Memorial Day Dishes

It's Memorial Day - a day to remember those who've served our country and sacrificed their lives for it ... for us.

Many people will be marching in parades or planting flags or somehow commemorating the occasion, and they'll get hungry. So here are some recipes for you, or for those who are relishing the day off - and their freedom - at barbecues or picnics.

These dishes, from the sweet to the savory, will do honor to your festivities, whatever they may be.

Red, White, and Blueberry Sangria

Strawberry Shortcake

Chocolate-Covered Strawberries

Berries with Sweetened Sour Cream

Blueberry Pancakes

Blueberry Bread Pudding

Grilled Chicken with Spiced Blueberry BBQ Sauce

Blueberry Streusel Cake

Pomegranate-Marinated Chicken with Honey-Grilled Pineapple

Bacon Cheese Mix-In Burgers

National Blueberry Pancake Day

There are holidays for virtually every kind of food, from frogs' legs to chocolate ice cream. But few are as fabulous as National Blueberry Pancake Day!

I've doubled the blueberries for today's festivities because ... well ... just because! The wholesome pancakes, with some whole grains added, feature these gorgeous fruits; and they're doused with a sweet sauce to further showcase the beautiful berries.

Happy holiday! Enjoy!!!

Be sure to watch the world's most prestigious culinary competition, the Bocuse d'Or, tomorrow and Wednesday as the United States takes on the Scandinavians (who swept the top three spots last time, in 2011), the French (who host the event and are peeved that they've not won for awhile), and other countries vying for the gold! Click here for more information and to watch online.


Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup

Syrup:

• 2 cups frozen wild blueberries
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water

Place blueberries, sugar, water, and maple syrup into a small saucepan; bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Stir together cornstarch and water; stir into sauce, cook 1 minute, then remove from heat. Let rest while making pancakes.

Pancakes:

• 1/2 cup quick-cook oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
• pinch of kosher salt
• pinch of cinnamon
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup frozen wild blueberries

Combine oats, flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl. Beat together buttermilk and egg; stir into dry ingredients. Gently fold in blueberries.

Brush a skillet with butter and set it over medium heat. Drop batter by 1/4-cupfuls and cook 3 minutes or so per side until golden brown and set when nudged a bit with a spatula.

Makes 6 hearty pancakes and a generous amount of syrup to pour over them.

Blueberry Oatmeal Bread

Sunday morning, as regular readers know, is often a time for baking. It's peaceful, it's quiet, and I don't usually have any place I need to be at any particular time.

And so, I bake.

And after the excesses of the holidays - which begin here at Hallowe'en, move on to Thanksgiving, my birthday, Chanukkah, Christmas, New Year's, bowl games, and then end with Jeremy's birthday - I've been feeling the need for salad and a juice fast. Not that I've gone to such an extreme! But I'm definitely trying to eat better.

Rather than suffering utter deprivation, it's possible to eat more nutritiously without completely sacrificing treats. So I made this lovely, sweet blueberry bread with whole grains and also made it dairy-free.

For Christmas, a very dear friend gave me a gift certificate to Spice Merchants, a fabulous store with every variety of spice you can imagine - hot, mild, sweet, savory, and then some! Well, I ooh-ed and ahh-ed and pondered and debated, and selected Mexican and Moroccan spice mixes, some truffle salt, and some lovely wild blueberry sugar on my initial spending spree. (I still have half the certificate left, for more shopping and cooking entertainment!) The fragrant sugar made a very pretty, and delicious, sprinkling for the top of the bread, just to give it an extra nice touch.

This isn't a supermodel to look at, simple bread that it is. But it is exceptionally tender, sweet, and delicious.

Blueberry Oatmeal Bread

• 1 cup quick-cook oats
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1-1/3 cups + 3 tablespoons So Delicious dairy-free creamer, vanilla flavor
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons light olive oil
• 1 egg
• juice of 1 clementine
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• blueberry sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8"x4" glass baking pan.

