Show and Tell: Blueberry Buckle

...And just like that I find myself sitting at my computer in my little green den (yup, the same colour as my kitchen) scrolling through photos of my summer vacation.  How does two weeks fly by so damn fast?  Seems just like seconds ago I was cramming an already stuffed suitcase with last minute items and zooming away to the airport in the backseat of a taxi driven by the creepiest taxi driver ever.  Happily I arrived at Saskatoon International Airport unscathed, and seven hours later the Deschamps welcoming committee greeted me with open arms in Windsor, Ontario.  Over the course of the next 10 days I would eat and eat and drink and eat and eat like no body's business.  Throw in lazy days of floating in pool, excursions to Target, getting lost on Eight Mile in Detroit (yes, that Eight Mile), eating at a famous celebrity chef resto in Toronto, being somewhat interrogated/flirted with by a US border crossing guard, visits to three very different but equally inspiring art institutions, road trips through lush countryside and late night martini-fueled marathons of GIRLS and you have one helluva vacation.  All that and I ate avocado ice cream too.  There are lots of photos to bore show you and a kick ass blueberry buckle recipe to follow, so let's get going!

Stacy made me this absolutely lovely grilled flat bread

 with roasted grapes and ricotta for lunch my first day. 

Mermaid and the Ambassador Bridge.

Lunch at Jack's in Kingsville, and this burger made my life.

I saw an Andy Warhol and it was cool.

Even food bloggers eat chili dogs.  

I miss this pool.  

Art from the Heidelberg Project in Detroit.

More art from Heidelberg.  Yes those are shopping carts and 

a polka dotted house. 

Oh so good chicken tortilla soup from Stacy's kitchen.

It's important to have comfy shoes while walking your butt off; 

these failed that category. 

 

My friends surprised me with reservations to Ruby Watchco, in Toronto. 

Super cool seeing Lynn Crawford clear plates and run out the 

door with her backpack. Oh, and the food was amazing, too.  

At the end of the night I totally wanted to snoop in the kitchen. 

Walking though Toronto neighbourhoods, I loved seeing peaches everywhere. 

I wish I could grow hydrangeas like this.  

Avocado, fresh mint and chocolate ice cream, from Chocolateria. 

Super awesome doesn't describe it. 

Dumpling making at Mother's.  Get the pan fried pork.  

Staircase inside the Art Gallery of Ontario.  

While staying with my friend Josée, we totally made eclairs

one night. These are filled with a mocha mousse. 

 

If only I can bottle this feeling for the rest of summer. 

Okey dokey.  Are you still with me?  That's a lot of photos!  All were taken with Instagram, which I'm deeply in love with.  So let's talk about food for a bit.  I should clarify that I barely lifted a finger in the cooking department.  Most of my tasks were delegated to chopping and stirring and taste testing.  It was perfectly awesome being the guest in kitchens of friends who love food as much as I. While pouring over cookbooks (yes, that's what we do for fun) this recipe for blueberry buckle was stumbled upon, in Oprah's cookbook no less.  Kinda cool in that it has a cakey bottom, fruity middle and buttery crumbly topping, it's perfect for dessert or as you well know, I eat many a dessert for breakfast and this doesn't disappoint.  Light and lovely, Stacy made this with fresh and juicy local Ontario blueberries purchased on the side of the road. It doesn't get any better than that. 

Blueberry Buckle

Crumble:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

4 tbsp butter, cold

Batter:

4 tbsp butter

5 tbsp granulated sugar

1 egg

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup buttermilk

Filling:

4 cups (2 pints) fresh bluberries

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp flour

2-4 tbsp granulated sugar

To make the crumble, combine all ingredients in large bowl and break apart with fingers.  Refrigerate for a bit. To make the batter, in a medium size bowl or in the bowl of a mixer, cream butter and sugar then add egg.  Sift together dry ingredients and add half to the creamed butter, mix then add buttermilk, mix then add rest of dry ingredients.  Refrigerate 30 minutes.  To prepare filling, combine all ingredients in bowl and stir.  Grease one large baking dish with butter. Spread batter on the bottom, then top with blueberry filling, then top with the crumble mixture.  Bake in a preheated 350*F oven for 30-40 minutes, until top is browned and filling starts to bubble.  Remove from oven and let it cool for about 20 minutes.  Serve warm, room temp or cold, for breakfast. Serves 8.