My Blueberry Crisp was a hit #UnderThePergola Recipe Share

Amidst a busy weekend of working in the garden,

an #UnderThePergola Recipe Share:

Memory-Making Blueberry Crisp!

This weekend was all about getting our beach house ready for summer.  We painted the picket fence, cleaned the yard, planted the garden and prepared a blueberry tart to take to our friend's July 4 celebration in Sagaponack.  Our weekly family parties have been a part of our summer living here in the Hamptons for almost fifteen years.  A small group of us have taken turns sharing family meals at one another's homes and calling them the Wednesday Parties.  The same little tykes who once splashed in the pool as toddlers when we began are now teenagers and many of them in college.  With all over families together again for this Fourth of July celebration, I looked out at the full moon and the growing brood feeling grateful for these life-long memories we created together.  It has been an absolute joy to watch all these children grow, each year all of them coming back and dining under our pergolas a little bit taller and more mature.  

For this July 4 celebration, I baked two casseroles of homemade blueberry crisp with fresh whipped cream. This dessert seems as American as apple pie, but the summer version.  It is crazy easy to make and at one point the entire party swarmed around my dessert enthusiastically gobbling it up and singing its praise.  There are many great cobbler and crisp recipes out there but my secrets are to use half the sugar as the other recipes (blueberries are naturally sweet) and I use lemon zest on the blueberries and a drizzle of honey for an interesting flavor.  Another note - the crisp needs to be, well, crisp, so for the last few minutes before the dish is finished I watch it closely but put it under the broiler so the oat, flour and brown sugar (and I use dark brown sugar for more flavoring) browns to a dark caramel color.  Set aside about 15 minutes to prepare the crisp and another 35-40 minutes to bake.  I am happy to share this recipe with you for your summer entertaining, and I hope you are out there making memories.

Happy Nesting

XO Tamara

Two Easy Steps to Blueberry Crisp

Tamara's Fourth of July 
Blueberry Crisp
pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

the blueberry concoction:

8 cups of fresh blueberries (washed and dried)

3/4 cup white sugar

1 1/2 TBS flour 

2 TBS cornstarch 

3 TBS fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 zest from a lemon

2 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoon salt

dash of water

drizzle of farm-fresh honey

Step 1:

make the blueberry concoction by combining all the dry ingredients listed above together then the wet ingredients then add the blueberries and combine well.  grease a large shallow, baking pan (Pyrex or similar) with butter and add the blueberry mixture. drizzle a little honey over the mix.

the topping:

1 1/2 cup whole rolled oats

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup butter 

Step 2:

melt the butter.  Combine all the dry ingredients together well, then mix in the butter.  Combine well, then with your fingers crumble the mixture evenly on top of the blueberry mix.

Cook for 35-40 minutes but for the last two minutes of cooking (under a watchful eye so as to not burn) broil the topping until browned. 
Serve warm with a dollop of 

vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream!

 
Wednesday parties resume for summer 2015!