Shhh! We’re Looking for Moose. (And Eating Blueberries.)

Shhh! No one make a sound!

Can something so good be so easy? Yes. So easy in fact, that every night we were in Maine, after the kids went to sleep — usually after a short drive to “look for moose” or “watch the sunset” since that was the only way we could get Miss A to fall asleep — I made dessert. As parents, when you’re on family vacations, you do what you need to in order to get your kids to sleep and enjoy a few hours of alone time; even if that means driving for an hour at dusk because otherwise you’ll be awake with a three-year old until midnight. After that night, we took no chances.

Prior to our visit to the Pine Tree State I could take or leave blueberries. I typically only eat them in yogurt parfait. The kids on the other hand, love blueberries. They’d eat them straight-up at every meal if they could. So since blueberries grow wild all over Down East Maine and the kids love them, I figured I’d feature them in a few desserts. The first one I tried was again inspired by the book, Lobster Rolls & Blueberry Pie by Rebecca Charles and Deborah Di Clementi – Blueberry Sauce.

It’s really so simple. You start by throwing some blueberries in a small sauce pan with a tablespoon or two of sugar.

Cook them over low heat, mashing about 3/4’s of the blueberries with the back of a fork. Simmer for only 3 to 4 minutes and then add juice from half of a lemon. (I also threw in a bit more sugar at this point.) Stir it in and turn off the heat.

At this point, you could run the sauce through a strainer as the cookbook suggests, but I prefer fruit sauces with some actual pieces of fruit. Let the blueberry sauce cool for at least 10 minutes and then serve it over vanilla ice cream.

Don’t worry – the sauce doesn’t melt the ice cream this fast. We were having freezer issues; but you work with what you’ve got and let me tell you, this stuff was good even if it wasn’t picture perfect. The kids lapped it up and didn’t leave a drop in their bowls. 4 spoons from them.

As for dad and I, well, considering I made this every night (seriously – every night) while we were at the cabin, I’d say we give it 4 spoons too.

Print this recipe: Blueberry Sauce

30 thoughts on “Shhh! We’re Looking for Moose. (And Eating Blueberries.)”

  1. smartfoodandfit says:
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    I love blueberries too, they are pretty low in sugars and high in fiber. My kids and I eat them straight up all the time or add them fresh to our oatmeal or cereal in the morning. This sauce would be great over pancakes or waffles. Can you tell I’m a breakfast kinda gal!
    We do car rides too for my almost two year old, anything to get them to go to bed!

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    • Kristy says:
      Reply

      LOL! The car rides are a necessity sometimes. 🙂 Oh – I have a great blueberry french toast recipe I’ve been wanting to try. Now you gave me the idea to serve a side of this sauce with it for dipping. Yum!

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  2. A_Boleyn says:
    Reply

    For blueberry fan(atic)s.

    Blueberry Frozen Yogurt (~1 quart or 4 cups)

    3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (about 1 lb)
    3 Tbsp lemon juice
    3/4 cup – 1 cup granulated sugar
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 1/2 cups full fat plain yogurt
    1/2 cup whole milk (1/4 cup whipping cream, 1/4 cup buttermilk)

    Place the blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring, until all of the sugar has dissolved. While the mixture is heating, use a potato masher to mash up the blueberries. When all of the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

    If you want a smooth result, you can process the cooled mixture in a food processor, or skip, in which case you’ll have pieces of blueberries which can add flavorful texture to the frozen yogurt.

    Stir in the yogurt and milk until completely incorporated. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for several hours (or overnight) until completely cold.

    Process the blueberry yogurt mixture in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions (usually about 25 minutes). Serve immediately (it will be soft) or let it firm up a bit by freezing it for several hours.

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  5. Kay aka Babygirl says:
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    You know I LOVE ice cream and this blueberry sauce looks amazing. I love great toppings for my dessert. And I completely sympathize with getting your kids to sleep :). I remember my mom and I having to do something similar with my niece. We talked her to sleep LOL.

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    • Kristy says:
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      LOL! I think Miss A could talk me to sleep and not in the sense that she’s boring in the least, but that she would just keep going, and going, and going. I can only stay awake so long after hitting a pillow. 😉

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  7. Charles says:
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    Yeeeah, keep the actual fruit in the sauce! We’re not gummy, toothless 100+ year old people! A few lumps and seeds are what it’s all about! But to be serious, I totally agree – straining it out and you get some coloured sugar water with none of the yummy fibres from the fruit! Looks delicious 🙂

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  9. spicegirlfla says:
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    I remember well all the “strategies” I took in getting my kids tired so I could have a little alone time myself!! When I was on a cruise last year they had an assortment of warm fruit sauces and I became hooked on having them every day!! Topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce!! This post just brought back that memory!

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    • Kristy says:
      Reply

      LOL! On the third night of the trip Miss A stayed up until midnight. After that, we knew we had to get creative. She can keep herself awake longer than any kid I’ve known. LOL. Mr. N on the other hand, asleep every night at bedtime. We can always count on him for that. 🙂

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  12. Caroline says:
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    Perfect, simple dessert! I love blueberry sauce, and know it would be even more amazing over ice cream. I couldn’t make this for my dad (he hates all things blueberry for some reason), but everyone else in my family would love it! I might eat all of it before they get a taste though. 🙂

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  13. Kelly says:
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    Oh, that’s the cutest photo of Miss A and Chef Dad. Love the pink outfit and the holiday skirt… can completely relate to the desire to have a few moments of quiet time at the end of the day. The blueberry sauce is fabulous – simple and delicious and you could serve it up so many ways… (vanilla ice cream is a pretty great way!). I’d be eating it every night too (with chunks of fruit :))

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    • Kristy says:
      Reply

      That’s one of my favorite pics too. That was her birthday outfit. 🙂 The front of her shirt says “Princess A…” She just loves it. Wears it all of the time. LOL!

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