Read, Write, and Blueberries!

July is not only our patriotic birthdate, it is also the epic harvest for those lovely, versatile, blue pellets everyone loves: Blueberries! The world's largest supply of wild blueberries are grown and shipped from Quebec, Canada. If you check your grocery containers, you may be lucky enough to capture some of their little wonders, known in French as Bleuets, as I did below.

The Canadian wild blueberries are used as the main ingredient of my favorite preserves made by the French company Bonne Maman shown below. Wild blueberries are smaller in size than the typical domestic blueberries, but due to their small stature, they have more skin per pound. The skin of the blueberry contains the vitamins and anti-oxidants that are so precious and loaded with many health benefits. For instance, blueberries have vitamins B6, C, and K1, as well as minerals manganese and copper, and fiber. They are a super food for sure!

Canada Blueberries aka Bleuets.

Made with Canada Bleuets

Blueberries have been celebrated in writing, such as this very long poem by Robert Frost written in 1915. You can read it here:  Blueberries by Robert Frost

In order to savor these gems all year, you can freeze blueberries immediately from the store or orchard "as is." Place the entire pile in a freezer bag, and you can add them frozen to recipes or pancake batter. They will defrost as they cook in the recipe, so do not defrost, just throw them in!

I am sharing my favorite recipe for Blueberry Muffins, after many tweaks and tests. If you want to up the level of professionalism order these fancy muffin liners on Amazon. People think I purchased my muffins at Starbucks, and they are pretty impressed when I humbly admit I baked them myself! The beauties shown below were about $16 for 200 liners. You can order here on Amazon Fancy Muffin Liners

Bon Appétit!

Read before starting - a few steps but worth it!

Best Blueberry Muffins 

(makes 12 large)

Bake preheated oven 425 for 5 minutes reduce heat to 350 for additional 35 minutes. Check at 30 minutes with a toothpick that should come out dry.

Part 1

First prepare 1 lemon by removing the zest by holding the tool upside down and run the lemon underneath one swipe at a time. This will prevent including the bitter pith. A typical lemon will give you 1 tablespoon of lemon zest that you will use in the batter and in the streusel. Save this on the side. Cut the lemon in half and add that juice to the wet ingredients listed below.

Mix wet in one bowl by hand no beater needed:

1 stick melted salted butter

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

Blend into above:

1 cup sugar

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Mix dry in one bowl no beater needed:

2.5 cups of all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine dry into the wet ingredients. Do not overmix the batter. Just combine. OK if some flour shows.

Then add 2/3 of that tablespoon of lemon zest you prepared. The rest will be added to the streusel below.

Fold in 2 cups or 1 pint of fresh blueberries / or frozen. Do not overmix of the blueberries will bleed.

Part 2

The streusel topping to be added to top of each muffin before baking.

Combine with a fork like pie crust should be left with pebbles:

3 tablespoons soft salted butter

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 of that tablespoon of lemon zest you prepared above.

Pour muffin batter in cupcake papers as shown. Then cover each muffin with the streusel mix. That really is the secret to keeping the muffins so moist. The topping creates an insulated barrier as they bake.

Zest lemon swipe once and catch.

Fold do not over mix.

Finished product!

Oozing moist blueberries! Tres Bon Appetit!

Thanksgiving Here, There and NOT Everywhere

My first visit to Ireland was during Thanksgiving, and I celebrated the occasion with my son over a delicious Italian feast at a small restaurant called Kitty's Kaboodle on Merrion Row. It was near the famous O'Donoghue's Bar. Turkey was not on the menu. Thanksgiving isn't celebrated on the Emerald Isle or most of the world outside North America. We used the occasion to make hand traced turkeys to decorate the paper tablecloth the aged photo is included below.

Despite the important role pilgrims have in our feast history, Americans probably owe credit for the Thanksgiving celebration to our neighbors to the north. Canadians have been celebrating their Thanksgiving feast since the 1500s. Rooted in a religious harvest influenced by early French settlers, the holiday, held on the second Monday of October, was made an official public holiday in 1957. Unlike our Eve of Black Friday celebration, shopping is not part of the Canadian tradition.

For Canadians, the meal is quite similar to the state-side version with turkey or ham and plentiful harvest vegetables. The tradition allows folks to celebrate the Thanksgiving meal on any of the three weekend days in contrast to our single day focus. A distinct addition to the Canadian menu is the inclusion of maple syrup in their recipes. YUM! EY?

