Essential ingredient

Essential ingredient Plucked fresh,

by Kaitlyn Goalen

blueberries deliver

IIn recent years, the concept of eating seasonally has morphed from a lofty goal to expected practice among food lovers. This is largely a good thing for all of the reasons that you’ve probably already heard: a tomato simply tastes better in July than in February, the carbon footprint is lower when food isn’t flown in from Mexico, and so on and so forth.

ORANGE BLOSSOM PAVLOVAS WITH BLUEBERRIES AND PISTACHIOS

Serves 8

4 egg whites, room temperature ½ tablespoon cornstarch 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon orange-flower water 2 cups fresh blueberries 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons dark rum

½ cup chopped pistachios Preheat the oven to 275°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and trace 8 equal circles (3 to 4 inches in diameter) on the paper. In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until they reach soft peaks, about 5 minutes. Sift together the corn starch and sugar in a medium bowl, then add the sugar mixture by the tablespoon to the egg white mixture, beating after each addition. Continue to whip the whites; they should stiffen. In a bowl, combine the vinegar and orange-flower water. Sprinkle over the top of the whites, and whip until stiff peaks form and look glossy. Spoon the whites into the circles on the parchment, using the back of the spoon to form a small well in the center of each pavlova. Transfer to the oven and reduce the heat to 250°. Bake for 1 hour. Then turn off the oven and crack the oven door, leaving the pavlovas inside. Let cool completely. (The pavlovas can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored at room temperature in a Ziploc bag.) While the pavlovas are baking, place 1 cup of the blueberries, the lemon juice, and the remaining sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, until the blueberries begin to break down and release their juices, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the rum. Let cool slightly. (The berry sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.) To serve, divide the pavlovas between 8 plates. Top each pavlova with a generous spoonful of blueberry sauce, a few of the remaining fresh berries, and a sprinkling of chopped pistachios.

As with any prescription, though, eating seasonally can be inconvenient. It certainly was for me. I grew up in Los Angeles, land of sunshine and year-round produce. Moving to the East Coast, with its defined (and much shorter) growing seasons, altered what it meant for me to eat produce in its prime. And to be honest, I had to make the change gradually, one beloved crop at a time. (To be even more honest, there are still ingredients that I eat out of season; nobody’s perfect.)

But I know no better argument for eating locally and seasonally than a ripe blueberry. Plucked fresh from the bush at peak maturity, these indigo orbs are the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Raw, they satisfy snack cravings by the handful, and cooked, they release their juices generously, staining anything they touch with inky purple flavor. Their season is short, but, in my house, celebratory – for two to three months each summer, blueberries make their way into salads (they taste amazing when lightly pickled), breakfast pancakes, and plenty of desserts, not to mention jams and syrups for cocktails.

Here in Raleigh, we’re lucky to have an abundance of blueberry farmers within close proximity. From June to August, you can drive in pretty much any direction to a u-pick blueberry farm. It’s an excursion I highly recommend; blueberry season is short and sweet, so load up while you can.