Home on the Range: Blueberry Shortbread Bars

Picking blueberries is high on my summer bucket list. That list also includes cooling myself off in as many Vermont rivers as I can.

A recent visit to Covered Bridge Blueberry Farm in Underhill checked off both so perfectly that I just might have to head back there before the end of blueberry season later this month.

This lovely, almost 3-acre berry patch is under its first year of ownership by friends of friends. They are transitioning to organic, so the berries are unsprayed but the farm is not yet certified.

After driving over the Browns River on, yes, a covered bridge, we found easy picking with a striking view of Mount Mansfield. (And after we'd picked, we found cool refreshment in the river under the bridge.)

The bushes were weighed down with four different varieties of berries, and I picked more than I could reasonably deal with given my schedule.

I did freeze some in a single layer on rimmed baking sheets before bagging them up. (This prevents them from turning into a single, solid frozen mass.) But space in both my freezer and fridge are at a premium this time of year, so I had to figure out something else stat. 

Enter one of the simplest baked summer berry recipes in my arsenal.

The original recipe comes from a friend who I watched pull it together in about 10 minutes about a decade ago at her family's summer place. I've since tweaked it a tiny bit and renamed it; they called it sheet pie, but, while delicious, it's not even a remote cousin to pie, in my view.

The recipe remains quick to make and a sure hit topped with vanilla ice cream. Over the years, I've also made it with sliced peaches arranged overlapping like fish scales (that takes longer than 10 minutes). I'm sure it would work with other berries, such as raspberries and blackberries, as well.

Deep in Vermont winter, I will try to remember where I stashed those frozen blueberries to make it again and evoke sunny berry-picking, river-dipping days.

Blueberry Shortbread Bars

Makes about 35 roughly 2-inch-square bars

Ingredients

For the crust:

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, preferably unsalted, cut into pieces
• 3 cups flour
• generous pinch fine salt (omit if using salted butter)

For the filling:

• 2 ½ pints blueberries
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

To serve:

• Confectioners' sugar
• Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt, if using. Pulse at least a dozen times until the mixture forms rough crumbles and a pinch holds together between your fingers. (Alternately, use a pastry fork or your hands to mix to the same consistency.)
3. Tip the dough into a large rimmed cookie sheet (either 16 by 12 or 15 by 10 inches). With your hands, press the dough out evenly to cover the bottom of the pan.
4. Make the filling: In a large bowl, toss together the blueberries, vanilla, sugar, flour and cinnamon.
5. Spread the berry mixture evenly across the crust.
6. Bake for about 35 minutes until the berries are collapsed and jammy. (If you can see any crust, it should be light golden-brown.)
7. Cool the bars in the pan and dust them with confectioners' sugar right before serving with vanilla ice cream.

Delicious summer meals start with local produce

What excellent weather we have had so far this summer. We are already seeing the resulting abundance of local produce in stores, with more to come in the next few weeks.

I have been finding creative ways to use all of the in-season fruits and vegetables to really take advantage of Nova Scotia’s short harvest season.

Buying local has many advantages. Choosing to buy produce grown in Atlantic Canada is a great way to support local farmers and the local economy. It will also save you a little money. The impact on the environment, our carbon footprint, is minimized when purchasing food that requires less transportation and storage. Fruits and vegetables are also at their peak nutritionally (and taste the best) when in-season. Look for “Near You” signage in the produce department at Atlantic Superstore highlighting produce from Atlantic Canada.

As a dietitian, I encourage customers to fill half of their plate with vegetables, preferably two kinds, including at least one orange and one dark green vegetable per day. Some days, especially through the winter, this isn’t always an easy task. But with fruits and vegetables so plentiful right now, it’s a great time to make this a lifestyle goal for the next few months.

