Signal Hill Blueberries for Cinnamon Biscuit Blueberry Cobbler

Cinnamon Biscuit Blueberry Cobbler

From time to time I get emails from curious readers from different parts of the globe , wondering just where in the world I am. The blog has seen readers from 127 different countries since it started almost a year ago, some of whom had never heard of Newfoundland. I was reminded of that a few days ago when I went blueberry picking with the family on historic Signal Hill here in St. John's, Newfoundland and thought I'd share with the good readers a small piece of our beautiful corner of the world.

From high atop Signal Hill, what you see spreading all around you are beautiful vistas of the Atlantic Ocean, our city and a ruggedly beautiful coastline. In the photo below is the view as you look east from Signal Hill. The point of land that can be seen at the right of this photo is Cape Spear, the most easterly point of land in North America. Head east from here and the next thing you hit is Ireland.

Historic Cabot Tower sits at the highest point of Signal Hill and it is the first stop for the many thousands of visiting tourists to St. John's each year. On any given day you may find as many locals as you would tourists, the views are so spectacular that even after decades of gazing, we never tire of them. The tower was built in 1897 to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of John Cabot's discovery of Newfoundland in 1497.

At the base of the hill lies Fort Amherst which sits at the Narrows, a mere slit of an opening to St. John's Harbour, one of the most sheltered ports on the continent.

Below is a view of downtown St. John's, Newfoundland from historic Signal Hill. The hill is very significant in the history of communications as well, being the point of land that Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal from Cornwall, England on December 12, 1901. It was a single letter "S" sent in Morse Code. How far we've come since then.

Below is a panoramic view of downtown St. John's including it's famous sheltered harbour and sheltering Southside Hills. Cabot Tower sits at the top of Signal Hill on the horizon just to the left of center in this photo. Click on the photo to see a larger version, as you can with all of the photos in this series. (UPDATE: It seems the format of this panoramic photo is incompatible with Blogger. To see a larger version of this image, just follow this link to all of the photos from Rock Recipes and click on the thumbnail there. The most recent photos from the blog are at the end of the list: http://picasaweb.google.com/barrycparsons/RockRecipes

Wild blueberries are an iconic image in Newfoundland's natural environment and indeed, it's history. The grow wild on Signal Hill as they do all over the island. Many, if not most Newfoundlander's recollections of late summer and early fall are peppered with memories of family outings to go blueberry picking. Gallons of blueberry jam were made and bottled for winters to come and served as both memories of summers past and promises of those yet to come. Many folks still take to the barrens and rocky hills at this time of year in search of these sweet blue pearls to fill their freezers for those slightly more tolerable but still endless, Newfoundland winters.

...and finally, the fruits of our labours on this occasion, found their way into this delicious Cinnamon Biscuit Blueberry Cobbler. The vanilla Ice Cream is in no way optional!! ;)



Mix together until well combined
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ tbsp corn starch
Toss together with
6 cups blueberries
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest, finely grated

Pour into the bottom of an ungreased 9x9 inch glass baking dish.
NOTE: This recipe uses fresh blueberries. If using frozen blueberries, allow them to thaw completely and come to room temperature before using them in this recipe.

Sift together
1 ½ cups flour
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

Cut in with a pastry cutter or in a food processor:

¼ cup + 2 tbsp very cold butter, cut in cubes

Beat together:
1 egg
½ cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Add to dry ingredients and mix together just until dough forms. Pat the dough to a one inch thickness and cut out 9 biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Egg wash the tops of the biscuits and sprinkle the tops with a little sugar. Place the biscuits on top of the blueberry mixture. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the blueberries are bubbling at the center of the pan and the tops of the biscuits are golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Savoury Biscuits

Pictured with Turkey Stew

The recipe for my turkey stew has appeared previously on this blog but I did not post the recipe for these savoury biscuits which I often serve with turkey or chicken soups and stews. When my friend Barb was the recipient of some leftover turkey stew earlier this week, she raved about the savoury biscuits that were baked right on top of the stew in the final minutes of cooking. Since I had not added the recipe to my blog, just for you Barb, here it is. Enjoy!

