Blueberry Cornbread with Buttermilk Syrup

Oh, how we love summer!

The weather has finally been a bit cooler, allowing us to spend more time outside without being so uncomfortable from the heat and humidity.  Matthew's favorite place to be this summer has been the beach.  He absolutely loves sitting in the warm sand and watching the waves move back and forth across the shoreline.  Such a change from last summer when he was deathly afraid of water in any capacity.  Paul has been trying to teach him how to skip rocks.  The only thing Matthew registered from his lessons was that it is okay to throw things in the water.  I really have to keep an eye on him now because he has tried throwing my sunglasses, his shoes, our lunch, his gym shorts, etc. into the lake.  A seagull almost choked on the Oreo cookie he chucked into the lake last week.  I really would prefer not to get fined by the Wildlife Protection Agency.

Lately, Matthew has been trying to drive himself home.  This has made Paul very happy, especially since Matthew has been scaring him recently with some of his wardrobe choices.  Just the other day, we were at a shoe store and I was trying on a pair of new running shoes when I saw Matthew precariously walking towards me in a pair of silver peep-toed pumps with four-inch heels.  

Paul flipped out.  Majorly.

So, Matthew's fascination with cars and driving has been a bit of redemption from some of his less masculine fetishes.  

Last week marked the beginning of blueberry season.  Matthew and I headed out to the picking fields earlier in the week and came home with a couple gallons of huge, juicy, sweet berries.  I wish I could report that Matthew was such a help in this venture, but alas he probably ate more berries than he put in his bucket.  As I was finishing off filling my bucket, I heard Matthew, who was seated under a nearby blueberry bush, counting aloud the number of berries in his bucket:  "One...two...three...four...five...six!"

I took a glance inside to see that he was entirely correct.  There were exactly six blueberries that made it into his bucket after nearly two hours of picking.  He probably ate close to 500.

The first thing we made with our batch of berries was this blueberry cornbread.  One of my favorite pancakes are blueberry-cornmeal, so it only seemed fitting that blueberries would taste great in cornbread.  I just utilized my favorite cornbread recipe and folded a cup of blueberries into the batter.  Once the batter was scraped into the pan, a handful of blueberries were scattered over the top and the entire concoction baked up into a delicious, lightly sweet cake that is perfect for dessert or breakfast.

I ended up making "cornbread sundaes" for Paul and Mathew by taking a warm slice of the cornbread, topping it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and drizzling some buttermilk syrup over the whole thing.  It was divine!  I'm including the recipe for the buttermilk syrup below because I absolutely insist that you try it!  We made a big batch to have on hand for pancakes, etc. but it really is quite delicious on ice cream and pairs marvelously with the flavor of the blueberries.  

Blueberry Cornbread

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

½ cup cornmeal

1 ½ cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup oil

3 tablespoons butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 ¼ cup buttermilk (but regular milk will work just fine if it's all you have!)

Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Whisk together the oil, butter, eggs, and buttermilk.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.  With a spatula, stir until just mixed.  Gently fold in 1 cup of blueberries.  Scrape into a greased 8" square pan and scatter the remaining blueberries over the top. Bake in for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.  Let cool slightly on a wire rack.

Buttermilk Syrup

from Tasty Kitchen

½ cups Butter

1 cup Sugar

½ cups Buttermilk

1 Tablespoon Karo Syrup

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Vanilla

In a LARGE pot, combine butter, sugar, buttermilk, and Karo syrup, and bring to a boil for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add baking soda and vanilla. Mixture will fizz to TWICE THE SIZE or more, so make sure you use a good-sized pot! Set it aside to thicken while stirring occasionally. 

Blueberry-Corn Salad with Feta

One of the things I look forward to most during the summertime is the endless supply of sweet corn that comes pouring in from local farms.  You can usually purchase five ears for a dollar and it tastes so much more fresh, crisp, and sweet than any type of frozen corn.  Since it is so readily available, we eat corn in some capacity with almost every single meal during the summers.  Spoon bread, cornbread, corn on the cob, corn salsa, corn quesadillas, and corn chowder are just a few of a ways we have utilized this delicious crop so far this year.

