Blueberry season is in full swing in Sonoma County now. After you’ve eaten your fill of them neat, here are a few of my favorite ways to enjoy them.

Chilled Blueberry Soup with Burrata Warm Chicken Liver Salad with Poached Eggs, Blueberries and Bacon Blueberry Chutney

Blueberry Granita • Makes about 6 to 8 small servings

You don’t need an ice cream machine to make delicious granita.

• 2 cup blueberries
• ¼ freshly squeezed orange juice
• Pinch of ground cardamom
• Simple syrup, to taste

1. Put the blueberries into a medium saucepan, add ½ cup water, the orange juice and the cardamom and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Taste and add just enough simple syrup to boost the sweetness to your liking. When the berries have softened, remove from the heat, let cool and pass through a strainer into a wide shallow glass container.
2. Cover and freeze for about an hour. Remove from the freezer and use a fork to mix the partially frozen blueberry puree; the goal is to make it lighter and a bit fluffy. Return to the feeze and repeat the mixing process another few times, just the granita is completely frozen.
3. To serve, break it up with a fork, spoon into chilled bowls and enjoy with a glass of your favorite sparkling wine or merlot alongside.

Variation: You can, if you like, add some culinary-grade lavender blossoms to the blueberries as they simmer. Be sure to taste carefully and add enough simple syrup, which is necessary to keep the lavender from having a soapy taste.