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Desserts
Saskatoon pie
Saskatoons are ready to pick in late July and early August, in the wild in prairie coulees or at several berry farms across Alberta. They look like blueberries but have a special earthy flavour with a hint of almond. Pick them fresh and freeze for pies all winter.
Pastry:
5 cups flour 1.25 L
1 pound lard 500 g
1 tablespoon salt 15 ml
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vinegar, added to 1/2 cup ice cold water 15 ml in 125 ml
4 cups saskatoon berries (per pie) 1 L
2 tablespoons flour 25 ml
1/2 cup sugar 125 ml
pinch of salt
1/4 cup butter 50 ml
2 tablespoons lemon juice 25 ml
1. For pastry, mix together flour and salt in the food processor. Add the lard, cut into cubes, and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Whisk together the egg, vinegar and ice water and add to the processor. Pulse in short bursts, just until the pastry comes together. Don't over process. Gather up into two balls, wrap in plastic and let rest for 10 minutes. This will make enough pastry for two, double-crust pies. Divide each ball in half and roll out on a floured surface, forming two rounds, each about 10 inches in diameter. Extra pastry can be wrapped well and frozen.
2. Lay one round of pastry into a large, well-greased pie plate. Sprinkle a teaspoon of flour onto the surface before adding clean, uncooked saskatoon berries. Fill pie plate 2/3 full. Dot with butter. Sprinkle with remaining flour, sugar and lemon juice.
3. Rub a little cold water over the exposed edge of the pastry. Cover berries with top crust and press edges together to seal, then flute between your fingers. Make some holes with the tip of a sharp knife so steam can escape. Set pie on a baking sheet to catch any juice that overflows.
4. Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes. Cool and serve warm with ice cream. Serves 6.
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Raspberry and saskatoon cream fraiche tart
Here's another great recipe from High Plains, by Cinda Chavich
Pastry:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
pinch of salt
grated rind of 1 lemon
1/2 cup cold butter
1 egg
Filling:
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
11/2 cups saskatoon or blueberries
3/2 cup crème fraiche
3 eggs
1/4 cup ground almonds
2/3 cup sugar
icing sugar
1. To make pastry, combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse just until the dough forms a ball. Press dough into bottom and up sides of a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottle. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 15 minutes. Set aside.
2. To make crème fraiche, mix 2 cups of whipping cream with 1/2 cup sour cream and let stand, covered, at room temperature, for 12 hours. When mixture is nicely thickened, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
3.Arrange berries in tart shell. Whisk together the crème fraiche, eggs, ground almonds and sugar. Pour over fruit and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes, until firm, puffed and lightly golden. Cool. Dust with icing sugar before serving. Serves 6-8.
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Peach melba trifle with sherried custard
(From Classic Canadian Christmas)
Some old English trifles included a layer of crushed cookies like crunchy coconut meringues. You can add a layer if you wish. Make this trifle in a large glass bowl for a dramatic presentation, or layer it in individual parfait glasses.
1 pound cake, sliced thinly, or 2 packages soft ladyfingers, halved 1
3/4 cup sweet sherry, divided 175 ml
3 cups canned peaches, drained and sliced (about 12 peach halves) 750 ml
Raspberry Sauce:
1 package (300 g) frozen unsweetened raspberries 1
1/4 cup sugar 50 ml
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Custard:
3 cups hot milk or half-and-half 750 ml
4 egg yolks 4
1/4 cup cornstarch 50 ml
1/2 cup sugar 125 ml
3/4 teaspoon vanilla 4ml
1 cup heavy cream, sweetened and whipped
Fruit and mint leaves to garnish
1. To make the raspberry sauce, press the thawed raspberries through a sieve set over a saucepan to extract the juice and pulp, and remove the seeds. Set the fruit puree over medium heat and stir in the sugar and cornstarch. Cook, stirring constantly, until boiling and thick. Remove from heat and cool (may be made 2 days in advance)
2.To make custard, start with a saucepan that has been rinsed out with hot water but not dried - this prevents the milk solids from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Heat the milk until bubbles begin to form around the edges. Do not boil. Beat egg yolks with sugar and cornstarch until smooth and slowly whisk in hot milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 3-5 minutes or until custard has boiled for about 1 minute and is quite thick. Remove from heat and place in a bowl. Stir in the vanilla and 1/4 cup of the sherry. Cool slightly then cover with plastic wrap, placing the wrap directly on the surface of the custard, and refrigerate up to 2 days.
3. Slice peaches. Reserve a few slices of peaches for garnish.
4. Line an 8-cup glass trifle bowl or individual dishes with a layer of pound cake or ladyfingers. Sprinkle a little of the remaining sherry over the cake layer and top with 1/3 of the custard. Arrange about 1/3 of the peaches over top, making sure you press some of the pieces close to the glass. Drizzle with 1/3 of the raspberry syrup.
5. Repeat layers of cake, sherry, custard, peaches and syrup, ending with a layer of cake, sherry and custard. Cover the trifle tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or over night.
6. Before serving, whip the cream with a couple of tablespoons of sugar to sweeten it. Use the whipped cream, fruit and mint leaves to garnish the trifle. Serves 8.
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