ONE-DISH BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE

My mother recommends this really easy, really good, and quick-to-make recipe.

Batter:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 envelopes Fleischmann's® RapidRise Yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk (very warm 120-130°F)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg

Blueberry Sauce:
1-1/2 cups blueberries, fresh OR frozen
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Cheesecake:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg

Mix batter ingredients together in a pre-sprayed 8x8-inch baking dish. Allow mixture to rest while preparing blueberry sauce and cheesecake. Combine blueberry sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 to 2 minutes until sauce is thickened. Whip cheesecake ingredients in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.

Top batter with dollops of cheesecake mixture and blueberry sauce. Swirl mixtures together using a knife. Bake by placing in a COLD oven; set temperature to 350°F. Bake for 30 minutes, until cheesecake is set.

FRESH BLUEBERRY FRIED PIES

This decadent recipe is adapted from Everyday is a Party cookbook by Emeril Lagasse. Makes 12 pies. (Some may want to cut this recipe in half.)

For the Filling:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup water
4 cups fresh blueberries, stemmed and rinsed
1 tablespoon butter

For the Pastry:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk
Shortening, for frying

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Mix until blended. Stir in the water and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Remove from the heat and pour over the blueberries. Add the butter and mix well. Cool completely. Sift the flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the shortening and with your hands or a fork, mix until the mixture resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Gradually add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix until a smooth ball forms. Cover the ball of dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each dough piece into a thin round about 5 inches in diameter. Put about 1/4 cup of the blueberry mixture in the center of each round, fold the dough over, and crimp the edges together with a fork. Preheat the oil to 360 degrees F. Fry the pies in batches, 2 to 3 at a time, until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Serve each pie on a serving plate with a scoop of ice cream

BLUEBERRY RHUBARB CRISP WITH PISTACHIOS

I found this recipe on the Epicurious Web site. It received the highest rating and more than 70 comments. Don't forget the vanilla ice cream!

1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 pound rhubarb
2 cups blueberries

Topping:
1/3 cup shelled natural pistachios
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish. In a bowl stir together sugar and flour. Trim rhubarb and cut enough of stalks into 1/2-inch pieces to measure 2 cups. Add rhubarb and blueberries to sugar mixture, tossing well, and spread mixture in baking dish.

Make topping:
Finely chop pistachios. In a bowl whisk together flour and sugars. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes and with your fingers or a pastry blender blend into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add pistachios and toss well.

Squeeze a handful of topping together and coarsely crumble in chunks over filling. Squeeze and evenly crumble remaining topping over filling in same manner. Bake crisp until filling is bubbling and topping is crisp and golden, about 50 minutes.

Serve crisp warm or at room temperature.

SPARKLING WINE WITH BLUEBERRIES

A fun way to dress up sparkling white wine when the berries are in season.

3/4 glass of any sparkling white wine
Large squirt of Bar Harbor Blueberry Syrup
A few wild Maine blueberries

Combine and enjoy.

MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH BLUEBERRY CAKE

My mother claims this is the best blueberry cake recipe ever! It is from Cooking Down East by Marjorie Standish. Standish was a long-running food columnist for the Maine Sunday Telegram who spent years gathering her own favorite dishes along with the best of her readers' suggestions.

2 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 t. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 t. baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Beat egg whites until stiff. Add about 1/4 cup sugar to keep them stiff.

Cream shortening, add salt and vanilla to this. Add remaining sugar gradually. Add unbeaten egg yolks and beat until light and creamy. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with the milk. Fold in beaten whites. Fold in the fresh blueberries. (Take a bit of the flour called for in recipe and gently shake blueberries in it so they won't settle).

Turn into a greased 8 X 8 inch pan. Sprinkly top with granulated or powdered sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

BLUEBERRY BARBECUE SAUCE

This barbecue sauce is an excellent baste on chicken, fish, or pork.

1 1/2 t. olive oil
1/2 onion diced
1 1/2 t. minced garlic
2 T. dry red wine
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 pint fresh blueberries
1/2 cup ketchup
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 t. lemon juice
1 1/2 t. cornstarch
pinch each of cayenne, chili powder, salt, and pepper

Using a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until translucent. Mix cornstarch with wine and vinegar and place in saucepan. Bring ingredients to a simmer. Stir in blueberries, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and spices. Bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer over low heat until thick, about 1 hour. When the sauce has thickened, puree in a food processor or blender. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Makes 1 pint. Refrigerate unused sauce, but use within a week.

BLUEBERRY LEMON CHARLOTTE

A delightful dessert to have during a hot summer day. A sweet and tasty no-bake blueberry dessert to serve as a simple, but elegant looking dish for your family or friends.

