Sweet cornbread baked on fruit. Brilliant!
If everything goes right, Ressler Farms will sell cornmeal through the Oklahoma Food Co-op. When I met Larry Ressler in February, he asked about unmet demand in the co-op. I immediately thought of cornmeal. Someone used to make it—I can’t remember who—but it’s not available anymore. Well, there’s hull-less popcorn. Would that work for milling? Somewhat moot since I don’t have a grain mill.
Blueberry Bonanza for Father’s Day and Mom’s Birthday.
The family doubted the fruity dish; we are a bunch of fervent chocolate lovers. But there was nary a blueberry left.
Blueberry Bonanza with Cornmeal Topping
Submitted by Judy Rogers in the Gardeners’ Community Cookbook
:: 3 to 4 c fresh blueberries
:: 1/2 c sugar
:: 1 T fresh lemon juice
:: 1/2 c cornmeal
:: 3/4 c all-purpose flour
:: 1 1/2 t baking powder
:: 1/2 t salt
:: 1/2 c plain yogurt or milk
:: 3 T butter, melted
:: 1 large egg, slightly beaten
:: ice cream, frozen yogurt, or creme fraiche
1. Preheat oven to 450˚.
2. Place the blueberries in a 9-inch square baking dish. Add 1/4 c sugar and the lemon juice and toss to mix.
3. Mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 1/4 c of sugar in a large bowl. Add the yogurt, butter, and egg and stir briefly until blended.
4. In 1 T amounts, drop small mounds of the cornmeal mixture over the top of the blueberries. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and cool enough to handle, then serve warm or at room temperature, topped with the cream garnish of your choice, if using.
Tricia’s note: I think this topping would work on most fruit. I’ve made it three times now: with Oklahoma blueberries, peaches, and apples. When I made it for the apples, I substituted brown sugar for the white sugar.
This looks sooo good! I am still thinking something very similar to this would be a great contender to win you that kitchen makeover, although it sounds like you won’t need it in your new digs!
Is Ressler the egg guy from near Edmond who visited the pickup sites a few months ago? I thought that was such a nice touch.
I’m pretty sure a kitchenaid makeover would still be welcome! Either way, it would be great fun to tweak the recipe.
Yep, you are correct—Larry Ressler raises chickens in Arcadia and visited pick-up sites.
So, I read this post while hungry and decided to make this recipe immediately without regard for gathering ingredients. I was out of eggs and almost out of cornmeal and only had peaches, not blueberries. So I used extra yogurt and added some polenta to make up for the cornmeal. The results were … eh. Strangely it just didn’t tastes sweet enough even though it looked perfect. I can mess up a recipe faster than anyone!
Wow, Chelsey! Even if the flavor was “eh”, I give you props for being so creative!
Tricia, I’m so glad you posted this. I’m taking this dish to my new student potluck on Saturday. Woohoo!
Chelsey: I’m amazed that you were able to get it to look perfect without eggs! Impressive.
Nicole: What fruit are you using? Have fun at the potluck! I hope you and your classmates get of to a great start.
I’m using canned cling peaches. Not so fresh and not so local, but I do love the flavor in cobbler.
Well, the verdict is in. Everyone *loved* the cobbler tonight. I usually have at least half of a cobbler left (which I never understand, they’re so dang good). Tonight, there was one serving which is being eaten right now by my roomie’s boyfriend.
Mmm, tasty!
Glad to hear it!
Served it again, with much applause. Had to dish it up for Chintan. Will give you updates later.
Perfect! Not too sweet and the cornmeal adds great texture. I used a combination of blueberries & nectarines.
Blueberries and nectarines! Pretty and tasty!