So, this in your face right now. And I know it’s bikini beach speedo thong mesh onesie season and I’m sorry about that. I really am.
It’s just that this is like, really good. And I have to tell you about it. I mean, it’s really easy and delicious. Obviously I’m not reinventing any sort of wheel, but your taste buds will thank me for it. Your hips probably wont, but they’re just being honest. They don’t lie.
The elements are really easy and can be made way ahead of time so it’s a dessert you can throw together real quick for guests. Seriously you can never go wrong with ice cream sundaes. Anyone that doesn’t appreciate them can get the hell out of my house. Never trust anyone that doesn’t like ice cream and never trust anyone that doesn’t like dogs. Respect.
The base element is the frozen yogurt. Now, I didn’t make my own frozen yogurt because MTV True Life it was my day off and I wasn’t feeling it. I had to take Mose to the forest. I used the open nature brand frozen greek, available at Safeway, because it’s my favorite. I’m not being paid to say that. I just really think the balance of sweetness and tang is perfect and I think you should know about it. If you did want to go the homemade route, David has this recipe and mah gurl Cindy has this one. Next time I will because, like all sundaes, this was on the sweeter side and making my own would let me control the level of sweetness.
The next level of the sundae is the blueberry compote that comes from Tracy. Seriously the first time I tried this stuff my face exploded with my pants and I tweeted about it. It’s really easy and the sugar level is more on the reserved side for compotes and it has lemon. It also goes extremely well on pancakes and french toast and regular not frozen yogurt for breakfast.
The final level is the pie crumb topping stuff, I don’t know what to call it, that adds that last little bit of goodness and makes you feel like you’re eating a slice of blueberry pie but not really. This is some Willy Wonka trickery business. The pie ice cream idea came from Megan when she made this explosion of pie and ice cream. I just knew I had to make a pie crumb topping for a sundae/something to eat straight off the pan.
Another great thing about this whole sundae is that it’s pretty versatile. You could soften up the frozen yogurt and swirl the compote and streusel topping in there, slam that in some popsicle molds and have some face exploding popsicles that could take you back to those strawberry shortcake ice cream bars you had when you were a kid or like, last week.
Now, today’s the 4th of July and I know that someone made it your job to have a themed dessert at your BBQ. This sundae isn’t shaped like a rocket or a flag or George Washington’s face, but I think if you put a slice of strawberry in there nobody will complain.
Now, let’s make some sundae action happen.
Blueberry Pie Sundae
Makes enough for at least 4 servings
Compote from Shutterbean
Streusel Topping adapted from Joy the Baker
Idea from Megan
For the base, I’d make sure you have at least a quart of frozen yogurt or ice cream. If you’re going the popsicle route, use a pint and halve the compote but keep the streusel the same. Soften up the frozen goodness, swirl it all together and place in popsicle molds.
For the compote:
1 pint, 2 c, blueberries*
1/4 c sugar
4 strips of lemon peel from a medium sized lemon
2 T lemon juice from same lemon
2 t cornstarch
*I use fresh because they’re available but I’m sure frozen would work, just let them thaw
For the pie streusel topping:
1/4 c butter (1/2 a stick) cold and cubed
1/2 c flour
3 T brown sugar
pinch of salt
There is whipped cream in that picture up there, but it’s not necessary at all. I don’t think I’ll be using it next time, but it does make for a nice presentation. Everyone loves whipped cream.
To make the compote:
Combine blueberries, sugar, and lemon peel in saucepan. (use a vegetable peeler to get just the outer lemon peel from the lemon going from the top to the bottom. Get four of those strips and make sure they’re not tiny, you’re fishing those out later.
Once everything is in the pan, quickly combine the juice and cornstarch and set aside. Turn the heat onto medium high and mash berries, sugar and lemon peel together until berries are mashed completely and the sugar has disolved, about 3 min.
Add the lemon juice cornstarch mixture and bring to boil. Cook for 1 min, until the mixture has thickened and remove from heat. Let it cool completely then take out the lemon peel. Hands work best for this. Everything is a dark purple by this point so fishing around with a fork or pair of tongs doesn’t help. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
To make the pie streusel topping:
Preheat the oven to 350
Use your hands to combine everything until it’s crumbly. It’s a streusel after all. Nothing crazy. Make sure there’s no major chunks of butter in there.
Throw everything on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 5 min. This will result in soft crumbs. If you want more crunch, then let it bake for 10 min. Remove from oven and let it completely cool on baking sheet. Once cooled break it all up and put it on whatever you want.
To make the sundaes:
This is pretty self explanatory, but scoop out some frozen yogurt, pour some compote on that, and top it off with the pie streusel topping. voom voom shebang, you’ve got a sundae.