In a large bowl, stir together oats, flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a large measuring cup, whisk together 1-1/3 cups creamer, vinegar, oil, egg, and clementine juice; pour into dry ingredients and mix lightly. Stir in blueberries just until batter is combined.

Spread batter into prepared pan, and bake 45 minutes until a tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Place bread onto a serving platter, and tuck small pieces of foil under the edges of the cake to catch drips from the glaze.

Whisk together confectioners' sugar and the remaining 3 tablespoons creamer. Drizzle over bread, then let rest 5 minutes. Sprinkle with blueberry sugar, if desired.

Makes 12 slices.

"Tribute to Michigan" Cherry Blueberry Pie

Pie is one of the great foods in the universe, and it's overtaking cupcakes and macarons as the sweet food of the moment. (Sliders of all varieties and banh mi seem to have jointly claimed the savory category.)

Whereas culinary trends usually start at the east and west coasts and then find their way to the center, in this instance it's going in reverse. Pie - comfort food classic that it is - is working its magic upon those who disparage the middle of the country as a hotbed of hotdishes. The cool kids are all jumping on the bandwagon, but they're actually behind the times. Pie has never lost its popularity here in the Midwest, but those on the farthest edges now seem to have been won over by its charm.  That's okay - the pie clique welcomes everyone.

This pie is a tribute to Michigan, featuring two of my state's finest fruits. It's sweet, it's tart, it's bright, it's intense, it's fabulous. Pie can't solve all of life's problems, but it can certainly provide a great deal of joy!

Cherry Blueberry Pie

Crust (slightly adapted from a recipe on Epicurious.com):
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup shortening, softened, cut into 1/2" pieces
5 tablespoons (or more) ice water

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and shortening, mixing with a fork until the mixture resembles meal. Add 5 tablespoons ice water, mixing until the dough starts to adhere and form a ball, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough together; divide into 2 pieces, one a bit larger than the other. Form each piece into ball; flatten into disks and wrap in plastic. Chill for 30 minutes.

Filling:
3 cups pitted tart cherries
2 cups blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted

In a large bowl, combine all filling ingredients; mix well.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Roll out the larger piece of dough on a floured countertop to about 14" in diameter; gently fold in half and then in half again to help in transporting the crust, place it into a 9" glass pie pan, then unfold. Pour the filling into the crust.

Roll out the remaining piece of dough to about a 12" diameter. Cut into 3/4" strips, and weave into a lattice top over the filling.

(Lay down 5 strips, then fold back two; lay a perpendicular strip, then fold all of the vertical strips back down. Fold back the alternate three strips; lay down a perpendicular strip, then fold all of the vertical strips back down again. Repeat until you have 4 perpendicular strips lying across the original five, all woven together.)

Trim excess dough, then use a fork to press crusts together around the edge of the pie.

Pie:
2 tablespoons half-and-half
1 tablespoon caster sugar

Brush half-and-half over the top of the pie, then sprinkle with sugar.

Place pie onto a larger baking sheet to catch drips, then bake for 55-60 minutes until top is golden and filling is bubbly.

Remove to a rack and let cool. Serves 8-12, depending upon generosity of slices.

Blueberry Bread Pudding

I got together with friends from Temple Beth Emeth's Sisterhood recently. I love spending time with this great group of women with whom I always have a good time!

The event was a potluck, and there was so much fabulous food!  Croissants, a cinnamon sugar-topped coffee cake, walnut spiral pastries, assorted fruits, a mushroom-cheese frittata casserole, a quinoa and vegetable salad, green salad, pasta salad, watermelon gazpacho, spinach lasagna, cucumber sour cream salad, lemon-glazed cake, and a 4-berry pie ... sigh ... :)

We'd been asked to contribute either breakfast or lunch dishes ... well, we all know where this is going, don't we? What to bring? Which meal? Sweet? Savory? Brain hurts ... ack!

