Blueberry

This moist, buttery coffee cake with its crisp, cinnamon-sugar topping is based on an old fashioned recipe from the 1950s, called Blueberry Boy Bait, a coffee cake named for the effect it had on teenage boys. My boys aren’t teens yet, but this bait works for them. They’ll gobble it up in one day—with not a crumb left over.

Peaches and blueberries make a perfect pairing. Not only are they in season together, but their colors and flavors are also the ideal complement.

Millet adds nice texture to this traditional favorite. Blueberry muffins are always a crowd pleaser. Bake up a big batch, store them in the freezer, and you’ll always have breakfast on hand.

Celebrate the Fourth of July in healthy style with this very berrybedecked vanilla cupcake. Berries will be in their prime for this gorgeous, patriotic dessert.

Light and zesty, these cupcakes are excellent with lemon cream cheese frosting (see page 96) or Whipped Cream Frosting (page 93). Pair with a frittata or quiche for a memorable Mother’s Day brunch.

Requiring no cooking and no blending, this soup takes full advantage of the lush fruits of midsummer.

A perfect dessert soup to make in July, when melons are at their sweetest. This makes a refreshing finish to a grilled meal.

Enjoy the convergence of strawberries and midsummer berries in a sweetly spiced broth.

This and the following berry soup are the only fruit soups in this chapter that need a bit of cooking. The wine and spices give it a wonderfully complex flavor.

Jack could eat fruit all day long, especially berries. He is enamored with different colors and shapes, so to set them off, we love to make him these sweet, jiggly salads. We serve them at playdates with his friends Lex, Brady, and Colin (they’re triplets, y’all) and make a game of digging up the fruit in the Jell-O (yup, with their hands—it’s messy!).

I always remember my childhood summers in Vermont as a procession of summer puddings made with raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, or currants as they came along. This old-fashioned dessert couldn’t be simpler to put together, and you can do a single portion in a small cup mold. You can even make Summer Pudding in winter when you may have bought from the local street stand more berries imported from South America than you can eat up.

I usually make these in the summer, when berries are plentiful and bursting with flavor. I gather the berries and put all the ingredients out the night before, and it takes but a few minutes to whip up the batter. Then there’s time to go for a swim and work up an appetite while the muffins bake. If you have family and guests around, just double the recipe. This more modest amount will give you a dozen mini-muffins, which I prefer, plus two regular-sized ones that I bake in small Pyrex cups. If you don’t eat them all, they freeze well.

This is a soup I had years ago at an inn in Peacham, Vermont, when my husband, Evan, and I were looking for recipes for our book on new New England cooking. It is so delectable that every year now I celebrate the coming of the blueberries by making myself this soup. And, of course, I am blessed by having my cousin John tap our maple trees in the spring, so there is always maple syrup in my larder.

Jell-O has gotten a bad rap, and we are not sure why. In fact, Jell-O happens to be one of the Queens’ favorite go-to treats, as it’s now available in low-calorie and sugar-free varieties, making it a wonderful vehicle for satisfying your sweet tooth without all the guilt. And, Jell-O is extremely versatile. With dozens of flavors available to choose from, you can always find a satisfying one. If you haven’t had Jell-O in a while, we invite you to try this recipe. It’s the perfect, cool treat for the summertime that’s both light and fruity. Besides, desserts that jiggle are fun!

Ever heard of “loafering”? Obviously, this is a Southern version of “loafing,” a favorite Sunday afternoon occupation. “Loafering” was a term used often in Crystal’s childhood—a word Crystal’s mom used to describe their Sunday afternoon drives and visits with friends and family. Every Sunday, Crystal would climb into the family car with her mom and off they would go. One of their favorite stops was at Crystal’s Great Aunt Cricket and Aunt Doc’s house. (Yep, that is not a typo. When Crystal was a tiny red-haired child, she mistakenly called her Great Uncle Doc “Aunt Doc,” and it stuck! Everyone called him Aunt Doc, and he didn’t mind at all!) Aunt Cricket was the epitome of the Southern hostess, and she always had a pot of coffee brewed and a freshly baked cake on hand. The family would sit around her kitchen table and listen to Aunt Doc tell his outrageous stories, and the cake would always make the tales that much sweeter. This blueberry cake reminds Crystal of those afternoons and “loafering” around with her mom!

Anything with a crisp topping makes me a happy, happy girl. Crisps are homey and rustic and they make the most of whatever fruit is in season. When nectarines and blueberries are at the farmers’ market at the same time, this combo is totally amazing. Crisps also work beautifully as individual portions or as one nice big one. I like to serve mine with lots of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream . . . mmmmm.

Like magic, this lemon pudding cake separates into two layers during baking: an airy and soufflé-like cake on top, and a soft lemony curd below. In truth, the first time I ate it I was convinced it was a cake and pudding recipe combined. This foolproof recipe is the perfect summer sweet, served simply with fresh berries and whipped cream. For the creamiest texture, it is important to bake the cake in a water bath. The hot water protects the cake from cooking too quickly, keeping the pudding super supple.

These two sauces are useful whenever you need to make a dessert in a hurry. Made in minutes, they can turn plain ice cream or store-bought poundcake into something special.

This twilight-blue sweet-tart sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. Made in a food processor, it’s thicker than when made in the blender.