birthday surprise i: tiramisu cake.

Last week, B. had a birthday. And so we celebrated. The actual birth-day included mid-morning kir royales at Parc, sipped at a sidewalk table, followed later by dinner at Stella. Pistachio and red onion pizza; black truffle and egg pizza; margherita pizza; broccolini and garlic pizza. All-around pizza goodness, capped off with ice cream at the Franklin Fountain.


Impossible to top, right? Wrong. Even more yumminess ensued the next day. Surprise yumminess!

We plotted a boozy birthday party complete with multiple kinds of cocktails and alcohol-infused desserts. C. and I baked, M. and T. went on a hunt for cheese so that we didn't all go into sugar shock, and M. tended bar despite her jet-lag. We schemed, we decorated, we waited eagerly for the surprise moment, and then we celebrated. The final menu:

DRINKS
Ginger lemonade
M.'s concoction, with fresh mint and honey - yum!
*
Gin & tonic
Made with Fever Tree tonic water; impressive.
*
Old-fashioned
Potent.
*

DESSERTS
Tiramisu cake
See below.
*
Peach and blackberry trifle
Joint desserting effort with C. - wonderful.
*
Bourbon pecan pie
C.'s. Oh. My.
*
Chocolate cherry brownies
Details soon.

C. made an official menu. It was beautiful. In fact, thanks to lovely friends, the whole evening was beautiful:

Before the party, though, there was baking. Much baking. Wish-I-had-two-ovens-or-at-least-more-counterspace-so-that-I'm-not-balancing-bowls-on-the-edge-of-the-sink baking.

I love to cook and bake for people - especially to bake. Being able to present someone with a pretty treat lets me say, "Hey, I care about you." It's not the only way to do so, of course, and yes, I realize that I'll have to seriously revise this strategy before I someday have children and inadvertently turn them into little butterballs of baked-good love, but it works for me.

First up? Tiramisu cake. Tiramisu was a no-brainer for this boozy bash, but we needed a cake for candles! Enter this recipe from smittenkitchen. The final product was delicious. Getting there was ... tricky. This is something of a fiddly recipe, and it wasn't helped by the significant heat/humidity going on that day. The frosting was particularly troublesome; I ended up whipping an extra 3/4 c. of heavy cream and folding it in so that I would have enough to cover the entire cake, and it was decidedly lumpy-looking. Still, though, the cake turned out well, and I would make this recipe again, perhaps with a bit more experimentation and a bit less summer ickiness.

Tiramisu Cake
from smittenkitchen

Cake layers:
2 c. cake flour (*hint: you can substitute for 1 c. of cake flour with 7/8 c. all-purpose flour and 1/8 c. cornstarch; easier than keeping cake flour around)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
10 tbsp. butter, at room temp.
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. buttermilk

Espresso extract:
2 tbsp. instant espresso powder
2 tbsp. boiling water

Espresso syrup:
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. sugar
1 tbsp. amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy (*I used rum)

Filling and frosting:
8 oz. mascarpone
1/2 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. amaretto, Kahlua, or brandy (*again, I used rum)
1 c. heavy cream
bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (*finely chopped, chips, or grated from a large bar, as I did)

Make the cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and lightly flour two 9" cake pans, then line bottoms with parchment paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

2. Combine dry ingredients (except sugar) in a bowl. In a stand mixer, beat butter on med. speed until soft and creamy. Add sugar and beat for another 3 mins. Add eggs one by one and then yolk, beating for 1 min. after each one. Beat in vanilla.

3. Reduce mixer speed to low and add dry ingredients, alternating with buttermilk - add dry ingredients in 3 parts and buttermilk in 2, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix only until all ingredients disappear into the batter.

4. Divide batter evenly between two pans and smooth down tops with spatula. Bake for 28-30 mins., rotating the pans halfway through. Cakes are done when golden and springy and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer cakes to a rack and cool for 5 mins., then run a knife around the sides, invert them, remove paper liners, turn them back onto rack and cool right-side up.

Make extract:
1. Combine boiling water with espresso powder in small bowl; stir and set aside.

