Blueberry ebelskivers

One of the things that I inherited from my mom was our family's ebelskiver pan. What the heck is an "ebelskiver" you ask? It is a little round pancake made in a pan with "dimples". For the last several years, our friend Nancy has had a wonderful New Year's brunch at her farm, and I have made it a tradition to make ebelskivers - with homemade applesause they are just yummy but Williams and Sonoma have come up with some new ebelskiver recipes, including one using blueberries for the filling. I think this year I'll make the Blueberry ones. Here's their recipe.

Blueberry-Filled Pancakes
Known as ebelskiver in Denmark, these light, fluffy pancakes make a delicious breakfast treat paired with lingonberry or raspberry jam.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
Zest of 1/2 lemon
3 egg yolks plus 5 egg whites
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
5 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 pint blueberries
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

In a batter pitcher or bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar, salt and lemon zest. Set aside.

In another bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks. Whisk in the buttermilk and ricotta. Whisk the yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the mixture will be lumpy. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir the whites into the batter in two additions.

Put 1/2 tsp. butter in each well of a filled-pancake pan. Place over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 Tbs. batter into each well, place 4 blueberries in the center of the batter and top with 1 Tbs. batter. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Using 2 wooden skewers turn the pancakes over and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and blueberries.

Dust the pancakes with confectioner’s sugar and serve warm. Makes about 30.

copywrite 2007 Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Pancakes ala' Williams & Sonoma

About once every couple of weeks I get a "Customer e-mail" from Williams & Sonoma. They never fail to delight me with a very cool kitchen tool that I'd love to have, but either don't have room for (remember, there's all those Pampered Chef things in my kitchen) - or can't afford - face it - W&S is top drawer BUT their customer emails are anything but junk mail - They also have what I call "do-able" recipes - that is something that looks not too fussy that the DH will eat and will also be fun to make. Here's their latest offering - (and actually they called it "Maine" Blueberry Sauce - but bein' as how we're in Washington, and you might be in Minnesota, I left the state off)

Pancakes with [YOUR STATE'S NAME HERE] Blueberry Sauce

This pancake batter combines all-purpose flour with buckwheat flour, a dark flour that has a nutty, slightly sweet flavor and firm texture. A warm sauce made from fresh blueberries adds the perfect finishing touch.

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1/2 cup whole-ground buckwheat flour, sifted

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 1/4 cups buttermilk

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 to 2 Tbs. vegetable oil

2 cups fresh blueberries

Zest of 1/2 lemon

1 Tbs. cornstarch

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Preheat an oven to 200°F. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs on medium speed until frothy. Add the all-purpose and buckwheat flours, 3 Tbs. of the sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, salt, buttermilk, butter and vanilla and stir just until smooth. Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Lightly grease the griddle with oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Using a batter dispenser, dispense the batter onto the griddle. Cook until bubbles form on top of the pancakes and the batter is set, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while cooking the remaining pancakes.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the blueberries, the remaining 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. sugar, the lemon zest and 1/2 cup water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch, 1 Tbs. water and the lemon juice. Add to the berries and stir until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve the warm blueberry sauce over the pancakes. Serves 4.

Copywrite 2007 Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Farmgirl's Blueberry Breakfast Bars

One of my very favorite blogs to read is Farmgirl Fare. Susan has a wonderful way with words and her photographs of her Missouri farm are beautiful. The stories of all her many animals are most entertaining and a great way to start the day.

She is also a very good cook and has a blog about her kitchen garden and a blog that she shares with two other bakers called A Year in Bread. All three blogs have lots of yummy recipes in them. How she manages to find time to do all this and run her farm, I'll never know, but she has graciously given me permission to reprint her Blueberry Breakfast Bar recipe. They are a great way to start the day and even better after dinner with a scoop of French Vanilla Ice Cream.


Farmgirl's Blueberry Breakfast Bars (Makes 12 to 16 large bars)

Bottom Layer:
2 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (she uses Heartland Mill organic)
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 Tablespoons (1 stick + 2 Tbsp/5 ounces) butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Top Layer:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick/four ounces) butter or natural vegetable oil sticks (she uses Earth Balance, I used real butter)

Middle Layer
3-1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (1/4 tsp. if freshly ground)

For the Bottom Layer:
Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a 9" x 13" pan. In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Press this mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan with your fingers. (You can use the bottom of a stainless steel measuring cup to help make the crust flat and even.)

For the Top Layer:
Place the flour, brown sugar, and butter or vegetable oil sticks in a small bowl and use a fork, pastry blender, or your fingers to combine until the mixture resembles large crumbs (some pea-sized clumps are okay). Set aside.

For the Middle Layer:
Place the blueberries in the bowl you mixed the Bottom Layer in and toss them with the almond extract. Pour them evenly over the Bottom Layer in the pan. Combine the sugar and flour and sprinkle it evenly over the blueberries. (Even when wet or frozen, the sugar/flour mixture wouldn't stick to my big fat blueberries when I tried tossing it with them. If yours will, just toss the sugar/flour mixture with the blueberries and then pour the whole mixture over the Bottom Layer in the pan.)

Sprinkle the Top Layer evenly over the blueberry mixture. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden, and the edges are starting to brown. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Store in a cool place or refrigerate. Bars may also be frozen.

Susan has also experimented using other fruit instead of all blueberries - these versions make a more "fruity" bar less suited to eating out of hand than the plain ones. To use apple follow the following for the middle layer: 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, 3 generous cups unpeeled chopped apples (about 5 small/19 oz), 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (1/2 teaspoon if pre-ground)

For a peach version, use two cups of small peach chunks and three cups of blueberries. They will take slightly longer to bake and should be refrigerated to keep from getting too mushy.

Thank you, Susan for letting me share your Blueberry Breakfast bars with my readers!
Recipe and photograph Copyright 2006 FarmgirlFare.com

Fresh Berry Smoothie

Pick up just about any magazine these days (especially during the summer) and you will find a recipe for a fruit or berry smoothie. The recipes are quite similar - take your blender, a couple of ice cubes, some yogurt, a shot or two of milk, a couple of handful of fresh or frozen fruit - and there you have it breakfast (or which ever meal), in a glass. As a nutrition specialist called it - Goodness on the Go. Full of calcium and protein from the milk and yogurt, and depending upon the fruits you use - antioxidants, potassium and fiber, you may also get almost your whole day's serving of vitamin C - and kids love them too -

Using frozen berries makes your smoothie even slushier - which for me, the slushier the better - I've been freezing our blueberries as soon as my DH brings them in from the patch - I just pour them into a dated freezer bag and pop them in the freezer - that way, next winter I can just open the bag and pour a few out for the recipe I am making, and I don't have to worry about them getting pushed to the back of the fridge and getting "lost"(if you know what I mean). As long as the berries are free from debris, don't even wash them - the water will freeze and make them stick together and I don't think they don't last as long either.

MIXED BERRY SMOOTHIE - One serving
1 - 6 oz. container low fat raspberry yogurt (you can use any flavor you like)
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
One or two ice cubes
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Cover and blend until smooth. You may have to add a little more milk (or use some orange juice) if it isn't blending up easily. Pour into a tall glass and serve immediately - Enjoy!