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    Home » Wild Herbs and Spices

    Wild Blueberries with Cream

    Published: Mar 22, 2021 Modified: Feb 6, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Blueberries with Crème Fraîche is a love letter to one of the best summer desserts of all time: berries and cream. 

    Wild blueberries with creme fraiche

    I love berries and cream. I eat it during the summer, but also in the winter since the off-season is when I eat most of the fruit I've harvested. This simple dessert is one of the best wild blueberry recipes I have.

    Stewed wild blueberries
    How we chill blueberry compote in the north.

    How to make it

    You take some blueberries and cook them down until they become syrupy and delicious then. To add texture and freshness, you lighten it by tossing in a good cup of half-frozen blueberries.

    The berries help thicken the cream so it doesn't get too loose, too fast. If you want to skip the freezing step it's fine, especially if you have fresh blueberries.

    Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria
    Meadowsweet is a great flavoring for cream.

    After you mix the berries up you toss them ever so gently with a good spoonful of creme fraiche or whipped cream. The key is to not mix it too much so it gets a marbled look. A few scrapes of lemon zest brings it all together.

    Use wild or cultivated, fresh or frozen Blueberries

    I harvest my blueberries in the pine barrens, but many grocery stores carry frozen wild blueberries. They're not as flavorful as truly wild ones, but they'll do in a pinch.

    Flavoring the Cream

    I like to flavor the cream with herbs. If you want to use whipped cream instead of creme fraiche you can skip it, but the technique is fascinating. It's one of the few pieces of my fruit chapter that wasn't cut from my book.

    Fermented meadowsweet creme fraiche recipe
    Dried meadowsweet cream tastes of almonds.

    To flavor the cream, you take some aromatics and mix them with heavy cream and a splash of buttermilk. You leave the cream out in a warm place for a couple days until it thickens.

    Wild blueberries in the Summer.

    The herbs are discarded afterward, but their flavor remains in the cream. In the images here I've flavored the cream with Meadowsweet flowers, but you can use herbs like fresh basil, mint, or just a few scrapes of lemon zest.

    If you want an almond flavor like the cream I use, you can add a dash of almond extract to whipped cream.

    If you like simple fruit desserts like this you'll also like Wild Berry Frango.

    Wild blueberries with cream
    Wild blueberries with cream
    Print Recipe
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    Wild Blueberries with Crème Fraiche and Meadowsweet

    Cooked wild blueberries, fresh frozen wild blueberries, and thick creme fraiche flavored with wild herbs and maple sugar makes for a refreshing dessert.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Chilling time20 mins
    Total Time45 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Maple sugar, Meadowsweet, Wild blueberries
    Servings: 4 Servings
    Calories: 516kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • 1 Quart mason jar for making the cream (optional)
    • 1 small 2 quart mixing bowl
    • 1 whisk, stand mixer or food processor.

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups wild or cultivated blueberries see note
    • ½ cup thick crème fraiche or whipped cream
    • 1.5 tablespoons maple sugar or 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
    • A few scrapes of lemon zest to taste
    • Tiny pinch of kosher salt

    Creme Fraiche (makes more than you need)

    • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
    • ¼ cup buttermilk

    Instructions

    Creme Fraiche (optional)

    • Combine the cream, a few scrapes of lemon zest, and yogurt or buttermilk, whisk and store covered with cheesecloth in a container like a mason jar, pushing the bouquet to the bottom of the jar ensure proper infusion at room temperature for 72 hours, or until creamy and thick, like sour cream. Refrigerate. The creme fraiche will tighten as it chills.

    Assembly

    • Reserve 1 cup of blueberries and put them in the freezer to chill for 20 minutes.
    • Put the 2 cups of blueberries in a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat with the pinch of salt until the pan is nearly dry and the berries are syrupy, about 15-20 minutes. Chill the berries completely, and keep the other 1 cup frozen.
    • Meanwhile, whip the crème fraiche with the sugar to soft peaks.
    • From here, the cooked blueberries and whipped crème fraiche can be chilled until serving time.
    • To serve, transfer the cooked blueberries and their juice (scraping the container out with a spatula) into a bowl.
    • Mix the berry compote with the frozen blueberries, then very gently fold in the cream. Do not completely mix in the cream, as the dish should have a marbled effect.
    • Spoon the berries and cream into small mounds on 4 small, chilled dessert plates, garnish with a few scrapes of lemon zest from a coarse grater, and serve imediately. The half-frozen fruit will thaw quickly and helps the cream hold its shape.

    Notes

    Blueberries 

    Use 1 lb fresh or frozen blueberries if you use purchased ones from a grocery store. Divide the berries in thirds and proceed as per the recipe. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.75cups | Calories: 516kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 50mg | Potassium: 245mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 1885IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 1mg
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    Chef Alan Bergo

    HI, I'm Alan: James Beard Award-winning Chef, Author, Show Host and Forager. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Let me show you why foraging is the most delicious thing you'll ever do.

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