Many dark green vegetables are currently in season, including lettuces like kale, spinach and arugula, and greens from beets, collard and dandelion. Broccoli, brussels sprouts, peas and beans also fall into this category. Many can be eaten raw in salads or with dip, but beets and collards can be bitter, so sauteing with a bit of oil and garlic really brings out their flavours. Dark green vegetables have higher levels of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals than standard iceberg and romaine lettuces, including fibre, folate, vitamin C and K, iron and calcium.

Creativity and variety really is the key to keeping things interesting with vegetables. Use the other locally available produce to add flavour, texture and boost nutrients in meals. Fruit is easily eaten by itself, but adding fresh peaches, plums or berries to a salad can really take it to the next level.

Corn, bell peppers, onions, zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes are also crisp additions to meals. Corn often gets a bad rap for being a starchy vegetable, but is very high in fibre, vitamin C, folate, magnesium and potassium. It’s also high in the antioxidants associated with reduced risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. When having corn, try also having a green vegetable, too.

I often hear customers report that they don’t eat as well in the summer because it’s barbecue and potluck season. While the grill is hot for cooking up meat and potatoes, use it as an opportunity to prepare those in-season fruits and vegetables. I can’t think of one item that I wouldn’t put on the grill, as it really brings out the flavour.

Try skewering large pieces or mixing together in a foil pan with some oil, balsamic vinegar and your favourite herbs and spices. This grilled zucchini and bean medley recipe incorporates a few in-season vegetables for a nutritious side dish. Instead of using canned corn, throw the cob on the grill to get those beautiful marks and then slice off the kernels to use in the recipe.

Grilled Zucchini and Bean Medley

Ingredients:

3 tbsp (45 ml) extra virgin olive oil
3 zucchini, sliced lengthwise in 1/4-inch thick slices
6 green onions
2 jalapeno peppers
4 cloves garlic
1 lemon, halved lengthwise
1 can (341 ml) PC Blue Menu Peaches & Cream Whole Kernel Corn, drained
1 can (540 ml) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp (2 ml) crumbled light feta cheese
1/2 tsp (2 ml) freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt

Directions:

1. Preheat barbecue to medium-high heat.

2. Use 1 tbsp (15 ml) of the olive oil to lightly brush zucchini slices, green onions, jalapenos and garlic cloves. Arrange on greased grill. Add lemon halves. Grill for four minutes, turning partway through, or until vegetables are tender and lemon is charred and softened. Transfer to baking sheet to cool slightly.

3. Dice zucchini and green onions. Seed and finely chop jalapenos. Finely chop garlic cloves. In large bowl, combine zucchini, green onions, jalapenos, garlic, corn, kidney beans, feta cheese, pepper, salt and remaining olive oil. Squeeze lemon over bowl to release juices and toss to combine.

Revival Food Hall Adds Lito’s Empanadas to Lineup

Lito’s Empanadas, a casual spot that’s been serving Latin American pastries for 11 years in Lincoln Park, has opened a new location inside Revival Food Hall in the Loop. Lito’s has displaced Black Dog Gelato; Black Dog’s frozen treats will now be available from a cart that will roam the hall. Revival is the food hall operated by 16” on Center, the company behind venues including Dusek’s Board and Beer in Pilsen, the Empty Bottle in Ukrainian Village, and MONEYGUN in the West Loop.

Owner/chef Ernesto Guzman opened his first Lito’s in 2007 in Lincoln Park. A year before that he opened a full-service restaurant, Chilango Mexican Street Food in Little Italy on Taylor Street. Earlier this year, Guzman opened a Lito’s inside Chicago’s French Market. He took over the Aviato Eats space. Lito’s recently hooked up with a few new investors who are making the expansions possible, according to a spokesperson for Revival Food Hall.

The changeover from Black Dog to Lito’s happened last week. Lito’s is one of 16 food vendors at Revival. Take a look at the menu below.

