"Blueberry Pie" with MULLED BLUEBERRY WINE

This warm recipe, a perfect winter refreshment, is found in the book "Drinking in Maine."  It was created by Fish Bones in Lewiston, Maine, located in the renovated Bates Mill No. 6 building on Lincoln Street.

4 cups Wyman's blueberry juice
1 750 ml bottle, Winterport Blueberry Wine
1 clementine, halved
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole star anise
8 whole cloves
1 vanilla bean, split
¼ cup brown sugar
2 graham crackers, in fine crumbs
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 ounces heavy cream
Grated nutmeg

Put the juice, wine, cinnamon sticks, star anise, vanilla bean, and brown sugar in a saucepan and heat to boil, quickly reducing to simmer 5 minutes more.

Mix the graham crackers crumbs, granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon and put in the bottom of a shallow saucer.

Halve the clementine and use it to wet the rim of the glasses. Upend each glass in the graham cracker mixture. Fill each glass ¾ full pouring mulled juice/wine through a strainer. Gently top wine with heavy cream in a thin layer. Add pinch of grated nutmeg.

BLUEBERRY SMASH

Find any opportunity to make this colorful tasty seasonal pitcher cocktail. I like to fill my glass with half liqueur and half club soda.

Ingredients
2 lemons, sliced into rounds
2 limes, sliced into rounds
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 cups vodka
1 cup St-Germain (elderflower liqueur)
Club soda

Preparation
Coarsely mash lemon and lime slices, and blueberries in a large pitcher. Stir in vodka, St-Germain, and 2 cups of ice cubes. Add club soda as desired. 12+ servings.

BLUEBERRY CORNBREAD BREAKFAST MUFFINS

This is a hearty moist lemony breakfast muffin that is best served warm right out of the oven!

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon extract
3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease muffin tin. Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stovetop in a small saucepan. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, honey, eggs, butter, and lemon extract. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Fold in the blueberries.

Fill the muffin tin with batter until two-thirds full. Bake in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick test comes out clean. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool. Makes 12 muffins.