Blueberry Soda

 

My dad got me a SodaStream soda maker for my birthday this year and I couldn't wait to get started on making my own syrups. This blueberry soda recipe immediately came to mind, so I patiently waited for blueberry season. When we finally had enough blueberries, I got to work.

Making the syrup is very simple. It's basically like making a simple syrup, except you make blueberry juice first. So, the syrup was done in no time. The hardest part was waiting for it to cool. Once it was completly cool, I made myself some carbonated water and slowly added the blueberry syrup. Just like that I had blueberry soda! 

This first thing I noticed was how beautiful the color was.  The soda is such a deep purple, and the bubbles are a delicately lighter color.  A treat of the eyes as well as the taste buds.  Speaking of taste, drinking the soda is like have a mouth full of blueberries.  As expected, the blueberry flavor shines, and the sweetness is not overpowering.  The lime juice adds a nice tartness, to make it a well rounded beverage.

Blueberry Soda
An Alton Brown Recipe

Ingredients
20 ounces fresh blueberries, approximately 4 cups, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
7 ounces sugar
1 lime, juiced
Carbonated water

Directions
Put the blueberries and water into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the blueberry mixture into a cheesecloth lined colander in a large bowl. Allow the mixture to cool for at least 15 minutes or until it is cool enough to handle.

Gather up the edges of the cheesecloth and squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible. Discard the skin and pulp. Put the blueberry juice back into the saucepan and add the sugar and lime juice. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved, then cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a glass container.

Place the syrup in the refrigerator, uncovered, until completely cooled. To Serve: Combine 1/4 cup of the liquid with 8-ounces of carbonated water and serve over ice.

Blueberry Cobbler

I have yet to meet a cobbler I didn't like, and this blueberry cobbler is no exception.  I found the original recipe when I was looking for a new dessert to make with fresh strawberries.  Somehow, I stumbled upon this dish and I'm glad I did. 

The first time I made it, I used frozen blueberries and added some fresh strawberries (just because I was determined to use strawberries, I guess).  The result was a very soupy cobbler, which wasn't what I was going for at all.  The flavor was wonderful, though, so I wanted to make it again.  I ditched the strawberries, switched to fresh blueberries, and with a few other tweaks, came up with a very pleasing summer dessert.

The cobbler comes together very much like a peach cobbler recipe that I have.  An interesting ingredient to this application is boiling water.  The boiling water, poured directly on top of the cobbler just before baking, adds a shine and a nice subtle crispiness to the crust.  It is like a combination of pie and cake, and the softness and juiciness of the blueberries are a perfect compliment.  I can see myself making this cobbler again and again.

Blueberry Cobbler
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
3 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 3/4 cups sugar (divided)
4 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch + 1 teaspoon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup boiling water

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an 11x7 inch baking dish.

Add the blueberries to the baking dish. Squeeze the juice from the lemon over them, add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and mix to combine. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter and cup of sugar until smooth. Combine the flour and baking powder and add to the sugar mixture alternately with the milk until smooth. Spoon over the berries, and spread evenly.

In another bowl, combine 3/4 cup of sugar, salt, cinnamon and 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter. Then, pour the boiling water over the entire dish.

Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown.

Blueberry Buckle

So I was watching Good Eats with Eva one night as we were waiting for Daniel and Michelle to arrive from Chicago.  The episode was "Kinda Blue (Blueberry)" and as soon as we turned it on I knew what Alton Brown was preparing on the show, blueberry buckle.  Blueberry buckle!  Blueberry buckle is one of my favorite Alton Brown recipes and I sat there wondering why I hadn't made it for so long.  Right then and there, I decided that when blueberries were in season blueberry buckle would be the first thing I would make with them.

And I did.  I have made it using both fresh and frozen blueberries and I would definitely recommend using fresh if at all possible.  Blueberry buckle is a blueberry lovers dream as it is jam packed with the little blue orbs.  It is not too sweet, and the topping just takes it to another level of culinary delight.  The buckle is wonderful served warm out of the oven, but also holds up well over several days in an airtight container, if it even lasts that long.

I am so glad Eva and I watched this episode because it was a nice kick in the pants to get back on the buckle wagon.  Never again will I let a summer go by without preparing this delightful dish.  As for the other recipes from the episode; I currently have a disk of blueberry pie filling waiting anxiously in the freezer, and I haven't yet made the soda, but it is on my list of things to try.  Here's the recipe for those of you who are interested.  My suggestion, take advantage of the season and give it a try!

Blueberry Buckle
An Alton Brown recipe
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
For the cake:
9 ounces cake flour, approximately 2 cups
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
5 1/4 ounces sugar, approximately 3/4 cup
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
15 ounces fresh whole blueberries, approximately 3 cups

For the topping:
3 1/2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/2 cup
1 1/2 ounces cake flour, approximately 1/3 cup
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 ounces unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

Directions
For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Lightly oil a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground ginger.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat for 30 seconds. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated and then add 1/3 of the milk and beat until incorporated. Repeat, alternating flour and milk until everything is combined. Gently fold in the blueberries and pour into the prepared baking dish.

For the topping:
In a small bowl combine the sugar, flour and nutmeg. Add the butter. Integrate the butter into the dry mixture with a fork until it has a crumb-like texture. Sprinkle the mixture on the cake batter. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden in color. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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