But my absolute favorite way to have fresh sweet corn is in a raw corn salad.  Have you ever tried corn raw?  It is so delicious sweet and refreshing and the perfect platform on which to build a delicious summer salad.  There are several recipes for corn salads floating around the web, but this is my personal favorite adaptation of several different recipes I have seen.  It may sound weird, but blueberries and corn go really well together!  REALLY well.  Throw in some cucumber, red onion, feta, jalapeno and cilantro and toss with a creamy honey-lime dressing, and you get one satisfyingly complex salad.

If the idea of eating raw corn freaks you out a bit, you can simply place the corn cobs in a pot of boiled water for about 3 minutes.  Just pat it dry and let it cool completely before cutting it off the stalk and continuing with the recipe.

I'm eating the leftovers for lunch today while sitting outside reading Jane Eyre and watching Matthew tease the little pekingese we are dog-sitting for the week (he likes to take her favorite toy, hold it just out of her reach and giggle as she repeatedly jumps up and down in a fruitless attempt to rip it from his grasp).  Sounds like a great way to spend the afternoon!

Blueberry-Corn Salad with Feta

heavily adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

3-4 ears fresh sweet corn, husked and cut from the cob

1 large cucumber, peeled and gelatinous seeds removed

1/2 medium red onion, finely diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1-2 cups blueberries

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

2 tablespoons mayo

2 tablespoons plain yogurt (I like greek yogurt because it's less watery)

1 heaping tablespoon honey

1-2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Cut the cucumber into 1/2 inch wide strips and then cube crosswise.  Toss together in a large bowl with the corn, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, and blueberries.

Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing.  Pour over the corn mixture and toss gently to coat.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (but no more than 1 hour) to allow the flavors to jam together.  Sprinkle with feta shortly before serving.

To make ahead, you can refrigerate the veggies/blueberries and the dressing in separate containers and then just mix them together shortly before you're ready to serve.  

TWD: Almond Biscotti

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie featured a lovely almond biscotti recipe that was easy, simple, and fun to make.  The recipe was written very clearly and could all be done by hand.  This is a major plus when you have a two-year-old with an obsession with the stand mixer.  Had I brought it out from the cabinet where I keep it hidden from sight, he would have insisted on inspecting it thoroughly to ensure that it is still in good working condition (and after a few more of his inspections, I'm sure it won't be).

 

A lot of biscotti recipes call for the addition of oil or butter but this recipe required only an egg to bind the ingredients together.  The dough was easy to shape into the logs and even easier to slice into the traditional biscotti shapes.  This was a major blessing because I had a crying child wrapped around one of my legs as I attempted to carefully slice away with my serrated knife.  Even my child's faint attempts at sabotage could not cause these biscotti to turn out absolutely beautiful and delicious.

 

I did deviate from the original recipe a tiny bit by substituting roasted almonds for the hazelnuts and Amaretto liqueur for the Frangelico.  These smelled so delicious when toasting in the oven and they have made a splendid addition to my morning cup of coffee.  I will definitely be making these again because I will be very upset once they are all gone.  Next time, I might try adding some anise so as to replicate the delicious licorice-flavored biscotti that my wonderful mother-in-law makes. 

Thank you to our wonderful hosts Jodi and Kristina.  If you would like the recipe for the biscotti, please head over to their websites or pick up a copy of Baking with Julia.  

