I love that song from Veggie Tales Madame Blueberry and it is a good thing, too. My kids love that movie. Remember George Carlin’s thing on why there wasn’t any blue food? Well he would have to take that back..Blue corn meal is blue, there is just no way around it.

It isn’t at all difficult to find around here. If you are having trouble finding it try ordering it on Amazon at least once. I think there really is a difference in flavor. I think blue cornmeal is sweeter than the yellow or the white variety.

I was paging through my Mesa Grill cookbook and happened to notice the blueberry blue cornmeal pancakes in the back. I am always looking for something a little different to make for breakfast and this seemed like a perfect solution to one more day of pancakes in all of their glory.

By the way…if you don’t have the Mesa Grill cookbook – get it. Go on over to Amazon right now. I love that cookbook and I am constantly using it for inspiration.

Don’t get me wrong, we love pancakes. You can’t beat them for filling up a couple of teen age boys with stomachs that extend  down through their legs somehow. I know that I have never seen THAT graph in health class but I am sure it is so. I have one that can eat 14 or more 8″ whole grain pancakes at one sitting. You try filling him up sometime. And, go figure, he is 5 ‘ 11″ and battling to get up over 125 lbs.

I served them with honey butter and maple syrup. I liked the honey butter on them but the kids just don’t think a pancake is quite right without syrup. The flavor of these is sweet and nutty, with the slight grittiness you would expect from good cornmeal.

I added lemon zest after I had tasted and decided it needed a little bit of something. So..no lemon in the picture. Just in the pancakes. I used goat milk because we raise dairy goats. You use whatever kind of milk you like. Probably not zebra milk though..not sure on that one…

All righty then….Here is an action shot -

One thing I got used to using when we had the tea room was the graduated scoops. It makes it so easy to make uniform cookies, pancakes, and everything. Just be sure not to get cheap ones… they break really easy. A restaurant supply shop is the best, and possibly most inexpensive place to get them.

here it is..the most crucial moment….shhhhh….the flip.

Perfect. It’s all in the wrist.

And of course…when all was said and done…These flapjacks made the cut. Look!

And….Houston….We ….Have….Lift-Off!

These were really that good.  So…I bet you are all drooly and ready for the recipe now, right?

Blueberry Blue Cornmeal Pancakes

• 3 cups of organic  flour
• 1 cup organic blue cornmeal
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 organic eggs
• 3 cups milk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups blueberries
• Grated zest of one lemon

Instructions:

1. Preheat your griddle
2. Mix the dry ingredients
3. Whisk eggs, milk, and melted butter together until well blended
4. Add wet to dry and fold in blueberries

Serves 8 more or less

images: marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

I love blueberries.

I wanted to make blueberry muffins but I wanted something a little different that just blueberries. I couldn’t think of a compelling flavor combination and I happened to set the blueberries down next to a bowl of limes.

Well maybe the flavor didn’t strike me as having the potential to be amazing but the color combination of the deep blue and vivid green did. I decided it would be blueberry lime muffins.

They were excellent. Sweet blueberry flavor with the acidic tartness of lime. Lime is so different from lemon, rounder somehow and more full. Citrus always adds a complexity to blueberries…but the lime gives it a little extra wow.

Blueberry Lime Muffins

• 2-1/4 cups flour
• 1 cup  sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• grated zest from one lime
• Juice from one lime
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1-1/2 cups blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Line muffin cups with liners
3. Mix dry ingredients and set aside (add the zest in with the dry ingredients)
4. Mix wet ingredients, including the lime juice, until well blended
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and blend quickly. fold in blueberries carefully
6. Spoon into muffin cups and sprinkle with a little sugar
7. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes
8. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before serving. This helps them to firm up.

Makes 12

Post from: Baking Delights

When I discovered Numi Mate-Lemon Myrtle tea I was an instant fan. It has a sweet lemon flavor that is lemony but not pure lemon. There is a complexity from the lemon myrtle and mate combination that is awesome.

So, it really was only a matter of time until I created a blueberry muffin with it, wasn’t it? I mean it was just waiting for me.

These were so good. The tea added a nice underlying flavor, and the lemon was subtle rather than tangy. The crumb is moist and tender thanks to a bit of sour cream, but if you don’t do dairy you can leave that out.

The glaze is basic butter, confectioners, and tea with a squeeze of lemon. It added a nice finish to both the look and the flavor of the muffins.