Make syrup:
1. Stir water and sugar together in small saucepan until barely boiling; pour into heatproof bowl, stir in liquor of choice plus 1 tbsp. espresso extract, then set aside.

Make filling/frosting:
1. Whisk mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and liquor in med. bowl until combined. Set aside.

2. In stand mixer, whip heavy cream until it holds firm peaks. With rubber spatula, stir 1/4 whipped cream into mascarpone mixture; fold in the rest lightly.

Assemble cake:
1. Place one layer right-side-up on a cardboard round or cake stand (protected with strips of parchment paper slid under the edge of the cake so that you won't get frosting everywhere). Using pastry brush or small spoon, soak layer evenly with about 1/3 of espresso syrup. (*I found that the cake soaked up the syrup really, really quickly. Next time, I'm using a pastry brush instead of a spoon. Once I buy a pastry brush.) Smooth some of the mascarpone over the layer - about 1 1/4 c., or enough to cover. Sprinkle/grate your chocolate of choice on top.

2. Invert the second cake layer on a plate/counter and soak the bottom with half the remaining syrup, then turn it over and position it, syrup side down, over the filling. Soak the top with the rest of the syrup.

3. For the frosting, whisk 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp. remaining espresso extract into remaining mascarpone filling. (*This is where I ran into trouble: there wasn't nearly enough mascarpone mixture to cover the cake, so I whipped an additional 3/4 c. of cream with a dash of vanilla and a sprinkle of instant espresso tossed in so it wouldn't be too bland and folded it into the mascarpone mixture along with the espresso extract. It did increase the volume of the frosting and certainly tasted good, but the texture was a bit off.) Taste frosting as you go to decide how much espresso flavor you want. If the icing looks a bit too soft to spread, press plastic wrap on top and refrigerate for 15 mins.

4. With metal icing spatula, smooth frosting around sides of cake and over top. Decorate with chocolate-covered espresso beans or cocoa powder.

5. Refrigerate cake for at least 3 hours (or up to 1 day) before serving to let the flavors set.


A word about decorating the cake: Deb at smittenkitchen cut out a wax-paper star stencil and grated dark chocolate over top, which looked great. It inspired me to break out of my usual piping bag routine and try a (slightly more ambitious/compulsive) stencil of my own. I wrote my happy birthday message on a legal pad, using the lines to get the letters even, and then traced on either side of each stroke to create thicker letters. Then I glued each word to wax paper and cut them out for my makeshift stencils, then pressed them lightly onto the cake (wax-paper side down).


Then I microplaned dark chocolate on top:


And, after giving a light puff to the chocolate and thereby scattering it all over my counter and myself, carefully removed them. Cool trick!

gazpacho.

Today was another like so many this summer: hot toothpaste, cool shower, general sweaty unpleasantness. For comfort, I like to think about this:


[Wistful sigh.] For now, though, I'll just continue to enjoy all the great summer produce, like the tomatoes which made this possible.

Before today, I'd never actually made gazpacho. But I have a feeling that this will become one of my summer staples from now on. It has two main benefits: one, that it requires a good amount of chopping, which I find soothing; two, that it requires absolutely involvement from the stove or oven. Plus it's tasty! The vinegar gives it a nice bite, while the cucumbers and pepper add depth. There's nothing bland about this gazpacho.

I adapted it a bit from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything - added a bit of red onion, left the crusts on my bread, and, more significantly, cut way back on the water. Bittman calls for 5 cups of water; I ended up using 1 1/2 and loving the consistency of my soup. Hmm. The original amount seems like it would produce an incredibly watery soup, but perhaps it just depends on how hefty your tomatoes are once they've been cored and seeded. Or something like that. In any case, you might want to add the water a bit at a time and adjust to your consistency preferences. I also missed the step that told me to peel the tomatoes - oops. But I didn't mind the peels and, while getting rid of them might have meant a slightly more uniform smoothness, even liked the slight texture they gave the soup. I'll probably leave them on in the future, too. You could use any combination of tomatoes; since I made this on a non-farmers'-market day, I just combined a few different kinds (plum, on the vine, a big wonderfully lumpy one) from Sue's, along with some cute yellow grape tomatoes.