Strawberry Crepes with Grand Marnier Sour Cream Filling

Over the past few weeks, it has been extremely difficult to coax Matthew into his crib at night.  At the mention of "bedtime" he will immediately start running in the opposite direction, screaming his displeasure along with a nonsensical listing of his favorite playthings:  "No bed! Hungry! Monkey! Choo-Choo!  Pooh Bear!  Tigger!  Rabbit!  Mixer! No bed!"  We eventually have to just tackle him, scoop him up, plop him in his crib, say prayers while he convulses as if in pain, and then close the door and cross our fingers that all will be silent within five minutes.

Matthew pretending to sleep in an attempt to get out of going to bed.  Explain to me how that one works.  In case you were wondering, those sexy, hairy legs belong to my hottie of a husband. I am one lucky lady...yes indeedy!

After weeks of this routine, I was getting pretty sick of it.  Paul and I decided that perhaps we will try introducing Matthew to his "big boy bed," located in another bedroom down the hall.  Perhaps that would do the trick and make him more apt to go to bed.

The next night, we took Matthew upstairs and began reading him some books.  We then asked him if he would like to go to sleep in a different bed.  He was so excited!  We tucked him in under the covers, said prayers as he snuggled in with his monkey, and then turned off the lights and shut the door.  Five minutes later, as we sat on the couches in the living room downstairs, we heard a scurrying above our heads accompanied by the faint sound of Matthew whimpering.  I got up to head upstairs and heard the door of his room being flung open.  When I came upstairs, I found him in the baby's room attempting to climb into his crib while crying:  "Sleep! Sleep!"  I picked him up, placed him in his crib, and tucked him in.  He was asleep within two minutes.  Apparently he was NOT a big fan of his "big boy bed."

The next night, Matthew began to put up his usual fuss about bedtime.  However, as soon as I "suggested" that he sleep in his "big boy bed," his eyes immediately widened and he ran to his crib and allowed himself to be tucked in without another complaint.  So far, this little trick has worked for about 10 days in a row.  Bedtime has never been so easy.  Perhaps it is wrong to exploit our child's fear of sleeping anywhere else besides his crib, but if it affords us a few weeks of headache-free bedtimes, then so be it.  We'll deal with how to transition him to his new room another time.

Plus, if Matthew goes to bed on time, he wakes up happy.  And when he wakes up happy, I am more likely to feel like making him something special for breakfast, such as these Strawberry Crepes.  They are delicious and easy to make.  The batter can (and should!) be mixed up the night before.  I usually just combine everything with a blender and then stick the carafe in the refrigerator overnight.  The crepes are then cooked individually and stacked between pieces of wax paper or paper towels.  Each person can fill their crepes with the macerated strawberries and a delicious Grand Marnier sour cream as they desire.  These crepes are also delicious with a dollop of whipped cream or a drizzle of chocolate syrup.  One of my all-time favorite breakfasts, hands down!

Strawberry Crepes with Grand Marnier Sour Cream

adapted from Mark Bittman and Cook's Illustrated

For the Crepes:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon white sugar

For the Filling:
1 cup sour cream
1-2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, or other orange liqueur
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar (or more to taste)
2 cups hulled, sliced strawberries
Powdered sugar, whipped cream, chocolate syrup (optional)

The night before you plan to make the crepes, combine all the ingredients in a blender and let it do its thing until everything is well combined and smooth (there should be NO lumps).  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, combine the sour cream, grand marnier, vanilla extract, and 1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar in a small bowl.  Stir very well to combine and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Slice your strawberries and combine them with a few teaspoons of white sugar in a bowl.  Allow to macerate at room temperature, tossing occasionally, while you make the crepes.

Heat a 8 or 10-inch skillet over medium heat.  Melt a little cold butter in the pan and swirl to coat.  Add about 1/2 cup (give or take, depending on the size of your pan) of the crepe batter and swirl the pan to coat evenly.  Allow to cook, without touching or fiddling with it, for about 1 minute, or until the bottom of the crepe is very lightly browned.  Using a wide spatula, flip quickly, and allow the crepe to cook for about 30 seconds more.  Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining crepe batter, stacking the cooked crepes on top of each other between sheets of wax paper.

