Please note: Eileen Goltz is a freelance kosher food writer. The Orthodox Union makes no endorsements or representations regarding kashrut certification of various products/vendors referred to in her articles, blog or web site.
There’s only one bad thing that can be said about blueberries: they can be messy if you squish one and the stain is almost impossible to get out. Other than that, they’re really a wonderful fruit.
A blueberry is a superfood, one that is full of cancer-fighting antioxidants, vitamin C, fiber and potassium. Not to mention super tasty. And this may sound obvious, but when buying your blueberries you should remember they should actually be blue; if they’re even slightly green, red or purple, forget them. Only blue will do.
The blueberries you want should be uniform in size, not big and small. They should be firm but not hard and have a slightly waxy sheen. To store then you should keep your blueberries refrigerated and – please – don’t wash them until you’re ready to use them. They will spoil if you do. They should last, in the refrigerator, for 10 days to 2 weeks.
You’re in luck! Blueberries are in season right now and very affordable, so hopefully this column will nudge you toward adding them to your shopping list this week.
Blueberry Guide
- Approx 3 cups of blueberries in a pound
- One cup of fresh or frozen blueberries =2/3 cup pureed
- 1 cup frozen blueberries = 2/3 cup thawed blueberries
Blueberry and Cream Muffins (dairy)
Yields 12 muffins
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cake flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch salt
- 3 ounces cream cheese cut in cubes
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
- Brown sugar to sprinkle on top
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the cups of a muffin tin with 12 paper liners. In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt and set aside.
- In a bowl of an electric mixer combine the cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the eggs and mix until blended. Stir in the melted butter and mix until smooth. Mix in milk. Add dry ingredients and stir until all dry is incorporated. Do not over mix. Fold the berries into the batter.
- Pour an equal amount of batter into each muffin cup, filling each about 2/3 to ¾ full. Sprinkle a little brown sugar on the top and then bake for 30 minutes (or until the top is golden), remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes.
From my files, source unknown.
Blueberry Apple Salad (pareve)
4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen blueberries, divided
- ¼ cup oil
- 2 Tablespoons apple jelly
- Zest of 1 orange
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups (about 4 ounces) baby spinach
- 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced
- 2 ribs celery, cut into 1½-inch matchsticks (about 1 cup)
- 1/3 cup pecan or walnut halves, toasted
Instructions:
- To prepare dressing: In a blender, combine ½ cup of the blueberries, oil, apple jelly, lemon juice, orange zest, mustard and salt; blend until smooth. Set the dressing aside.
- In a salad bowl combine the spinach with apple slices, celery, pecans and remaining ½ cup blueberries. Toss gently, drizzle the dressing over the top, toss gently again and serve.
This recipe can be doubled or tripled.
Modified from a recipe from my mom, Anita Weinfield, Northbrook IL.
Lime and Blueberry Bars (dairy or pareve)
Yields 12 bars
Ingredients:
- 2 cups blueberries
- 2¼ cups flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup softened butter or margarine
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Extra powdered sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a bowl combine the flour and ½ cup powdered sugar until blended. Cut in the butter (mash with a fork until dough holds together). Press the mixture over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
- In a bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, lime zest, lime juice and baking powder. Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Gently pour the mixture over warm, baked crust. Return the pan to the oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes until the filling is firm. Remove from the oven and cool.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut and serve.
Modified from about.com.
Blueberry Corn Muffins (dairy or pareve)
Yields 18 muffins
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- ½ cup cornmeal
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk or non-dairy substitute
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup margarine or butter, melted
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest
- 2 cups blueberries
- Coarse sugar (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease one 12-cup muffin pan and one 6-cup muffin pan; set them aside.
- In large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix and set aside.
- In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, orange juice, margarine, egg and orange zest. Whisk to combine. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix by hand just to combine. Add the blueberries and gently mix them in. Do not over mix.
- Divide the batter between the 18 muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with a little coarse sugar if using.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes until the top is golden or a toothpick comes out clean.
