Summertime always offers a bountiful harvest of fresh fruit and berries - and blueberries are, by far, one of my favourites.
As a matter of fact, I just finished performing a number of live cooking shows where blueberries were the main focus. They are not only packed full of nutrition and flavour but are also a very versatile cooking ingredient.
Upon any investigation into foods that are rich in antioxidants, you will always find berries at the top of the list. Blueberries have all the other berries beat when it comes to antioxidant levels.
The health benefits that we gain from foods abundant in antioxidants are too numerous to list in complete detail but include anti-aging, lower cholesterol, strong immune resistance to flus and viruses and reduction in risks of cancer and heart disease.
This being said, it is in our best interest to attempt to introduce blueberries into our meals whenever possible.
The first idea that crosses most people's minds when considering blueberries as an ingredient is desserts, but blueberries also compliment many savoury dishes quite well.
Here are two suggestions for you to experiment with in the kitchen:
? Red Meat: Since blueberries are very dark and intensely flavoured, they tend to stand up to meats that are also very bold.
A red wine pan gravy on steaks, roasted beef, or lamb, for example, is always complimented by the rich intensity of a couple handfuls of blueberries cooked down in it. Simply strain out the skins for a smooth syrupy sauce.
? Salads: When dealing with acids in vinaigrettes, blueberries work well as added sweetness, either as a salad ingredient or pureed into the dressing, to help tone down the sharp notes of vinegars, lemon and lime juices. The result is a smoother, more complex taste.
One last thing to remember is that blueberries are also enhanced by the taste of balsamic vinegar. Try this at home tonight: take a handful of blueberries, wash and dry them and toss with a teaspoon of balsamic, and a sprinkle of sugar if desired. The blueberries and the balsamic are both bold flavours and pair quite well. Keeping this in mind will also assist you with the inclusion of blue-berries in red meat and salad dishes as mentioned above.
? Dear Chef Dez:
I love buying blueberries from our local farms in large quantities at a great price.
What is the best way to freeze them? How long should I keep them?
Joseph C. Mission, B.C.
Dear Joseph:
Blueberries are best frozen individually to make it easier to retrieve a certain measurement when they are frozen, rather than defrosting a solid mass of them. I find the best way to do this is by laying them all out on baking sheets, freeze them completely and then transfer to sealable freezer bags. To make it easier to use them direct from their frozen state, I suggest washing them prior to freezing, however they would also need to be dried before going onto the sheet pans.
Wet berries will freeze not only to each other but also to the pan, making it much more difficult to transfer into the freezer bags. I suggest keeping frozen blueberries for up to a year for best results.
Send your food/cooking questions to dez@chefdez. com or to PO Box 2674, Abbotsford, B.C., V2T 6R4.
Chef Dez is a food columnist and culinary instructor. Visit him at www.chefdez.com.
