Blueberry Bars at the Morris Farm's Tour de Farms Bike Ride

This weekend we are celebrating local foods at the Morris Farm in Wiscasset with the Tour de Farms bike ride. They have 8, 20, 50 and 100 mile loops winding along the Maine coast with stops for snacks at local farms. What better way to start off your autumn season than with a gorgeous ride that culminates in a local foods barbeque at the Morris Farm. One of the desserts we are planning incorporates the luscious local blueberry. It's easy to make and delicious to eat. They are great warm topped with a little Round Top vanilla ice cream. Hope you can join us for the Tour de Farms. Come ride- the century starts at 7:30 am see the Morris Farm's website for times for shorter loops- or just enjoy the barbeque at 2pm.
Blueberry Bars
Serves 32
Ingredients
Crust and Topping
6 cups cut oats, uncooked
2 cups flour
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, melted
Filling
8 cups blueberries, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup sugar
6 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350°.
Line a half sheet pan or two 9x13 baking pans with foil, letting ends extend above pan on 2 sides. Grease pans. In a large bowl, mix oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add melted butter and stir with a fork until evenly moistened (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve 2 cups crumb mixture for topping.
Press remaining mixture evenly and firmly over bottom of 2 pans. Bake 12 minutes.
Filling: In a small saucepan stir berries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice over medium heat until bubbling. Simmer, stirring, until thick.
Spoon blueberry mixture evenly over crusts. Divide reserved crumb mixture and sprinkle over the top of the blueberries.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool completely in pan. Lift foil by ends and slide entire slab onto a cutting board.
Peel off foil; cut into 2" squares.
Savor. Linger. Enjoy! -Cynthia

The Aspiring Locavore- Heirloom Tomatoes and Luscious Lobster

The Morris Farm Trust in Wiscasset, Maine is the gracious host for The Aspiring Locavore- Fresh, Local, Possible- A Maine Cooking Class. We gather on the fourth Tuesday of every month to share the freshest foods that are available in our area. Read more Here. Our August class involved a hands on approach for students to create delicious dishes. One thing we created was a Lobster Chevre Pate. Since the recipe was directly out of our heads- I thought it best to write it down here. Come join us next time at the Morris Farm for The Aspiring Locavore in September.
Lobster Chevre Pate
We decided that this light dish would be perfect on crusty bread OR chilled and made into little patties. The patties can be dipped in a beaten egg, then breadcrumbs and fried in butter until golden. The crispy patties can then be served atop fresh greens for a lovely salad.
You need:
11-12 oz plain fresh chevre at room temperature
6 oz cooked chopped lobster meat
the juice of 1/2 a lime- approximately 3 T
3 T finely chopped fresh cilantro
dash of sea salt
a few grinds of black pepper
Mash the chevre in a shallow bowl with a fork. Stir in the lime juice, cilantro salt and pepper. When combined, add the lobster and stir gently until completely incorporated. Serve immediately or Line a dish with plastic wrap and fill with the pate. Fold the plastic up over the mixture. Cover with another layer of wrap and chill until you are ready to use. When you're ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap until the pate is exposed. Unmold the pate onto a pretty plate and gently peel back the wrap to uncover the pate. Sprinkle the pate with a little more freshly chopped cilantro and serve with bread rounds or crackers. Delicious!
Savor. Linger. Enjoy!