Your family may not be ready for a maple syrup glaze on your turkey, so try incorporating my pumpkin maple bread with maple topping. This bread can be made a few days before Thanksgiving just refrigerate it. This is perfect dessert to serve to people who are not fond of traditional pumpkin pie. It is delicious and attractive as shown below!

Most people bake sweet breads in a 9 X 5 pan, but I use a 12 X 4 pan shown below. These pans are hard to find in stores, but Amazon can deliver this to you quickly. The larger pan produces slices for a perfect size serving unlike the smaller pan that I cut slices in half. And, you get more slices! You will love this pan! I keep the baking time the same for both pans, but check the bread 10 minutes before the end time in case the larger pan bakes faster.

Pumpkin Maple Bread (one loaf)

READ RECIPE FIRST

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes. Done when toothpick inserted in middle is dry.

Ingredients:

Streusel for top before baking:
1/2 stick of butter at room temp (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Bread:
1 can 15 ounces pure pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup (100% Canadian preferred, Vermont good)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil (canola preferred)

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup milk at room temp

Glaze for when bread comes out of oven:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup

Method:
Mix the streusel with a fork keeping it lumpy cut in butter like pie crust mix. If it blends too much put in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. It should look like a crumb as in photo. Set aside.

In a bowl blend first 6 ingredients with a hand-held mixer until blended. In another bowl whisk flour and 5 ingredients.

Add dry ingredients to the liquid by alternating the additon of the milk.

Prepared bread pan by adding a sheet of parchment paper and spray with nonstick oil.

Add mixture to pan. Sprinkle the streusel to the top of the mixture. Move to preheated oven.

Bake 1 hour 15 minutes.

While baking, make the maple glaze and sprinkle on top of the hot bread. Cool bread in pan 30 minutes. Lift out and cool completely before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers. Keeps for days.

Use pure maple syrup.

Add maple glaze to top when hot out of oven. Gorgeous!!

Purchase the 12 X 4 pan on Amazon here priced for 2 pans. 

This handprint now cuddles his 7 month old daughter. Paper tablecloth from
 Kitty's Kaboodle 2001. Happy Turkey Day Everyone!

Notre Dame

The world grieved as our Grande Dame suffered the tragic fire last month. People of all faiths appreciated her place in history and her endurance during countless social and political upheavals. I share my hommage below, the pièce de résistance of my teapot collection, in remembrance. We can all  look forward to the restoration and reopening years away.

Until that day, when we can see her memorable facade in the skyline gliding down the Seine on a Bateau Mouche, I offer a perfect tourist stop at Notre Dame in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. As seen in my postcard below, the Basilica Notre Dame garnered a gothic revival style when it opened in 1682, after 10 years of construction. Many of the original architectural features remain, as well as some improvements including a bell tower. For more information select the link below.

Like the city of Montreal itself, French is the primary language for Mass, which surprised me when I was there last spring. There isn't an entrance fee to attend church services, but guided tours are reasonably priced, and you will be approached at the door for that service. In the evenings, there is a great laser display show projected inside the church for a nominal fee.

In London, Westminster Abbey has an admission fee and St. Paul's Cathedral charges 20 euros per person. It makes sense to keep these historical buildings in good repair. Nearly 14 million tourists a year visited Notre Dame Paris. If there was a visitor fee that could have generated 280 million euros (at 20 euros a person) - a healthy sum to maintain such a treasure. I predict that when Notre Dame Paris reopens there will be an entrance fee to fund needed maintenance.

While in Montreal, you will enjoy a vibrant food scene. Be sure to make reservations ahead of time. A great place to stay is the former Hyatt Regency, now a Doubletree (link below),  a short walking distance to Notre Dame, Chinatown, and Old Montreal. It is connected to one of the wonderful underground malls and transit systems.

Montreal is a great walking city with delicious neighborhood spots, such as Schwartz's Deli, click link at end. Shown in the picture below, their famous smoked beef (like corned beef) sandwiches will make you cry - they are that good! Around each corner you will find vibrant art displays like the quirky image below on a neighborhood building.

Great food, great shopping given the conversion rate to the dollar, and a quick flight from Chicago, New York, or Florida, make a compelling case to visit Notre Dame Basilica Montreal and to keep the spirit of Notre Dame Paris alive in our hearts.

Notre Dame teapot

Enormous Smoked Beef (like Corned Beef) Sandwich 

Quirky Artwork on Building near Schwartz's

Links:

Notre Dame Montreal

Doubletree Montreal

Schwartz's Deli Montreal