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How To Make Homemade Blueberry Turnovers

Apr11

I’m posting several videos of fun blueberry recipes today. Here’s the first:

Tags: blueberries, cooking with blueberries, blueberry desserts, blueberry turnovers, baking with blueberries

Blueberry Pie Recipe from “My Mother’s Footsteps” Blog

Sep7

I found this really cool blueberry pie recipe posted on My Mother’s Footsteps blog and decided to re-post it for all of us blueberry lovers everywhere. I think the author of the blog is perhaps from the UK. She expressed how fascinated she has always been with the idea of blueberry pie, and stated they didn’t have things like that where she is from.  But I couldn’t find out exactly where she is blogging from.  I’m guessing the UK from photos I saw on her blog. At any rate, she posted a very thorough pie recipe. Enjoy!

Leigh, webmistress, for Hazen’s Riverside Blueberries

Blue Berry Pie

blue berry pieI’ve heard that America is just how we imagine it. With large McDonalds, Wendy’s and krisy cream doughnuts. I heard that diners actually exist, and so does blueberry pie. I have always been fascinated by blue berry pie. We just don’t have anything that is really similar. Blueberry pie, chocolate pie… I know about savory pie, with flaky pastry.

Normally when I make something, or bake something, I never really eat much of it.  But I ate three slices of this for pudding. Then ate some more the next day. And some more. It was tart, sweet, sour, amazing. The pastry was like a fuit mince pie type pastry. I can’t explain that shortcrust taste.

I am not going to try and duplicate the method here. Both the pie and crust I got from Simply Recipe. Going to copy and paste here:

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar (increase to 1 1/2 teaspoons if for a sweet recipe)
  • 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 3 to 4 Tbsp ice water, very cold

Method

1 The minute you even think you might want to make a pie crust, cut up a stick of butter into smallish (about 1/2-inch) cubes, and put it into the freezer. The colder the butter the better luck you’ll have with creating a flaky crust. Freeze the butter at least 15 minutes, better an hour, best overnight. (I usually keep cubed butter in the freezer ready to go for making pie crusts.)

2 Place the flour, salt, and sugar into a food processor and pulse until well combined. Add half of the butter cubes and pulse 6 to 8 times. Then add the other half of the butter cubes and pulse 6 to 8 more times. You should have a mixture that resembles a coarse meal, with many butter pieces the size of peas.

3 Add a couple of tablespoons of ice cold water (without the ice!) to the food processor bowl and pulse a couple of times. Then add more ice water, slowly, about a tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, until the mixture just barely begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it’s ready, if not, add a little more water and pulse again. Try to keep the water to a minimum. Too much water will make your crust tough.

4 Remove the crumbly mixture from the food processor and place on a very clean, smooth surface. If you want an extra flaky crust, you can press the heel of your palm into the crumbly mixture, pressing down and shmooshing the mixture into the table top. This is a French technique, called “fraisage”. Do this a few times, maybe 4 to 6 times, and it will help your crust be extra flaky. Then, use your hands to press the crumbly dough together and shape into a disc. Work the dough only enough to just bring the dough together. Do not over-knead or your crust will end up tough. You should be able to see little bits of butter, speckling the dough. When these bits of butter melt as the crust cooks, the butter will help separate the dough into flaky layers. So, visible pieces of butter are a good thing, what you are aiming for, in the dough. Sprinkle the disc with a little flour on all sides. Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour. (At this point you can freeze the dough disk for several months until ready to use. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.)

blue berry pie5 When you are ready to roll out the dough, remove the disk from the refrigerator and place on a clean, smooth, lightly floured surface. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes to take just enough of a chill off of it so that it becomes easier to roll out. Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 12 inch circle, to a thickness of about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. Add a few sprinkles of flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Place on to a 9-inch pie plate, lining up the fold with the center of the pan. Gently unfold and press down to line the pie dish with the dough.

Yield: Makes 1 pâte brisée crust, enough for one tart.

Filling ingredients:

  • 6 cups (about 2 1/4 pounds or 1 kilo) of fresh (or frozen) blueberries, rinsed and stems removed (if using frozen, defrost and drain first)
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup (about 30g) all-purpose flour (for thickening)
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar (100g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 Tbsp butter (unsalted), cut into small pieces

Egg wash ingredients:

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Method

blue berry pie1 Prepare the crust. Roll out half of the dough to 1/8-inch-thick circle on a lightly floured work surface, about 13 inches in diameter. Fit the dough over a 9-inch pie pan, and trim the edges to a 1/2 inch over the edge all around the pan. Put into the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.

2 Gently mix the blueberries, sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Transfer them to the chilled bottom crust of the pie pan. Dot with butter pieces. Roll out remaining dough to the same size and thickness as the first. Place on top of the berry filling. Tuck the top dough over and under the edge of the bottom dough, and crimp the edges with your fingers. Transfer the pie to the refrigerator to chill until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 425°F.

