Toward the end of every summer, my family and I abandon New York City for my parents' Massachusetts farmhouse, where the fields out back are lined with blueberry bushes. Some years the crop is tiny. Other years it is so good we are overwhelmed, calling up visions of Lucille Ball wrapping chocolates in the candy factory.
In bountiful years, I scrambled to dream up recipes such as this one, which is more about the berries than the crust.
And that has an added benefit. Not only does a berry-centric dessert use up a berry abundance, it also produces a healthier dessert. In most pies and baked treats, the bulk of the fat and calories come from the crust or cake involved. Even when sweetened, the fruity filling tends to be pretty healthy.
The "cake" in this case is minimal - just three layers of baked phyllo dough cut into squares. Phyllo is a paper-thin flour dough used to make pastries. It is extremely low in fat and even comes in whole-wheat varieties. It's available at most grocers and typically is found in the freezer section near the fruit and pie crusts.
As for the berries, I love them raw and cooked, which is why this recipe includes the title fruit in both of those states. I wanted to highlight a raw blueberry's greatest charms, its deep juiciness and the way it explodes in your mouth. To finish it off, I added lemon and cinnamon, both of which always play so nicely with blueberries.
Recipe notes
• You will use only three sheets of phyllo in this recipe. What to do with the remaining sheets? Roll them up, wrap them tightly in plastic, then in foil, and put them back in the freezer for another day.
• I used a pizza wheel to cut the phyllo dough. It is the best tool for the job; it won't pull at and tear the delicate phyllo the way a knife can.
• I found that the best way to make sure the sugar is distributed evenly was to put it in my hand and sprinkle it over the dough.
• Keep a close eye on the phyllo squares as they bake; they brown up very quickly.
• This dessert is scrumptious, but it's a little messy to eat. Serve it with a knife, fork and spoon.
I tested this recipe not with the tart and intensely-flavored wild blueberries from my backyard, but with the cultivated blueberries found at most supermarkets. Cultivated blueberries are larger and less tart than wild ones, and can be quite tasty.
Source:http://www.theday.com/article/20120815/ENT04/308159986/1044/ENT
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