BLUEBERRIES!
It is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having as little misery, and as much happiness as possible. ~Samuel Johnson (1709 – 1784)
SHORTER IS BETTER
I’m taking a slightly different tack: shorter posts. I cannot sustain the scope of writing done so far, so I will not be combining as many tangents. Brief and to-the-point is my new mantra. If I’ve left anyone in the dust of my long-windedness it’s only because there is so much to say about food. The fact is, I am such a blogging novice that I didn’t know any better. I didn’t know that people tend to have short attention spans when on the www. So before I go off on that digression, let me get to today’s topic at hand.
BRING IN THE BLUE
Blueberries are out in force.  Large round orbs of blue juiciness, sweet with a subtle tinge of tartness. Mmmmmm. Nothing finer on a hot summer day, unless it’s blueberries on top of ice cream or frozen yogurt. Make sure that you buy organic to avoid the pesticides that otherwise lurk within. And turn those plastic containers upside down to see that they’re dry and haven’t begun to weep. I’ve found the larger berries to be the sweetest. Last year’s bumper crop could be had for a dollar a pop; this year I’ve found three pints for five dollars.
An elegant bar in Manhattan once served three blueberries in their house cosmopolitan. What a memorable delight. Blueberries round out any fruit salad; paired with apricots or cantaloupe makes a brilliant color combination. Teamed with strawberries and apple, or raspberries and lychee nut will give your table some red, white and blue for the upcoming holiday weekend. Blueberries can be added to pancake or muffin batter. Try it! I once iced an angel food cake with whipped cream and piled blueberries on top and around the base for a funky anniversary tribute.
It would be a cinch to make Blueberries Jubilee, if you wanted to dress them up a bit for company that needed impressing. But I’d use brandy or rum in place of Kirschwasser.
Buy blueberries now and stock the freezer for a boost of antioxidants and brain food all winter long. I love a bowl of frozen blueberries mixed in with plain, but not necessarily low-fat, yogurt. Somehow, the frozen berries mix well with the yogurt, coating them and forming a bit of a frozen outer shell. Delish.
SUMMER FROZEN RELIEF
Blueberry Frozen Yogurt is today’s preparation. I got an ice cream maker last Christmas and have enjoyed adding fresh fruit – any number of candidates – as a summer dessert. My favorite is blueberries, but strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, pitted cherries, peaches or mangoes work, too. Just peel and cut them up prior to adding Use full-fat yogurt to minimize the bite and bring out the creaminess of this frozen summer confection.
Homemade frozen yogurt is the perfect ending to a Fourth of July cookout. Begin the churning just a half hour before dessert time, and it will be ready when you are. Or make ahead and put into air-tight containers (or use the yogurt containers), freeze and bring in the cooler to a barbecue in the park.  Without chemicals, this home made dessert freezes very hard. I usually take it out of the freezer and let it sit for fifteen minutes before dishing. Suck on its creamy blueberiness during the fireworks display. That’s food independence.