Beware that making this could get a bit messy. The directions say to process everything (including the 5 c. water!) all together. I have a 7-cup food processor and could barely manage in two batches; there was a noticeable puddle of pink gazpacho-juice by the time I was through. Because of this, I combined all of the chopped veggies in a large mixing bowl, then added the vinegar and the salt and pepper before processing it in two batches, adding half the water and oil to each. Therefore, the directions below are adjusted accordingly, though if you have a mammoth food processor/blender, congratulations, and feel free to toss in everything in one go.


Basic Gazpacho
adapted from Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything

approx. 3 lb. ripe tomatoes, cored, [peeled,] seeded, and roughly chopped [*optional]
1 red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped
2 Kirby cucumbers, peeled and roughly chopped
approx. 1/8 red onion, chopped (about 1 - 2 tbsp.)
4 slices stale white bread (about 4 oz.), crusts removed (*I used my favorite sourdough from Metropolitan Bakery and, because I almost never plan enough in advance to have stale bread lying about, simply toasted the slices and let them sit for 15 mins. or so. Leaving the crusts on added nice taste and texture. Dipping slices of the bread in the soup is delicious, also.)
1 c. plus 1 1/2 - 6 c. cold water
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 c. good wine vinegar (*I used red.)
1/2 c. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine the chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, pepper, onion, and garlic in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with vinegar.

2. Soak the bread in 1 c. water for 5 mins.; squeeze out excess water and set aside.

3. Place half the bread in the food processor and process until finely chopped; add half the veggie mixture and 3/4 c. water. Process until smooth; add more water if needed. Then with the motor running, slowly add 1/4 c. olive oil. Pour into separate bowl; repeat with the rest of the veggies, another 3/4 c. water, and another 1/4 c. oil.

4. Refrigerate until ready to serve; the flavor will improve over a few hours. Serve with the same bread you used in the soup, if desired.

pancake for one.

The other night, in between various travels and utterly empty-pantried, I remembered this recipe from Joy the Baker. Breakfast for dinner? Yes, please!

She calls it the "Single Lady Pancake." It's easy to whip up and feels satisfyingly decadent. And yes, it might prompt you to bop around the kitchen singing Beyonce while making it.

I made a few changes to this - upped the oats (yum) and scaled back on the sugar (brown instead of white). Still, this is a whole lotta pancake. The picture below is a full-sized dinner plate:


Indeed. And while I've never - ever - been accused of having a meager appetite, I think that scaling back just a bit might help to avoid a post-dinner nap. Next time, I'll trade out the banana for blueberries, hold the chocolate chips, and use whole wheat flour. I'm already looking forward to it.



Pancake for One
adapted from Joy the Baker

1/3 c. all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. dried oats (quick-cooking or regular)
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. buttermilk
dash of vanilla extract
small handful semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 banana, sliced thinly
chopped walnuts (or pecans, or sliced almonds...)

1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt. In another, combine oil, buttermilk, and vanilla.

2. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips and half the banana slices (or whatever fun add-ins you decide on).

3. Heat a small frying pan. Pour in the pancake batter; even out with the back of a spoon. Cook over medium heat until bubbles form and pop on the surface. Flip. Cook until golden brown.


4. Top with the rest of the banana slices, hum the chorus to "Single Ladies," and enjoy.

experiment: apricots.

This evening, I wanted pie.

I really wanted pie. But besides the fact that I am entirely, uncharacteristically out of butter [gasp!], the thought of making pie crust in this sticky weather was far from appealing. So I improvised a bit.


Yesterday morning, I happily swam - er, walked to the farmers' market in a welcome downpour. All the colors of the flowers and produce popped so beautifully in the wet greyness; I was particularly drawn to the fresh apricots, and am I ever glad that I took them home with me. I'd been thinking about the drool-worthy apricot tart that C. made recently. Why not try to recreate it, minus the tart part?


