Blueberry

This pie can be made with any berry or stone fruit, although we prefer sour cherries, peaches, or blueberries. If you can’t find fresh sour cherries, use two pounds of frozen pitted cherries instead; defrost and drain well before using.

If fresh lavender is not available, you can use another fresh herb, such as rosemary or thyme. Half of a vanilla bean also works well.

The puff pastry can be baked a day in advance; keep in an airtight container at room temperature. The blueberry sauce can be refrigerated for up to three days.

Turnovers are always a favorite; their light Puff Pastry shells burst with fresh fruit. Our three fillings provide this classic dessert with a fresh twist: Five-spice powder lends its subtle aroma to pear, peach chunks blend with homemade raspberry jam, and sage plays off the sweetness of summer blueberries. All the fillings can be used interchangeably—simply prepare and fill the dough as instructed.

You can assemble this showstopping dessert up to eight hours ahead of serving; leave off the last layer of cream and fruit, and refrigerate along with the partially assembled cake. Just before serving, top the cake with the remaining cream and berries, and garnish with the mint leaves. If you can’t find beautiful small strawberries, halve or quarter larger ones.

Try sprinkling granulated sugar over the tops of the unbaked muffins (one tablespoon should cover all twelve) to give them a bit of crunch.

Mike DiGrassie recalls, “We used to have blueberries growing all over our camp. The birds went crazy over them. When I tried picking some for myself there was always some bird eyeballin’ me.” Due to the high cost of blueberries, this is the most expensive whole pie at Mrs. Rowe’s—but you can still get a deep blue slice for the regular price of $2.75.

The summery combination of blueberries and whipped cream tops berry-filled cupcakes. The muffin-like cakes, which can also be served for breakfast or brunch, are delightful as standard or mini cupcakes.

For this edible interpretation of Old Glory, rows of raspberries, some glazed with jam and some dusted with powdered sugar, form the American flag’s red and white stripes; blueberries represent the starry field of blue. One tart will have seven rows of berries; the other six. Use smaller berries for the seven-row tart. If you have only one tart pan, you can bake the shells consecutively; let the first shell cool completely in the pan before removing. The interior of each tart shell is brushed with melted chocolate before it is filled; this is an optional step for added flavor. An easy variation (see below) yields three solid-colored tarts in blue, white, and red—also the colors of the French flag—perfect for a Bastille Day celebration.

Handy no-fork treats win raves from kids for their lip-smacking taste; busy parents and other home cooks appreciate how easy they are to bake by the dozen. Once the dough is cut into rounds and pressed into mini-muffin cups, it is filled with a toss-together berry filling that becomes wonderfully jamlike during baking. Top each with a tiny dollop of whipped cream.

Martha originally created this recipe for a boating picnic in Maine. The tartlets are filled with blueberries, both fresh and preserved. Almond flavors the sturdy crust and the cakelike batter for the filling. Use wild blueberries if you can find them; otherwise, cultivated berries will do—the smaller, the better.

Take all the layers of classic cheesecake—crumbly graham-cracker crust, rich, creamy filling, and fresh fruit topping—and combine them in a modern tart. Sour cream ups the tanginess factor of the filling; almonds round out the cookie crust; and sugar sweetens the plums, which are cooked into a jam. Save some of the cooking syrup for tossing with the blueberries before scattering them over the top.

Inspired by a beloved breakfast treat—yogurt parfait—this recipe borrows the main components (granola, yogurt, and fruit) and transforms them into a delicious dessert. The pie is not too sweet, but you can adjust it to your preference by drizzling as much honey as you like.

A woven lattice makes a striking top for a fruit pie, especially colorful fruit, such as blueberries; the open weave allows a peek at the filling and lets steam escape as the pie bakes. The process of weaving the top is easy to follow—cut the dough into strips, preferably with a fluted pastry wheel, and arrange them on top of the filling. This pie and many others with juicy berry fillings are thickened with cornstarch, which has stronger thickening properties than flour (a more appropriate choice for less juicy apples or pears). You may want to adjust the amount of thickener if the berries are particularly juicy, or if you prefer a firmer or looser pie filling.

Season: late July to September. This recipe, applying the oven method, can be used for preserving the many members of the Vaccinium family, which include the cultivated blueberry as well as the wild huckleberry. The delicate, lemony nutmeg note of fresh bay complements their gentle flavor beautifully. Serve these fragrant berries for a breakfast treat with thick vanilla yogurt.

These are the best muffins of all time! My friend Lisa brings me quarts of fresh frozen blueberries every year, and I make these yummy muffins until the blueberries run out. Of course, either fresh or frozen blueberries will work in these muffins. This is a classic choice for breakfast; serve with a fresh cup of coffee.

Every summer, my sister Beth fills her freezer with blueberries her family has picked. They eat as many as they can while the berries are in season, share some with friends and family, and then freeze the rest. This quick bread is good made with fresh or frozen blueberries, and Beth uses lemons from her own lemon tree, right in her backyard! (I’m jealous!)

When you marry a pastry chef, you don’t have to perfect your baking skills, says Ben Barker, who participated in the 1990 Workshop. That’s why Chef Barker—whose wife, Karen, is a pastry authority—limits himself to simple “beach cottage desserts,” like this cornmeal cake. It’s a homespun, old-fashioned dessert that you can adapt to any summer berries. The sabayon dresses it up for company. Don’t be surprised by the unorthodox method—it really works.

This blueberry cake is a great alternative to classic cheesecake, especially in the summer, because it tastes less heavy. The Cream Cheese Icing makes this version of the cake less sweet than a typical vanilla cake. The graham cracker crumbs around the sides of the iced cake add a decorative touch, while completing the flavor and texture combination that brings cheesecake to mind. For an added element, try substituting Citrus Cream Cheese Icing (page 146) for the traditional icing.