Wild blueberries will forever remind me of the trip that my sister and I took to New England (East coast of Canada and USA).  (See my New England clam chowder recipe and review here and my review of a New England restaurant that Barack Obama ate at here.)  I was feeling nostalgic when I discovered that President’s Choice sells frozen Canadian wild blueberries, so I purchased a very large bag and have been making this simple wild blueberry sauce ever since.  (On a side note, I’m hoping to come up with a recipe that uses frozen blueberries to make a good wild blueberry pie.  I’ve had a failed attempt so far.  I’ll keep you posted.)  I have made this sauce for family, friends, and Ed, and everyone has loved it.  It’s subtly sweet and natural tasting and is versatile for a range of simple and delicious desserts.  For example, you could serve it warm over ice cream (photo below) or a slice of pound cake (recipe here) with a dollop of whipped cream.  (If you have leftover whipped cream, you can freeze it (see here for instructions)!)  I’ve also used this sauce (cooled) in trifles (photo above) and danishes (recipe here).  I don’t recommend making this sauce with regular blueberries, because they’re not as flavourful, they’re more tart, and they don’t hold their shape as well as wild blueberries.

Wild Blueberry Sauce Recipe

makes 4 servings (double or triple the recipe if you are making trifle)

1 1/2 cups of frozen wild blueberries (Notes:  I recommend the President’s Choice brand of frozen Canadian wild blueberries.  I don’t recommend making this sauce with regular blueberries, because they’re not as flavourful, they’re more tart, and they don’t hold their shape as well as wild blueberries.  Also, this recipe is not intended to be used for fresh blueberries.)

scant 1/4 cup of granulated white sugar  (Note:  This sauce is not intended to be noticeably sweet, so as to allow the natural blueberry flavour to come through.  But feel free to adjust the sweetness to taste.)

3/4 tbsp of cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water (Note:  Or you could omit the cornstarch and simply simmer the sauce until it thickens to your preference.  I have done this before too, but it takes at least 30 minutes.)

Over medium heat, bring the frozen blueberries and sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Once all of the blueberries have melted and have heated through, reduce the heat slightly to maintain a strong simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.  Then stir in the cornstarch in water, and stir until you’ve achieved your desired consistency, keeping in mind that it will continue to thicken as it cools.  If the sauce is not as thick as you would like it to be, continue to simmer until it is.  Adjust sugar to taste.  Remove from heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes until the sauce is warm and no longer hot.  Then spoon it over scoops of vanilla ice cream or a slice of pound cake and serve immediately.  Alternatively, you could cool the sauce completely and use it in a trifle.