kiwi lime blueberry raw cheesecakelets

I told myself I wouldn’t give you another blueberry recipe so soon. But I am on a ball. I am on a roll. And what do you do with a ball that is rolling? You kick it to the moon, duh.

Are you ready for my moon-kicked ball of the week? I, the self-proclaimed patron saint of all things buttery, and sugary, and unhealthy and yummy and preservativey and chemicaly and badforyouy, have managed to churn up a confusing surprise.

Kiwi Lime Blueberry Raw Cheesecakelets!

We have my favorite world scamperer Hannah to thank for the inspiration here. Her whirling dervish of a mind has created two similar delicacies (mango, blackberry), both of which I’ve made and loved. I recently made two varieties of my own, and while these that you see here turned out to be severely kickass, my other creation (tangerine + meyer lemon) left much to be desired. Hence, another blueberry smack in the face for ya. Smack.

You know what else is severely kickass? How easily my truck can churn through huge patches of mud. Things are warming up around here, and now that roads are getting sloppy, I regularly create muddy water tunnels as I drive. Legit walls of water go up and around the back of my truck, occasionally lapping down into the bed. Picture that. Now picture THIS:

Pretty cute, eh? Look at that ruffed grouse, being all ruffed and stuff. They call them partridge around here, which is sort of foolish if you ask me, because partridge are partridge, and grouse are grouse. But what would I know? I’m just from away… [and, uh, from the "top ruffed grouse-producing state in the US"].

The same they that call grouse ‘partridge’ shoot said partridge (grouse) like nobody’s business, so it’s reassuring to me, the ultimate non-hunter that I currently am, to find out that there is a roughed grouse population cycle, that seemingly transpires regardless of hunting pressure. Sometimes I wish I had studied wildlife biology in much more depth than I had time for in college. At the very least, I wish I had interacted with the peculiar grouse people who I lived near for a few weeks as a forestry student. They got up before the sunrise to go sit silently in the woods and wait to hear grouse drumming on logs, i.e. being all courtshipish. Weird? I thought so.

Next up, a nifty little segue. See that piece of wood in the background in the first picture? That’s a piece of birdseye maple, renowned for its gorgeousness and hefty sales tag. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? Hmm, well, check out what I’ve been up to in the past week….

Yep, I’ve been marking birdseye maple logs. At my awesome job site that is filled with awesome wood. It is such an incredible place, and the trees are so very happy to grow there that they even develop heart shapes to show affection for their surroundings. Aww.

Okay, enough silly woods love.

Bring on the raw cheesecakelets!

These have a bit of a kick from the kiwi, so choose the softest kiwi possible if looking to avoid a mouth-puckering experience. I used wild blueberries here; perhaps with storebought ones, less sweetener would be needed.

Kiwi Lime Blueberry Raw Cheesecakelets {inspiration here}

Makes 12

For the crust

1/2 c. cashews
2/3 c. dates, pitted
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp agave nectar or honey

In a food processor, combine all ingredients and process until mixture comes together when pressed. If mixture remains loose, add water 1/2 tsp at a time, until mixture clumps well.

Divide mixture across 12 muffin cups, pressing evenly and well into each cup. Set aside in the freezer.

For the cheesecakealicious topping

Heaping 1/2 c. cashews, soaked overnight, and drained
Fruit of 3 kiwis
2/3 – 3/4 c. blueberries, frozen or fresh
Juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp agave nectar or honey
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp + 1 tsp coconut oil, melted

In a (clean) food processor, pulse cashews for 10 seconds. Add kiwi fruit, blueberries, lime juice, agave nectar or honey, and salt, and blend until smooth. Add coconut oil, and pulse until combined.

Pour/scoop mixture evenly across 12 prepared muffin cups, smoothing the top of each. Freeze until set, at least three hours in a deep freeze, longer in a refrigerator freezer. Thaw for ten minutes before removing from muffin pan – this will make them easier to remove.

Serve cheesecakelets slightly thawed, depending on how long you’re willing to wait; I would recommend 5-10 minutes to take a bit of the cold edge off.

chocolate ginger blueberry crème brûlée

For those of you who read one to two to several blogs, you will understand my indubitable ennui when I tell you that my Google Reader currently has 341 unread posts. I’m trying to keep up on all that you out there, on the frontiers of the crazy wild internet, have to offer, but I’m doing battle with a foe I cannot conquer: a slow internet connection (and a desire to do other things…. like watch episodes of The Vampire Diaries). Like a grumpy curmudgeon, I trundle along each night, making my way slooowly across the endless pages of the web. Where would our lives be without it, I ask you.

Would we be free to quietly enjoy the last throes of winter, storm upon storm bringing impressive blizzards and quickly accumulating snow cover; would we seek out the small telltale hints of green peeking through on the forest floor, trumpeting proudly that spring is on the way? Or would we simply be searching, impatiently, for the next big technologic thing?

I guess we’ll never know, because this here’s the internet, and it’s growing mightier every day.