Food: Cherry dutch baby is easy and delicious, baby

That’s how excited I get when I see the fruit truck at the Saskatoon Farmer’s Market, unloading crate after crate of the ruby red jewels. I wait all year for this day, and happily wait in line with my treasures. The fact that they come from an orchard in the Okanagan beats out anything that comes from Washington, in my opinion. B.C. cherries are the best, and we’re lucky to get them every weekend in the summer.

So, what to do with them, besides eat them by the handful? I suppose the real question is what can’t you do with them? They are glorious on top of overnight oats, stirred into grainy salads, folded into cakes and muffins — and then there is pie. There is always pie.

If you don’t have a cherry pitter, I suggest you get one, as it makes dealing with this fruit that much better. Standing at the counter, trying to take the pit out with a knife or some other doodad really is the pits, pardon the pun. A friend, aware of my cherry addiction, gave me a pitter years ago and it’s my most treasured kitchen tool in the summer.

Breakfast is a big deal around here, and I love whipping up a Dutch baby whenever I get a chance. Dutch baby pancakes are the love child of a pancake, a popover and a crepe all baked up in one giant skillet. You get the best qualities of each of these, and it only takes 20 minutes to bake.

Essentially, a thick, crepe-like batter is poured into a screaming hot skillet that has been preheated and well coated in butter. The eggs in the batter make it puff up like crazy, the edges get crispy and then the whole thing collapses, waiting for whatever goodness you wish to fill it with. It’s really quite a lovely thing to behold. Fresh, seasonal fruit is then scattered on top. And do give it a dusting of icing sugar for a fancy effect.

I like to make these when I don’t have time to stand at the stove and make pancakes or crepes. The batter gets whirled up in the blender, so there aren’t a lot of bowls to wash up, either. And the whole thing looks to darn impressive when you pull it from the oven — definitely Instagram worthy.

Out of the oven, the Dutch baby will quickly slump back into the pan as the steam holding it up quickly evaporates in the cooler air of your kitchen. What’s left behind is a pancake with the soft, tender texture of a hot crepe and the eggy flavour of a sweet popover. All it needs now is some sweet cherries, and maybe a drizzle or two of maple syrup. Glory be, indeed.

Cherry Dutch Baby

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole milk

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups fresh cherries, pitted

3 Tbsp icing sugar

Maple syrup (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F. Place the rack in the centre of the oven.

Place the eggs, flour, milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a blender. Blend on high until you have a smooth batter. Place the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet and put it in the oven.

Remove the skillet from the oven once the butter has melted and then use a pastry brush to evenly coat the sides and bottom of the pan with the butter. Blitz the egg mixture for another 10 seconds and then pour it into the prepared skillet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the Dutch baby is puffed and golden brown.

Remove the skillet from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for about five minutes. Cut the Dutch baby into four, top with cherries and dust with icing sugar.

Serve warm on your prettiest plates (because life is too short to keep them all alone in the cupboard), or if you’re like me and live alone, go ahead and eat it out of the skillet. I won’t tell anyone. Leftovers can be kept, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one day.

Notes: Top the Dutch baby with any seasonal fruit or berries, or fruit compotes. Even a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and icing sugar is sometimes all you need.

If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, any 10-inch baking dish with sides at least two and a half inches high will do.

Tips For Your Home Bar, Plus Cocktail And Trail Mix Recipes

On this most American of holidays, I went to local spirts (and tiki) connoisseur Dean Hurst for some expert advice about tiki culture — and the drinks that foster the colorful, tropical vibes.

Tiki bars are an American creation, though they borrow their ambience and cocktail inspiration from Polynesian islands and the Caribbean. They were huge in the 1940s and ’50s. We don’t have many of the kitschy spots around here, which is why Hurst decided to build one in his backyard. To read more about his home setup and to learn how to make 6 classic tiki drinks, click here .

But for this column, I was inspired by Hurst to up my at-home bar game. He talks a lot about little things you can do to make your home cocktail-making (and drinking) experience more special.