If you are using frozen blueberries you can just add them straight from the freezer. You don’t want to thaw first because they will be so juicy that it will throw your liquid measurement off and your muffins will be soggy.

Mate-Lemon Myrtle Muffins with Blueberries

• 2 packets of Numi Mate Lemon tea
• 3/4 cup simmering water
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Zest from one lemon
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
• 2 tbs sour cream
• 1 cup blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Steep both tea bags in the water for 3 minutes. Remove teabags and allow tea to cool.
3. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl
4. Whisk remaining ingredients except blueberries together in another bowl.
5. Fold in the wet mixture to the dry
6. Stir in blueberries
7. Scoop into muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes, or until tops are golden and muffins test done.

Makes 12 muffins

Glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons Numi Mate Lemon tea
• Juice of half a lemon

1. Mix together until smooth
2. Spread over hot muffins

Post from: Baking Delights

The sauce is spicy. If you don’t like it spicy then adjust the amount of habenero or change the peppers totally. You could go with a chipotle, a jalapeno, or a serrano. It is hard to say how much to use because each person seems to have a different opinion as to what is spicy and the peppers can vary in heat from pepper to pepper. Let me tell you what happened to me.

I was getting the ingredients together for this sauce. Normally I taste a pepper to see how much I will want to use because I have had enough variation in heat to totally mess up a recipe. So I took a tentative nibble…they were, after all, habeneros.

Nothing. just a tiny little zap on the tongue. Sigh. I proceeded to chop about three habeneros and add them to the sauce. As I chopped the last one I popped a bit of it in my mouth.

ZOWIE. I saw stars. I became one with the universe. The top of my head came off. Again, verily, verily, I say unto you…always, always taste the peppers. EACH pepper. They vary in heat!  Quickly I pulled as many peppers as I could see from the bubbling sauce and put them in the chicken scraps. Our chickens like spicy things.

So, be sure to to check your peppers for heat and adjust your recipes accordingly.

This sauce was so good that people were spreading it on bread until it was gone.

Blueberry Habenero Sauce

• 1 large, sweet onion (like Vidalia) peeled and chopped
• 1 quart of blueberries
• 2 habenero peppers, chopped (adjust as needed)
• 1 tsp of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle in adobo, you can leave this out if you don’t have it but it adds a nice dimension
• 1/4 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
• Juice and zest of one lime
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• Olive oil for pan

1. Saute the onion in the oil until it is soft.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the lime juice, and simmer until the sauce reduces by about half. This will take ten minutes or so.
3. Add the lime juice and remove from heat.
4. Blend the sauce in the blender until smooth.
5. Brush on meat before cooking and then serve remaining sauce as a garnish.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Images:MaryeAudet

Post from: Baking Delights

Matt will be 17 on July 11. In other words we have been going a very long time.  Now, you can’t just go blueberry picking, there is a ceremony that must be carried out.

Blueberries for Sal must be read aloud the night before. You must get up while it is still dark and eat breakfast in the car on your way there…and at least one teenager must complain that they would rather be doing something with friends…at least until they get there… You must eat as many as you can and still fill your basket before the sun gets too hot..and then you must fight to stay awake on the way home, and figure out that you should have used sunblock. You must then end the day with blueberry pancakes for dinner.

If you do it any other way you are just not doing it right. Pick your own farms are a wonderful way to eat local, support the local economy and build family relationship all at the same time. I intend to do a couple of searches to see what is available in my area besides blueberries.  It is great for kids to be part of gathering food and interacting with it in it’s natural setting, rather than assuming that blueberries grow in pint containers in the back of the grocery store.

Here are some pics of our day…It was great!

The bushes were full of blueberries this year.

Nick finds the perfect berry.

It doesn't take too long to fill the baskets.

Full baskets...

Nick and Sean rehydrate

images:maryeaudet

Post from: Baking Delights

These are crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, with a buttery combination of flavors that just keep revealing themselves as you eat: lemon, white chocolate, nutmeg, blueberry…

The trick to these, if there is one, is to take them from the oven slightly under-done so that they finish cooking as they cool.  The dried blueberries keep them moist for longer than usual if they last past the first day.  Please, if you do try these? Leave a comment and let me know what you think. I am horridly nervous about the cookbook.

If you want a more decorated cookie you can drizzle melted white chocolate across them, but flavor-wise it is quite unnecessary.