I start these in my food processor because it is so fast but they can be made just as easily in a large bowl by cutting the butter in with a pastry cutter or even 2 knifes held between the fingers.

In a food processor, combine:
3 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 clove minced garlic (optional)

Cut in:
¾ cup very cold butter, cubed
Pulse process until this mixture resembles a coarse meal. It is very important that pea sized pieces of butter remain in this mixture. Remove to a large bowl and toss in:

¼ cup savoury

Mix together:

2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup milk

Pour this over the surface of the dry mixture. Toss all together gently with a fork only enough to form a dough ball. It is important that you work this dough as little as possible or the finished scones will be too dense and heavy. Roll to 1 inch thickness and cut out biscuits with biscuit cutter and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

If desired you can brush the tops of the biscuits with an egg wash of 1 egg beaten together with 1 tbsp water.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your biscuit cutter. This recipe makes 12 large biscuits.

Great with chicken or turkey soups and stews. For oven stews I bake them right on top of the stew itself at the end of the cooking time.

Lemon & Honey Dollar French Toasts with Warm Bakeapple Compote

Serves 2

1 cup bakeapples
¼ cup sugar

Combine and simmer for about 2o minutes.

Cut about 18 thin slices French baguette

Whisk together:

1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to season
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3 tbsp milk or whipping cream

Dip the bread in the egg mixture and fry in melted butter until brown on both sides.

To serve, stack the French toasts on a plate, then top with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of honey. Top the whole thing with some of the warm bakeapple compote.

Bourbon Barbeque Ribs

Bourbon Barbeque Ribs

One of my favorite things about the summer grilling season is enjoying a relaxing weekend afternoon in the summer sunshine right at home in our back garden sipping a few cool beverages while these amazing ribs slowly cook to perfection on the grill. Tender, juicy, a little spicy and with an oh-so-delicious slightly sweet sticky homemade barbeque sauce slathered on in multiple layers, these ribs make the end of a beautiful summer afternoon simply perfect.

Begin by coating your pork ribs with a dry rub and letting them sit in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight. Store any unused dry rub in an airtight container for next time.

• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 3 tbsp paprika (or smoked paprika)
• 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

For the Bourbon Barbeque Saucebegin my heating in a medium saucepan

• 3 tbsp olive oil

Add

• 6 cloves minced garlic
• 1 medium sized red onion, roughly chopped

Cook until the onions have softened stirring occasionally.

Add

• 1 cup plain tomato sauce
• ½ cup ketchup
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• ½ cup orange juice
• ½ cup bourbon whiskey (Use rye whiskey if you prefer or alternatively, apple juice)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup honey
• 1 tbsp hot sauce
• 2 tbsp paprika (or smoked paprika)
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root
• 1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Simmer very slowly for about 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally. Puree the sauce in a food processor or with an immersion blender. Save any leftover sauce by bottling it in mason jars or freezing it in small airtight containers.

You can cook the ribs very slowly on the grill for a couple of hours by using only one burner of your grill and cooking the ribs on the opposite side, not under the direct heat, turning occasionally. Alternatively, you can cook the ribs in a covered roasting pan in a 275 degree F oven for about 2 hours. Either way you decide to cook them, finish the ribs by grilling them directly over medium heat, brushing on the barbeque sauce and turning them after a minute or two. I like to do about 3 coats of the sauce on each side of the ribs. Remove from the grill and serve.

Bakeapple White Chocolate Napoleons

Makes 8 Napoleons

One large package frozen puff pastry
8 oz cream cheese, cut in small chunks
1 ½ cups whipping cream
½ cup white chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
Bakeapple jam

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
First cut your sheet/sheets of puff pastry into 24 equal sized rectangles. You may have to roll the pastry out a little using a rolling pin depending on the size of the sheets. Place about an inch apart on parchment lined baking sheet. Pastry should be as cold as possible before baking so if it has warmed up to room temperature, place cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before baking. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Cool pastry completely before continuing.