So while you may have most of the food nailed down for today’s patriotic festivities, here are some ideas to up your bar game — whether or not you have built a tiki bar on your porch.

BYOB(ottle)

If you’re having friends or family over and they like a good cocktail, ask everyone to bring one bottle of something they enjoy. It doesn’t have to be unopened; they just have to be willing to share. Make one round of drinks with one person’s bottle, then move to another bottle, and so on. It’s a fun and affordable way to try a bunch of different liquors.

Fruit forward

Even if you are using Solo cups for your cocktails today, you can still garnish the heck out of those drinks. Citrus is always a good idea, as are pitted cherries. Have a vegetable peeler on hand and gently peel a strip of lemon rind or orange rind, then simply bend it almost in half and set gently on the rim of your cup. Or roll the peel into a cute shape and secure with a toothpick stacked with a couple fresh (or maraschino) cherries.

Designated shaker

If you don’t have a cocktail shaker and you like to make drinks at home, you should invest in one. But you can and should improvise one for these festive occasions. It will make your drink-making more seamless and authentic. Try using a tall cup or glass, and find a leftover container lid or other flat cover that can cover the opening of the cup. Add drink ingredients to the cup, place cover on top of cup, then shake well. Be careful when you shake, and you might spill a bit, but it’ll get the job done. Another thing I noticed from watching Hurst make drinks: He used a drink blender to blend many of the drinks with ice, resulting in a not-quite-slush but still very icy consistency that was marvelous on a hot day. You can easily do this with an immersion blender, especially if you’re mixing up lots of drinks at once. Just be sure to use a plastic vessel or something else that can withstand the blades of your blender: Mix the drink in there, then insert the immersion blender and give it a few whirls.

Serve snacks

If you’re spending the day trying a few different cocktails, snacks are a must. You need something to soak up all that booze, plus who doesn’t crave something salty and crunchy around drink No. 2? To go with the tiki bar theme, I came up with a tropical snack mix that has salty, crunchy, and some slightly sweet elements.

RECIPES

One of my favorite drinks this summer is the Pineapple Gin Freeze. Click here for the recipe. And below is a sweet and salty snack to pair with it.

Tropical Snack Mix

1 cup raw whole cashews

½ cup raw macadamia nuts

1 cup pretzel twists, roughly chopped or broken into smaller pieces

1 cup dried pineapple, roughly chopped

1 cup dried mango, roughly chopped

½ cup sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes

½ cup honey

4 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper

Add cashews, macadamia nuts, pineapple, mango and coconut flakes to a large bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan set over medium heat, add honey and butter. Cook until butter is melted, stirring often. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.

Let sauce cool slightly, for at least 5 minutes. Pour sauce over contents in bowl, and stir really well to make sure sauce is coating snack mix.

Divide into smaller bowls or ramekins and set out around the area where you’re serving drinks.

Makes about 4 cups.

Why Fast Food Chains Sell Quirky Foods

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - Dunkin' Donuts is the latest chain to launch a quirky food item: donut fries.

What Dunkin' describes as five crispy pieces of donut dough dusted with cinnamon sugar and served in a box like french fries is yet another example of a restaurant trying to woo customers with a gimmicky culinary concoction.

The trend arguably started in 2010 with KFC's infamous (and calorie-laden) Double Down sandwich -- bacon, cheese and sauce between two pieces of fried chicken instead of bread.

Since then, we've seen Burger King's Whopperito (a burger in a tortilla) as well as Mac and Cheetos.

Taco Bell, which like KFC is owned by Yum Brands, is responsible for Nacho Fries and Doritos Locos Tacos, which feature a corn shell seasoned with powdered orange cheese to look and taste like Doritos.

Both Denny's and Jack in the Box have had different versions of bacon shakes. White Castle has chicken rings on the menu -- and Burger King has offered them in the past.