Yum. These simple baked apricots tasted like candy! They're not fancy, but they were just what I wanted. Always looking for an excuse to break out the cute creme brulee dishes, I experimented by slicing one apricot into quarters and another into eighths and put one sliced apricot in each dish. (You could use any ovensafe dish - small, large, whatever.) I liked the eighths a bit better because the smaller slices meant more slightly-caramelized edges, but both worked. I added a bit of almond extract because I love the apricot/almond combination; vanilla would be great, too. And while I used granulated sugar, just a bit of brown sugar might also be delicious.


Yes, obviously, I ate both dishes. All in the name of research, of course!


Baked Apricots

2 apricots
1/2 tsp. sugar
pinch salt
dash of almond (or vanilla) extract
[These are approximate and could be adjusted for any number of apricots.]

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Slice the apricots into quarters or eighths. Toss in a small bowl with the sugar, salt, and almond/vanilla.

3. Place in ovensafe dish; they can touch but shouldn't overlap too much so that they can caramelize evenly.

4. Bake for 45 mins., until beginning to caramelize. Enjoy!

birthday brunch ii.

Because where there is brunch there should also be eggs of one kind or another, I made a mushroom leek quiche to go with the braided bread last week. It also gave me a great excuse to buy an official quiche pan - just like a removable-bottom tart pan but with higher sides - that I'd been pondering for a while. I'm not typically an impulse buyer of bake/cookware, in part because I'm perpetually in a severe shortage of storage space; I like to live with my coveted items on a mental list for a while, and then when I've lamented not owning something a sufficient number of times, I pounce. (Currently on the list? A mini-bundt pan; a rectangular tart pan; a pizza stone; the KitchenAid ice cream attachment.)

Anyway, this quiche pan will be getting a lot of use because its first outing went beautifully:


I can also imagine concocting heartier fruit tarts or adapting chocolate pies to this pan. It's just so pretty!

And the results were tasty, too. I used this crust recipe, minus the sugar, and will have to be coaxed to use any other from now on. It has just a bit of apple cider vinegar in it, which apparently relaxes the glutens in the flour. This crust didn't crack, stick, or give me any problems with the rolling-out process - a first for me. Hello, new friend!

I made a few small changes to the quiche recipe. Smittenkitchen only called for 3 eggs; I think her quiche pan is smaller than mine because 3 eggs were definitely not going to cut it. Martha Stewart seems to call for 10 eggs in most of her quiches. (Eek!) Ina Garten doesn't seem to have a quiche recipe. (Nooo! Ina! You're usually there when I need you! [Wails.]) Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything suggested 6. That sounded right to me, and it worked. I also used baby bella mushrooms rather than large white because I like them and thought they would distribute themselves better. As smittenkitchen suggested, I also left out the dabs of butter on top of the quiche - certainly unnecessary with the sprinkling of swiss.

Eggs-cellent. (Sorry. Couldn't resist.)


Mushroom Leek Quiche
crust from Orangette, first introduced to me by C.
quiche from smittenkitchen, adapted from Julia Child and Martha Stewart

Crust:
4 tbsp. ice water, plus more as needed
3/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
[1 tbsp. sugar - *not for a savory tart]
3/4 tsp. salt
9 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1. In small bowl, combine ice water and vinegar.

2. In food processor, combine flour, [sugar,] and salt. Pulse to blend. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal; there should be no pieces of butter larger than a small pea.

3. With the processor running, slowly add water-vinegar mixture, processing just until moist clumps form. If you pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it, it should hold together. If the dough seems dry, add more ice water by the teaspoon, pulsing each time.

4. Turn out the dough onto a board or clean countertop, gathering and pressing it into a disk about 1 1/2" thick. Wrap in plastic and then press a bit more, massaging away any cracks around the edges so that you have a smooth disk. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Dough can be kept in refrigerator for 4 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before using.) Before rolling it out, allow dough to soften slightly at room temp.

5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough until large enough to fit your pan. Transfer dough gently into pan (*I like to fold it into a quarter), then ease it into the seam and up the sides. (*Don't stretch! It will just shrink right back to its original position, as I learned the hard way with my very first tart.) Trim the edges to extend about 1/2" beyond the edge of the pan, then tuck the excess under to reinforce the top edge of the crust. (*At this point, I like to refrigerate the tart shell for about 15 mins., just to let it firm up again.)


