PEMMICAN BITES

These bison meatballs are inspired by the traditional Native staple, pemmican, a mixture of ground dried bison meat, fat and wild berries which kept nomadic tribes alive over harsh prairie winters. While these meatballs are baked rather than dried like real pemmican, they’ll add some wild west flavor to your next party, glazed in melted black currant or chokecherry jelly. Try making this mixture into larger patties, for burgers or breakfast sausage alongside flapjacks. From High Plains: The Joy of Alberta Cuisine, by Cinda Chavich (Fitzhenry & Whiteside).

1 pound lean ground buffalo (or ground beef)

1/2 pound ground pork

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon crushed allspice berries

2 cups fresh saskatoons, blueberries, cranberries (or a mixture), whole or roughly chopped in food processor

1 cup finely minced onion

1 tablespoon dried juniper berries, soaked in boiling water to soften, then drained

Glaze:

1 cup melted currant or chokecherry jelly

Combine all ingredients, except jelly, and work lightly with your hands to combine.

Roll into walnut-sized balls and place in a baking pan. Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes, until well-browned and cooked through.

Drain any accumulated fat and toss meatballs with 1 cup of melted red current or chokecherry jelly, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve warm with toothpicks for appetizers.

Makes 40 meatballs.

WILD BERRY SHORTCAKE WITH CRÈME FRAICHE

Another recipe that uses a wide variety of Alberta berries – a version of a recipe from my first cookbook, The Wild West Cookbook by Cinda Chavich (Robert Rose Inc.).

2 pounds fresh berries (any combination of saskatoons, blueberries, strawberries, etc.)

1/4 cup Kayben black currant syrup (or other fruit syrup)

1/4 cup sugar or honey

Biscuit:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat or rye flour

½ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup butter

½ cup sour cream or yogurt

½ teaspoon vanilla

Crème fraiche or whipped cream

Mint

In a bowl, combine the fruit, juice or liqueur and sugar and let stand. If a thicker sauce is desired, mix in a tablespoon of cornstarch and heat the mixture just until it boils, remove from heat and chill.

In another bowl, combine the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender (or use the food processor) until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the yogurt or sour cream and vanilla, then use your hands to gently form the dough into a ball.

Set the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat gently to a round, 11/2 inch thick. Cut into 6 pie-shaped wedges.

Set the biscuits on a baking sheet. Brush lightly with milk and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar, then bake at 425 F until golden, about 10-15 minutes.

To serve, split each biscuit in half horizontally (or cut into two wedges) and place on piece of each in a shallow dessert dish. Top with some of the berry mixture and some of the crème fraiche (or whipped cream), the second half of the biscuit, then more berries and cream. Garnish each dessert with a small sprig of mint. Serves 6.

Crème Fraiche

To make your own crème fraiche, mix 2 cups of whipping cream with 1/2 cup of sour cream and let stand, covered, at room temperature for 12 hours. When the mixture is nicely thickened, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

CINDA’S SASKATOON PIE

Saskatoon pie is the quintessential prairie fruit pie. Today you can even purchase saskatoon pie filling, but it isn’t the same as a pie made with freshly picked whole berries.

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, sometimes with a hint of almond. Pick them fresh and freeze for pies all winter.

This recipe is from High Plains, The Joy of Alberta Cuisine, by Cinda Chavich (Fitzhenry & Whiteside).

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

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.

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.

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.

Bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes. Cool and serve warm with ice cream. Serves 6.

©Cinda Chavich 2007

www.tastereport.com