But it turned out that the breakfast options were going to be a bit sparse, so I jumped onto that bandwagon. Whew! I'm always so much better when given direction, rather than being left to my own indecisive devices. (And, of course, there was plenty of food for each meal.  I've joked with friends before that Jewish women never feel there's enough, no matter how full the table is, so there's always way too much ... and everyone always enjoys the bounty!)

So, then I thought about some sort of easily transported casserole. Something that wouldn't be messy, something that was easy to serve, something that just needed to be baked and brought ... bread pudding, one of my very favorite dishes. And since it's blueberry season, what a perfect addition!

And so, croissants were transformed into a creamy, cinnamon-scented treat, with some gorgeous fresh fruit added in, too. Gotta love bread pudding!  And I'm very happy to say that the entire pudding was eaten, not even one serving left ....

Blueberry Bread Pudding

6 cups of cubed day-old croissants (1" cubes)
3/4 cup blueberries
3 large eggs
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1/8 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 10" round baking dish.

Place the cubed croissants and the blueberries into the baking dish. Whisk together the eggs, confectioners' sugar, sugar, vanilla, and half-and-half; pour over the croissants, and let soak for 10 minutes, pressing down on the bread a bit to help it soak up the custard.  Sprinkle the top with the cinnamon and the brown sugar.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until pudding is puffed (it will sink as it cools) and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Makes 12 servings, and is ideal with either ice cream or whipped cream.

Grilled Chicken with Spiced Blueberry BBQ Sauce

Chicken is particularly well-suited to serve with fruit, so it only seemed natural that my Berry Fest should feature some poultry complemented by a sweet sauce.  But not too sweet - it should have some zest.

So I took my basic homemade barbecue sauce, which is universally loved and has a fabulous flavor, and cooked some blueberries in it to enhance it.  Brushed onto chicken as it grilled, to set the sauce and caramelize it a bit, this entree was an ideal summer food!

This grilled chicken was fork-tender, sweet, spicy ... perfection!

Blackberry-Fig Marinated Grilled Chicken with Spiced Blueberry BBQ Sauce

Chicken:
5 pounds Pine Manor Farms free-to-roam Amish chicken thighs with skin
1 cup Bella's organic blackberry & fig balsamic dressing

Place chicken into 2 gallon-size freezer baggies; pour 1/2 cup marinade into each baggie.  Seal tightly, turn to coat chicken, and refrigerate overnight.

BBQ Sauce:
2/3 cup organic blueberries
1/4 cup water
1 12-ounce bottle chili sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Whole Foods 365 brand organic honey mustard
splash of cayenne pepper sauce

Bring blueberries and water to a boil over medium heat in a medium saucepan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently and mashing the berries.  Add remaining ingredients and bring just to a boil; simmer 5 minutes, then remove from heat.

Preheat grill to medium-high.  Remove chicken from marinade and drain, then place onto grill.  Cook for 8 minutes per side.  Baste with sauce, cook 5 more minutes.  Turn chicken over, baste with sauce, cook 5 more minutes or until firm.

Serves 8-10.

(Note: Whole Foods Market very graciously provided me with a gift card to help purchase supplies.)

"Chopped" Challenge - Piccadillo

It's Day 4 of my "Chopped" challenge, in which I had asked readers to suggest ingredients that I would then have to use in creating dishes.  Today's dare came from Sarah, giving me a grand Michigan-inspired challenge:

"Oh this is so much fun! My husband and I joke that so often our kitchen resembles a 'Chopped' kitchen since I will go to the pantry and come up with something, even when it seems like there is nothing in the house that could even resemble ingredients for a full meal. I have ... come up with the following challenge - for the dinner round - orange Faygo pop, ground turkey and barley. I can't wait to see all of the scrumptious dishes that you come up with!! Time starts now . . ."

