a ball & then pat out into a circle about 3/4 inch thick.

Dough with berries

7. Cut biscuits with a 2 to 3 inch round cutter & place on a lightly buttered iron skillet or baking sheet. This recipe will make around 16-20 biscuits.

8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until biscuits are golden brown.

Blueberries & Shortcake in a Biscuit!

Hmmmmm…a few left over for the next concoction? Bon Apetit.

Cardamom Blueberry Butter & Seckel Pear Tart

October 31, 2011August 13, 2013 ~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 21 Comments

A very fine “Cardamom Blueberry Butter & Seckel Pear Tart”

Recently a small package, neatly wrapped in brown paper arrived at my home. It was post-marked from Victoria, British Columbia. A bright red “fragile” sticker was prominently displayed on the front. I knew immediately that my “prize” had arrived. And indeed upon tearing open the box I found, nestled snuggly inside, cushioned with bright turquoise tissue paper, 3 beribboned jars of “Cardamom Blueberry Butter”. Two of favorite flavors melded into one knockout treat!

The lovely trio of jars was homemade using fresh Canadian Blueberries by another blogger-friend, Kristy Lynn, who has a great blog at: gastronomicalsovereignty@blogspot.com. I have been following and enjoying Kristy’s blog for a while now and recently she did a “giveaway” of three jars of her homemade blueberry butter & I was the lucky winner. British Columbia to Tennessee….a long trip for some little glass jars.

Lucky I was indeed! The first thing I did was grab a spoon, open a jar & eat it straight from the jar. Mmmmm. It was so delicious & unlike any fruit butter I’ve ever had. Beautiful color & texture, a definite fresh blueberry taste with just a hint of the cardamom. I love thinking about how far these berries-turned-into-butter traveled….where they came from, Kristy making the butter and canning them in her kitchen far, far away. Here I was in Nashville enjoying the flavor of British Columbia right in my own kitchen. Two degrees of delicious separation.

Next…a few days later, my toast test….slices of buttered toast with a smear of Kristy’s blueberry butter. Oh yes…the perfect venue. Kerrygold Butter & Blueberry Butter on hot toast…if it’s good on toast, then it’s good.

Not nice to hoard my treat not sharing with others…even though that thought went through my head. This week I used some of Kristy’s Cardamom Blueberry Butter as the main ingredient for a tart I developed. I had some sweet little ripe Seckel pears and a tub of Mascarpone cheese which seemed like a nice pairing with the butter along with a sweetened pastry crust.

For this recipe I used:

5 ripe Seckel pears, peeled & cored, cut in half lengthwise

1 (8oz) tub of Mascarpone cheese

4 generous tablespoons Cardamom Blueberry Butter (this recipe could be made with any really good homemade butter such as pumpkin butter)

1 pastry slightly sweetened

Raw or Turbinado sugar

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll pastry dough out on floured board to about a 12 inch circle more or less. Fit into an 8 inch tart pan with a removable bottom.

2. Use a knife to cut away any pastry that overlaps the edge of the pan.

3. Spread the container of Mascarpone cheese over the bottom of the crust evenly.

4. Top with Cardamom Blueberry Butter.

5. Peel pears with a sharp knife. Cut pears in half longways. Carefully remove core. I used the sharp edge of a small table-spoon to remove core as pears were very ripe and small. Place pear halves face down on top of the blueberry butter.

6. Sprinkle pears with a bit of the raw sugar. Bake for about 30 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly, crust is a deep golden brown & tops of pears are starting to brown. Remove from oven. Let cool on a rack for about 30 minutes to serve warm. This tart is also delicious served at room temp.