Monday, July 18, 2011

A Blueberry Indulgence

Confession: I’m an enabler. Yes, you should eat that piece of cake. Champagne is always a good idea. Play hooky... you need a vacation! I will totally bake you cupcakes for your birthday. And those stilettos? Oh, you should definitely buy them.  Definitely.

I love others’ happiness and pleasures – small and large. And the thing about summer is that there are so many joys to share: warm evenings and cold cocktails, sweating in the stands at Fenway as the sun sets, tennis games. Brunch outside, juicy cherries for a snack, and lobster for lunch

And blueberries. I’m so happy it’s blueberry season.

When the grocery store had a 2 for 1 deal on pints of blueberries, I felt like the grocery store was enabling my blueberry obsession. Thanks, grocery store. I mean it. Thanks for having my back.

It may be the summer of the egg. But guess what? It’s the week of the blueberry. I’m starting with crunchy, sweet coconut-almond granola over warm blueberry compote.



And then it’s going to get a little wild. Grey Goose, meet blueberries. Blueberries, meet Goose. You two will get along terrifically.

Coconut-Almond Granola over Blueberry-Cinnamon Compote



Coconut-Almond Granola

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons canola oil
2/3 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup sliced almonds
2/3 cup tightly packed coconut flakes (I use unsweetened)
1/3 cup walnut pieces

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Combine the oats, almonds, and walnuts in a bowl.

Melt the honey, canola oil, and vanilla extract together in saucepan over medium heat and stir until well combined (1-2 minutes). Pour over the oatmeal mixture and stir well so that the oats are evenly coated.

Spread the oatmeal mixture evenly on a baking sheet and place on the top rack of the oven. Stir the mixture at least every 10 minutes. I’m going to be blunt: it’s best if you watch it like a hawk. Burnt granola happens easily (and does not taste good). Bake the oats for a total of 30 minutes, or until the mixture is golden-brown and still slightly moist.

Let the granola cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then use a spatula to scoop up the granola and store it in an airtight container. Stir in the coconut flakes. The granola will continue to crisp up. Makes approximately 3 ½ cups of granola.

Blueberry-Cinnamon Compote

1 cup blueberries
¼ teaspoon – ½ teaspoon cinnamon, depending on your taste
½ teaspoon brown sugar

Wash the blueberries in a colander and drain well. Lay them out on several folded paper towels and pat gently to dry with another paper towel. 

Put the blueberries in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir gently and, when the blueberries began to soften, very gently mash them with the back of a spoon. Cook until the blueberries have a consistency like a very thick jam, about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in the cinnamon and the brown sugar.

To assemble:

Layer the blueberry compote in a parfait glass (or a martini glass, in my case….) and top with a ½ cup of granola and another 2 tablespoons of blueberries. Serves one person. Definitely, definitely eat it warm. 

4 comments:

  1. question - do you put the fresh blueberries directly into a sauce pan? any water needed?

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  2. No water needed! As long as you keep the heat at medium-low and stir gently, they won't burn and they will start get soft pretty quickly.

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  3. ok - awesome. Definitely trying this recipe out for next week!!

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  4. Let me know how it turns out! I suggest going easy with the cinnamon and adding more gradually... And stir in more brown sugar, if you like.

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