Enjoy the berry best

Everyday Kitchen -

Once Labour Day is behind us, it's blueberry season, time to celebrate one of Newfoundland and Labrador's great contributions to humanity.

I know you can buy them in the grocery store from other places - plump, perfect and tasteless. For whatever reason - and I'm sure you botanists out there could explain this - the ones that grow here are special.

My parents and their friends came to visit this week and they brought with them some blueberries that my cousin picked near her cabin in Howley. They didn't last long once they got inside my kitchen.

Blueberries, peaches and cream

The first cupful went into this wonderful and easy dessert. Serve it slightly warm, at room temperature, or chilled - three different taste experiences.

Leave out the vermouth if you wish but it adds an unusually pleasant flavour that people will ask about.

You can also substitute lemon for the lime juice, but lime is definitely superior. Any fresh berry will work but blueberries seem to have a natural affinity for peaches. One last thing, light syrup is fine but add a spoonful of sugar to the pan. You will have to boil it a little longer, as well. This recipe serves 6.

1 19-oz. can peach halves in heavy syrup

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

3 tbsp. vermouth

1 tbsp. lime juice

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 cups fresh blueberries

Strain peaches, reserving syrup. Melt butter in a non-stick frying pan and add peach halves. Fry until golden brown on both sides, being careful not to burn them or break them up. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add syrup to pan and bring to a vigorous boil.

Stir in vermouth and lime juice and reduce mixture until it is thick and caramel coloured. Stir in whipping cream off heat - be careful, this stuff is like molten lead. Continue to cook until mixture is smooth and golden, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool to your preferred serving temperature. To serve, divide peach halves among serving dishes and top with blueberries. Pour sauce over top.

Blueberry marmalade

Another natural mix is blueberries and oranges. Try this on a toasted bagel and savour a blissful moment. If you like firm marmalade then just at the end add pectin - whatever type you like to use, then boil a minute. I prefer the looser, more natural consistency.

If you don't want to use a food processor you can certainly chop the fruit by hand, but you might consider grating the peel to avoid large chunks. This is so good it doesn't make it to the bottling stage - I just spoon it right out of a bowl in my fridge.

1 large orange

1 lemon

1/2 cup orange juice

3 cups blueberries

3 cups sugar

Chop orange and lemon by hand or in a food processor until fairly fine but not pureed. Simmer in orange juice 10 minutes. Add blueberries and sugar and simmer another 15 minutes, until blueberries collapse and mixture thickens. Cool or bottle in sterilized containers.

Blueberry crunch cake

This cake is fabulous. Go buy some unsalted butter for this recipe - it's worth it.

The blueberries infuse a tender batter with exquisitely light flavour. Use a smaller pan to get a thicker base but if you do bake it a bit longer. You will get 12 nice pieces of cake from this recipe.

1/4 cup soft unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

2 cups blueberries

Topping:

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup soft unsalted butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, starting and ending with dry ingredients.

Fold in blueberries - be gentle so you don't break them up and turn the batter purple.

Pour into a well-greased 9 by 11-inch baking dish.

Using a fork, combine the topping ingredients to form a crumbly mixture and sprinkle on top of batter. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes or until a tester in the middle comes out clean.

Serve warm with cold canned cream, and be thankful.

Cynthia Stone is a writer, editor and teacher in St. John's. Questions may be sent to her c/o The Telegram, P.O. Box 5970 , St. John's, NL, A1C 5X7.