Fill each crepe with some strawberries, sour cream, and roll up.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and some additional strawberries and serve!

Green Salad with Strawberries, Prosciutto, and Sugared Almonds

Displayed in the picture above is the first salad that Matthew has ever eaten. Apparently, he really really likes arugula. He shunned his chicken and hotdog pieces in favor of THREE servings of this salad. It might have had something to do with me telling him that rabbits eat salad. Rabbits are his newest animal fascination. When we go for walks around our neighborhood at night, he keeps a sharp eye out for the little hopping critters). Also, he is really into the Winnie-the-Pooh movies and Rabbit happens to be his favorite character (much to Paul's chagrin: "Who chooses Rabbit over Tigger?!?!?").

Since Matthew was so awesome about eating his salad, he was rewarded with a WHOLE Popsicle after dinner. Normally we cut these in half for him. And I have to say, there is nothing cuter than watching him eat these things. He loves the taste of them so much, that he tries to eat it as fast as he can. However, the chill from the ice causes him to have a pained expression on his face the whole time he is working his way through the popsicle. I think he must have some conflicted feelings: Eating the popsicle is quite delicious while concurrently causing some pretty intense physical pain from the brain freeze.

It really should come as no surprise that Matthew ate so much of this stuff.  It is truly a delicious, beautiful salad. Sweet, salty, herbaceous, fruity, nutty. Wonderful. The perfect salad to take along to a picnic.

If you do not have prosciutto, you could easily fry up about 4 strips of bacon and then crumble it on top of the salad to incorporate that salty flavor. Next time, I might even add a pinch or two of cayenne or chili powder for an extra spicy kick.

Arugula Salad with Strawberries, Prosciutto, and Sugared Almonds

adapted from Cuisine at Home

For the vinaigrette:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 Tablespoons honey

1 Tablespoon shallots, minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the Sugared Almonds:

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter:

3/4 cup slivered almonds

2 Tablespoons sugar

Pinch of salt

For The Salad:

6 ounces arugula

6 ounces butter lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

4 oz. prosciutto, thinly sliced

2 cups strawberries, halved or quartered, depending on size

Combine all ingredients for the vinaigrette and mix well.  Refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Saute almonds in butter over medium heat until golden. Off heat, add sugar and salt.

Toss arugula, butter lettuce, and strawberries with vinaigrette.

Garnish with prosciutto and almonds.

A Duo of Strawberry Muffins

I know I have been bombarding this site with strawberry recipes recently. However, when one has nearly 8 quarts of big, beautiful berries quickly approaching the point of rotting, nothing can be done except to make lots of strawberry-studded treats!

I decided to make some strawberry-banana muffins for Matthew's playdate last week. I was so excited to whip this recipe up for the kiddos, imagining them chomping down on their sweet snack with glee as I whisked together the flour and salt. I was already hearing their angelic voices singing my praises, declaring my triumphant muffins "the best snack ever" as I carefully scooped the batter into each individual muffin cup and slid the pan in the oven.

Once the muffins had cooled substantially enough so that little mouths would not be burnt, I handed each child a muffin and eagerly waited for the imminent hums of approval.

Instead, I was handed back a mangled, half-eaten muffin by one of the little girls who immediately informed me: "I don't like it...there are mushy, yucky things in there!"

She meant the strawberries. The big, beautiful, juicy strawberries that this very same child had gleefully stuffed her face with along with her peanut butter sandwich for lunch. Apparently, when baked into a sweet, buttery cake, the strawberries took on a less appealing taste and texture.

I took a bite of the rejected muffin to see if I agreed with the child's assessment.

A peek inside the Strawberry-Banana Muffin.  Notice all the "yucky stuff."

And I have determined that she's absolutely crazy.

The muffins were delicious! They are just in need of a more refined palate to truly enjoy their lightly sweetened crumb. It just goes to show, when you are planning a snack for a group of picky eaters, you might as well save yourself some time and effort and just open a box of graham crackers.

