iatebrisbane.com

Sometimes I am a very silly cook.  Sometimes, I over-commit myself to all sorts of ridiculous culinary adventures, such as a breakfast for 22 friends on my teensy tiny balcony with only two hours notice; or, let’s say, a 4-part swordfish polenta extravaganza, having never cooked with swordfish OR polenta before.  Yes, sometimes, I am a very over-eager cook.

But not today, dear readers.  Today was all about simplicity, and most of all, quantity. It started off innocently enough, with inspiration from Taylor Takes a Taste – his beautiful photos of blueberry and green iced tea seemed just the thing for a slow, quiet day at home.  But whilst out shopping for blueberries, I thought, “Surely I can put the leftover blueberries to further use! I know! Humble Crumble! I need apples!” And whilst I was at it, I thought, “Gee, I really ought to make some breakfast. Apples + blueberries = quick apple danish!” So gathering together ye darling buds of blue, I set off home with blueberries, apples, and a bit of ricotta for some added fun, and set about my blueberry adventure.

The first thing I needed was a quick breakfast, so out from the freezer came the leftover puff pastry, and I set about thinly slicing apples, and carefully arranging them on very un-fussy, awkward squares of pastry with blueberries, a sprinkle of sugar, and a smattering of ricotta.  Into the oven, and 10 minutes later, voila! An absolutely gorgeous breakfast snack.

Next up, I set to work on Taylor’s disgustingly simple blueberry green tea.  So quick and easy to prepare, and I even used the left over blueberry pulp to make some blueberry ice cubes, which I thought might make for a fun, visual effect.

Later on, after watching half of this year’s BCS National Championship (yes, I am a proud Australian NCAA  jock!), I completed the trifecta with a delightfully easy humble apple, blueberry and orange crumble.  Ohhhh so good.

What a day. 3 ways with blueberry, and 3 levels of devine, juicy, culinary heaven.  And my guiltiest sin of all on this fine day?

I used frozen blueberries, and none would be the wiser.

Deliciously Quick Blueberry and Apple Danish

I stole the inspiration for this recipe from an old Gourmet Traveller.  The rules are simple: take frozen puff pastry, cover in pretty much any assortment of fruit, add other flavours as you like, sprinkle with sugar and bake. I have also used peaches, pears, almonds, brown sugar, and even slathered the pastry with jam before adding fruit.  These are pretty impossible to stuff up, which is why I love making them so much. My version of the recipe is below, and makes 2 danishes.

• 1/4 cup of blueberries
• 1/2 an apple
• 50g ricotta
• 1/2 sheet of puff pastry (cut into 15 cm x 15 cm squares, but you can cut it whichever way you like for decorative purposes)
• 1 tsp sugar

1. Take each square of pastry, and roughly assemble your apples – I did mine in a fan shape
2. Scatter the blueberries on top
3. Sprinkle each square with 1/2 tsp sugar
4. Crumble the ricotta over the top of each danish with your fingers
5. Bake in a hot oven (220° C) for about 10 minutes, checking to ensure they don’t burn.
6. Enjoy with smug satisfaction.

Disgustingly Simple Blueberry Green Tea

Whilst wandering around tastespotting.com this morning, I was absolutely taken by Taylor’s photos of blueberry green tea. The recipe seemed simple enough: make blueberry sugar syrup; add tea; refrigerate; enjoy. What easy refreshment!

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• enough green tea (or teabags) to make 2 litres of tea (this will depend on the brand of tea you have)
• a bunch of water (or, 2.25L if you’re so inclined)

1. Put the blueberries and sugar in a saucepan with 250ml (1 cup) water. If you are using frozen blueberries, heat on medium til the blueberries thaw. Once the blueberries are thawed, turn up the heat to high, and cook until the mixture is boiling.  Remove from heat, and allow to cool (10 minutes or so).
2. Boil 500ml (2 cups) water, add your tea (or teabags) and allow to steep for 10 minutes.
3. Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the blueberry syrup into a bowl, and use a spoon to mash all the juice out of the blueberries. Now add your lemon juice and stir.
4. Add your tea (removing tea bags, or, if you are using loose leaf tea, make sure you strain it), and stir.
5. Pour the whole thing into a 2L jug (or some other fancy vessel) and add 1.5L of water to your blueberry green tea mix. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Enjoy ice-cold, and remark at your own cleverness.

Recipe courtesy of Taylor Takes A Taste – whose photos of the tea are MUCH nicer than mine!

Delightfully Easy Blueberry, Orange and Humble Apple Crumble

I stole the premise of this apple crumble from some food magazine or another quite a few years back, so I honestly can’t remember who to credit. The basis is you get a bunch of fruit you like (apples are the base, with whatever else you want to add – peach, rhubarb, blueberry, pear, berries etc), chuck it in a baking dish, and then squeeze orange over the whole thing before adding your crumble.  The orange gives everything a delightful, citrus zing, without being too overpowering.

• 4 sweet green apples (granny smith or similar), peeled, cored and cubed
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 orange
• 100g butter, cubed
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup oats
• Other stuff such as walnuts, coconut etc if you so desire

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Butter the inside of a 1.5L baking dish.
2. Put your apples into the baking dish, and sprinkle the blueberries over the top. Mix roughly with your hands.
3. In a large bowl, put your flour, brown sugar, oats, and whatever other stuff you feel like, and mix together.  I added a sprinkling of shredded coconut, but you could also add walnuts, crushed biscuits etc, as you like.
4. Add the butter and rub the flour mix and butter between your finger tips until it all resembles breadcrumbs. You should not have any big chunks of butter left when you’re done.
5. Squeeze half an orange over the top of the apples and blueberries, and then sprinkle the crumble mix evenly over the top.
6. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the crumble mix is golden brown (make sure it doesn’t burn though!). I usually wait until the fruit is bubbling out the top! Delight in the sweet, fruity, buttery smell that fills your home while it cooks.
7. Enjoy on its own, or with custard, ice cream or cream (my fave!), as you like. Tell your friends that this is your secret crumble recipe, and watch them swoon with satisfaction, all the while marvelling at your simple, orange-infused genius.

So there you have it, i8b-ers. A day of blueberry indulgence.  The best thing about this day is that I really feel I’ve done nothing at all, and yet, I’ve eaten fresh, home-cooked food all day with very little effort involved.

Have you ever had a ridiculous day of cooking based around a handful of simple ingredients? I’d love to know! Tell us in the comments!

And don’t forget about our “Win A Case of Punt Road Ciders” comp!