By Staff
With the 29th Annual Alabama Blueberry Festival last weekend in Brewton, many cooks are sure to have stocked up on their blueberry supply.
The first recipe I’ll share this week is a recipe that has become a favorite for a lot of people in this area. Monika Yoder contributed this version for the Greater Brewton Area Chamber of Commerce’s Blueberry Festival Cookbook and her crust is even simpler than others I’ve seen.
Blueberry Delight
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. Cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 (21 oz.) can blueberry pie filling
In a medium bowl, combine cracker crumbs, melted butter and 1/3 cup sugar. Press into bottom of a 13x9x2-inch pan. Chill. In medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Beat in one cup sugar, powdered sugar and lemon extract until smooth. Spread evenly over crumb layer. Carefully spoon blueberry filling over cream cheese layer. Cover and chill.
If you have fresh blueberries that you want to use instead of canned pie filling, there is a recipe that is perfect for just such a purpose.
It works perfectly to replace the canned pie filling and uses fresh blueberries, which is always a treat. This recipe makes the equivalent of a 15-ounce can. If your recipe calls for a larger amount of pie filling, you may want to consider doubling the recipe. It keeps well in the refrigerator and is great over ice cream or pound cake.
Blueberry Pie Filling
2 cups blueberries
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 to 1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
Combine cornstarch and water. Place berries in medium saucepan and add sugar and cornstarch mixture. Heat slowly until sauce begins to thicken. Cool thoroughly.
I’ve used this recipe many times and I’ll give you a little tip: mash a few of the blueberries when you place them in the pan. This will release more of that wonderful flavor into the sauce.
Finally this week, this next recipe was contributed to the cookbook by Mandy Holland. The recipe name is self-explanatory.
Easy Blueberry Pie
1 deep-dish piecrust
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip
1 can blueberry pie filling
Soften and cream together cream cheese and powdered sugar. Fold in Cool Whip. Spoon into piecrust. Refrigerate and chill. Spoon pie filling on top and return to refrigerator to chill. You can substitute the blueberry pie filling with fresh stewed blueberries.
Until next week, happy cooking.
Lisa Tindell is news editor for the Brewton Standard. She can be reached via email at lisa.tindell@brewtonstandard.com