As I sat there this past Saturday, wondering what to make for this Nevada Appeal article, I was torn. Here it is this cold, snowy day and I want to make some type of comfort food. However, by Wednesday, it will probably be 69 degrees outside and you guys will be thinking about your next backyard barbecue.
So, I compromised and made both. I got homemade chicken and orzo soup to comfort me through Saturday’s drizzle. You guys get the retro-style blueberry pretzel salad that will take you back into a simpler time. This dish gets its retro vibe because it used to be a very popular dish in the 1960s. It ranked right up there with the JELL-O salad, and is grouped into this category. I personally have never had this or heard of this fruity salad in my life. When I came across this recipe, I thought “What an interesting recipe, I’m tweaking and making this for myself.” It turned out amazing. So, I am bringing it to you good readers to tweak yourselves and make whatever fruity pretzel salad you desire. That’s one of the great things about this dish, you can use any berry of your choice: raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherry… your options are boundless.
I actually found this salad really fun to make. For one, I was very excited about the pretzel crust. I have never had one before and the smell of buttery pretzels baking in my oven had my mouth watering. There are several steps to the cooling process of this dish. You really need to do the steps in order for the timing to be perfect. This would be a great dessert or side dish that you could make the day before. It will be a classic hit at your next outdoor festivity. It needs to sit in the fridge for about 4 hours before you can cut in and make slices, so keep that in mind.
Ingredients:
Crust:
2 cups crushed pretzels
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 ½ sticks melted butter
Filling:
8 ounces whipped softened cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8 ounces container thawed frozen whipped topping
Blueberry Topping:
3 cups frozen or fresh blueberries
½ cup brown sugar
2 shots of Rose wine
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Juice of one lemon
1 can of blueberry pie filling.
First let’s start with the crust. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Use your food processor and crush up the pretzels with melted butter and sugar. Put into a parchment lined 9x13-inch cake pan. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until golden, or until you smell that toasty buttered pretzel smell.
While that’s baking let’s get out a sauce pan and start the blueberry toppings. Pour blueberries, brown sugar, wine, lemon juice, and cornstarch into your saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer. Use a wooden spoon and crush blueberries against the side of the pan until they all bust open. Bring to a boil then remove from heat. Sit to the side and let it cool down. Open your can of blueberry pie filling and put into another plastic container and set aside.
Your pretzel crust should be finished by this point and set aside to cool. It must be cooled down. You cannot pour your cream cheese mixture into a hot crust. You will rue the day, I promise. Let’s now start with the filling. Use a hand mixer and mix together cream cheese and powdered sugar until completely mixed together. Now we take the thawed out frozen whipped topping and add it to that mixture. Use a rubber mixing spoon to fold this all in together. Don’t over mix this, but don’t under mix it either. It really needs to be well incorporated.
Take this mixture and pour it into your completely cooled crust. Put it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Take your blueberry mixture and pour into a separate container. Place in the refrigerator to cool.
In about 1 hour, you can pull out your chilled whipped cream and crust from the fridge. Spread blueberry pie filling all over the top. Next, take your completely cooled blueberry sauce mixture and pour on top of the blueberry pie filling. Put back in the refrigerator for another 2-3 hours or until it’s completely set.
Serve this blast from the past at your next get together for raving reviews. Please enjoy!
Tara Riddle is a real estate agent and property manager at Charles Kitchen Realty. She also works at the Farmer’s Market in Carson City or Black Rock Bison. Reach her at TRiddle@CharlesKitchen.com.