Blueberries=Bluish Bursts of Heaven

I never thought twice about blueberries until I took my first trip in New England to a blueberry farm, plucked a big fat juicy berry off a bush, and experienced the joy of devouring a fresh blueberry. They have become my favorite fruit over the past six summers of picking. And August is Blueberry Month in New England, for those who didn't know. So far this summer I (with some help from Ava) have picked 16 pounds of blueberries, all of which have been ingested by me, Ava, and Derek (particularly the first two of us) in the course of about 3 weeks. Ava has been eating a bowl of blueberries every morning with her breakfast, then grazes on them straight from the giant mixing bowl in the fridge throughout the day.

My first couple of times picking berries years ago, I carefully rationed them off--freezing most for use throughout the fall and winter. But later I decided that there is nothing better than eating a blueberry while it's fresh and unadorned, uncooked, and un-meddled with. So now my rule is to eat as many blueberries as we possibly can, enjoying every little succulent bite, and if there happen to be any left over after a week or two, then they can be cooked into a pie or muffin or frozen for later.

My sister did send me a recipe, though, that convinced me to stray once from my personal bluberry pact. And it was well worth it. Derek and I MELTED over this recipe (and it's easy!). So for any of you with access to a blueberry bush, get picking!! And try this out:


BLUEBERRY GALETTE WITH LEMON ICE CREAM
For lemon ice cream:
1 pt superpremium vanilla ice cream
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For galette:
1 lb fresh blueberries (3 cups)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie dough (from a 15-oz package)
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and butter foil.

Make lemon ice cream:
Transfer ice cream to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 30 percent power at 10-second intervals until softened, about 50 seconds total. Stir in zest and juice, then thinly spread in a shallow baking pan and freeze while making galette.

Assemble and bake galette:
Stir together blueberries, cornstarch, zest, juice, cinnamon, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until combined.

Unwrap pie dough and unfold onto baking sheet, then spoon blueberry mixture onto center of dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border around edge.

Fold edge of dough over 1 inch of blueberry mixture, pleating dough, then dot blueberry filling with butter pieces. Lightly brush pastry with some of beaten egg and sprinkle with remaining teaspoon sugar.

Bake until blueberry filling is bubbling and pastry is golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheet on a rack. Serve warm galette with scoops of lemon ice cream.

Gourmet July 2004 (found on epicurious.com--a great site for recipes)