2 packages (3 ounces each) lemon gelatin
2 cups fresh blueberries
1-1/2 cups plain lowfat yogurt
1 package (14 ounce loaf) store-bought ready-made pound cake

In a large bowl, combine lemon gelatin with 2 cups boiling water, stirring constantly until completely dissolved, about 2 minutes. Stir in blueberries and the yogurt until smooth. Cut cake into 14 (1/2-inch) slices (you may have some pound cake left over which you can save for another day). Cut each slice into 3-inch x 1-inch rectangles. Arrange rectangles upright around edge of an 8-inch springform pan; arrange remaining pieces to cover bottom of pan. Spoon in blueberry-yogurt filling. Cover and chill until firm, about three hours.

BLUEBERRY BARBECUED PORK

Pour this sauce over pork roast and let the oven produce falling-off-the-bone meat drenched in sauce.

3 lb pork loin roast, bone-in
1 each barbecue sauce (12 oz.) bottle Taste of Inspirations Maple Chipotle
1/2 cup ketchup
1 each medium onion, coarsley chopped
2 cup fresh blueberries
6 each whole wheat roll, bulkie

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the pork in a Dutch oven or roaster pan with a lid. In a medium bowl, combine barbecue sauce, ketchup, onion, and blueberries. Pour over pork. Press foil over top of pot and cover with lid to make a tight seal. Bake for 1 hour, 45 minutes, to 2 hours, until meat is tender. Remove from oven. When roast is cool enough to handle, transfer to a cutting board and remove bones and any remaining fat. Use two forks to coarsely shred meat, and return to the pot with sauce. Cover and bake for an additional 45 minutes. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate overnight. Reheat, covered, when ready to serve.

To serve, cut rolls in half and spoon pork with sauce over each. Top with sliced pickles, if desired. Serve warm.

Source: fresh magazine July, August 2010

BLUEBERRY ALMOND BUCKLE

This moist cake is topped with crumbs and covered with sliced almonds that toast in the oven as the cake bakes.

Topping:
6 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened (3/4 stick)
1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Cake:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (divided, plus 1 Tbsp.)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Prepare topping. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat butter and brown sugar until blended. On low speed, mix in flour just until crumbs form and flour is blended, about 15 seconds. Be careful not to overmix the texture should be very crumbly. Transfer crumbs to a smaller bowl and reuse the large bowl when mixing the batter.

Prepare cake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Sift 11/2 cups of the flour together with baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, gently stir the blueberries and remaining 1 Tbsp. flour together. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract until blended, about 2 minutes. Add half the flour mixture, and mix on low speed just to incorporate. Add milk, mixing until blended. Add remaining flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated and batter is smooth. Batter will be thick. Use a spoon to stir blueberries into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface and spread batter in the pan. Sprinkle the reserved crumb topping evenly over the batter. Sprinkle the almonds over the crumbs, pressing them gently onto the crumbs.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of thecake comes out clean. Cool the cake thoroughly in the pan, about 2 hours. Cut into squares or wedges and serve at room temperature. The cake may be prepared up to 2 days before serving.

Source: fresh magazine July, August 2010

WILD BLUEBERRY DAIQUIRI

Use this recipe with rum if preferred or without for the virgin variety.

1/2 cup wild blueberries
4 oz white rum (optional)
3 tablespoons sugar
10 oz soda water, very cold
2 limes, juiced
3 oz coconut cream, warmed to soften

To prepare the cocktail glasses, moisten the rims with a slice of lime and then dip the rims into powdered sugar. Set aside. Place the blueberries in a blender with the rum (if using), sugar, soda water, half of the coconut cream and the juice of two limes. Pour into prepared cocktail glasses, then finish with a swirl of remaining coconut cream. Makes 4 cocktails.

BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST BRAID

This recipe is a blue ribbon winner from the Bangor State Fair and is sure to be a winner in your home, too!

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 package Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 t. finely shredded orange peel
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup butter
1 large egg

Blueberry Filling:
1/1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. water
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Egg wash:
1 egg yolk plus 1 tablespoon milk

Blueberry Filling:
Combine fresh blueberries, sugar, and water in medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thick. Stir in cornstarch dissolved in 1 1/2 T. water; cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Let cool.

In large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, salt, orange peel and cinnamon. Heat milk, orange juice, and butter until very warm (120 to 130 F). Stir into dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add egg and 1 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Roll each to 20 x 6-inch rectangle. Spread blueberry filling evenly. Beginning at long end, roll each up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seams to seal to form ropes. Braid ropes; place on greased baking sheets. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Brush with egg mixture.

Bake at 350 F for 30 to 35 minutes or until done. Remove from sheets; cool on wire rack.

BLUEBERRY GRANOLA BARS

Here's a fast and easy recipe to add wild blueberries to your diet.

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cupS quick-cooking oats
2 cups fresh wild blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9X9-inch square baking pan. In a medium-size saucepan, combine honey, brown sugar, oil, and cinnamon, and bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 2 minutes; do not stir.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats and blueberries. Stir in honey mixture until thoroughly blended. Spread onto the prepared baking pan, gently pressing mixture flat. Bake until lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into 1-1/2 by 3 inch bars.