For the Cream Filling

Whip cream to soft peaks. Add cream cheese slowly, beating continuously until smooth. Melt the white chocolate chips and beat into this mixture. Chill the filling completely before assembling the napoleons.

To Assemble the Napoleons:

Spread 8 of the pastry pieces with bakeapple jam. Add another pastry layer and spoon or pipe the cream filling onto the pastry. Add another layer of pastry and top with more bakeapple jam. Garnish tops with a drizzle of melted white chocolate. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Grilled Corn, Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Chili

Grilled Corn, Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Chili

This is Spouse's twist on her standard chili recipe to take advantage of the sweet corn season. I have pictured it here with some tortilla chips and garnishes of cheddar, sour cream and lime guacamole. I think this one makes great dip for tortilla chips too. I might serve it that way at our next get together with friends.

Soak 1 to 1 ½ cups dry kidney beans overnight, depending on the amount of beans you prefer in your chili. You may use canned beans if you prefer.

In a large pot heat 3 tbsp olive oil.

Add
3 cloves minced garlic
1 medium red onion

Cook until the onions begin to soften.

Mix together

1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage meat

Add to the garlic and onions and cook to brown breaking the meat into small pieces.

Add

1 ½ cups tomato sauce
4 cups crushed tomatoes
2 roasted red peppers
3 ears of grilled corn, removed from cob
1 minced jalapeño pepper( optional)
3 heaping tbsp cumin
3 heaping tbsp chili powder

3 tablespoons molasses
Salt and pepper to season

Simmer very gently over low heat for 1 ½ to 2 hours stirring occasionally. Serve alone or with tortilla chips and garnishes of grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and lime guacamole.

Roasted Tomato and Grilled Corn Salsa

4 plum tomatoes diced
2 cloves minced garlic
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Toss all together in a 9x9 inch glass baking dish and roast for about 30 minutes tossing occasionally. Most of the liquid should be steamed off the bottom of the pan.

Remove from oven and add
½ a small red onion diced small
1 large roasted red pepper diced small
1 large roasted orange pepper diced small
1 minced jalopeno pepper (optional)
2 large ears grilled corn, removed from cob
Zest and juice of 1 lime
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1-2 tablespoons hot sauce

Salt and pepper to season

Toss all ingredients together and allow the salsa to sit, covered, in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving.

Rum and Raisin Bread Pudding

Revered by some as the ultimate comfort food, bread pudding, however, generally gets a bad rap and quite undeservedly so. My wife claimed for years that she did not like bread pudding, remembering the bland versions of her childhood.

As with any great simple dish, the quality of the ingredients is paramount to the success of the final product. This principle is particularly relevant to the preparation of a good bread pudding. Start by using a very good bread. Here I have used some day old brioche from the neighbourhood Georgestown Bakery which lends itself particularly well to this recipe. This soft, buttery, egg enriched bread is my ideal choice for this dessert. Crustier breads can add more textural interest and some may prefer their slightly chewier virtues in bread pudding. Good homemade white or whole wheat breads cannot be discounted for their adaptability either and not to forget leftover croissants which sometimes make their way into bread pudding recipes on some posh restaurant's menus.

There really is no substitute for cream in this recipe. Many local versions use only milk which does not work as well with the eggs to form the custard which binds the whole thing together. This is the occasion to use very good vanilla extract or even to previously steep a split and scraped vanilla pod into the milk for a few minutes before adding it to the preparation.

This is the recipe that changed Spouse's opinion of bread pudding. In the end, I had to send out the final few servings of this pudding to a friend's family, as Spouse claimed she could not be trusted to be left alone in the house with it. It is that good.

Soak
½ cup raisins in ¼ cup amber rum. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for several hours or overnight.

5 cups bread cubes (Use any good quality bread. I’ve used Brioche here but French, Italian or Belgian bread is good too.)

Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish well. Toss in the bread cubes in an even layer. Sprinkle the bread cubes with the rum soaked raisins along with the rum that they were soaked in. Sprinkle the bread cubes and raisins with

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Whisk together until the sugar is dissolved:

1 cup whipping cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes, pressing down slightly to make sure all the cubes are soaked. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45-50 minutes until the custard is set and no longer liquid in the center. Let the bread pudding stand for about 20 minutes before serving. If desired, when serving, drizzle with a mixture of

2 ounces honey

1 ounce amber rum

Strawberry Cointreau Sour Cream Custard Flan

Strawberry Cointreau Sour Cream Custard Flan

One of many variations of this flan that we have made hundreds of times at our house over the years. Practically any fruit topping is great with creamy and oh-so-easy baked custard flan. It is an absolute go-to recipe in our family and no doubt the dessert that I have made the most times in my life. Dinner guests often request it in advance and most often, we are happy to fulfill the request because it is just so quick and easy to prepare. You will literally have this in the oven in minutes but your guests will think you slaved over it.

• 2 pounds strawberries

Cut into quarters or slices and sprinkle with:

• 4 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp Cointreau or other orange liqueur

(If you want to make this without alcohol, just substitute the Cointreau for 1 tbsp grated orange zest.)

Allow the strawberries to marinate for a couple of hours, tossing the berries occasionally.

Grease a 9 inch springform pan.

Mix together until well combined:

• 2 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• ½ cup melted butter
• ¼ cup sugar

Press into the bottom and sides of the greased springform pan to about a ½ inch from the top of the pan.

For the custard part of this desert it is important to use full fat sour cream or the filling will not set. I use 18% milk fat sour cream that is sometimes sold as “restaurant style” or “extra thick”.

Whisk together until the sugar is dissolved:

• 3 cups sour cream (Three, 8 oz tubs)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tsp vanilla extract

Pour into the prepared graham crumb crust and bake at 325 degrees F for 50-60 minutes. The custard will still be a little jiggly when done and just beginning to brown very slightly at the edges. Allow the flan to cool to room temperature then refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving with the marinated strawberries on top.

Agnolotti with Lime Cumin Vegetables on a Bed of Baby Spinach

Serves 6

1 pound package of fresh cheese stuffed agnolotti or ravioli

Cook pasta in boiling salted water as directed.

In a large sauté pan combine

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Add
3 cloves minced garlic

Cook for an additional minute.

Add to the pan

1 large chopped red pepper
1 large chopped red onion
1 chopped zucchini

Sauté for a couple of minutes before adding
1 cup cherry tomatoes
½ cup kalamata olives
Zest and juice of 1 large lime
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper to season
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Toss together and continue to cook just until the tomatoes and olives are warmed through. Serve on a bed of baby spinach and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan, romano or asiago cheese.

Grilled Steak Pizzaiola

Serves 6

6 strip loin steaks
3 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper to season

Allow steaks to come up to room temperature. Season with salt and pepper and run minced garlic onto both sides of the steak. Grill over high heat to your preferred level, turning only once. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes before topping with marinara sauce and freshly grated or shaved parmasean.

Marinara Sauce
In a large saucepan sauté for 1 minute

3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small red onion finely diced

Add:
1 large can 32 oz can crushed roma tomatoes
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tsp fennel seed
1 whole bay leaf
1 large carrot finely grated
½ cup finely diced celery
2 tbsp brown sugar
Salt and pepper to season

Slowly simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf before serving. Freeze any leftover marinara sauce for next time.

Georgestown Orange and Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast with Maple Cointreau Syrup

I make a number of different kinds of stuffed French toast and this one was the result this morning of some leftover Whole Wheat and Raisin Bread from the fantastic Georgestown Bakery here in St. John's. Add to that a little inventiveness between Spouse and I on a quiet Sunday morning with the kids away at their grandparents for the day.

I decided to try some stuffed french toast using some good English marmalade and Spouse came up with the idea to add a little Cointreau to the maple syrup. All I can say about the final result is... OMG! OMG! OMG!

