Find Your Thrill on Blueberry Hill

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When I was growing up on the farm in Illinois, blueberries were more of an occasional treat. My grandmother and my mother would occasionally make fantastic blueberry muffins when they were available in the local stores. And my grandparents would always bring back a big can of blueberry preserves when they visited Canada. That was the extent of my acquaintance with what is today America’s second-favorite fruit. It’s a fruit that was developed commercially only starting in the years after World War I. Before that, blueberries grew wild in the wooded, wet, sandy, acid soils of northern states.

Of course, they were used extensively by the native Americans who ate them fresh and dried them in the sun for later use. The dried berries were used in puddings, cakes, and pemmican (a mixture of parched meat, grain meal, dried berries, and suet). Here in New England, blueberries have been a cultivated crop for decades, especially in Maine. In fact, a Maine-born California vintner began experimenting with dry sparkling blueberry wines in his uncle’s Maine barn in 2012. Two years later, he and a partner began selling their first bottles of the brand they call Bluet. I can attest to their fine quality.

Summertime blues

These days, blueberries have joined the pantheon of superfoods. One of the healthiest fruits, blueberries are rich in antioxidants along with vitamins C and K as well as manganese and dietary fiber.

Better yet is the flavor. Harold McGee, culinary scientist and food writer who wrote the seminal On Food and Cooking, has declared that all cooked food aspires to the condition of fruit. And since blueberries come in at No. 2 in popularity (next to strawberries), that’s a reason to pick up a pint or two now that they are in season. You’ll be rewarded with a taste that’s been described as sweet, floral, musky, and flavorful with a tart finish.

That sweet part means that we usually find blueberries in the dessert category. Beyond just plain blueberries scattered over other desserts like ice cream and shortcake or a simple fruit salad, you can find a cookbook full of recipes for blueberry desserts. There are the usual pies, tarts, clafoutis and galettes, crisps, buckles, cobblers, and squares. On the creamy side, we have blueberry ice cream and cheesecakes, and blueberries in crème anglaise. And there are blueberry compotes and sauces to slather over other desserts and cakes.

While I appreciate a good blueberry dessert, main dishes are my specialty. In that category, you’ll find blueberry dishes primarily at breakfast: blueberry jam on your toast, blueberries on your cereal, blueberry pancakes, blintzes, muffins, and scones. How about trying a blueberry omelet?

And what about blueberries for dinner? One main dish with a long history is summer blueberry soup. For eons, cold fruit soups have been served during the hot summer months, especially in Eastern Europe. There’s nothing like a simple fresh fruit salad with big, plump blueberries to add color and flavor, or this delightful summer salad with pecans and feta.

In creating main dishes, keep in mind that cooking intensifies the sweetness in blueberries. And the combination of sweet and salty means great results for beef, pork, poultry, and game. In addition, blueberries pair well with basil, lavender, mint, and rosemary. Blueberries are used in barbecue sauces; how about a simple steak with sauce or glazed ribs? Blueberries are good with poultry, too, as suggested by this New York Times recipe for roasted chicken thighs. And here’s a recipe for salmon with blueberry sauce. Or you could just toss a couple handfuls of blueberries into your next beef stew for an unusual flavor.

Whatever you choose, there was an expression in the 1920’s that meant the very best: “it’s just the berries.”

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