Well, I wasn't just told to use plain ol' orange soda; I was specifically given Faygo as one of the secret ingredients in my basket.  Faygo is a Michigan classic, the company having been founded in Monroe in 1907.  So immediately my thoughts turned to incorporating other foods from my state into whatever I was going to make.

I started thinking about Michigan's beautiful fruits, the tart cherries and blueberries that we are so noted for, which are grown primarily on the west side of the state.  Perhaps a barley pilaf that would feature a touch of sweetness and color?

As I considered possibilities for combining the required ingredients with the dried fruit that I was now determined to include, I had an epiphany one evening: picadillo.


Picadillo [peek-ah-DEE-yo], which translates to "make mincemeat of," is a dish that can be found throughout Latin America, with variations from one country to the next.  According to Wikipedia: "Cuban versions include peppers, onions, garlic, oregano, cumin, tomato sauce, stock, olives and on occasion raisins, potatoes, and capers, and is usually sauteed in olive oil and white wine, depending on the region."

According to Epicurious, "Picadillo is ... made with ground meat, tomatoes, and regional ingredients."  Well, how much more regional can it get than to use the Faygo orange soda instead of stock, as well as substituting blueberries and tart cherries for the traditional raisins?


I cooked with some Michigan wine - Leelanau Cellars' semi-sweet Winter White - and served the picadillo over the required barley rather than over rice.  Each bite brings a little sweet, a little salty, a hint of spice, a unique melange.  It's a fabulously flavorful dish with a Great Lakes State flair!


Picadillo


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 19.2-ounce package ground turkey
juice of half lemon
1/2 cup Faygo orange soda
1/4 cup + 1 cup semi-sweet white wine
1/4 cup dried blueberries
1/4 cup dried tart cherries, chopped
1/4 cup green olives with pimiento, chopped
3 cups water
2 cups quick-cook barley

Make the picadillo: Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.  Add the onion, garlic, red peppers, tomatoes, oregano, cumin, salt, and red pepper flakes; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to soften the onion.

Add the turkey and the lemon juice; cook for 10 minutes until the turkey is no longer pink, stirring to break up the meat.

Add the soda, 1/4 cup of the wine, the blueberries, cherries and olives; bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Make the barley: Bring 1 cup wine plus the water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add the barley, turn heat to "low," cover the saucepan, and cook for 10 minutes.  Turn off heat and let barley rest for 10 minutes until the liquid had been fully absorbed.

To serve: Place barley onto a serving platter and top with the picadillo.

Serves 4-6.

Blueberry Streusel Cake for an Artists' Reception

Everyone is invited to join me this Sunday, August 14 at 4 p.m. for an artists' reception at the 55+ Gallery in the Turner Senior Resource Center. My boyfriend - Thomas Boulan, a docent at the Riverside Arts Center who creates fascinating digital collages - is featured in the newest two-man show running until October 28, which we're very excited about!

During the reception, Tom and John Copley - the other featured exhibitor, a noted painter who works in oils - will have an opportunity to discuss their careers and their creative interests. It's a fabulous chance to schmooze with the artists.

The gallery "exhibits two-dimensional art created by gifted artists aged fifty-five and older." Tom won't actually reach that key birthday until October 1, but the lovely folks at Turner let him join the party a little bit early. Guests of any age are welcome at Sunday's reception, or to visit the gallery anytime between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. (Picture = "Spring Equinox" by Thomas Boulan)

While the Center graciously offers refreshments at the reception, the artists are welcome to contribute to the buffet as well. And you know I don't miss an opportunity to cook or bake or feed people!

So Tom and I debated what to serve, considering ease of eating while perusing the artwork, whether an item needed to be kept warm or chilled, etc. We ultimately decided upon hors d'oeuvres reminiscent of Greek salad, featuring skewered cucumber slices topped with herbed cheese, cherry tomatoes and Kalamata olives.