Definitely one of the most decadent breakfasts I have ever had! This is a "must try" for sure. Definitely a great idea to impress brunch guests too but we were very happy not to have to share ours this morning! ;)

Makes 4

Blend together until smooth:

4 ounces cream cheese

2 tbsp sifted icing sugar

Pinch nutmeg

½ tsp vanilla extract

Cut 4 slices of good crusty raisin bread, twice as thick as a regular slice. Cut a pocket into each slice on one side of the crust, leaving the other sides intact. Carefully spread ¼ of the cream cheese mixture into the pocket of each slice. On the other side of each pocket spread

1 tablespoon of good quality orange marmalade.

(If marmalade is not to your liking try substituting a jam like peach, apricot or even bakeapple.)

Beat together

2 eggs
2 tbsp heavy cream
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp vanilla extract

Dip bread in egg mixture and fry over medium to medium low heat in 3 tbsp butter until golden brown on both sides. Lower heat is better for this recipe to make sure that the slices are heated through without burning the outside.

Maple Cointreau Syrup

Mix together:

5 ounces maple syrup
1 ounce Cointreau liqueur (or other orange liqueur)

Drizzle over the stuffed French toast and serve.

Rum Marinated Grilled Peaches

4 firm ripe peaches

4 ounces amber rum
4 tbsp cinnamon sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar

Cut peaches in half and remove the pits. Place in a glass baking dish, cut side up and pour the rum over the peaches, taking particular care to ensure that the pit holes are filled with the rum. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap to seal the dish tightly and place in the fridge for a couple of hours or even overnight.

Remove the peaches from the baking dish, reserving the rum marinade.
Sprinkle the cut sides of the peaches with the cinnamon sugar and grill over medium heat for a couple of minutes per side. Serve with ice cream or cake and whipped cream, drizzed with the reserved rum marinade.

Honey Orange Cardamom Glazed Pork Chops

Honey Orange Cardamom Glazed Pork Chops

• 6 center loin pork chops
• ½ cup honey
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 tbsp finely chopped orange zest
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper

Mix together the orange juice, zest, garlic, cardamom salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons of the honey to make a marinade. Pour over the pork chops and marinate for 30-60 minutes but no longer. Remove the chops from the marinade. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and add the remaining honey. Simmer slowly to reduce the volume of the marinade by about half until it begins to thicken slightly and resemble a glaze. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Grill the pork chops over medium high heat until almost completely cooked, turning once. In the final few minutes of grilling brush the chops with the prepared glaze several times, turning the chops and brushing on additional glaze several times. 

Chocolate Toblerone Pancakes

Chocolate Toblerone Pancakes

Good morning all! I'm back from a bit of an extended vacation which was followed by the entertaining of many visiting relatives from Alberta and Ontario this summer. Things are slowly returning to normal at my house but they never stay normal for long. ;)

My email inbox was full of inquiries from loyal readers who seemed genuinely worried that I had given up on my blog but such is not the case, I still have a long list of recipes that I haven't gotten to yet and ideas yet to be tried. I will still continue to upload recipes as time allows but things will inevitably slow down a little around here since I am making some big changes in my life and returning to school in September. No mid-life crisis here; just my personal circumstances dictate a change in occupation and it's back to the books for me for the next 3 years. I'm looking forward to new challenges and it is a bit of a hoot at 42 to decide what you want to be when you grow up! LOL!

I was preparing a couple of grilling recipes to add to the blog this morning when my 10 year daughter Olivia started experimenting with breakfast. This is totally her idea and I can't take any credit for it. I don't know if this qualifies as a breakfast food or a dessert but they were absolutely delicious, I must admit, so I say eat 'em when you like.

Thanks again for all the encouragement to continue with this blog. On to today's recipe:

Chop 6 ounces of Toblerone bar into small pieces.

Sift together:

1 & 2/3 cups flour
½ cup cocoa
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp salt

Add

1 beaten egg
1 & 3/4 cups milk
2 tbsp melted butter

Whisk together just until blended. Mixture should not be too thin.

Pour batter by ¼ cup measures onto a preheated oiled griddle pan and sprinkle each pancake with chopped Toblerone pieces. When bubbles break the surface of the pancakes, flip them and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Serve with your choice of whipped cream or chocolate syrup or both. Makes about 12 large pancakes.