6. Line the shell with a buttered piece of foil, shiny side up, pressed down firmly and filled with pie weights or uncooked beans or rice. (*Make sure the weights come up the sides of the tart.) Bake at 400F for 8-9 mins. Remove the weights and foil and bake for 2-3 mins. more. Remove from oven when shell is just starting to color and shrink from the sides of the pan.


Filling:
3-4 leeks, white parts only, sliced thinly (*I like to slice them and then wash them thoroughly.)
1/2 c. water
Salt
3 tbsp. butter
8-12 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 tbsp. port (*I used sherry because it was what I had; white wine would also work.)
6 eggs
1 1/2 c. whole milk
1/4 c. grated Swiss or gruyere cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Boil the leeks in a covered saucepan with 1/2 c. water, 2 tbsp. butter, and 1 tsp. salt until liquid has almost evaporated. Lower heat and stew gently for 20-30 mins. until leeks are tender. Set aside.

3. In a large pan, melt 1 tbsp. butter and add mushrooms, 1/4 tsp. salt, and port/sherry/white wine. Cover pan and cook over moderate-low heat for 8 mins. Uncover. Raise heat and boil for several minutes until liquid has completely evaporated and mushrooms are beginning to saute. Stir cooked mushrooms into leek mixture.

4. Beat eggs, milk, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl to blend. Gradually stir in leeks and mushrooms, then pour into partially cooked pastry shell. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 30-35 mins. until just set and nicely browned.

birthday brunch i.

Things that make me nervous. Frisbees. Being forced to decide my food/drink order quickly. Shopping in crowds. And bread. Not eating it - baking it. Even with the inspiration of friends who nonchalantly produce delicious and creative loaves, I'm tentative and skeptical. (The majority of my few and feeble bread attempts, until recently, fell in the "could double as a handy doorstop or free weight" category.) I've started to have some success with the much-celebrated no-knead bread, though, and no longer automatically skip past a recipe as soon as I see "add yeast" and "let rise."

So after I bookmarked this one a while ago, I'd been waiting impatiently for the perfect opportunity to [gulp] give it a try. And what better opportunity than celebrating the lovely C.'s birthday with a boozy brunch?

I proofed my yeast, gave myself a stern pep talk, and got to work. The outcome? Bread that was not just edible but pretty darn delicious, if I do say so myself. Triumph! Even better: getting to share it with good friends on a shady porch, enjoying a perfect summer day and brunch bounty [documented by C. herself] that included coffee, quiche [more on that shortly], chocolate raspberry cookies, watermelon/feta/basil salad, blueberry muffins, and mimosas. Mmm. I have very talented friends. Happy birthday, C.!


I will, without any doubt, be making this bread again, and I'm already looking forward to trying different filling combinations. The dough is like a brioche, so you really couldn't go wrong. Plain old cinnamon and sugar? Dark chocolate? Cream cheese and strawberry jam? Walnuts and apples? Yes.

So proud!

Braided Lemon Bread
from smittenkitchen, adapted from King Arthur Flour

Sponge:
6 tbsp. warm water
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast (*I used active dry and it worked just fine.)
1/4 c. flour

Dough:
Sponge (above)
6 tbsp. sour cream
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs (1 beaten for dough, 1 beaten with 1 tsp. water for egg wash later)
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
Pearl sugar for sprinkling (*I didn't have any - though apparently Ikea sells it and I may look the next time I'm there - so I did without and it was fine. It would be nice, though.)

Filling:
1/3 c. (2 1/2 oz.) cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. sugar (*I only used a scant 1 tbsp. and might in fact leave it out entirely next time.)
2 tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. flour (*I used 1.)
1/4 c. lemon curd (*Cheating with store-bought was a handy shortcut. If you have time, though, smittenkitchen includes a recipe.)

1. Make sponge:
In a small bowl, combine the sponge ingredients. Stir well, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and set aside for 10-15 mins.

2. Make dough: (*The KitchenAid mixer did, as usual, an awesome job on this. Directions for kneading the dough by hand can be found over on smittenkitchen.)
Combine sponge, sour cream, butter, egg, sugar, salt, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add flour and mix with the paddle attachment until dough is a rough, shaggy mass. Switch to the dough hook and knead until a soft, smooth dough forms, about 5-6 mins. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 60-90 mins., until puffy and nearly doubled.

