Singing the Blues

Luscious recipes for summer's fresh blueberries

(Photograph by Jim Scherer; styling by Catrine Kelty) Lush lemon curd and fresh berries make a delightful summer dessert.

Along the rocky coast of Maine, my friend Bill Huntington lives on a hill that is covered - and I do mean covered - with wild low-bush blueberries. Come July, when the berries are ready, I always go see him. We take his dogs on about 10 walks a day, mostly as an excuse to stroll up the hill, stuffing ourselves with blues. These tiny wonders amaze me - how can something the size of a BB pack such intense flavor? Once we've eaten plenty of the berries fresh, the baking begins. Muffins, cakes, tea breads, and pies parade out of the oven. All delicious. So is our gratin, and it's easier than any of them. Some of the berries even make it into ice cream, smoothies, and, in the Scandinavian summer tradition, a bracing chilled soup.

BLUEBERRY-LEMON BARS
MAKES 18 2-BY-3-INCH BARS

1 3/4 cups fl our
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
Salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at cool room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons finely grated zest and 3/4 cup juice from
4 to 5 lemons
5 eggs, plus 6 egg yolks, beaten lightly
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons apple jelly
1 1/2 pints (3 cups) fresh blueberries

Set the oven rack in the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut a piece of foil or parchment as wide as the pan and about 22 inches long and fit it into the pan (there should be overhang at both ends). Coat the foil or parchment with nonstick cooking spray and set pan aside.

In a food processor, blend the flour, confectioners' sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to mix well. Cut 10 tablespoons butter into small chunks, add to the food processor, and pulse repeatedly until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Pour into the prepared pan and pat gently into a tight, even layer (do not over-compress). Bake until crust is light golden brown, about 30 minutes, then remove from oven and decrease heat to 350 degrees.

While the crust bakes, place granulated sugar and zest into a medium saucepan and rub zest into sugar with a spoon until sugar is moistened and fragrant. Add the lemon juice, eggs and yolks, the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then place the pan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens to a gravy-like consistency and registers 155 to 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Off heat, stir in vanilla and cream, then pour the mixture through a mesh strainer set over a medium bowl, stirring to work mixture through. Discard any remaining solids and immediately scrape the lemon mixture onto the warm crust, spread it evenly, and bake until the very center of the filling barely jiggles when you gently shake the pan, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven.

While lemon bars bake, in a small saucepan set over medium heat, heat the jelly until warm and fluid, about 4 minutes. Off heat, add the berries and gently fold until coated and shiny. Spoon the berries evenly over the lemon layer, transfer the dish to a wire rack, and cool to room temperature. Use the ends of the foil or parchment to lift the bars out of the pan, place onto a cutting board, and cut into 2-by-3- inch pieces. Serve at once, or cover the bars loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.

QUICK BLUEBERRY GRATIN
SERVES 6

This recipe originated with an idea from Jacques Pepin, who uses crumbs made from stale croissants. In my house, no croissant has ever lingered long enough to get stale, hence the panko.

2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 pints (6 cups) blueberries
1/4 cup apple jelly
2 teaspoons finely grated zest and 1 tablespoon juice from
1 lemon
Salt
Whipped cream, sweetened creme fraiche, or vanilla ice cream, for serving

Set the oven rack in the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss the panko, almonds, butter, and brown sugar to mix evenly. In a wide, shallow, 1 1/2-quart gratin dish, gently fold together berries, jelly, lemon zest and juice, and a pinch of salt until berries are coated and shiny. Pour panko mixture over the berries, spread into an even layer, and gently pat down (do not overcompress). Bake until the panko layer is medium golden brown and crisp and the berries have softened and released some juice, about 18 minutes. Remove from oven, set on a wire rack to cool, and serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream, creme fraiche, or ice cream.

CHILLED BLUEBERRY-LEMON-GINGER SOUP
SERVES 6

1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated zest and 3 tablespoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 pints fresh blueberries (or 6 cups thawed frozen blueberries)
1 1/2 cups riesling wine
Salt
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Thick yogurt or creme fraiche, for serving

Off heat, add sugar, zest, and ginger to large saucepan and rub zest and ginger into sugar with a spoon until sugar is moistened and fragrant. Place a strainer over the saucepan and set aside.

In a small bowl, reserve 1 cup berries and refrigerate until ready to use. In a blender or food processor, puree the remaining berries with 1 cup water until smooth, then strain into the sugar mixture, stirring to work mixture through. Discard any remaining solids. Add the wine and a pinch of salt to the pan, place over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and the mixture simmers, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1/2 cup water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the blueberry mixture and cook, continuing to stir gently, until the mixture just reaches a boil and thickens to the consistency of whole milk, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, cool to room temperature, add the reserved blueberries and lemon juice, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours.

Stir soup to blend, taste and adjust the seasoning with additional lemon juice, if necessary, ladle into chilled bowls, garnish with a dollop of yogurt or creme fraiche, and serve at once.

Send comments or suggestions to Adam Ried at cooking@globe.com.