Modified from an old Moosewood cookbook recipe in my files, book unknown.
Blueberry Pull-Apart Bread (dairy or pareve)
8 to 10 servings
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- 1¼ to 1½ cups blueberries
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 10 Tablespoons butter or margarine
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- 10 to 12 oz. frozen bread dough balls, defrosted
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10×4-inch tube pan REALLY WELL and set it aside.
- In a bowl combine 2/3 cup sugar and 1 Tablespoon cinnamon. Cut the dough balls in half. Roll each piece in sugar mixture. Arrange about one-fourth of the dough pieces and one-fourth of the blueberries in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Place blueberries between dough pieces, creating a mosaic effect.
- Repeat with three more layers (covered dough balls and blueberries), covering blueberries of one layer with dough balls in next layer.
- In saucepan combine the brown sugar, margarine, vanilla, cinnamon and the additional 1 cup blueberries. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce it to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently until the sugar is dissolved and the margarine melted. Pour the mixture over dough and berries in the pan.
- Bake 35-45 minutes or until done. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before you try and remove this from the pan. Place a plate on the top of the pan and invert.
Modified from epicurean.com.
Blueberry Salad with Smoked Trout (fish)
4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 8 oz romaine lettuce, shredded
- 4 smoked trout fillets, skinned, broken into medium pieces
- 1½ cups blueberries
- 6 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons white wine or rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon minced parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions:
- In a bowl, combine arugula, trout and blueberries.
- In a small bowl combine the oil, vinegar, mint, salt and pepper.
- Divide the salad onto 4 chilled plates. Drizzle each serving with dressing.
Modified from a recipe from Chef Marc Meyer, Five Points, New York City.
Blueberry Orange Sauce (pareve)
Yields approx. 2 cups
This is delicious over roast chicken or turkey.
Ingredients:
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
- 2 oranges, sectioned
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- In a bowl combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt and then set it aside.
- In a small saucepan combine the orange juice and ¼ cup water and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the blueberries and orange sections and bring the mixture back to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the sugar mixture to the berry mixture, whisk to combine and then cook for 1 to 2 more minutes; the sauce will thicken slightly.
- Remove it from the heat and serve.
TIP: if you want a sauce to go over a fruit salad, just omit the salt and pepper.
Blueberry Mango Salad (pareve)
4 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 3 to 4 mangos, peeled, seeded and sliced or cubed
- 1/3 cup frozen piña colada mix, thawed
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons rum
- Baby spinach
- Toasted pecans
Ingredients:
- In a large bowl, combine blueberries, mangos, piña colada mix and rum and mix to combine.
- Divide the spinach between 4 plates. Spoon the berry mango mixture over the spinach. Top with the toasted pecans and serve.
This recipe can be doubled or tripled.
Blueberry Cranberry Chicken Salad (meat)
6 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 cups cooked chicken cut into bite sized pieces
- ½ cup red onion, chopped
- 4 stalks celery, sliced thin
- 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- ½ cup minced green onion
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- 2/3 cup toasted almonds
Instructions:
- In a bowl combine the chicken pieces, red onion, celery and rice vinegar. Toss to coat and add the green onion, parsley, cranberries and blueberries. Gently mix to combine.
- In another bowl combine the mayonnaise and mustard and then spoon the dressing onto the chicken mixture. Mix to coat and then garnish with the toasted almonds.
This recipe can be doubled or tripled.
Modified from a BHG.com recipe.
Eileen Goltz is a freelance kosher food writer who was born and raised in the Chicago area. She graduated from Indiana University and the Cordon Bleu Cooking School in Paris. She lectures on various food-related topics across the U.S. and Canada and writes weekly columns for the Chicago Jewish News, kosher.com and the OU Shabbat Shalom Website. She is the author of the Perfectly Pareve Cookbook (Feldheim) and is a contributing writer for the Chicken Soup for the Soul Book Group, Chicago Sun Times, Detroit Free Press and Woman’s World Magazine. You can visit Eileen’s blog by clicking: Cuisine by Eileen.
The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.