BLUEBERRY HILL

Yes, there really is a Blueberry Hill, tucked into the rolling hillsides of New Hampshire, east of Concord, close to Bow Lake, in the small town of Northwood. Our aunt and uncle had a large colonial farmhouse, known simply as “The House on Blueberry Hill”, with a huge barn complete with hay loft, several horses and more tractors that we could ever figure out what Uncle Robert did with each of them. The grounds included a well found by a local resident with a divining rod, a peach orchard, small frog pond which was perfect for a cool dip in the summer, and acres and acres of blueberry bushes. It was one of our most favorite places to visit. My Mom and her younger sister transformed into silly schoolgirls when they got together, and my brother, sisters and I all had free rein of the house and barn. The meadows in the back of the house sloped down to a fence, and then back up a steeper hill which was covered with blueberry bushes. We’d take our pails and fill them with plump sweet blueberries, and return to the house covered with blueberry splotches all over our clothing, hands and mouths. Those blueberries found their way into blueberry pancakes, blueberry muffins and of course, blueberry pie.

I’m not certain just how many acres were devoted to the peach trees, but it seemed as though the trees, laden with huge peaches, went on forever. Once the peaches were harvested, they were stored for a short time in a huge refrigerated room on the side of the barn. We’d always try to sneak in there to cool off on a hot summer day. Uncle Robert would take out his pocket knife and slice into the juicy peaches left on several trees closest to the house, and we would gather around like little birds as he fed us those delicious slices. Fresh peach pie was always on the menu for dessert, too.

Fresh summer peaches, blueberries and raspberries always remind me of our childhood summers in New Hampshire. Here’s a very simple Crostata that you can tailor to incorporate your favorite summer fruits and berries. The Crostata is merely a free form pastry tart – you don’t have to fuss with a pie plate! You can use blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries with the peaches, or a combination of different berries.

FRESH PEACH &BLUEBERRY CROSTADA

* Preheat Oven to 450 degrees

Pastry

(Makes enough for two crostatas)

• 2 Cups All Purpose Unbleached Flour
• ¼ Cup Baker’s Sugar (Superfine)
• ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 8 Ounces Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces

Put flour, sugar and salt into bowl of Cuisinart (use steel blade) and pulse to mix ingredients. Add chilled butter and pulse quickly until butter is pea-sized. With motor running, add ¼ Cup Ice Water through feed tube, then pulse until dough clumps together. Empty dough onto marble pastry board or pastry cloth. Form into two balls, flatten and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate one and freeze the other for another day (or don’t freeze the second ball – make two and double the Filling Recipe below.)

Filling

(Makes one Crostada)

• 1 ½ Pounds Fresh Sliced Peaches
• 1 Teaspoon Grated Lemon Zest
• 1 Cup Fresh Blueberries, Raspberries or Blackberries
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
• ¼ Cup Baker’s Sugar (Superfine)
• 1 Egg for Egg Wash
• ¼ Cup All Purpose Unbleached Flour

Roll pastry into a dinner plate sized circle on floured surface, and transfer onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Combine all filling ingredients in bowl, and cover the tart dough with the peaches and berries, leaving 2 inch border all around. Fold the border up onto the peaches and berries, making rough pleats as you go around the circle. Beat one egg with a teaspoon of cold water in a small bowl and brush around the side of the tart. Sprinkle edges with sparkling sugar (available in specialty food stores), and bake crostata for 20 – 25 minutes or until peaches are tender and crust is golden brown.

Let rest for ten minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!

— Lynn Kathleen Adams
— RSCA Board Member since 1994