Blueberries Are Okay.

I'm not one much for blueberries. I'm not one much for berries in general. Maybe it's the taste, maybe it's the texture, or the lack of juiciness. But really I think it's the fact that I have to eat 25 of them to get one serving of fruit. So what would ever make me want to bike to the orchard to pick these tiny fruits myself? The answer is Solebury Orchard's Apple Cider Ice. Imagine the most delicious apple cider you've ever tasted made into a slushie on a hot day. You'd be picking blueberries too.

So anyway, I have to admit that the fresh blueberries weren't all that bad, and they were exceptionally gorgeous. Again, the experience of seeing your fruit on a tree and then eating that fruit is about one-zillion times better than freezing your cutuckus off in the frozen food isle of a supermarket. I know I rant all the time about this, and eventually I will stop, but the more I visit supermarkets, the more I get really creeped out. You step into this giant refrigerator, and are greeted with perky flowers and a starbucks kiosk. Then you peruse isle after isle of food... from all over the world! The bright mounds of produce gleam like still life photos from the MOMA, and there's a looping thunderstorm in the leafy greens shelf.

I mean, I still buy the occasional avocado from Acme. But I came from work to find this fatty green treasure, whereas it came from CALIFORNIA. (And we grumble about the person who saunters in front of our car as we're hunting for parking spots!)

Anyway... blueberries, blueberries. Look how precious and perfect they are right off the branch!

Picking them was a pretty good time. Although I will say I felt strangely like a primate as I squatted and plucked ripe nerdles of fruit off a branch with my thumb and forefinger.

The next day, my berry pickin partner and I made some pretty dank blueberry crepes. Although I completely misunderstood how a crepe-maker is supposed to be used, they still turned out pretty well. Check it out:

CREPE BATTER:

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg and 1 egg yolk

2/3 cup milk mixed with 2/3 cup water

3 tbs unsalted butter melted and cooled

BLUEBERRY FILLING:

three or four handfuls of fresh blueberries

4 Tbs of water

2 Tbs of packed brown sugar

1 Tbs of honey

Hand squeezed juice of half a small lemon

• Put all the blueberry filling stuff into a small saucepan and bring to a boil
• Turn down the heat and stir a few times
• Let this simmer until the blueberries break apart and turn into mush
• Stir occasionally as this happens to ensure it doesn't burn
• Let the water burn off the mixture and heat until it thickens slightly
• Keep warm until ready

For the CREPES:

• Throw the flour, salt, eggs, milk/water mix, and butter into a mixer or food processor
• Blend until smooth (pretty awesomely simple huh. I think you could do this with a hnad mixer on high if you don't have either of the other gadgets.)

Putting it together. There are a few different ways I've actually cooked crepes. I have used just a pan, and I have used a crepe maker. A crepe maker is easier, of course.

PAN:

• Pan on medium heat
• Brush with butter
• Pour a thin layer of batter into pan. You might not be able to pour only from the middle, you will probably have to pour in a spiral to get a large, thin, layer
• Cook until the top gets shiny and bubbles harden
• Slide out of pan onto plate

CREPE MAKER (the right way):

• Pour batter into provided dish
• Heat griddle until light goes off
• Invert the griddle into crepe batter dish to 'dunk' the face of the griddle in the batter
• Hold for a second
• Flip over and cook till the light goes out
• Remove with a rubber spatula when the crepe appears shiny by inverting over a dish

Crepes are great just with a little powdered sugar, with fruit, and cheese but IMO are best with all three. I'm not going to lie, I got impatient to eat and didn't bother to sift my confectioners' sugar. So unrefined, I know. I melted a little chocolate and drizzled it ontop as well. Lastly I experimented with white cheddar cheese in the blueberry filling and I've got to admit it was my favorite combination.