The restaurants typically already offer unhealthy options like donuts or French fries. Launching Frankenfoods is a way to generate buzz with creations that often combine things people already like. The hope is those customers will come out to try donut fries or Doritos Locos Tacos.

For many of these companies, the weird food items are working.

Shares of Yum and Burger King owner Restaurant Brands have surged over the past five years by 50% and 65%, respectively. That's better than the Dow and S&P 500.

It's not surprising that other well-known chains are looking to spice things up.

The healthier living trend isn't going away obviously. But there are only so many kale salads that people can eat. That's probably why other restaurants are adding more guilty pleasures to their menu.

IHOP -- the franchise famous for its pancakes -- recently unveiled a new line of burgers and temporarily changed its name to IHOb.

Struggling burger chain Sonic unleashed a pickle juice snow cone slush.

Dunkin' Donuts is just the latest chain to hop on board.

In addition to the donut fries, which will only be available for a limited time, the company has a few other special summer offerings: a "shark bite" donut with shark-shaped sprinkles, a chocolate "coconutty" donut and a brown sugar, cold brew coffee.

Tony Weisman, chief marketing officer for Dunkin' Donuts US, said in an email to CNNMoney that the company has high hopes for the donut fries, which tested well earlier this year in some markets in New England.

Weisman conceded that "there have been some gimmicky items out there" but that Dunkin' thinks donut fries are an "innovation."

That remains to be seen. But Dunkin' is doing well while coffee rival Starbucks faces some big problems lately.

Shares of Dunkin' Brands are up more than 25% in the past year while Starbucks is down nearly 20%.

HERE ARE AMERICA'S FAVORITE FAST-FOOD RESTAURANTS

America has given the world many things, but fried food served with remarkable speed and consistency is definitely up there as far as greatest contributions go. We've pretty much mastered it by now, so competition is steep for the best speedy version of every cuisine. But still, a few rise to the top as the most beloved. And a recent study told us exactly which ones Americans love best.

Market Force Information recently released a new large-scale consumer report about America's favorite Quick Service Restaurants (aka fast food) in five categories: burgers, sandwiches, Mexican, pizza, and chicken. To accomplish this, it polled nearly 11,500 consumers to assemble a study that focuses on a Composite Loyalty Index, which is basically a love-o-meter based on overall satisfaction and likelihood to refer the restaurant to others. The winners were In-N-Out for burgers; Wawa for sandwiches; Chipotle for Mexican; Pizza Ranch for pizza; and Chick-fil-A for chicken.

As you probably noticed, the most surprising thing is that America's favorite sandwich shop, Wawa, is a convenience store. Jumping four places to unseat Firehouse Subs in the top spot, Wawa is primarily an East Coast thing, but it has 790 locations, a cult following, and a delicious Thanksgiving-themed sandwich called The Gobbler. The other chain you might not recognize is Pizza Ranch, which is based in Iowa and has 200 locations in 13 states. Despite all the sickness-related press in the last few years, Chipotle still managed to claim the top stop in Mexican food.

Probably less surprising is the dominance of Chick-fil-A and In-N-Out. Chick-fil-A led the chicken flock for the fourth year in a row, cited in particular for its excellent food and service, while KFC came in dead last of the 10 chicken chains surveyed. The West Coast burger chain In-N-Out landed an unsurprising first in the burger category consider its insanely devoted fan base and general sterling reputation. It was had the overall score of all the restaurants in the study in all categories. And supposedly working at In-N-Out is great too.

But all fast-food categories performed worse on the Composite Loyalty Index this year. “We attribute this to two factors: consumer expectations of the QSR experience are rising, and, in many cases, execution at these restaurants is declining," said Brad Christian, chief customer officer at Market Force Information. "As our research continues to show, delighting guests by providing an exceptional customer experience is a key differentiator in an incredibly competitive environment."

However the country feels about these fast-food chains, these results certainly aren't going to quite the rest of the country's demands for In-N-Outs near them.