blueberry Archives | butter loves company

blueberry and lemon cream tart

February 10, 2015 by Butter Loves Company

Easy as pie tart? Yup. This puppy is even easier than pie! You want to know why? You know that part in pie making when you have to roll out the chilled dough and then transport it to the pie dish and, if you’re like me, you want to then slice more dough for a lattice top or try cut-outs, or patterns, or ruffles, or fringe … this is beginning to sound like the E! Grammy’s Fashion Police wrap up! Well, with this tart, you don’t have to do ANY of that! Easy pease, my friends.

Once you prepare the dough, you can just push it right into the pan with your sticky little fingers. It is a tad more crumbly than a pie crust with a texture like that of shortbread. Once you line the pan, you partially bake the dough so it can stand up to all the juicy blueberries and tart, creamy filling you’ll top it with next. The blueberries stay whole and plump up in the oven so you can pop them with your teeth as you devour a slice. Then you’ll pour a lemony Greek yogurt sauce over the sweet blueberries and bake the entire tart until the sauce sets into what is similar to a loose custard. The combination of the buttery crust, sweet blueberries, and tart lemon cream is bright, fresh, and dreamy.

The tart holds well in the fridge for a few days and can be served cool or at room temperature. It can also be served for breakfast when you are snowed-in in Boston. I can attest to that.

blueberry and lemon cream tart
adapted from Gourmet Magazine, July 1990

prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: 60 minutes
total time: 1 hour 30 minutes (plus more for chilling dough)
Makes 1 12-Inch Tart in Pan with Removable Bottom

Ingredients:

For the crust:
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) very cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 large egg yolks, beaten with 4 tablespoons ice water
pie weights, dry beans, or raw rice for weighting the shell

For the filling:
3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups fresh blueberries (Take a look and remove extra stems or any bluebs that look dried out.)

Instructions:

Make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the chilled butter and pulse the mixture until it resembles coarse meal, about 10 pulses. Pour in the yolk and water mixture and pulse until the liquid is incorporated and the dough begins coming together. Turn the dough onto a clean surface and, using your hands, gather the dough into a ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Grab your tart pan (with removable fluted rim) and remove chilled dough from the refrigerator. Grab small chunks of the dough at a time and push into the tart pan with your fingertips. Continue pressing the dough into the pan until you have lined the bottom and sides with dough about 1/4 inch thick. Chill the crust for at least 30 minutes in the fridge, 15 minutes in the freezer, or cover and leave overnight. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the inside of the tart crust with foil, fill the foil with the pie weights, dry beans or rice, and bake the shell in the middle of the oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights carefully, bake the crust for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until it is pale golden, and let it cool in the pan on a rack. Keep the oven heated at 350°F while you prepare the filling.
Make the filling: In a blender, food processor, or large bowl with a vigorous hand, blend together the yogurt, cream, yolks, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, vanilla, salt, and flour until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.
Spread the fresh blueberries evenly over the bottom of the par-baked tart crust. Pour the yogurt and lemon mixture over them. Bake the tart in the middle of the oven at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the filling is just set.
Let the tart cool completely in the pan on a rack. Serve at room temperature or store the tart in the refrigerator and serve chilled. Tart keeps for 4 to 5 days (keep chilled).

blueberry buttermilk scones with cinnamon sugar butter

July 10, 2014 by Butter Loves Company

When spending your vacation at a house on the water, you’d better not forget to pack your bathing suit, sunscreen, aloe vera for when you inevitably get burned regardless of the sunscreen, boogie board, frisbee, Stephen King or Emily Griffin novel (pick your poison), kitchen tongs and measuring cups/spoons. You’re probably thinking those last two don’t scream ‘sand between the toes,’ but if you have access to a kitchen, these tools will make life much easier and breakfast much more delicious.

I learned from my mom that you should always travel with tongs.* The reason being, she told me, you never know what the kitchen supply situation will be. With this in mind, I decided that because of my baking obsession I should also always travel with measuring tools. You see, some vacation rentals are equipped for a chef, while others are equipped for a stack of take-out pizzas (no knock there, love me some take-out pizza). Luckily, even if you’re staying in the latter, you can make delicious homemade treats because, with just your hands, you can be quite the little bakeshop.

You’ll already be all sandy after the beach; why not also get a little flour on your hands while making some blueberry buttermilk scones with cinnamon sugar butter? The butter—oh the butter—may be my new little obsession. It is SO easy to make, and with just just three ingredients, you can have this addictive sweet spiced spread at your disposal in no time. I’m going to start making it by the pound.

