Lemon Pudding with Blueberry Compote

A craving for something sweet came over me the other night. I could've reached for one of the boxes of Girl Scout cookies we have tucked away in the freezer (the ones I try to pretend don't exist), but I was looking for something a bit more comforting. I looked in the fridge to find just a handful of ingredients: a few cups of milk, a half dozen eggs, and a pint of blueberries. There must be something I could do with these? And that's when I decided to research pudding recipes. I found a vanilla pudding that came together quickly, which I served with a blueberry compote. While rich and creamy in texture, the pudding remained a bit too soupy, even after hours of cooling. So, of course, I needed to try another batch to see if I could reach the perfect consistency.  I figured there were a few solutions to this problem. The first was to lower the amount of milk. Less liquid, thicker pudding. The other was to include more egg yolks. These two modifications did the trick. 

Having found a solid base to work with, I was ready to get playful. Lemon seemed the right direction, especially when paired with blueberries. Some zest and juice give it just the right amount of citrus flavor, without making it too zingy. 

LEMON PUDDING WITH BLUEBERRY COMPOTE 

SERVINGS
Serves 4

SPECIAL TOOLS
Zester

INGREDIENTS
For the lemon pudding
2 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon
2 ounces lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the blueberry compote
1 pint blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves

DIRECTIONS
1. In a bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks to break them up.

2. Put milk and cornstarch mixture into a medium saucepan. Set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. 

3. While whisking, slowly and carefully pour some of the hot milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks. Once half of the milk is whisked in, return the pot to the stove and stir in the egg mixture, along with the lemon juice and lemon zest. 

4. Set pot over low heat and simmer, stirring consistently, until the pudding thickens. Once it reaches the desired consistency, stir in butter. Remove from heat. 

5. Strain mixture into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve. Once cooled, transfer pudding to a container fitted with a lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days.

6. Prepare the compote by transferring the blueberries to a medium saucepan. Pour sugar over blueberries and set pot over medium heat. Once the blueberries start to release their juices, give the pot a stir to mix in the sugar.

7. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. At the end, stir in lemon zest and thyme leaves. Let cool.

8. To serve, divide pudding into ramekins. Top with a spoonful of compote. 

Blueberry Crumble

I do my best to avoid turning the oven on from June to September, so baking is an infrequent occurrence during the summer. When I do prepare desserts, they tend to be fruit-based and rustic.  Crumbles are my go-to sweet, mainly because it pairs so well with our favorite summer treat: ice cream. This last weekend, I brought the remains of a blueberry crumble to the Cape to share with friends, alongside vanilla ice cream from Four Seas, a local shop near Craigville Beach. This crumble is more cookie than fruit-filling, with just a bit of jammy innards, which make for a great sauce for whatever you scoop on top. 

Blueberry Crumble

Yield
8-10 servings

Ingredients
For the blueberry-filling
1 quart blueberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoon corn starch

For the crumble topping
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Using 1 tablespoon of butter or cooking spray, grease a 9 inch glass pie plate.
3. Place the blueberries into a large bowl, toss with sugar, corn starch and lemon juice. Spread fruit across pie plate.
4. In another bowl, add the dry ingredients for the topping.  Using a fork, mix the topping ingredients while drizzling the butter in, until it begins to come together. Sprinkle the topping over the blueberries and pat it down until it has completely covers the pan.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top has turned a slightly golden-brown.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream topped.

Chocolate Chip and Orange Mandel Bread

You may have noticed that things are looking a little different around here. I'm in the process of transferring all of my posts to this new site. It's quite an endeavor, but I think, in the end, it'll be worth it. Over the next month, I'll be continuing to add new features, like category lists. In the meantime, there's a search bar that will lead you to recipes. Just type "Drinks" and you'll get a list of all the beverages on the site.

I've been holding on to this mandel bread recipe for a while now. Last November, I was visiting my parents and helping while my grandfather had a minor procedure. My mom and I blocked off a day to cook meals for my grandparents to have throughout the week. While I worked on soups, salads, and entrees, my mom put together some desserts. I'd never thought too much about mandel bread, feeling that it was just a really dry cookie. But maybe my tastes have matured with age, because I couldn't stop eating them (especially all the broken bits that were left on the pan). 

When I returned home, I got to work on a recipe, loading the dough with mini chocolate chips and orange zest. For the rest of the week, this was my breakfast and dessert, paired with coffee in the morning and tea before bed. And, in between, I may have snuck one or two more. Self-control is not my strong suit. 

Chocolate Chip and Orange Mandel Bread

Yield
Approx 24 pieces

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Zest of 1 orange

For cinnamon-sugar topping
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions
1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 
2. Add the butter and 1 cup of sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat at medium-high speed until it's blended. Mix in the vanilla.
3. Put the stand mixer on its lowest setting and carefully add the flour mixture. Mix until dry ingredients are fully incorporated. The dough should be sticky. 
4. Add chocolate chips and orange zest and mix to incorporate with dough. 
5. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour (or you can do 30 minutes in the freezer).
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
7. Divide the dough and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Mold the dough into two, 3 inch wide loaves.
8. Bake for 25 minutes. 
9. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 250 degrees. 
10. Transfer the baked loaves onto a cutting board and slice each loaf at a diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices. 
11. Return the slices to the baking sheet and sprinkle half the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the cut-side of the mandel bread. Flip the slices over and sprinkle remaining cinnamon-sugar on top. 
12. Place the baking sheet back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes. 
13. Remove from oven. Let cool before consuming.