Pastry scraps
Don’t know what to do with the pastry trimmings from your pie? Do this!
Month: January 2021
Cranberry Maple Syrup Pie
An interesting (and super easy) pie that uses non-rationed (and very Canadian!) ingredients.
Chocolate Mint Pie
Another from Wartime Recipes from the Maritimes, this pie uses gelatin and whipped egg whites to create a cohesive, mousse-like texture.
The book says that the meringue is folded into the pie to reduce how much sugar was needed (since sugar was rationed). I like the lightness it adds, and I think I’d prefer this version to one with a meringue topping.
Ingredients
1 baked pie shell 2 oz unsweetened chocolate (I used 4-5 oz) 1/2 cup boiling water 1 tbsp gelatin, softened in 1/4 cup water 2 egg yolks (I used all 3) 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp white sugar 1/2 tsp salt 2 drops peppermint flavouring 3 egg whites
Instructions
Melt the chocolate in the 1/2 cup boiling water (I used a double boiler). Beat until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the softened gelatin until dissolved. Beat in to the chocolate mixture the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Add the peppermint oil and chill until partly set. Whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry, then beat in the remaining 2 tbsp sugar. Fold egg whites into the chocolate mixture until combined. Pour into the pie shell and chill until set.
I like my chocolate desserts to be very chocolate-y, so I often add more chocolate than requested in the recipe. I also dislike when recipes have unbalanced egg part usage – what am I going to do with one spare yolk?! So I just added it in.
I only had bittersweet chocolate, so I reduced the sugar in the recipe to 1/3 cup, to better approximate the sweetness of the original dish.
The verdict
Everyone liked it! I would make this again!
The pie was kind of mousse-like and light, while being still very chocolate-y (with my extra chocolate additions). I like the mint flavour, but I think other flavourings could be really nice too (cinnamon and chili, for example). It would also be good without flavour additions too!
I think I like the lower sugar content of most of the wartime dessert recipes – it’s nice to have something a little less. sweet sometimes. We certainly didn’t miss having more sugar in this pie.
What flavour would you add? Tell us in the comments!
Creamed Carrots and Peas
While I’m sure Normandy Beef Hash would be a satisfying meal on it’s own, I wanted some more veggies on my plate, so I made this recipe from Wartime Recipes from the Maritimes to go along with it.
I changed the instructions a bit, so as to not cook the heck out of the vegetables …
Ingredients
4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1 cup fresh peas (alas, I used frozen) 2 tsp sugar 3 tbsp butter 3 tbsp flour 1.5 cups milk Salt and pepper
Instructions
Bring a pot of water and carrots to a boil. When carrots are almost cooked (5-10 mins of boiling), add peas for the last minute or so. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in the pot. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk, stirring/whisking until smooth. Bring to a simmer, stirring until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the drained vegetables, reheat gently (if needed) and serve hot.
This was a pretty straightforward veggies-in-white sauce (or as Cook Away calls it, “All-Purpose Sauce” (always capitalized)) dish.
Cooking carrots 
Melting butter 
Whisking sauce
The peas were in the water for so little time I didn’t get a photo of that!
The final product is quite attractive.
The verdict
A delicious alternative to veggies with butter, or similar. We ate this with the Normandy Beef Hash, and then basically mixed both dished together for lunch the next day – easy, fast, delicious. I’d definitely make this again.
What other veggies would work well in a white sauce? Tell us in the comments!
Lobster Newburg
You may notice an odd theme when you come to our house at Christmas.
Check out the tree topper 
Cookies
I like to bring a bit of the East Coast to the West Coast, including lobster at Christmas. Lobster Newburg is one of our family’s traditions, which we’ve shared with numerous friends over the years. In 2020, we didn’t get to share it directly, but I will share the recipe here!
Cook Away does have a recipe for Lobster Newburg and so does Wartime Recipes of the Maritimes (listed as “Creamed Lobster”), but I’m going to share my family’s recipe instead!
This is a really simple dish to make, and ends up tasting rich and decadent. I’m going to list amounts below for about 3 people, but it’s easy to make for a crowd too (I’ve made this for upwards of 20 people at a time).
Ingredients
1 lb frozen lobster pieces (go for knuckles and claws - always better than tails) 2 tbsp butter 2.5 cups table cream (15-18%) (can mix equal parts whipping cream and milk) 1/8-1/4 cup sherry 1.5 tsp dried tarragon Salt and pepper
Instructions
Thaw the lobster, then drain. In a large skillet or heavy-bottom pot, melt the butter. Add the lobster pieces, and salt and pepper. Break up larger pieces. Sauté for about 10 mins, until the water/liquid that cooks out of the lobster pieces has evaporated. [Note that the cooked lobster will get tougher (well done) here, and will appear more rubbery. That's okay - it softens again later.] Add the sherry and let it cook off slightly. Add the tarragon and the cream. Bring to a simmer, and stir regularly, for at least 30 mins (the longer the better). The cream will thicken up, and become a light coral colour. If it gets too thick, add additional milk/cream to loosen it again. Serve over bread/toast.
Despite being on the wrong coast for it, we’ve been able to find frozen lobster every year. Frozen is absolutely fine for this dish, but if you can find shelled pieces fresh, that work too. Just don’t go for tails. I know, they are often the parts included in fancy meals, but that’s just because they are the biggest chunks. They’re not the best chunks. Especially if someone else is doing the work to shell the crustacean in question, you want to select the knuckles and claws instead.
We’ve also gotten some frozen mechanically separated lobster (kind of macerated pieces) to bulk up our larger party pots of Newburg in past years. It’s pretty inexpensive at about $8-9 for 325 g or so. Those will get you the taste, but not the texture or the look. If this is a special occasion, spring for the $20-30 for a pound of the full pieces.
Melt butter 
Add lobster 
Note the liquid that comes out
You’ll find that the lobster releases liquid as it sautés. Cook that off.
Additions (milk not shown!) 
Sherry and tarragon added
I had whipping cream this time, so I added 50-50 cream and milk to get the right consistency.
After you add the cream, it’s a matter of bringing it to a simmer and letting it cook as long as you can. (My dad would start this at 5 or 6 am on Christmas morning, and, as a teenager, I’d eat it at 10 or 11 am. And it only gets better with more simmer time. So yummy).
The cream takes on this lovely lobster-y colour and flavour, and the lobster gets tender.
When it’s finally time to eat, slice up some good bread (toast it if you like) and pile on some lobster and sauce. (You won’t need to butter the bread. Trust me on this one).
The verdict
This dish is a total winner. Tastes like fancy food, but is dead easy to make.
Did you make it? Tell us in the comments!