3 Whisk egg and milk together to make an egg wash.

4 Remove the unbaked pie from refrigerator. Brush the top with egg wash. Score the pie on the top with 4 cuts (so steam can escape while cooking). Place the pie on the middle rack of the oven with a parchment paper or Silpat lined baking pan positioned on the lower rack to catch any filling that may bubble over. Bake for 20 minutes at 425°. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more or until juices are bubbling and have thickened. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before serving.

Yield: Makes one pie with 8 servings.

Wally Hazen and Hazen’s Riverisde Blueberries Featured in Coos Bay’s “The World” News

Jul13

We’re pleased as blueberry punch to report that our own Wally Hazen and Hazen’s Riverside Blueberries U-Pick Farm was featured in an article in this morning’s edition of “The World” newspaper out of Coos Bay.

Here’s a re-post of the article:

 

FAIRVIEW — Beneath the glaring mid-day sun Wednesday afternoon, Wally Hazen watched as dozens of pickers wandered through rows of blueberries on his Coquille Valley farm.

“We’re running about 7,200 plants between both fields,” he said. Two nearby women dumped freshly-picked berries into already overflowing buckets.

The pickers at Hazen’s farm Wednesday weren’t employees. They’re his best customers. Eleven years ago, Hazen and his wife reinvented the farm as a retail business in the U-pick model, where customers are responsible for picking and transporting their own berries.

Hazen, who has operated grocery stores on the South Coast for years, said the idea began when the couple were looking for country property. They settled on a berry farm, located seven miles east of Coquille, near Fairview.

“The previous people weren’t marketing the berries,” Hazen said. “They were taking them to a processor in Salem.”

While the lower field is reserved for commercial sale production, U-pick customers are free to roam the upper fields and fill their buckets with all the berries they can use.

The damage? A mere $1.65 a pound.

Mary Tschetter, one of the pickers at the farm Wednesday, said the she looks forward to the season as a way to stock up on fruit.

“I picked more than 100 pounds last year,” she said. “I freeze enough so I have enough for the whole year.”

Hazen said he and his wife have primarily selected blueberry varieties that make good eating and U-pick berries, rather than thick-skinned varieties often found on grocery store shelves.

Many of the their current plants have been on the property for years. “For the most part, berries are 28 to 30 years old — the bushes are,” he said. “My wife and I prune them each winter.”

While western Oregon is renowned for its Pinot noir grapes, the seasoned grocer said they aren’t the only fruit in the region gaining international acclaim

“We’ve got nine farms [in the region] now selling to South Korea,” he said.

Despite the distribution opportunities, the couple continues to concentrate on their U-pick business, which draws between 3,000 and 4,000 visitors each season.

“Some times I toy with the idea of making a bigger operation,” Hazen said. “Then I think, ‘Gah! I’m getting too old for this!’”

Reporter Thomas Moriarty can be reached at 541-269-1222, ext. 240, or by email at thomas.moriarty@theworldlink.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ThomasDMoriarty

Recipe: Delicious Lemon-Blueberry Pound Cake

May21

Lemon-Blueberry Pound Cake Recipe

Wendy said she tried this one recently and everybody loved it, so here it is. It sounds yummy. Nutritional info at the bottom of the recipe if you want it. I included a regular blueberry pound cake recipe too.

Lemon-Blueberry Pound Cake

  • Prep: 25 min. Bake: 55 min. + cooling
  • Yield: 12 Servings

Ingredients:

Directions:

  • Grease and flour a 10-in. fluted tube pan. In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until blended. Add eggs and egg white, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla.
  • Toss blueberries with 2 tablespoons flour. In another bowl, mix the remaining flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with yogurt, beating after each addition just until combined. Fold in blueberry mixture.
  • Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to wire rack; cool for 15 minutes.
  • In a small bowl, mix confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Gradually brush onto warm cake, about one-third at a time, allowing glaze to soak into cake before adding more. Cool completely. Yield: 12 servings.Editor’s Note: For easier removal of cake, use solid shortening when greasing a fluted or plain tube pan.

Nutritional Facts 1 slice equals 434 calories, 10 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 78 mg cholesterol, 281 mg sodium, 80 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 7 g protein.

Originally published as Lemon-Blueberry Pound Cake in Taste of Home February/March 2013

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If you would prefer just a blueberry pound cake without the lemon zing, here’s the recipe for that one:

Blueberry Pound Cake Recipe

Blueberry Pound Cake Recipe

  • Prep: 20 min. Bake: 1 hour + cooling
  • Yield: 32 Servings

Ingredients:

Directions:

  • In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in extracts. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Fold in blueberries.
  • Spoon into two greased and waxed paper-lined 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.
  • In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and cranberry juice concentrate until smooth. Add blueberries. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve warm or cold with pound cake. Yield: 2 loaf cakes.

Recipe: Best Blueberry Pancakes EVER!

May21

Tags: best blueberry pancakes ever, blueberry pancakes, cooking with blueberries, blueberry recipes, baking with blueberries, homemade blueberry turnovers, blueberries, Hazens Riverside Blueberries, Coquille Oregon blueberry farm, U-Pick blueberries south coast oregon