 

Today I would like to showcase the 689th post in an impromptu series I like to call “What to Make When It is Summer, or, Get Cooking Already! Your Freezer is Jam-Packed with Blueberries.” Interestingly enough, you may recall that Post #688 (Post#3, in actuality) also featured the stellar duo of ginger and blueberry – - looks like the recipe apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

But. BUT! Oh my goodness. The idea for this Chocolate Ginger Blueberry Crème Brûlée came to me, like in a dream. Like a crazy dream, you know, where you aren’t quite sure if the thoughts that sound so radical in your head will turn out to be only subpar once they reach your tastebuds?

Those dreams are the worst – - but also the best, because sometimes they produce lovely results such as you see here.

A hearty crunch of burnt sugar tops a near-pudding like dream of chocolate custard that is mixed with juicy blueberries and perfectly spiced with both fresh and dried ginger. I don’t always crow the deliciousness of my recipes, but oh man is this a winner. Try it out and you will not be disappointed (I sincerely hope).

Chocolate Ginger Blueberry Crème Brûlée {basic brûlée found here}

Makes 5 individual servings

++Ingredients:++

2 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 tsp freshly-grated ginger
1/2 tsp dried ground ginger
3 oz dark/bittersweet chocolate
3 tbsp sugar
5 egg yolks
1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen (and defrosted) blueberries
5 tbsp sugar, to top custards

++Directions:++

Preheat oven to 275F. In a small pan, bring cream, 1/4 c. sugar and freshly-grated ginger to a simmer over medium heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Add ground ginger and chocolate, and whisk until combined.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk 3 tbsp sugar with egg yolks. Whisking constantly to avoid the dreaded scrambled-eggs-in-pudding outcome, pour the egg mixture into the pan in a slow but steady stream. Cook for one to two minutes more, then remove from heat.

At this point some of you may want to strain your custard through a mesh sieve. Unlike some custards, this one (being more pudding-like) does not seem to produce any lumps, so straining is to me quite unnecessary.

Distribute blueberries evenly amongst five ramekins. Pour custard mixture on top of blueberries. Place ramekins inside of a baking or roasting pan, and fill pan with boiling water until the waterline reaches 2/3rds the heights of the ramekins. Bake for 40 minutes to one hour, or until the custards have set – if you press down in the center and you feel some resistance, your custard has set.

Let custards cool for at least 30 minutes in the fridge (or ten minutes on the counter if you are impatient like me). Top each ramekin with 1 tbsp of sugar. Use a kitchen torch to create the brûléed effect of caramelization; in place of a kitchen torch, broil for one or two minutes on the top rack of your oven.

blueberry chili

I did it again. I put blueberries in a dish where blueberries don’t typically dare to go. And it worked. Thank you, sweet magical blueberries that ameliorate everything you come into contact with.

What we have here is Blueberry Chili. I started with a simple mixture of onions, garlic, and ground beef, and let it infuse in my favorite of flavoring agents: (maple-flavored) bacon fat.

While many chili recipes call for canned tomatoes, I say pish posh to that. Why not use the real deal, when it is late summer and ripe tomatoes are bursting on the vine in backyards nationwide? So for me, ripe tomatoes it is. Some brown sugar, salt, and seasonings were added into the mix, and – oh, yes – a heaping cup of blueberries.

I let my chili cook rather long to bring out an extra oomph-y sweetness from the semi-caramelized brown sugar. However, decreased cooking time would result in a soupier chili, which many people seem to enjoy. As with all recipes, you be the judge.

Blueberry Chili {original recipe}

Note: I served this over pasta. Serves 2-3;  you could easily serve 4 by adding in a few cups of rehydrated beans, or an extra pound of ground beef.

++Ingredients:++

2-3 tbsp bacon fat
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/3 onion, diced
1 lb ground beef
1 1/2 c. chopped tomatoes
1 c. blueberries
1-2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt (more, if additional flavor is needed)
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp chili powder (less if you’re using something rather potent)
1 tsp cumin
2 c. rehydrated beans (optional; I did not use beans)

++Directions:++

In a large pot, heat bacon fat over low medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook for two minutes before adding in ground beef. Break up beef into pieces, and stir frequently until nearly cooked. Add chopped tomatoes, blueberries, and all remaining ingredients. Cook on low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, for up to an hour.

Serve over pasta, if desired.

Aside from eating more blueberries than may be healthy for me, I’ve been a very busy bee lately.

For one, I’ve been trying to teach myself shroom ID on all the fungi I come across while foraging. When it comes to the little guys, it’s difficult.

For two, I’ve been out foraging frequently because chanterelles have been making an appearance in the woods – and on our plates! I adore the fruity apricot scent of chanterelles; that’s the one aspect, to me, where they surpass morels.

For three, I’ve almost reached a point with New Venture where I’ll be ready to unveil my great plans to the world. Almost. Please be patient, and stay tuned for the great reveal, coming soon. Eeee!