Your cohorts will thank you when they’re slicing through the sweet, juicy blueberries in the light, buttery scone and smearing it with the cinnamon sugar butter. They may actually volunteer to make you a piña colada for your hard work. (Our little secret will be how easy the ‘work’ was, but go on, accept that island drink reward ;-))

* For clarification: this applies when you have a kitchen to work with. I did not, for example, bring tongs to Las Vegas for a girl’s weekend. That would be strange. Probably not all that surprising, but definitely strange.

blueberry buttermilk scones with cinnamon sugar butter
Adapted from M.S. Milliken & S. Feniger, 2007

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 16–18 minutes
Total Time: 30–35 minutes
Makes 8 large or 16 medium-sized scones

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 egg lightly whipped with 1 tablespoon water (for brushing)
A dash more granulated sugar for sprinkling
Cinnamon sugar butter (recipe follows)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and ground cinnamon in a large bowl. Add butter and mix with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until it reaches a coarse meal and the butter is in pea-sized pieces or just smaller. Add buttermilk and mix until almost combined. Mix in blueberries until everything is just combined.
Transfer dough to a floured board (divide into two parts if you’d like smaller scones). Roll into 1-inch thick rounds for larger scones or into 3/4-inch thick rounds if you divided the dough and are making smaller scones. Cut each round into 8 wedges and place slightly separated onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg mixture, sprinkle each lightly with sugar and bake for 16–18 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve warm, split in half with a smear cinnamon sugar butter.

cinnamon sugar butter

makes 1/4 cup

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened at room temperature (I use salted, but if you use unsalted, add a dash of salt)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:

In a small bowl, stir together butter, light brown sugar and ground cinnamon until completely combined and fluffy. Chill and serve.

blueberry and cheese danish braid

March 13, 2014 by Butter Loves Company

A sophisticated braid of flaky, buttery, lightly sweet dough filled with juicy blueberries and creamy cheese filling, speckled with vanilla beans and a little lemon zest.

I distinctly remember eating a certain almond Danish when I was studying in Italy (a certain one, but certainly not just once). The top was sprinkled generously with sweet, white dots of sugar along with slivered almonds.

If you’ve been to Europe, or to a European bakery, you may’ve noticed the pastries frequently have thick white sugar dotting their tops, a Scandinavian tradition, or so I conclude from my research. Each time I ate Danish in Europe, I noticed those sugar pearls and wondered if bakeries in the U.S. used this as well. I’m sure some had, and presumably more now, but I liked to believe that this sugar was somehow magical and only existed in the sweet back rooms of European bakeries. Isn’t it funny how you notice the tiniest nuisances of another culture when traveling? Often, things go overlooked in your own home; until you return with fresh eyes (like how large a jar of peanut butter or a jug of milk looks in the U.S. versus those you may find in Florence, Italy).

Unbelievably, it took me almost five years to buy this sugar when I got back to the U.S., after I discovered it wasn’t so mystical after all. The reason being, I had never considered making the Danishes, croissants, or other yeast-dough pastries they adorn, at home. I was intimidated and thought it’d be too time consuming or too frustrating or something only those who have attended pastry school could tackle.

I was so wrong—and I now kick myself for not having attempted sooner. Oh, the breakfasts I could have had in college!

You too can make Danish at home. Specifically—if you follow this recipe, which I selfishly think you’ll love—you can make a Blueberry and Cheese Danish Braid. It’s not hard, though does require a little preparation to give the yeast time to rise in the refrigerator after the dough is mixed.

So, decide when you want to eat the pastry and plan to make the dough the day or night before. You could also make the fillings ahead and keep refrigerated. Promise me you won’t be intimidated by the length of the recipe, I wrote it out to make it as easy as possible! You can try filling the Danish Braid with lots of flavor combinations if you aren’t fond of blueberries and creamy cheese (I believe the other word for that is crazy . . . kidding!). Please try it with whatever you like best: cherry, strawberry, raspberry, nutella, pastry cream, lemon curd, etc.

Whether or not you have pearl sugar on hand, the Danish experience will still be magical!

After dough is initially chilled overnight, you can begin shaping it to create the flaky layers that will be the danish.

after the roll and fold stage, you can already see the layers built into the danish!

roll out the dough after its second ‘chill’

cut out top outside corners and small triangles on bottom. This will serve to frame the filling.

cut slanting lines down each side. These will be crossed over the filling to create the braid.

fill the danish dough. Mine was a tad too runny, but turned out completely fine!

