Braille Monitor July 2008

Recipes

This month�s recipes come from Ohio, where July is blueberry season.

Blueberry Buckle

by Barbara Pierce

In addition to editing the Braille Monitor, I have been president of the NFB of Ohio since 1984. My family began picking blueberries at a farm near our home when our children were small, and we have done so every summer since. Inevitably I have gathered many blueberry recipes through the years. We have always loved blueberry buckle though I never could understand why this blueberry coffee cake with a crunchy topping was a buckle. Then several years ago Monika Wilkinson, the proofreader for the Monitor, passed along the Cooks Magazine recipe for blueberry buckle. This publication undertakes to research recipes and come up with the best one. Reading the article on blueberry buckle, I discovered that true blueberry buckle has enough berries in it to make the cake buckle. This recipe begins with a batter that is almost cookie dough and then mixes in so many blueberries that the baked buckle sags in the center. If you are looking for a superb delivery system for antioxidants, or even if you just want to taste the best blueberry buckle you ever ate, I commend the following recipe to you:

Ingredients:
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups flour
4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Streusel Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch salt
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Method: Cream ten tablespoons of butter and sugar till very light. Add eggs, vanilla, and dry ingredients. Fold in berries. Pour into greased and floured 9-inch round pan and sprinkle on streusel. Make streusel by mixing the dry ingredients with a flat beater for about forty-five seconds. Pour in melted butter. It will look like wet sand. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for about fifty-five minutes. Cool on rack. This is delicious at room temperature or still warm from the oven.

Double Blueberry Pie

by Sylvia Cooley

Sylvia Cooley has served as assistant to the Monitor editor, photographer, and publication designer for the Ohio affiliate and a number of other affiliates since 1989. She too has picked blueberries in the local area, and she has just planted her own blueberry bushes. This is one of her favorite summer desserts.

Ingredients:
6 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 9-inch baked pastry shell
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, divided
Sugar substitute (Splenda) equivalent to 1/2 cup sugar

Method: In a small mixing bowl beat the cream cheese, milk, and lemon extract until smooth and spread across bottom of pastry shell. In a saucepan stir cornstarch, water, and lemon juice until smooth. Mash two cups blueberries and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for one to two minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and cool for fifteen minutes. Stir in sugar substitute. Spoon over cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining blueberries. Refrigerate for three hours or until set. Be sure to refrigerate leftovers. Serves eight.

Blueberry Brumble

by Debbie Baker

Debbie Baker is a member of the NFB of Ohio board of directors. She has taught blind students for thirty-one years and has been a recipient of the NFB�s Distinguished Educator of Blind Children Award.

Ingredients:
2 packets cinnamon grahams
1 stick butter or margarine
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 small container Cool Whip
1 can blueberry or cherry pie filling

Method: Crush cinnamon grahams and combine with butter or margarine to prepare the bottom crust. Press crumbs evenly across the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Beat cream cheese and confectioner's sugar until smooth. Then fold Cool Whip into cream cheese mixture until homogeneous. Carefully spread this over the cracker crumb crust, trying not to dislodge crumbs. Top with pie filling and refrigerate until chilled. The middle layer of this dessert is easier to spread if you have placed the crust in the freezer for at least five minutes to set while you prepare the filling.

Blueberry Drop Cookies

by Marilyn Donehey

Marilyn Donehey is a member of the NFB of Greater Summit County. Using the telephone, she teaches Korean students to speak English. With support of a pianist friend, she sings professionally at weddings and other events. She also chairs the board of trustees at her local agency serving blind members of the Greater Akron area.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 cup fresh blueberries

Method: In a large mixing bowl cream the shortening, sugar, egg, milk, almond extract, and lemon zest. Mix well after the addition of each ingredient. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; blend into the sugar mixture. Fold in the blueberries. Cover and chill for four hours. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets, about 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake twelve to fifteen minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Curried Fruit Sauce

Ingredients:
1 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon Splenda or sugar
1 cup fresh blueberries
2 nectarines, sliced
1 banana, sliced
1/4 cup toasted almonds

Method: In a saucepan combine juice, cornstarch, curry, and sugar. Bring to a simmer. Add blueberries and nectarines; stir until sauce is slightly thickened. Add banana and almonds, then immediately remove from heat. Serve warm or cold over angel food cake, ice cream, pancakes, or waffles.

