Oregon blueberries hard to beat

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Whether you eat them plump and juicy right off the bush, crisp and refreshing from the freezer or warm and gooey in pancakes — Oregon blueberries are hard to beat. They have a subtle-yet-tantalizing flavor all their own. And if you look at them just right, these plump and purple berries make you want to laugh.

But their versatility is no joke. Blueberries are a summertime treat that will be appreciated in just about any dessert concoction you prepare, from blueberry muffins to blueberry parfaits. The trick is to play up their beautiful deep, rich color and subtle flavor. The culinary palette for blueberries should be light-toned and delicately seasoned.

One of the best companions to blueberries, naturally, is cream. Ice cream is terrific, too. Vanilla ice cream in particular, swirled generously with blueberries, is sheer heaven.

For a slightly more complex celebration of blueberry season, try my Blueberry Ice Cream Sandwiches. The filling is a delectable mixture of vanilla ice cream, fresh blueberries and chewy chunks of chocolate wafer cookies. You can whip them up on a moment’s notice, anytime the mood strikes, providing the ingredients are on hand. Pack this delight between two giant chocolate-chip cookies, and you’ve got a real kid-loving treat. Of course, the Roberts-Dominguez test kitchen has found the filling to be just as acceptable sans chocolate-chip cookies; just dish it out and give everyone a spoon.

As for those special occasions when only a flambe will do (now that I’ve made you think of it!), consider Blueberries Jubilee. A spinoff from the classic Cherries Jubilee, this dessert is appropriate to the region and season. After cooking down a batch of fresh blueberries, sugar and lemon juice to a rich sauce, toss in some more blueberries and cook them briefly — just until they plump. Swizzle on some warmed brandy, ignite, and voila — a rich and steamy sauce that you ladle over fabulous quality vanilla ice cream before the flames are even extinguished if you work fast enough.

Blueberry facts

• Color is the best indicator of blueberry maturity and fully developed flavor. Blueberries should be deep purple blue to blue black, with a naturally powdery bloom or fine, snowy-white dust on the surface. Avoid green immature berries.

• Size is not an indicator of maturity or flavor. Size varies according to the variety from 1/4- to 5⁄8-inch diameter. More than 50 varieties of blueberries exist in Oregon, each one possessing unique characteristics of size, flavor and harvest time.

• Speaking of variety, you should pay attention to the varieties you purchase — ask the grower if you’re at a farmers’ market, for example — so if you really like the flavor and texture, you can repeat the experience in the years ahead.

• Shelf life for blueberries is longer than for other berries — generally 10 days to two weeks from harvest. For storage, arrange unwashed blueberries in a shallow container and cover. Wash just prior to use.

• To freeze fresh blueberries, simply wash and dry thoroughly, then pack into freezer containers or bags and freeze.

• Frozen blueberries should be thawed in the refrigerator (instead of at room temperature) for best quality.

— Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis food writer, artist, and author of “Oregon Hazelnut Country, the Food, the Drink, the Spirit,” and four other cookbooks. Readers can contact her by email at janrd@proaxis.com, or obtain additional recipes and food tips on her blog at www.janrd.com.