Blackberry Tartlets For Michaelmas

According to an old legend, when St. Michael cast Lucifer out of heaven, the Devil fell on a blackberry bush and cursed and spat on the blackberries thereby rendering them sour after September 29.  Consequently, people would eat blackberries on Michaelmas but not after. Catholic Cuisine has offered a variety of blackberry inspired ideas over the years for St. Michael's day. This is a simple to make, bite-size appetizer or snack that would add the blackberry theme to a Archangel/St. Michael feast day.

Blackberry Tartlets

Ingredients

1 sheet pastry puff, thawed 

1 (8 ounce) package of brie, rind removed

blackberry jam (or puree)

blackberries

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Thaw pastry puff as per directions.
• Cut pastry puff sheet into 20 equal squares (I rolled out the sheet with a rolling pin so that it would be slightly larger before cutting)
• Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray. Press each square of the pastry dough into the bottom of each muffin tin. Be sure to press the crust all the way up the sides.
• Place a small chunk of brie in each tin.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• If puffs have risen too much push down gently with spoon to form indent. 
• Let the pastries cool for a few minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool completely. Add a small spoonful of blackberry jam (or puree) and top with a fresh blackberry.

St. Michael and all the Archangels, Pray for us!

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Dairy Free Blueberry Annunciation Smoothies

This recipe was submitted by past Catholic Cuisine contributor Amy. You can find additional pictures of her cute children enjoying their Annunciation Smoothies over at her blog, Knit Together.

I thought I would share this with you super quick.  It is an easy way to whip together something special for the Feast of the Annunciation today.  I did a dairy free version, but you can replace the canned coconut milk with yogurt and the almond mil with regular cow's milk if you prefer.

You will need:

• 2-3 cups Frozen Blueberries
• 1-2 cups Frozen Peaches (or other fruit)
• 1 Can Coconut Milk
• Almond Milk
• approx. 1/4 cup Sweetener of your choice, I used Maple Syrup

Put the frozen fruit in blender.  I use peaches too because blueberries can be a really strong flavor and some people, especially kids, might not like it.  Next, add the canned coconut milk (this will make it thick and creamy) and sweetener.  At this point you want to pour in the almond milk.  I do this by eye.  Depending on how thick you want your smoothie, you will want to fill the blender halfway or up to covering the frozen fruit.

Blend it thoroughly!

If you need more almond milk, fruit, or sweetener feel free!  Make it to your taste.

Additional recipes for the Solemnity of the Annunciation can be found in the archives. 

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Red, White & Blue Berry Brownie Torte

Red, White & Blue Berry Brownie Torte

inspired by Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Brownie 'n Berries Dessert Pizza 

and originally posted last year at Shower of Roses

Ingredients:

• Fudge Brownie Mix + ingredients for brownies
• 1 - 8 oz. package of cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• Blueberries
• Strawberries

Directions: 

Mix up a box of Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies, or your favorite brownie recipe, and bake as directed in two Torte Pans. (I used my Pampered Chef Torte Pans.) After the brownies have cooled combined cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla to divide and spread over the top of both tortes. Top with blueberries and chopped strawberries. 

Find additional Independence Day recipes in the archives! 

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Michaelmas Blackberry Cobbler

According to tradition (and Joanna Bogle in her Book of Feasts and Seasons) "blackberries are no good to eat after September 29th because 'the Devil spat on them when he was cast out of Heaven into Hell on Michaelmas'!" Here is an easy recipe for the Blackberry Cobbler I served my family today. It was delicious!

Michaelmas Blackberry Cobbler

adapted from The Food Network

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 stick butter, melted, plus more for greasing pan
• 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided 
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, rinsed and patted dry
• Whipped cream and/or ice cream, for serving (optional) 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup of the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.  Whisk in the milk and melted butter. Pour the batter into the baking dish.

Catholic Cuisine Apron can be found here...

Sprinkle the blackberries evenly over the top of the batter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the blackberries. Bake for one hour, until golden brown and bubbly. 

Ten minutes before the cobbler comes out of the oven, sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the top. 

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.  Enjoy! 

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Watch the weather on St. Swithin's Day

A sweet sister in Christ sent me a link, a few weeks ago, to this feast day recipe at Catholic Culture.

July 15, the feast of St. Swithin, is, apparently a day to watch the weather. It is said of this very popular English saint:

Saint Swithin's Day, if thou dost rain, for forty days it will remain; Saint Swithin's Day, if thou be fair, for forty days 'twill rain nae mair.

Saint Swithin's connection with the weather, and particularly with the rain, doubtless comes from the legend that in his humility he asked to be buried outside his cathedral, where passers-by would step over his grave and raindrops from the eaves would fall upon it. 

source 


Rain or shine, it would be a lovely day to bake a summer cake in honor of this memorable saint (and as July 15 is also the feast of St. Bonaventure, you have a doubly good reason to celebrate). The thought, however, of baking an spiced apple cake (as the recipe at the link suggested) in the middle of July, when apples are hardly in their prime in the Midwest of the United States, did not sound quite right to me. Thus, I turned St. Swithin's cake into a delicious shortcake-like cake with wild blueberries on top. It could not be an easier cake to bake, with the aid of baking mix, and for me, a one-pound bag of frozen wild blueberries. Blueberries are in season in much of America right now, but my bushes are not producing well this year, so a bag of frozen berries did the trick. (If you choose to use fresh berries, your baking time should be quite a bit shorter so set the timer for about 30 minutes and then check it every five minutes or so until it's done.)

My family enjoys any fruity cake, warm from the oven, with just a drizzle of cold heavy cream, but it would be delightful, as well, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a squirt of sweetened whipped cream. It would be a wonderful coffee cake for breakfast, at tea time, or for dessert.