Blueberry Waffles with Sauce

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks, beaten
1-2/3 cups milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup melted butter
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
2/3 cup blueberries
Sauce Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups blueberries
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Method: In a medium bowl whisk together egg yolks and milk. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Then stir in butter and set mixture aside for about thirty minutes. Preheat a lightly greased waffle iron. Fold stiff egg whites and 2/3 cup blueberries into the batter. Scoop batter into the prepared waffle iron using a measuring cup (the larger the cup, the larger the waffle) and cook until golden brown. To prepare the sauce, in a medium saucepan mix 1-1/2 cups blueberries, honey, and 1/4 cup orange juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Mix remaining orange juice and cornstarch in a small bowl, and stir into the blueberry mixture. Stir constantly until thickened. Serve warm over waffles

Brined Turkey
by Marilyn Donehey

Ingredients:
1 cup salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup instant dried onion
1-2 tablespoons dried minced garlic
2 tablespoons sweet basil leaves, optional
2 tablespoons sage leaves, optional
Frozen turkey, any size
Water to cover bird
Cheese cloth
Favorite stuffing

Method: Fill a large pan with water (large enough to immerse the turkey--I usually use my canner). Add salt, sugar, onion, garlic, and herbs if desired. Stir to dissolve sugar and salt. Place unwrapped frozen turkey in brine solution and allow to thaw in cool garage, cold basement, or refrigerator for two to three days and then a further twenty-four to thirty-six hours�a total of three days. Remove neck and giblets. (Boil these with vegetables and herbs. You can use both the chopped meat and the stock in dressing.) Rinse turkey and pat dry. Place on broiler pan or rack in large roasting pan. Place dressing in cheesecloth and fill neck and breast cavities with dressing, allowing cheese cloth ends to stick out. If you like, you can also place dressing under wings. Tuck wing tips behind shoulders. Sew or skewer cavities closed and tie legs together. Roast a small turkey (eight to fourteen pounds) at 375 degrees for one hour. Turn oven down to 200 degrees or lower and roast for twelve to fourteen hours or until done. (Wings and legs move easily when bird is done.) For larger turkeys (fifteen to twenty-five pounds) roast at 375 degrees for one and a half to two hours. Turn oven down to 200 or lower and roast for twenty-four hours or until done. Pull out cheese cloth pouch of dressing and transfer to serving dish. Reheat in microwave oven before serving if necessary. I usually cover the cooked bird and let it sit while I cook the rest of the meal. It comes out deliciously moist and flavorful with no basting. However, the skin will be dry and inedible.

100 Percent Whole Wheat Bread
by Marilyn Donehey

Ingredients:
6 cups lukewarm water
2 packages (2 tablespoons) active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
12 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar or honey
1/2 cup oil

Method: Place water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl. Let sit until yeast is bubbly. Add six cups of whole wheat flour and all other ingredients in bowl. Stir until well mixed. Let batter sit for fifteen minutes to break down wheat gluten. Add six to seven more cups of flour, stirring after each addition, until you have a soft dough. Knead for about ten minutes until dough is smooth and satiny. Place dough in large greased bowl and turn it once to grease the top. Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise in a warm place until double in bulk, forty-five to sixty minutes. Punch down to release air. Cover and allow to rest for a few minutes. Cut dough into four equal pieces and roll each into a rectangle with a rolling pin. Roll jellyroll-fashion into loaf, sealing ends, and place in greased loaf pans. Cover again and let rise in a warm place until double. Bake in moderate oven (about 375 degrees) for thirty to forty minutes. Let cool for about five minutes in pans. Remove to rack to finish cooling. Store in plastic bags. This bread freezes well.

One to two cups of sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, slivered almonds, etc., may be added during initial mixing. It is crucial to let the batter rest for fifteen minutes where indicated in method. Otherwise the bread will be dry and crumbly instead of moist.

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