The Holy Grail of Blueberry Desserts

Sunday, September 12, 2010


Late last month, I wrote about picking blueberries at my mom’s place.  In addition to the muffins that I love so much, I made one more recipe before I consigned the rest of the berries to the freezer.  But it wasn’t just any recipe, it was the Holy Grail, the Golden Fleece, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

I have no idea where the recipe for Blueberry Buckle came from, other than my mother’s recipe box. It’s like an upside down berry cobbler with streusel on top, and is served with a warm lemon sauce.  When you eat it, if you close your eyes you can taste summer.  It is perfect.

I think the reason I love fruit desserts so much is they remind me of my childhood.  Growing up on a farm, my sister and I spent a lot of time outside – playing when we were small, and helping in the fields as we got older.  All that activity meant that we were hungry by dinnertime, and many of our meals were served with dessert.  Fruit was plentiful – we grew our own raspberries, strawberries and rhubarb, while blueberries, peaches, apples and cherries were all available locally.  Strawberry pie, apple crisp, peach cobbler and, yes, blueberry buckle, were as good as it got.

For those of you who love berries, I present the most awesome blueberry dessert ever.



Blueberry Buckle

(adapted from my mother’s recipe box)

Batter:

¼ cup shortening
6 Tbsp sugar
1 egg, beaten
½ tsp almond extract
1 ½ cup flour
2 ½ Tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup milk
3 cups blueberries

Topping

½ cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
¼ cup soft butter
½ tsp cinnamon

Lemon sauce

2 Tbsp cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups cold water
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

For the cobbler, beat the shortening, 6 Tbsp. sugar, egg and almond extract until fluffy.  In a separate bowl, blend 1 ½ cups flour, baking power and salt.  Add shortening mixture alternately with milk, stirring until blended.  Spoon batter into a well-greased 9” x 9” pan and cover with berries.

Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl and sprinkle over blueberries.  Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, to make lemon sauce, mix cornstarch and sugar.  Slowly add water and stir.  Cook until thick and clear.  Then add butter and lemon juice.

Serve the blueberry buckle warm with a generous portion of lemon sauce.

12 comments:

Cakelaw said...

Blueberries and lemons are a great combination - and love the name "buckle".

Damaris @Kitchen Corners said...

I agree, the name buckle is pretty sweet. I love blueberries. My baby loves them best of all.

Shandy said...

Oh, yummy, delicious, wonderful and where is my fork? I love blueberries and this dessert does look every bit of summer perfection? Now, I am wondering what other hidden treasures are in the recipe box? (BIG smile) I have one too with both my Grandma's and Mom's recipes in it. Every time I need a little pick-me-up, I open the little floral box and pull out beautiful hand written recipes.

Shandy said...

BTW, That was suppose to be a period of summer perfection, not a question mark, yeesh.

Mimi said...

Blue berries, lemon and crumb topping, all favorites, all together heavenly.
Mimi

Joanne said...

It sounds like you had a lovely childhood! Fruit desserts are some of my favorites...buckles, cobblers, crisps. They're all delicious. This one looks especially tasty however!

shaz said...

This certainly sounds like the perfect summer dessert. What wonderful childhood memories, sounds idyllic but I'm sure there was hard work involved too :)

Thanks for visiting my blog, and I'm glad I've found your blog.

Hindy said...

Blueberries and lemon - such a great combination. Your dessert looks delicious.

Leslie said...

Blueberries and lemon as such a classic! Buckles are so easy and homey...who wouldn't want a big serving of a warm, comforting dessert?!?

Jules Someone said...

Looks fabulous! What would happen if I skipped the lemon? Still good?

Beth said...

Jules, I love it even without the lemon sauce. If you're not a lemon fan it's still worth trying!

Jaime said...

mmmm i love any kind of baked fruit! unfortunately i am trying to steer clear of shortening now :( otherwise i'd try this!

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