I modified the recipe to accommodate my frozen blueberries, but refer back to the original recipe if you'd like an apple cake, and remember to shorten your baking time if you use unfrozen (fresh) berries.

St. Swithin's Summer Cake

(will it rain or will it shine?)

2 cups biscuit mix*

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 lb. frozen wild blueberries, thawed 

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine biscuit mix and 1/3 cup sugar. 

Combine eggs and cream; stir into biscuit mix with fork. 

Spread dough in bottom of greased 8-inch springform pan. 

Pour thawed blueberries on top of the dough, spreading to an even layer, but avoiding touching the pan if possible. 

Sprinkle with sugar. Pour melted butter evenly over all. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes, testing just before timer goes off. 

Cool slightly and remove sides of the pan. Serve warm, cut into wedges with cream or ice cream.

*I use this recipe for a foolproof homemade version of standard Bisquick -- just a quick whirl in the processor and I store it in a glass jar.

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Strawberry Santas

Happy Feast of St. Nicholas!  I was excited to receive this submission from HI Cookery earlier this evening,  since I had hoped to make these cute little treats, but wasn't able to find decent Strawberries in our area.  Aren't they darling!  You could easily pipe a cross on the hat/miter or in place of the buttons.  You can also use a slice of banana in place of the whip cream for the head/face! 

December 6: Feast Day of St. Nicholas

Make Strawberry Santas

for the Feast of St. Nick!

They’re healthy and cute

and can be made quick!

Strawberry Santas are a great last-minute idea for a seasonal snack and creative Christmas cuisine. Our friend Lisa L. had sent us an Internet image this past weekend suggesting we try these tiny treats. And then while at Whole Foods Market the other day, we even saw them being sold in the gourmet dessert display case! We just couldn’t resist preparing our own Strawberry Santas at home for a ho-ho-ho-holiday blog post and for a fast, fun and festive food on the Feast Day of St. Nicholas.

Recipe

Ingredients

• Strawberries
• Whipped cream (we recommend Cool Whip brand frosting)
• Mini chocolate chips, black sesame seeds, poppy seeds, chocolate or black tube frosting or dark nonpareils (for the eyes)
• Red pearl nonpareils (we used a round 4 millimeter nonpareil) (for the nose)

Directions

Wash and dry the strawberries. Slice the leaves off and let the strawberry sit on the flat end. Slice a bit off the pointy end of the strawberry.

Fill a pastry or plastic bag with whipped cream. Use a star tip to form the head/face. Top with the strawberry piece for the hat. Use a small round tip to pipe the buttons and a little ball on top.

Finish the face with eyes by putting in two mini chocolate chips. Add the red pearl nonpareil nose. Arrange on a serving platter and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

• Regular whipped cream is soft and can melt easily so we recommend a stronger and more stabilized whipped cream product, like the new Cool Whip Frosting, or even sweetened whipped cream cheese.
• Strawberry Santas can be prepared as pops by putting a stick in the bottom of the fruit. Or they can sit atop cupcakes or cookies as a base.
• Santa hats can be made out of strawberries, too. Simply slice the leaves off and pipe whipped cream around the bottom and a ball on the top tip.

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Baked Blueberry & Pecan Crusted French Toast

The wonderful recipe that Tiffany shared yesterday, for Annunciation Blueberry Coffee Cake, reminded me of the delicious Baked Blueberry & Pecan Crusted French Toast that I served my family last year on Easter Sunday.   It worked out nicely since I was able to make it the night before and just pop it in the oven after Mass.  It would be a great breakfast for any of the feasts of Our Lady, the color blue (blueberries in this recipe) symbolizes Mary.   

Baked Blueberry & Pecan Crusted French Toast
Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:

12 slices of day-old French bread
5 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

Arrange bread in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. In a bowl, combine the eggs, milk, 3/4 cup brown sugar, vanilla and nutmeg; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.   (To make sure that the bottom didn't end up too soggy I flipped the bread over before adding the toppings and baking.) 

Sprinkle pecans over egg mixture. Combine butter and remaining sugar; drizzle over the top. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with blueberries. Bake 10 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Pin It

Blueberry-Strawberry Cobbler in Honor of Our Lady

With the Solemnity Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary coming up on August 15th, I thought I would share a delicious Blueberry-Strawberry Cobbler we recently made with some leftover berries.

Serving blueberries is an easy way to tie in any of Our Lady's feast days since the color blue is symbolic of her mantle.

The cobbler was very easy to make and turned out absolutely delicious.

Blueberry-Strawberry Cobbler 

• 1/3 cup Butter
  
• 1 1/2 cups Flour
  
• 1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
  
• 1 1/2 cups Milk
  
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
  
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
  
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  
• 4 cups of Blueberries
  
• 2 cups of Strawberries, sliced
  
• 1/2 cup Pecans, coarsely chopped
  
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
  

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Place butter in a 9×13″ baking pan and melt in preheating oven, but remember to keep an eye on it. Remove from oven when butter is melted.

In the meantime, combine flour, granulated sugar, milk, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Whisk together until a thin batter forms and all the lumps are gone.

Pour the batter into the pan, over the melted butter.  Do not stir.  (The butter will ooze up around the batter and may pool on the top, which is ok.) 

Sprinkle berries evenly over batter.

Sprinkle with pecans and brown sugar.

Bake for 45-60 minutes or until it tests done. The top will be a beautiful golden color.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (a big "cloud" for the Assumption) and Enjoy!

Be sure to check the archives for even more ideas for celebrating the Assumption.  I also posted a few other ideas here . 

Queen Assumed into Heaven,

 Pray for Us!

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