WRAL reporter Brian Shrader and our own Lisa Prince feature seasonal recipes in their Got to Be Good Cookin’ segment using ingredients grown and available right here in North Carolina. Featured this month are recipes made with fresh N.C. blueberries, peaches and other produce available now at farmers markets across the state.
This month’s recipes include a blueberry lemon shooter dessert, blueberry peach coffee cake, crab salad with peaches and avocados and blueberry pancakes. Click on the recipe name for a printable recipe and video.
Lisa calls this recipe a “super-simple dessert that is perfect for summertime.” At two bites per serving , it’s a perfect-size for a small after-dinner treat. This recipe was provided by the N.C. Blueberry Council.
Ingredients:
- 1 1⁄2 cups pound cake crumbs
- 1 1⁄2 cups prepared lemon curd
- 1 1⁄2 cups fresh N.C. blueberries
- 1 cup whipped cream
Instructions:
To make whipped cream: Beat with a whisk attachment 1 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until stiff peaks form.
Into 12 shot glasses (each about 2 ½ ounces), layer half of the cake crumbs, the lemon curd and the blueberries. Repeat. Top with a swirl of whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Brian calls the blueberry peach coffee cake “mighty good and not hard to make at all.” It can also be made with a variety of fresh North Carolina fruits and nuts and served for breakfast or dessert.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk (plus 2 ½ tablespoons)
- 1⁄2 cup sugar (plus 1 teaspoon)
- 4 tablespoons shortening (melted)
- 1⁄4 cup fruit preserves or jam
- 1⁄2 cup N.C. blueberries
- 1⁄2 cup N.C. peaches (peeled and sliced)
- 1⁄4 cup pecans (chopped)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions:
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1 cup buttermilk, ½ cup sugar and shortening. Whisk flour mixture into egg mixture. Pour batter into a lightly greased 9-inch round cake pan. Dollop preserves by teaspoonful over batter, and gently swirl with a knife. Top with blueberries, peaches and pecans. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack 5 more minutes. Whisk together powdered sugar and 2 ½ tablespoons buttermilk. Drizzle over cake and serve.
Next is a salad that features all kinds of fresh North Carolina products. This recipe was taken from a 2012 Southern Living magazine. Lisa notes that cookbook author Virginia Willis “created this perfect summer salad that combines four N.C. commodities – peaches, honey, jalapenos and crabs.”
Crab Salad with Peaches and Avocados
Ingredients:
- 1 pound fresh jumbo lump crabmeat
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1⁄2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (divided)
- 1⁄2 jalapeno pepper (seeded and finely diced)
- 1⁄4 cup celery (finely diced)
- 2 green onions (finely chopped)
- kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper (to taste)
- 1 3⁄4 pound peaches (5 to 6 medium peaches, unpeeled and coarsely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 medium avocados (diced)
- arugula
Instructions:
Pick crabmeat, removing any bits of shell. Whisk together lemon zest, mayonnaise, dry mustard and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Using a rubber spatula, fold in jalapeno, celery, green onions and crabmeat. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste.
Stir together peaches and remaining 4 tablespoons lemon juice. Reserve 3 cups peach mixture. Pulse honey and remaining peach mixture in a food processor 8 to 10 times or until smooth. Season pureed-peach mixture with kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste.
Layer ingredients on your plates: peach puree, avocado, diced peaches, crab mixture or for a fancier method do the following: Spoon 1/4 cup pureed peach mixture onto a chilled plate. Place a 3 1/2-inch round cutter in center of peach mixture on plate. (A clean, empty tuna can with both ends removed may be used instead.) Spoon one-sixth of diced avocados and 1/2 cup reserved chopped peach mixture into cutter, packing each layer firmly and sprinkling with kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste. Top with about 1/2 cup crab mixture. Carefully remove cutter from plate. Repeat procedure with remaining pureed peach mixture, avocado, chopped peach mixture, and crab mixture. Arrange desired amount of arugula around each layered salad; serve immediately.
Brian and Lisa ended the month with a “quick and tasty way to enjoy N.C. blueberries in the morning.”
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh N.C. blueberries
- 2 eggs (separated)
- 1 1⁄2 cups sifted flour
- 2 1⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3⁄4 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons butter (melted)
Instructions:
In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff and set aside. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. In another bowl, beat egg yolks then add buttermilk and melted butter. Stir egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix until smooth. Fold in the blueberries and the stiff egg whites. Heat griddle or frying pan to medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Pour 1/3 cup batter onto hot pan and cook until air bubbles begin to form, then flip and cook 1-2 minutes on the other side. Serve with whipped cream, butter and syrup.