Delicious, holiday-perfect recipes chock full of blueberries
make luscious treats with Better-for-You Benefits!

With their thoroughly American heritage, blueberries are one of the few fruits native to the Americas and have inspired many down-home American desserts.

DOUBLE LUSCIOUS BLUEBERRY PIE

1 9-inch pie shell

10 ounces blueberry compote or preserves

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 cups fresh blueberries

Sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Prebake pie shell; cool. Mix together blueberry jam and cinnamon; heat until . liquefied, about 1 minute. Stir in fresh blueberries. Spoon blueberry mixture into prepared shell. Chill. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

YIELD: 6 portions

Credit: U. S. Highbush Blueberry Council, www.blueberrytech.org. Thomas J. Payne Market Development. Get the Real Blueberries™ Seal! www.realblueberries.org

RED, WHITE AND BLUEBERRY PARFAIT

1 loaf pound cake, about 10 oz

1/4 cup strawberry or red currant jelly

1 pint vanilla yogurt

2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen and thawed

With a serrated knife, cut 14 slices, 1/4-inch thick, from pound cake; return remaining cake to the freezer for another use. Spread 7 of the slices with jelly; top with plain slices; trim off and discard crusts. With a 1-1/4 inch star or other shape cookie cutter, cut a shape from four sandwiches; set stars aside. Cut sandwich trimmings and remaining whole sandwiches into 3/4-inch squares. Into four 8-ounce parfait or wine glasses, place half the cake squares, half the blueberries, and all but 4 tablespoons frozen yogurt, dividing equally. Top with the remaining cake squares and blueberries. Spoon dollops of the remaining yogurt on top of each parfait; top each with a star and serve.

Yield: 4 servings

For more recipes and information at www.blueberrytech.org

Follow the US Highbush Blueberry Council on twitter @happyblueberry

Credit: U. S. Highbush Blueberry Council, www.blueberrytech.org. Thomas J. Payne Market Development. Get the Real Blueberries™ Seal! www.realblueberries.org