Of course, something sweet was also mandatory. And with so many gorgeous fruits available, it was easy to decide upon this lusciously moist, brightly-flavored blueberry cake - it is absolutely the essence of summer! It's quick to prepare, can actually feature any berry that suits your fancy, and receives enthusiastic raves every time I serve it.

So please stop by the reception on Sunday to meet Tom and John, and enjoy a piece of cake while you chat and immerse yourself in beautiful artworks on a summer afternoon. We'd love to see you there!

Gallery 55+
Turner Senior Resource Center
2401 Plymouth Road, Suite C
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
734-998-9353


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Blueberry Streusel Cake
(modified slightly from a recipe on Epicurious.com)

Cake:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup blueberries

Streusel:
1/4 cup flour
1/8 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup instant oatmeal, plain
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/8 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8"x8" baking dish.

Make the cake: In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, sour cream, egg, sugar and lemon zest. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour. Carefully stir in blueberries and spread batter into the baking dish.

Make the streusel: In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, oatmeal, cinnamon and walnuts. With a fork, mix in butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle streusel over the top of the cake.

Bake the cake for 40 minutes until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool before cutting.

Serves 8-12, depending upon how generous the portions are.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Blueberry muffins are a universal favorite! Who wouldn't want to celebrate them today, on National Blueberry Muffin Day?

Not only do these muffins showcase one of Michigan's finest fruits, but they're sweet and delicious and perfect at any time of day. Breakfast? A great way to start the morning! Lunch? They can certainly make a fabulous dessert. Tea time? Evening or midnight snack? Absolutely ideal!

This recipe makes a very tender muffin, loaded with gorgeous blueberries. And the cinnamon streusel makes a lovely, fragrant topping so that the muffins aren't quite so plain.

Just as National Strawberry Shortcake Day didn't need my promotional assistance, National Blueberry Muffin Day can hold its own, too, I think. So I'll stop blathering now, and just let you enjoy your muffin in peace ....

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Muffins:
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
1-1/2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup blueberries

Streusel:
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup quick-cook oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Make the muffins: In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar; stir in egg. Mix in the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the cream, then gently mix in the blueberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.

Make the streusel: Combine the flour, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon. Stir in the butter. Divide the mixture among the muffins by placing a blob of it on top of each.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the muffins are golden and a tester comes out clean. Let the muffins cool, as they're a bit fragile and need to set before being removed from the tin.

Makes 12 muffins.

Red, White and Blueberry Sangria

I hadn't made sangria for ages and ages, until one evening it just seemed like the perfect thing to drink while sitting on the front porch on a beautiful evening. Champagne is for weddings, beer is for football games, and sangria is for sunny summer days!

And this variation - a festive holiday concoction featuring red wine, white sparkling lemonade, and blueberry syrup - is ideal for today's 4th of July celebrations.

Sangria is easy to make, is a gorgeous deep vibrant shade of red as the sun shines upon it, and is sweet and refreshing. Pair it with burgers, chicken, ribs, corn, potato salad - all the traditional foods 'n' fixin's - and you've got a party!

I've given instructions for making the blueberry syrup; but there's not really a recipe for the sangria, merely a simple "how to" for making this fabulous drink by the glass. And it's one of those things where you can modify the proportions to suit your own tastes, or even make a non-alcoholic version using cranberry juice (or one of the multitude of variations on that basic version). Feel free to multiply everything and place it into a pitcher for serving many.

Enjoy the parades, proudly wear your patriotic colors, offer thanks to those who've sacrificed for our freedoms, and toast the holiday with this celebratory sangria.


Red, White and Blueberry Sangria

Blueberry Syrup:
4 cups blueberries
4 cups water
1 cup sugar

Bring everything to a boil in a medium saucepan, then lower heat to medium; boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then mash the blueberries. Strain out the solids and reserve the syrup.

Into each large wine glass, place:

1/4 cup blueberry syrup
2/3 cup red wine
2/3 cup sparkling lemonade
4 ice cubes
1/2 lemon slice x 2
1/2 orange slice x 2