Blueberry Crumble Bars

These beautiful looking bars stole the show this past week when I made them on Expresso. We were talking all things Indigo, as apparently, this is the hottest hue of the year for walls, decor and fashion. I can't recall blueberries actually ever being 'trendy' but if ever there was a time, now is as good as any. Being the only 'blue' fruit, it had very little competition vying for the spotlight, which is why I gave it a starring role in this recipe. 

The pastry is dead easy to make with just a little rubbing-in required from your fingertips. My grandmother always taught me to leave one hand clean and flour-free when baking incase the telephone rang or someone knocked on the door. And being as stubborn as I am, I never do, which thanks to Mr Murphy means that someone always calls at the exact point my hands touch the flour. Go figure. You could, of course, swop out the fruit for whatever is in season (strawberries, raspberries, peaches, plums etc.) though they won't lend the stunning inky contrast the blueberries do.

Blueberry Crumble Bars

Makes 30

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

3 cups cake flour

large pinch of salt

zest and juice from one lemon

225g butter cold and in cubes

1 egg

4 cups fresh blueberries

½ cup sugar

4 tsp corn flour

Combine the sugar, baking powder and flour with the salt and lemon zest and mix well.

Rub in the butter until the mixture is crumbly then stir in the egg to form a dough.

Divide the dough in half and press one half into a lined baking sheet so it’s about ½cm thick.

Stir together the lemon juice, blueberries, sugar and corn flour and sprinkle this over the dough layer.

Crumble the remaining dough over the berries and bake at 190C for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before slicing into squares.