Brush with egg wash and drizzle with sugar and almonds, if desired.

magical sugar

enjoy with or without glaze!

*Apologies for the format of this recipe versus previous recipes. I felt it would be easier to read written out this way because there are multiple components.

Blueberry and Cheese Danish Braid
Adapted from Beatrice Ojakangas via Baking with Julia, Ina Garten

Makes 2 long braids; about 6-8 servings each. If you’d like to make just one braid, cut the dough in half after the roll and fold stage and freeze up to one month.

Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: At least 8 hours (including chilling time)

For the pastry:

¼ cup warm water (between 105-115 degrees F)
2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
½ cup milk, at room temperature (I used 2%, but any milk fat level will work.)
1 large eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 sticks (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter
1 egg white mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
¼ cup slivered almonds (optional)
1 tablespoon pearl sugar (optional)
3-4 teaspoons cold heavy cream, for glaze (optional)
½ cup confectioners sugar, for glaze (optional)

For the Blueberry Filling

2 cups fresh blueberries (other berries can be substituted here)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For the Cream Cheese Filling

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla bean paste, or extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (about 1 lemon)

Instructions:

Prepare the dough: Pour the water into a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over it, and let both soften for two minutes. Add the milk, egg, sugar, and salt and whisk together. Set aside. Put the flour in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Cut the butter into ¼ – ½ inch thick slices and drop them onto the flour. Pulse 8 to 10 times, until the butter is cut into pieces that are about ½ inch in diameter, but not any smaller than that. If in doubt, stop when the pieces are larger. It’s better that way, than to over mix. Empty the butter flour mixture into the bowl with the yeast and, using a rubber spatula, gentle turn the mixture over, just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Be cautious not to over mix. You’ll want to see pieces of butter throughout the dough – this will ensure it is flaky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (up to 4 days).

Roll the dough: After the dough has chilled overnight, lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough onto it. Dust the top of the dough with flour. Roll the dough into a square about 16 inches on each side (the dough might be sticky, so keep the flour close and cover the rolling pin as needed. You can also cover the dough and chill it again if it becomes too soft to roll). Fold the dough into the middle in thirds, like a business letter that you’re going to put in an envelope. Turn it so that the closed fold is to your left. Roll the dough out again, this time into a long narrow rectangle, about 10 inches wide by 24 inches long. Fold the rectangle in thirds again, turn it so the closed fold is to your left, and roll into a 20 inch square. Fold the square in thirds, like a business letter, so that you have a rectangle. Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 10 inches wide by 24 inches long. Fold the dough in thirds again, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes (up to 2 days. If not using after 2 days, the dough can be frozen at this point for 1 month, thawing overnight in a refrigerator before use.)

Prepare the Blueberry filling: Stir the berries and sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat until sugar has dissolved, stirring frequently. Add lemon juice and cornstarch and cook 1-2 more minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until fully cooled.

Prepare the Cream Cheese Filling: Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth. With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Keep away from anyone who likes cream cheese or you might find some missing.

Shape the dough: After the dough has chilled from rolling and folding, lightly flour a work surface and roll the chilled dough into a rectangle 10 inches wide and 16 inches long (eyeball it). Lift onto a sheet of parchment paper and position the dough so the lengthy side is perpendicular to you. Cut the two top corners off the dough at an angle slanting downward and cut two small triangles out of the bottom of the dough. This will frame the space in the middle third of the dough for the filling, see image above. Using a sharp knife cut 10-12 slanting lines down each side, angling the cuts downward, not crossing over the space you framed for the filling, see image above.

Fill and Braid the dough: Spread some of the blueberry filling down the length of the dough (there will be juice leftover. Use the chunky portion. Spoon the cream cheese filling in a narrow line down the center of the blueberry filling. Fold the strips of the pastry into the center over the filling, alternating folding from the left side and the right side until you’ve reached the bottom. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and sprinkle with almonds and pearl sugar, if using. Allow the Danish to sit at room temperature while you preheat the oven.

Baking the Braid: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slide the braid, parchment and all, onto a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden, rotating once or twice during baking. Transfer the pastry to a cooling rack and prepare the glaze, if using. To prepare the glaze, stir the cream into the confectioners sugar in a small bowl, adding just enough until it produces a smooth, shiny glaze. Using a spoon or fork, drizzle the glaze over the pastry. Serve the pastry warm, or at room temperature.