At least Mr. Matthew thoroughly enjoyed his muffin...

I made another batch of strawberry muffins later that evening that included rolled oats, a bit of balsamic vinegar and black pepper. I liked those even more! They were really not too sweet and really accentuated the natural flavors of the strawberries. Simply lovely. I froze a big batch of those to enjoy for quick breakfasts on the go during the week. I might just have to make another batch once this batch disappear. They are fantastic!

Strawberry-Banana Muffins

adapted from Sunny Anderson

1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped

1 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Pinch ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1-2 large very ripe bananas, mashed

2 large eggs

1/4 cup canola oil

1 lemon, zested

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix together strawberries and 2 tablespoons sugar. Let sit 15 minutes until strawberries give off juices.

In a small bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, eggs, oil, 1 cup sugar, strawberries, and lemon zest.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in blueberries and walnuts.

Scoop batter evenly into muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out with a few crumbs but not wet, about 30 minutes. Cool on a rack to room temperature.

Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins

from Simply Recipes

Note:  Do not be afraid of the addition of balsamic vinegar and black pepper to this recipe.  It simply serves to enhance the strawberry flavors.  You really will not get a gigantic bite of pepper in the final product.  I promise.

1 1/4 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 pound strawberries

2 teaspoons granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix the oats and plain yogurt together in a large bowl.

Rinse and core the strawberries. Roughly chop the strawberries (I cut them in quarters lengthwise and then make one or two crosswise cuts). You should have about 1 1/2 cups of chopped strawberries. Place in a small bowl. Sprinkle with white sugar and balsamic vinegar. Gently stir to coat the strawberries with the sugar and vinegar.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare a 12-well muffin tin by coating with butter or lining with paper muffin cups.

Whisk together in a medium bowl the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, finely ground black pepper, and cinnamon.

Add the eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract to the oatmeal and yogurt mixture. Stir until just incorporated.

Use a wooden spoon to gently stir the flour mixture into the oatmeal. Stir until just incorporated and the flour is moistened. Do not over-mix! Or your muffins will end up rubbery. The batter should be rather lumpy, not smooth.

Gently fold in the strawberries, including any of the sugary vinegary liquid the strawberries have been sitting in.

Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin tin wells or cups. Bake until the tops are browned and the muffin bounces back when you gently press on the top with your fingertips, about 20 minutes. A bamboo or metal skewer inserted into the center should come out clean. Let cool for a couple minutes in the muffin tin before removing to serve.

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

I know I've been posting a lot of baked oatmeal recipes, but we just love the stuff so much that I can't help but share some of the different variations we have been enjoying!  Matthew calls it "cake" because he loves it so much.  "Cake" is pretty much his word for anything delicious.  Sometimes, I find myself calling spaghetti or roast chicken "cake" just so I can get him to eat it.

Breakfast is pretty much the only meal of the day where we know Matthew will eat whatever is put in front of him.  He loves all kinds of breakfast foods.  Pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, toast...you name it, he will greedily gobble it down.

And this blueberry baked oatmeal was no exception.  Loaded with fresh lemon zest and two pints of blueberries, this is a breakfast that will turn your teeth blue.  But it will be worth it because it is refreshing, filling, and satisfying.  Add a little more sugar and you could almost serve it for dessert!

Baked Blueberry-Lemon Oatmeal
adapted slightly from Babble

2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Zest of 1 large lemon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups milk
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 8x8 square baking pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, salt, zest, and spice.  In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar, and egg.

Spoon half the oat mixture into the baking dish, then half the blueberries.  Add the remaining oat mixture and scatter the remaining blueberries on top, pressing them slightly.  Pour the milk mixture over the whole pan and place in the oven.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the mixture is light golden brown along the edges and the center has set up.  Serve warm with milk!