Never Blah Blueberry Sauce

Blueberries are wonderful all year long.  Whether you visit the blueberry farm and eat fresh from the bush in the summer, or store in the freezer for a winter’s treat, you just can’t be blue if blueberries are around.  On your cereal, in salads or muffins or pies, or finger food, these little blue summertime pearls are a sweet treat.

Stir up a batch of this quick and easy Blueberry Sauce to serve warm over ice cream or pound cake or on your pancakes.  You might want to make a double batch to freeze for a bitter winter weekend.  There’s nothing blah about blueberries - especially in December.

This recipe yields approximately 3 cups, enough sauce for three 8 ounce jars or six 4 ounce jars - a perfect gift to share with family and friends.

Ingredients

2 cups blueberries - fresh or frozen

1/2 cup water

1 cup orange juice

3/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (coarse)

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Combine blueberries with 1/4 cup water, orange juice, and sugar in a small saucepan.  Stir gently and bring to a boil.  

2. In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1/4 cup water with the cornstarch and stir to dissolve.  

3. Stir cornstarch mixture gently into blueberries and simmer for 3-4 minutes to thicken.  Remove from heat.

4. Stir almond extract and cinnamon into blueberry sauce.  Stir and remove from heat.

5. Delicious on Sunday brunch pancakes and waffles or serve as a topping on cake or ice cream - a perfect summer alternative to hot fudge.

6. Refrigerate sauce and it will be good for two to three weeks - although it probably won’t last that long.