Blueberry Crumb Bars

So I was just telling some of my co-workers that I made some delicious blueberry crumb bars, but forgot to bring them in. And I really meant to bring them in, because, as the doctor said, "Wow. Those sound buttery."


"Yes they are," I said. "I made a double batch and used a pound of butter."


This is where a fellow nurse stifled a gasp and became very wide-eyed. "But each batch was the size of this patient's chart," I tried to justify.


But really, there's no getting around the fact that these specimens contain a  lot of butter. That's why they need to get the heck out of my house. These little bars of crumby, gooey deliciousness are like little pies (my most favoritest dessert ever), but better, because you can eat them with your hands. Everything is better when eaten with the hands.
We made these for our Fourth of July picnic, at which point we pondered the origins of their deliciousness. We pronounced,"They're the perfect combination of sweet (the blueberries), salty (the dough), starchy (the dough), tart (the lemon), smooth (the filling), and crunchy (the topping)." Not to mention buttery. With all of these fantastic flavors and textures all going on at the same time, your tongue just can't say no. At least mine can't--these things are becoming seriously problematic, much like the zucchini patties.


Like one of Nick's co-workers said, "Your brain tells you to eat it, and you have no choice." 


These bars are easy to make, and they're delicious the day after they're made, which makes them quite convenient. Also convenient is the fact that they're super-portable. The perfect summer food.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

(Adapted from Epicurious)

Crust: 

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sliced or chopped almonds

Filling:

• 3 cups fresh blueberries (about 15 ounces) or one 12-ounce package frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
• 1 cup blueberry preserves (10 to 11 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel (packed)

For crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with aluminum foil, and spray foil with non-stick cooking spray.


Add flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon to a food processor and mix for a few seconds until combined. Drop the chunks of butter onto the surface of the flour, and pulse a few times until the butter has turned into pea-sized lumps. Dump this mixture into a large bowl and add the oats. Mix to combine.


Transfer 2 cups to medium bowl; mix in almonds and reserve for topping.


Press remaining crumb mixture evenly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust until golden and just firm to touch, about 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.


For filling:
Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Spread evenly over crust in pan, then sprinkle reserved topping over.


Bake bars until filling bubbles thickly at edges and topping is golden brown, about 50-60 minutes; cool in pan on rack. Cut lengthwise into 4 strips, then cut each strip into 6 pieces, forming 24 bars.


These bars are excellent the day they're made, but I think that they really reach the peak of perfection on their second day of existence. Store covered in the refrigerator.

The Ideal Summer Pie: Mixed Berries with a Streusel Topping

If you make this pie, your friends and family will love you. Well, hopefully they do anyway, but they'll love you even more after you give them some of this heavenly dessert.

This is easy to make, partially because the recipe for the crust is fabulously easy to work with, and it's the perfect summer pie because you can use whatever bounty the season of summer happens to be sharing with you at any given moment. For example, I used blueberries, blackberries and strawberries this time because that's what happens to be yummy right now. But you could use raspberries, mulberries, and even diced peaches. 


The buttery, crumbly, slightly crisp streusel topping is always a crowd-pleaser, and if you serve this with some home-made maple ice cream, your loved ones will love you even more. You'll just be burgeoning with love, but the maple ice cream is another post.

Mixed Berry Streusel Pie

(Adapted from Epicurious)

 Crust

-2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

-1 tablespoon sugar-1 teaspoon salt

-7 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

-1/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

-6 tablespoons (about) ice water
 

Topping

-6 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

-6 tablespoons whole almonds

-6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

-4 1/2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats

-4 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
 

Filling

-1 cup sugar (less if your fruit is very sweet)
 -scant 1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca

-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
 -5 cups assorted fresh berries (such as strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries; about 8 ounces of each)

For crust:

Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and pulse about 4 times until the butter is broken into pea-sized lumps.

Add the shortening and pulse about 6 times until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Turn the mixture out into a large bowl. Sprinkle with 5 tablespoons ice water and mix with a spatula, using pressing motions, until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if mixture is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least half an hour.
 

For topping:

Combine all ingredients in processor. Process until moist clumps form. (Dough and topping can be made 1 day ahead. Cover topping and chill; keep dough chilled. Soften dough slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)

                                                                                                                                                                                                   
 

For filling:

Mix sugar, tapioca, and lemon juice in large bowl. Add berries and toss gently to combine. Let stand until tapioca softens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.
 

In the meantime, preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 15-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1 inch. Fold overhang under and crimp decoratively, forming high-standing rim. Freeze crust 20 minutes.

Spoon filling into crust. Crumble topping evenly over filling. Bake pie on a foil-covered cookie sheet until crust and topping are golden brown and filling is bubbling, covering loosely with sheet of foil if topping browns too quickly. This will take about an hour and 10 minutes, maybe longer. The pie is finished when the crust and topping are golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
 

Transfer pie to rack and cool at least 2 hours. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. If it's humid where you live, cover and refrigerate the pie.) Cut pie into wedges and serve.

(The Bay Bridge on the way home from enjoying the pie.)