3. Make filling:
Combine all ingredients except for lemon curd in a small bowl and stir until smooth and lump-free. Set aside until ready to use.

4. Prepare bread:
Gently deflate dough and roll on well-floured counter (*using my mom's trick, I wet the counter and overlap two sheets of parchment paper - the water makes it stick well - then flour those, so clean-up is easier) to form a 10x15" rectangle. Transfer rectangle to a (new) sheet of parchment paper. With the side of your hand, gently press two lines down the length of the rectangle, dividing it into 3 equal columns. Spread the cream cheese mixture down the middle, leaving the top and bottom 2 inches free of filling. Spread the lemon curd on top of the cream cheese.


5. Braid bread:
Cut 1" strips crosswise down the length of each outer column, being careful not to cut the parchment paper. (*I held a ruler above the dough widthwise and gently marked the cuts with a knife so that the strips would be even on both sides. Compulsive? Yes. Pleasingly symmetrical? Yes.) Start by folding down the top and bottom flaps. (*If the dough seems too soft at this point, pop it into the fridge, as I had to, for about 10 mins. to let the strips firm up a bit.) Lift top strip of dough and bring diagonally across filling; repeat, alternating sides, until you're out. (*I was careful to make the strips touch each other so that no filling showed. Personal preference.)

6. Transfer braid (on parchment paper) to a baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 45-50 mins., until puffy. Brush the braid with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar (*optional).

7. Bake at 375F for 25-30 mins., until golden brown.


To make ahead: After covering the whole thing with plastic, stick in the refrigerator overnight, and let it sit out for a few hours the next morning to complete its rise. (*I did this and it worked beautifully, particularly since there wouldn't have been time to make this start-to-finish in one morning in time for brunch.) Then bake as directed.

blueberry crumb bars.

Hallelujah, a respite from the heat. Soaring summer temperatures make me crabby and the non-airconditioned portion of my apartment unbearable. (Not to mention what they do to butter once it's been out of the fridge for 5 seconds. Grr.) The past few days, though, have been a blissful, breezy break from the swelteringness. I've been taking advantage of the opportunity to be in the kitchen without risking heatstroke (you think I exaggerate...but no) and baking happily. In fact, I just put an adorable braided bread to bed in the refrigerator; I'm a little bit giddy at the prospect of baking it tomorrow morning and, of course, look forward to sharing it with you.

In the meantime, though, I'll share this recipe. Perfect for the summer: easy to throw together, travels well, likes being refrigerated, and features blueberries. I used frozen because I had some around and I think blueberries freeze remarkably well, though I'm sure fresh would be delicious. Inspired by a very talented foodie friend who has a knack for these things, I've been cutting sugar from more and more recipes that I try. The experiment worked well here, and I ended up with bars that were quite tasty but not too sweet, mild enough to eat for breakfast. (I speak from experience. Of course, I'll also eat brownies for breakfast. Or chocolate cake. So perhaps I'm not the best judge.) Whenever you eat them, enjoy!


Blueberry Crumb Bars
adapted from smittenkitchen, adapted in turn from allrecipes.com

heaping 1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
12 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 c. blueberries (*if using frozen, don't thaw first)
4 tsp. corn starch

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9x13" pan. (*I forgot to do this and the bars popped out just fine from my metal pan.)

2. In a medium bowl, combine sugars, flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Blend in the butter and egg using a pastry cutter. (*I used my hands for this, incorporating the butter first and then the egg. I found, as I often do with this sort of step, that crumbling the mixture with my fingers gives me the best control and lets me combine it really well.) Pat half the crumbly dough firmly into the pan; spread evenly.


3. In another bowl, stir together the cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently stir in the blueberries until coated, then spread over the crust. (*Be gentle!) Crumble remaining dough over the berries.


4. Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly browned. (*This ended up taking closer to 55 minutes for me.) Cool completely before cutting into squares. These cut easily when they're chilled, and they store well in the fridge, too.