But Let's Come Back to the Blueberries

They're still here.

The blueberries. Like little shadows in my refrigerator.

I have baked them in muffins. I have tossed them on top of oatmeal. I have eaten them straight from the container by the handful, but my fridge is still full of them.


Which is why we had blueberry cobbler for dessert.

Cobbler must be one of those dishes whose origin hearkens back to the Revolution. It seems stoutly American and old-fashioned somehow, like July 4th parades, or pantyhose. Only delicious. Apparently, cobbler is also called "grunt," or "buckle" in some parts of the country. I can't see how such a sunny dessert got saddled with such grouchy-sounding names.

As a native Texan, cobbler is one of my favorite desserts. I make it with rolled oats and slivered almonds, which is practically healthy. Try it, you'll see.


Blueberry Cobbler

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
3 tablespoons chilled butter
1/4 cup sugar, divided into 1/8 cups
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups fresh blueberries
4 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9-inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, toss the blueberries with a 1/8 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract until coated.

Mix the flour, oats, almonds, 1/8 sugar, and baking powder in a separate bowl. Cut the butter in until you have a fine crumb. Whisk an egg in a separate cup, then mix it into the flour mixture just until the dough is moist. Do not overmix.

Pour the blueberries into the greased baking dish in an even layer. Pinch off bits of the dough and place over the blueberries. Do not attempt to smooth out the dough; it should be clumpy.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until the crust is golden. Serve hot with a drizzle of heavy cream.

Serves: 4

Blueberries for Sarah

I went a little overboard, I know it.

Florida blueberries are on sale right now at my local grocery store. I bought two pints on Tuesday. And then I bought 2 8-ounce containers today. And--egads--I now remember that I picked up another pint yesterday when I ducked into the grocery store on my way home from the dry cleaner's. It must be hiding behind the milk!

No problem, I can deal with this.


If all the health hype about the power of blueberries is true, I may live forever.

Cinnamon Blueberry Muffins
Adapted from this recipe at Epicurious

The original version of this recipe calls for a meager 1 1/2 cups of blueberries. That won't do. When one is overrun with ripe blueberries, one increases the amount to 2 cups (with excellent results).

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup milk (I used skim, with good results)
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 12-muffin tin and place muffin liners in each hole.

Whisk together the butter, brown sugar, milk, and egg in a bowl until combined well. In a large separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Do not overmix, or you will end up with dense muffins. Fold in the blueberries gently.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups in 1/2-cup amounts and bake until golden brown. The muffins are done when a fork inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Makes: 12

With apologies to Robert McCloskey for corrupting the title of his book, Blueberries for Sal, to fit my own name.