Kate's Cuisine

What better way to celebrate Poisoned Blackberry Day than with a cocktail that shows off how the blackberry can be both sweet and deliciously tart all at the same time? So raise your glasses for a toast to the poisoned blackberry!

“My berries cluster black and thick
For rich and poor alike to pick.
I’ll tear your dress, and cling, and tease,
And scratch your hand and arms and
knees.
I’ll stain your fingers and your face,
And then I’ll laugh at your disgrace.
But when the bramble-jelly’s made,
You’ll find your trouble well repaid.”

- The Song of the Blackberry Queen, written by Cicely Mary Barker

It’s Poisoned Blackberry day! We are celebrating this day around my house with – guess what? Lots and lots of blackberries! I am lucky enough to have a grandmother that has bushes and bushes of blackberries every single year. And every single year, I’ve just unloaded all the blackberries out of my freezer when it’s time for the new crop to come in and I get to fill my freezer back up. It’s good news for me, who loves free food and loves to find new recipes (if you had asked me 3  years ago for a blackberry recipe, I would have been at a loss – now I have tons of them!) And it’s also great news for my older daughter, who has recently discovered that to her,  blackberries fall second only to the mighty strawberry. My daughter loves blackberries and is perfectly content to have a big bowl of them – no sugar, no nothing – just about whenever she can. But I try to keep her away from the poisoned ones.

So just what the heck is Poisoned Blackberry Day anyway?

The reason for the day actually has a couple of theories behind it. The first, English, legend says that after the Devil was kicked out of Heaven on October 11 (I’ve been a Christian my entire life and have never heard any significance attached to this date,) he sought revenge by spitting – and some other, ickier legends even say peeing - on the blackberries! This made them unfit to eat and therefore, they were known to be poisoned blackberries.

There is another, perhaps more reasonable, explanation as to what Poisoned Blackberry Day is all about. This one dates back to the 1700s and it doesn’t have anything to do with the Devil or his bathroom functions. This theory states that during that time, blackberries were thought to cause more deaths than any other fruit that comes off a vine or a bush. Ever since, dozens of people have gone roaming the countryside on Poisoned Blackberry Day to hunt for the lethal blackberries that kill immediately upon consumption.

I have no idea whether there’s any merit to be given to either of these theories. But I do know that it’s Poisoned Blackberry Day. And that’s one more reason to take some berries out of the freezer, and figure out something new to do with them!

For the pancakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour $0.33
1 tablespoon baking powder $0.15
1 teaspoon salt $0.01
1 tablespoon white sugar $0.01
1 1/4 cups milk $0.34
1 egg $0.17
3 tablespoons butter, melted $0.18
2 tablespoons vegetable oil $0.14

For the peach topping:
2 cups peaches, sliced $1.65
4 cups white sugar $0.76
3 cups water Free!

Total Cost    $3.74

1.) In a large saucepan, combine 4 cups white sugar and 3 cups of water. Stir, place over high heat, and bring to a boil.

2.) Allow syrup to boil for 30 minutes; then reduce heat to medium-low to simmer. Add peaches, stir, and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes.

3.) Remove topping from heat and allow to cool. The longer you let the syrup sit, the thicker it will become. This can be made several days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.

4.) To make the pancakes sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 tablespoon of white sugar together. Then, make a well in the centre and pour in the milk, egg, and melted butter; mix well.

5.) Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. At about 1/4 cup at a time, drop the batter into the skillet with a ladle. All the pancake to brown on one side. When bubbles have formed on the surface, after about 2 minutes, flip. Let pancake cook and brown on the other side, about another 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

6.) Transfer syrup to a small serving container and pile pancakes on a serving platter.

7.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the Peach Pancakes review here

It’s National Pancake Day, and I’m celebrating with one of my girls’ favourite ways to enjoy pancakes – with yummy, sweet, delicious peach topping!

There are actually a number of different pancake holidays. IHOP holds March 1 as their International Pancake Day, and Fat Tuesday is usually the “pancake holiday” that people generally think of. But September 26 is also known as National Pancake Day, and many restaurants give away great deals on the fluffy cakes on this day. Who knows why or how this tradition got started, but another day to enjoy pancakes is a good day to me!

2 quarts whole milk $4.99

2 cups buttermilk $1.74
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice $0.47

Total Cost    $7.20

1.) Combine all the ingredients in a medium pot and bring to 112 degrees Fahrenheit (using an instant-read thermometer) over low heat. Cook, without simmering, until the liquid separates into solid curds and whey, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from heat.

2.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the solids to a fine-mesh strainer or a colander lined with cheesecloth placed over a bowl. Let drain in the refrigerator until the ricotta is thick and the excess liquid has drained away, about 30 minutes. Remove the cheese from the cheesecloth, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.

3.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the Emeril’s Homemade Ricotta review here

Emeril has always been an inspiration to me, mostly because he shows how easy and how fun cooking can be! He does that once again with this recipe for Ricotta Cheese, from one of my most favourite cookbooks, From Emeril’s Kitchens. The book features signature dishes from his most famous restaurants, and this recipe for ricotta cheese really will make you feel like a chef.

While Emeril does a great job laying out simple ingredients and explaining how to turn them into silky, delicious ricotta cheese, he did leave out one very important thing: do not stir the cheese while it is cooking! I made that mistake when it first started cooking, and all it does is break up all those delicate curds you’re trying to create. Emeril also does mention that the mixture cannot simmer while it’s cooking, also very important, and why you need to keep it at such a low heat. I don’t have an instant-read thermometer but, you need the liquid to be just slightly above body temperature. I always stick my pinky in the mixture. It needs to be hot, but not so hot that I can’t keep my finger in there for several seconds. If I can’t, it needs to be turned down.

I also didn’t bother with the slotted spoon, finding that I lost too much of the curd that way. Instead, I lined a colander with cheese cloth like Emeril suggests, and strained the cheese over a bowl. Then I bundled the curds up in the cheesecloth and tied a knot at the top, leaving enough string to tie it off my fridge shelf to hang and drain. Half an hour later, there’s beautiful cheese inside; and you can even wring out the cheesecloth to get the very most out of it.

The cheese really is so, so easy to make. And even if you tell people that, they’ll still be impressed that you made your very own ricotta cheese!

2 cans whole tomatoes, with juices, broken apart with hands $2.09
3 fresh field or greenhouse tomatoes, peeled and diced $2.76
1 red onion, diced $0.65
6 cloves garlic, sliced $0.06
2 tablespoons dried basil $2.76
2 tablespoons dried oregano $1.20
2 tablespoons dried parsley $2.15
2 bay leaves $0.32
1 teaspoon salt $0.01
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes $0.23
1 teaspoon ground black pepper $0.01
1 tablespoon olive oil $0.18
1 teaspoon white sugar $0.01

Total Cost    $12.43

1.) Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to thoroughly combine, and bring to a boil.

2.) Turn heat to low and simmer for 3 – 4 hours, stirring regularly.

3.) Serve and enjoy!

Read Kate’s Signature Spaghetti Sauce review here