Blueberry season has been in full swing for at least a month now and even though I am buying two boxes per week, my family still can’t get enough of ‘nature’s candy’. Blueberries have a particular allure to them, they aren’t too sweet and when they have just a little sourness to them, they are perfection. We eat them by the handful, over yoghurt and with granola for breakfast, in muffins, in crumbles, and in many savoury dishes as well. Blueberries are not just tasty treats, they are so good for you too! They are regarded as being a ‘superfruit’ which is extremely high in anti oxidants and have been known to reduce cardiovascular disease and loss of brain function (bcblueberry.com). Just a half cup serving of blueberries can be the equivalent of one serving of your daily fruit and vegetables.
This year I had the opportunity to enjoy a fun hands on cooking event at Cookbook Co. Cooks with the BC Blueberry Council. Did you know that British Columbia is one of the world’s largest producers of high bush blueberries, with over 77 million kilograms grown annually? I just can’t get over the fact that 77 million kilograms of blueberries are grown in a coast BC region that is only 11,300 hectares, about 20 kms by 80 kms. Cooking with a bunch of blogger friends is definitely a lot more fun than cooking by myself at home and our ultimate goal was to sit down and share a delicious blueberry themed dinner together. Once we were divided into groups of 3-4, we stood beside one of three cooking stations with pre arranged recipes and ingredients all sorted out. Want to save this recipe? Enter your email below and get this post sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I'll send you my weekly newsletter featuring the newest and best Dish 'n' the Kitchen recipes every week!
Our finished Dark Chocolate and Blueberry Scones were paired with a delicious Warm Berry and Thyme Compote.
So now that I’ve covered dessert, here are the other dishes we made that night…
Spring Salad with Blueberry Balsamic Dressing
Butterflied Chicken Breast stuffed with Blueberry and Goat Cheese and served with a Blueberry Maple Sauce.
Some of the industrious and talented blogger chefs creating our blueberry themed dinner:
Justine (JustineCelina), Aadil (Beltline Bites), Michelle (Cooking with Mama Mui), Chef Melissa Gorsedin,
Kate (The Archives of Cool), Stephanie (Clockwork Lemon), Sarah (From Stork to Fork), Denise (Sweet Peas and Saffron)
Dark Chocolate and Blueberry Scones with Warm Berry Thyme Compote
(recipe by Chef Melissa Gorsedin, Cookbook Co. Cooks)
Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups AP Flour
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter; chilled
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 3/4 cup half-and-half cream
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate; chopped
- 1 egg
Method
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Cut butter into mixture of flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add blueberries and chocolate and toss to mix.
- In separate bowl beat together cream and egg, and slowly pour into dry ingredients, stirring with rubber scraper until dough forms. Knead just until it comes together, 3 or 4 times. Don’t over handle.
- Roll the dough out 1 inch thick and cut out rounds. If you like, brush the tops with milk or cream and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake on ungreased sheet about 20 minutes at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Serve warm!!
Warm Berry and Thyme Compote
Ingredients
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 1/2 cup blackberries
- 1 12 cup blueberries
- 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp chopped thyme
- 1 cup raspberries
Method
- Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Stir in blackberries, blueberries, sugar and lemon juice.
- Cook until juices are released from fruit, about 14 minutes.
- Stir in thyme, then raspberries. Add more sugar and lemon juice to taste, depending on sweetness of berries.
- Serve warm with scones.
Here are some of my favourite Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen blueberry themed blog posts:
Blueberry Lattice Pie with Lemon Zest and Spruce Buds
Blueberry Balsamic Braised Beef Short Ribs
Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
