So, the other day when it dawned on me just how many people were going to be showing up to my hub's impromptu 4-H shoot and BBQ, I had a bit of a panic about food availability.
Usually, I have time to plan and make sure that I have an appropriate amount of comestibles for whatever sized crowd I'm feeding. I want everyone in attendance to have a myriad of tasty food options and leave the event nice and full.
So, even though we had a massive brisket cooking and a few sides, plus the parents were supposed to be bringing things, well, I just wasn't completely satisfied there was going to be enough food for the fete, so I went searching through my kitchen realm for something quick and easy to whip up.
Sitting in the top of my fridge was a piping bag full of my favorite quick and easy vanilla pastry cream filling. I had made it a couple days previous to fill some Boston Cream Cupcakes, and there was quite a lot of it left. Hmmm...
There was also a quart bag of fresh blueberries and after a quick check in my pantry I saw that I had plenty of graham crackers. My thought train was building momentum and as soon as the words, I wonder left my mouth I knew I had something to whip up.
That something was a tribute to blueberry cheesecake in amuse-bouche form, a deconstructed cheesecake bite of deliciousness and ease of portability and eating. Well, at least I hoped as much.
So, to start with, I placed a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and lined the tray with graham cracker squares. Then I got out a small saucepan and plunked some blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in it. Before long I had those blueberries simmering and I smashed them a bit as they cooked with a potato smasher.
After they bubbled and broke down a bit (around five minutes), I got out a cup and whisked some cornstarch and water in it and poured the cornstarch mixture into the bubbling blueberries, smashing and stirring until the mixture thickened nicely. I poured that blueberry sauce into a bowl and plopped it into the freezer for thirty minutes.
After the blueberry mixture had chilled, I spread a bit of it on top of each graham cracker square. Then came the fun part, using the piping bag full of pastry cream, I made five dots of cream on top of each blueberry sauced smeared graham cracker. They looked like little dice.
And even better, they tasted amazing! Seriously, some people ate multiples and I got lots of compliments on them, which kinda made my day as they were a spur of the moment, what am I gonna make invention.
So if you are looking for a quick, easy, refreshing dessert for a party on a hot day, I am pretty sure you will like these little luscious, creamy blueberry bites!
Blueberry Five Bites
1 pack of graham crackers, split in half (You should have a minimum of 18 squares)
For the pastry cream
1-3 ounce box vanilla instant pudding
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup milkBeat ingredients with a mixer until light and fluffy, chill until ready to use, I put my pastry cream in a piping bag.
For the blueberry sauce
1 cup blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 TBSP cornstarch
2 TBSP waterPlace blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for at least five minutes. Smash blueberries with potato smasher as they cook.
In a small cup or bowl stir cornstarch and water together, whisk into cooking blueberries. Stir and cook until thickened. Chill blueberry sauce in freezer at least thirty minutes until room temp or colder.
Spread blueberry sauce on each graham cracker. Then, using piping bag, pipe five dots of pastry cream on each blueberry coated graham. You could also just spread a layer, but I was feeling creative that day!
Chill until ready to serve! This recipe makes 18 squares.
And as most of the time, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's still hasn't been grilled or chilled iPhone.