Blueberries for Sal Recipes

Book

Blueberries for Sal
by Robert McCloskey

Sal and her mother meet Little Bear and her mother while they are all picking (and eating) blueberries. Visit a local farm and pick your own blueberries, or buy the sweetest ones you can find from your grocery store.

Then make a Waffles with Messy Blueberry Sauce to eat on waffles, pancakes, and ice cream, and Sal’s Blueberry Muffins.

Cook

Messy Blueberry Sauce

Complexity: Simple melting and stirring on the stove.
Time: 1 minute prep plus 10 minutes cooking.

Ingredients

3 cups fresh blueberries
1/3 cup raw sugar, such as demerara or muscovado, or packed brown sugar
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a 2-qt. heavy-based saucepan.
Stir over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves and the berries release their juice.
Bring to a simmer and cook until most of the berries have burst and the mixture has the consistency of a runny sauce (it thickens somewhat as it cools), 7 or 8 minutes.
Transfer to a container for serving or storage. Serve cool, warm, or at room temperature over waffles, pancakes, or ice cream.

Waffles

Complexity: Simple mixing. Easy for kids to help.
Time: 5 minutes prep plus 10 minutes cooking.

Ingredients

2 eggs
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Heat the oven to 200°F to keep waffles warm if desired. Preheat waffle iron.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs using wire whisk or hand mixer until fluffy.
Add the rest of the ingredients, mixing with whisk to combine.
Cook waffles according to waffle iron directions. Place in oven to keep warm if desired.
When all the waffles are cooked, serve immediately with Messy Blueberry Sauce over the top.

Cook

Blueberry Muffins

Complexity: These muffins use a stand mixer (or hand mixer). Great opportunities for kids to help with mixing, with supervision.
Time: 20 minutes prep plus 20 minutes cooking.

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon lemon extract
2 eggs
2 cups fresh, or thawed, drained, frozen blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease or paper 12 muffin cups.
In small bowl, stir together flour, salt, and, baking soda.
In another large bowl with an electric stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the sugar and butter until well combined.
Beat in sour cream, vanilla, and lemon extract until well blended.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended.
Beat in dry ingredients until combined.
Fold in blueberries.
Spoon batter into muffin cups; bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean.
Remove muffin tin or tins to wire rack.