If you use all butter the cookies will be greasy and flat.  If you use all shortening they will be tasteless. Lately I have had more people that usual emailing me and telling me the recipes are not good.  Then they list all the changes they made.

Can I just say that when I develop a recipe it usually is over several bakings? I normally try numerous possibilities before I post the recipe. If you change it you are likely to revert to something I all ready tried and discarded as not being good enough. If you change the recipe and it fails, well there is nothing I can do about operator error, is there?

One thing I have noticed is that flour varies from brand to brand and even bag to bag. You may need to use a little more or a little less to get the perfect texture. Be willing to experiment.

Blueberry White Chocolate Cookies

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup shortening
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dried blueberries
• 1½ cups white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with
parchment or silpat.
2. Cream together butter, shortening, and both sugars.
Add eggs, vanilla, and lemon peel; beat until well
blended.
3. Mix dry ingredients together; stir into creamed
mixture. Blend well; add dried blueberries and white
chocolate chips.
4. Drop by generous, rounded teaspoonfuls onto
parchment baking sheets. Keep cookies about 2″
apart. Bake 8–10 minutes, removing from oven when
just barely done.
5. Cool on pans 5 minutes; remove to cool

4-5 dozen depending on size and how much dough you eat

Post from: Baking Delights

1 1/2 c flour
1 c bran
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c oil or melted butter
1 egg
3/4 c buttermilk
1 c blueberries
1/2 c chopped pecans
confectioners sugar for dusting

Mix dry ingredients together. Stir in blueberries and pecans so they are coated with the flour mixture.
Mix oil, egg, and buttermilk beating well to make sure the egg is well incorporated.
Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture gently. Do not overmix.
Spoon into muffin liners. (I use the silpat ones from wilton..they are awesome! and you can microwave them too!)
Bake at 400 for 20 minutes
Makes about 16

Post from: Baking Delights

Was it worth it?

Yeah. Big time.

First of all I added 1 cup of white chocolate chips to the batter…see, not a big deal at all..but the batter tasted so good..so sweet and I wanted to balance that out..with something…

but what? Hmmm…..What did I have in the fridge? Blueberries!

But they are so sweet…I needed some elusive flavor..but what? Aha!

yes. Chipotle!

So I came up with the most incrredible sauce…to serve with this incredible cake.

Blueberry Chipotle Sauce

(to go with the blueberry bundt cake (with white chocolate)

2 c blueberries

1 c water

1 c sugar

2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

1-3 teaspoons of dried chipotle

cook the blueberies in the water with sugar until they start to swell and pop. Stir often. Blend them quickly in a blender, just until sauce is formed, leave some texture. Taste for sweetness. If it is very sweet you may want to add a bit more balsamic that the 2 TBS I called for.

Add the vinegar and chipotle. Simmer until reduced by half. Taste and check for flavor balance.

Serve with the cake.

Post from: Baking Delights

I love blueberries. Always have. ALways will. Nearly every year we take a family road trip to East Texas and spend the morning picking blueberries at a blueberry farm. We fill basket after basket, pay our money and drive 2 hours back to Dallas to freeze the bounty. This year we couldn’t get out there in time because of Marc’s health..so I am buying frozen..::sniff:: This recipe is from Bon Appetit. It is fool proof, comes out perfect every time and I am making it for Home Group tonight so I will get a picture then. Notice it is SO good that I haven’t even tweaked it. How unusual is that? Altho I must admit, one of these tiems I am going to make it with white chocolate chips.

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 2/3 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups frozen blueberries Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 10-inch-diameter Bundt pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat 1 2/3 cups sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in orange peel and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions. Fold in blueberries. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted near center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool cake in pan on rack 10 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic and store at room temperature.) Transfer cake to plate, sift powdered sugar over, and serve.

Post from: Baking Delights

Do you know I wrote my entire post, published it and found out, with 6 minutes left on the timer that it is lost in cyberspace??? GRR!

This is great…try it ..I dont have time to say more.

1 bag baby spinach

1 pint blueberries

1 pint strawberries, quartered

1 c pecans

1/2 c chopped red onion

1 c dried cranberries (optional)

1/4 c bleu cheese (my friend likes feta)

Arrange spinach on 4 plates. Top evenly with the rest of the ingredients.  Drizzle with:

Mango dressing

1 mango, peeled and diced

2 tbs honey

1/3 c lime juice

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

Blend until smooth. Check for sweetness and balance.

Post from: Baking Delights