Plump blueberries are welcome signs of summer. The season is in full swing by the time they’re ripe and ready, and even though that means it’s easily 100 degrees in the shade (at least in central Alabama), I still make at least a few trips each season to Barber Berry Farm, u-pick operation near me, and spend an hour or two in stifling heat filling white buckets with hundreds of the frosted-indigo fruit.
Despite usually leaving with a few bug bites, sunburned ears and my shirt firmly sweat-stuck to my back, I also leave with a few gallons of blueberries, well worth any temporary discomfort. I eat at least half of them as they are, no cooking or additions needed. But I also love piling them in a piecrust to create a blueberry galette (which is really just a fancy word for a freeform tart).
Blueberry Galette
This rustic dessert is crazy easy, especially if you do like I do, and use store-bought dough.
One 10-12 inch circle of store-bought pie crust dough, thawed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2.5 cups blueberries
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Heat the oven to 400 degrees and place a rack in the middle. Place dough circle on a piece of parchment paper and place on a baking sheet.
Mix berries and the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl. Pile the berry mixture in the center of the dough and leave a 2-inch border. Fold the edges of the dough over the edge of the blueberry pile, pinching the dough to seal up any cracks that happen as you fold.
Bake until dough is golden brown and berries are bubbling, about 40-45 minutes.
Let the galette cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.
Save Some!
If you go blueberry picking, go ahead and get a bunch. If you don’t think you can eat them all before they spoil, freeze them to use later. Make sure the berries are clean and dry and lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan. They can touch on the sides a bit but should not be jumbled up on top of each other. Place the pan in the freezer and freeze the berries solid (several hours). Then package the individually frozen berries in freezer-safe zip-top bags. Defrost as needed all fall and winter long to add summer’s sweetness to cereal, pancakes, muffins, pies or whatever you like.