Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Queen of sweets; Cape Breton Pork Pies:



This week I am joining in with these tea parties; the 16th , 'Teapot And Tea Things Tuesday' @ http://breathoffreshair-paperbutterfly.blogspot.com and also @ http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com

.., And also @ http://theplumedpen.blogspot.com/  for the 44th, 'Tuesday Tea For Two', and also the 35th, 'Wednesday Tea For Me And Thee'.


I am also linking in with Martha and Terri's, Teacup Tuesday this week @
http://marthasfavorites.blogspot.com


And the lovely,  Teatime Tuesday ,  at dear Lady Katherine's which is held weekly  @ http://ladykatherineteaparlor.blogspot.com/



I collect the Old Country Roses Pattern by Royal Albert and have many pieces; I so enjoy using the teacups especially!..,









A picture of a tart tamper.., very handy for making tarts of any kind!


If the scone is the "queen of sweets" for the tea table, then surely the delectable tart must be her "lady in waiting".  Easy to make, and ever-so-dainty, a variety of tempting tarts offers the tea-taker a symphony of tastes wrapped in  a sweet, melt-in-your mouth shortbread crust.  For an afternoon tea, I delight to offer at least two (and sometimes three!)  types of tarts,.  My favorites are the ever popular lemon curd, tart served plain, or presented with a diminutive dollop of clotted cream,  the Maid of honor, a delightful jam filled tart with a delicate cake hat punctuated with a Florette of pink butter cream, and finally, in deference to my east coast  ties, the toothsome Cape Breton Pork Pie.  This little gem, one of my husband's all-time favorites, contains NOT ONE OUNCE OF PORK! 


It's name is the subject of some conjecture. My favorite explanation is that they are so good, when you have one, you can't resist having another, and another and another!  Thus, you "pork" out on them, making a little piggy of yourself in the process!  So dear bloggerites, here is my recipe for Cape Breton Pork Pies. I found it in a venerated cookbook, which was given to me by my dear friend , June one year for Christmas.  Imagine my delight, precious bloggerites, when I received this, to discover that it was the cookbook most used by my own sweet Mom.  In fact, she used it so much it was in tatters by the time she passed away, and was mistakenly discarded when my sisters were packing up her kitchen.. The title page had gone missing when I was just a little girl,  so the name on it's front meant little to me, but the pages looked familiar somehow, so I quickly turned to the cake section to discover the recipe for the birthday cake mom had always made for me. 

I felt as though I had recovered a bit of my own heritage from the ashes of time.  What a blessing! Upon further investigation of it, I found the recipe for the Pork Pies, something my husband had intimated was an integral part of his own Christmas tradition from Sydney, Cape Breton.  I made them as a surprise for him, and to his delight, he pronounced them "better" than his auntie's.  So now they are a staple in our house for Christmas, but also for tea. ~ Enjoy and please let me know how yours turn out!..,  


CAPE BRETON PORK PIES

Tart Shells:

1 cup of cold, creamery butter ( this is what made them better than Auntie's.  She probably used margarine, which was a common practice in Cape Breton.  The difference it makes to the recipe is unmistakable!)

4 tablespoons icing sugar

2 cups flour

Cut the butter into the flour suing a pastry cutter.  Add sugar and knead until well-blended.  Press small amounts into small muffin tins.  Bake at 425 degrees F. for 10 minutes.  Keep a close eye on them as they brown very quickly, and you DO NOT want to make them too dark. ( In my opinion, the lighter they can be, the better, but that is just MY preference!) Remove and allow to come to room temperature.  Carefully remove from tins, as they are VERY delicate!




Filling;


2 cups finely chopped dates

1 1/2 cups brown sugar ( I use demerara)

1 cup water


Lemon Juice (the juice of one lemon, whatever that may be.  I usually heat my lemon in the microwave for a quick 10 seconds.  It DOUBLES the amount of juice you will get from it.  How much of that juice you put in is really up to your taste, but I like the whole amount.)

Simmer the above ingredients until the dates are of a soft consistency.  Cool, then fill the tart shells.  Top with a piped swirl of butter cream icing which has been flavoured with maple syrup or flavouring.  YUM! YUM! YUM!  These freeze well, and can be made weeks ahead if covered well in the freezer.


* anecdotal additions are my own, but this wonderful recipe is from "Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens" by Marie Nightingale  (Nimbus Publishing Limited)    



A lovely, Old Country Roses, teapot, creamer and teacup..,  So pretty! 

Happy  16th, 'Teapot And Tea Things Tuesday', 44th, 'Tuesday Tea For Two' and 35th,
'Wednesday Tea For Me And Thee'!.., And also  please enjoy your other  lovely, 'Tuesday And Wednesday Teatime In Blogland', tea parties at other blogs ladies!

Cheers from Scone Queen

I love hearing from you so please kindly leave a comment.., Thanks

8 comments:

  1. Hello there,

    I must make these sometime soon dear Scone Queen! ~ Perhaps for this coming Sunday's afternoon tea, to be held on August the 21st in my home, with dear Gail of the former Calla Lily Tearoom; (she is assisting with the making of the tea refreshmenats by making the tea sandwiches)!

    Thanks for allowing me to once again include you in our Tuesday Teatime fun dear friend!..,

    So glad dear Charlie is improving!

    Hugs from Wanda Lee

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  2. Hello my friend...

    Mmmm...after reading your recipe for Cape Breton Pork Pies, I certainly can see how they came by their name! I love dates and just know that these would be sooo very scrumptious! I will have to give your recipe a try! Thank you so much for sharing it with us! Well my friend, it has been awhile since we have visited...I do hope that my note finds you and your family well! Summer has been a very busy time for us, I really can't believe that it's nearly over...time does fly!

    Warmest wishes,
    Chari @Happy To Design

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  3. Your Old Country Roses cup is lovely and I like the rose and leaf molded sugar. The tea tray looks very inviting and those scones - yummy. I make mincemeat tarts at Christmas (no meat in the mincemeat).

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  4. Beautiful Old Country Roses tea cup and saucer. It is such a lovely pattern. Thank you for sharing it for Tea Cup Tuesday.
    Hugs,
    Terri

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  5. Hi I just love the Old Country Rose tea cup pattern. It is so pretty and classic. That you for sharing this beauty with us. Have a wonderful week. Blessings, Martha

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  6. I was so pleased that you took the time to share “tea” with us this week.A most interesting recipe for a Upper Canadian. I look forward to trying.
    I look forward to seeing next Tuesday.

    Blessings, Pam

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  7. can these be frozen and if so for how long

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    Replies
    1. Sorry to have taken so long to answer your question. The Cape Breton pork pies can be frozen. I wouldn’t go much longer than three months. But, gotta tell you, they taste great frozen!

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