Blueberry Buckle

I stood in the kitchen this afternoon looking out the window and smiling as I watched Emilia eat nearly all of the very un-ripe blueberries off of the bushes.  'Are they yummy or are they sour?,' I called out to her.  'They're yummy,' she declared with a complete look of, 'yuck, these are so sour' right across her little face.  We told her a few days ago that the birds usually get to the blueberries before they have a chance to fully ripen, and I'm thinking she is determined to beat them to it.

It gladdens my heart though, watching Emilia roam around the backyard and exploring all the little things that are so new and fascinating to her.  And while I am the first to admit that I do not relish playing in the dirt anymore (at all), I do have very strong memories of loving it when I was little.  In fact, I can even remember eating my fair share of sour fruit — just because I could, and not because it was particularly good.

I've still been in recovery mode from the strawberry mayhem in our house last month.  And I've tried very hard to shun all thoughts of raspberries (unless, of course, Kari suggests we go... I do like me some raspberries...) and blueberries.  However, as we walked through Metropolitan Market yesterday, Emilia began pointing out the enormous containers of blueberries.  'Maybe we get some blueberries, mama?'  And what could I say?  They were local and dirt cheap.  Done.

As of now I've made blueberry muffins, which was a spin on this recipe.  (Although I swapped out the all-purpose flour for wheat, the milk for buttermilk, and the strawberries for blueberries.)  And yesterday Emilia and I made a blueberry buckle, which is essentially the same thing as a coffeecake.  The recipe came from Pure Flavor which is a marvelous cookbook.  In fact, it is the best 'local' (i.e. Pacific Northwest) cookbook in my collection.  I am also very happy to say that this blueberry buckle is currently residing in our freezer.  You know how I always like to have something to look forward to, particularly if it is for breakfast...  And this blueberry buckle is perfect for breakfast, not too sweet and it includes a fruit serving, to boot.  Although, again, it would be lovely in the afternoon, with a nice cuppa.

As for the rest of the blueberries?  Well, I'm thinking of depositing them somewhere near the blueberry bushes in the backyard.   That way, next time Emilia takes it into her mind to sit out on the back steps and help herself to some decidedly green blueberries, at least she won't have to grimace through them.  Although, that may be half the fun for her.

Blueberry Buckle
serves 6

Topping
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon grated lemon zest
pinch of table salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Buckle
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
¾ cup milk, at room temperature
2 cups fresh (only if they are in season) or frozen blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Grease a 9-inch round baking pan.  For some reason, I used a cake pan, which was fine and pretty to look at once it was all said and done, albeit it was a bit difficult to get the thing out.  But I didn't want to freeze my Pyrex that I would undoubtedly need ten minutes later...

Make the topping.  Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.  Using your hands, or a pastry cutter, if you prefer, rub together until a coarse mixture forms.  Set aside.

Now for the buckle.  Get out your heavy-duty mixer (with the paddle attachment) or your hand-held mixer.  Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl down a couple of times in the process.  Add the vanilla and lemon zest.  Then add the egg, and continue to mix on medium speed, scraping the bowl again as needed.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Give it a little stir.

Add the milk and the flour mixture alternately to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition.  (I usually do this sort of thing in thirds, but suit yourself.)  Pour the batter into your prepared pan and sprinkle with the topping.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.  Let it cool on a wire rack.  If you are planning to freeze the whole thing, then wait for it to cool completely before proceeding with that step.

The buckle will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.  Alternatively, you can wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month.  (My preferred method of freezing is to wrap first with parchment paper and then with a good layer of foil.  I have some aluminum foil that I have re-used for this sort of thing so many times that it lessens my guilt for buying it to begin with.  (Recipe from Pure Flavor by Kurt Beecher Dammeier.  Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2007.)