This steamed pudding can be made with frozen blueberries, warming you up
from the inside out long after your local blueberry bushes have been
buried by snow.

This steamed pudding can be made with frozen blueberries, warming you up from the inside out long after your local blueberry bushes have been buried by snow. Blueberries are a perennial favourite for Canadians.

Blueberries have a special place as one of the few fruits native to North America. Their enduring popularity will serve you well this Christmas season, whether its in the good old standby of blueberry muffins for holiday shoppers eager for a snack or this steamed pudding for an afternoon café break.

Blueberries have the nostalgia all good comfort foods have, plus added bonus of many known health benefits. One serving of blueberries provides 14 mg of vitamin C, which is almost 25 per cent of your daily requirement, reports the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council’s website. We know customers are after all the vitamin C they can get in cold and flu season!

Blueberry steamed pudding

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 tablespoon plus 3/4 cup sugar, divided
• 4 cups fresh or frozen (unthawed) blueberries, divided
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 eggs

Directions
Using one tablespoon of butter, grease a 1-1/2-quart microwaveable round baking dish or bowl and sprinkle with one tablespoon sugar. Set aside.

In a large microwaveable dish, toss two cups of blueberries and the remaining sugar. Cover loosely with clear plastic wrap and microwave on high (100 per cent power) until blueberries are tender, about four minutes.

In a food processor, combine cooked blueberries, flour, yogurt, vanilla and the remaining four tablespoons butter. Process until smooth. Add eggs and pulse to blend.

Pour mixture into the reserved buttered dish. Stir in remaining two cups of blueberries. Cover dish loosely with plastic wrap and microwave on high until set in the center, about 12 to 14 minutes.

Prick plastic wrap to release steam. Cover dish with a large plate and let stand 20 to 30 minutes. Uncover and remove plastic wrap, then invert pudding onto a serving plate. Serve warm with additional vanilla yogurt, if desired.

Yield: Eight servings.