By Amy Jo Ehman
Like northern climes around the world, Saskatchewan is rich in berries: blueberries, lingonberries, seabuckthorn, chokecherries, strawberries, sour cherries and perhaps most famous in these parts, the purple Saskatoon berry. From pemmican, the power food of our first populations, to grandma’s Saskatoon pie, berries have been part of our diet for generations. And since berries are chock full of vitamins and other nutrients, they’ve been keeping prairie folk healthy in wintertime since long before Florida oranges and an apple a day.
Here’s a recipe that brings together old and new: rustic wild blueberries and Carmine Jewel sour cherries, which were developed at the University of Saskatchewan and released to the public just twelve years ago. Of course, any sour cherry will do.
Cherry Blueberry Cobbler
Fruit Filling:
2 cups frozen wild blueberries
2 cups frozen sour cherries
3⁄4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp. lemon juice
Topping:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup finely crushed almonds
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1⁄4 tsp salt
3 tbsp cold butter
1⁄2 cup buttermilk
Heat oven to 400F.
Combine the filling ingredients. Spread into an 8 or 9 inch baking dish.
For the topping, stir together the flour, almonds, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the cold butter into small chunks. With your fingers, quickly work the butter into the flour mixture until it’s dry and mealy. Stir in the buttermilk. Place spoonfuls of dough on top of the berries.
Bake until golden and bubbling, about 30 minutes.
Amy Jo Ehman is a Saskatoon-based writer and broadcaster. Her first book Prairie Feast: A Writer’s Journey Home for Dinner was shortlisted for the 2011 Cuisine Canada Book Award. When she’s not mucking about in the kitchen, she’s mucking about in the garden. This time of year, the kitchen wins out! She blogs at HomeForDinner.blogspot.com.