Mom's Cape Breton Recipes

Emma's Recipes

If you enjoy Cape Breton Island you might just enjoy a few of Mom's Cape Breton recipes, some good home cooking and baking from my mother-in-law's kitchen. While digging in boxes upstairs in the old homestead, I came across a bag full of old recipes, most of them written on fragile paper and also some well used cookbooks. Here is just a few of Mom's best.

Fish Cakes 

1 lb. salt cod (or fresh fish plus 1 tsp. salt)
2 Cups slices potatoes
2 TBSP. butter
2 eggs slightly beaten
1/4 Cup milk
1/4 tsp. pepper
Dash nutmeg (optional)
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 small onion, finely diced
Soak or scald codfish: drain and shred.Add potatoes and cover with boiling water. Cook until very tender. Drain and mash.Add butter, eggs, celery, onion, milk, pepper and nutmeg. Beat until light and fluffy. Chill. Shape into balls and flatten. Fry until brown on either side.

Barbecued Pork Chops

4 to 6 pork chops
1 tbsp. oil
1/3 cup chopped celery & onion
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp dry mustard
Salt & pepper
2-8oz tins tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
Brown pork chops, approximately 5 minutes on each side. Place in casserole or Pyrex baking dish. Mix remaining ingredients together & pour over chops. Cover and cook in 325F oven for 2 hours or longer.

Wonderful Pound Cake

2/3 cup shortening
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2/3 cup milk
2 1/2 sifted cake flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs

Mix shortening just to soften , gradually add sugar and cream together until light and fluffy. Add lemon rind, lemon juice and milk, and beat just enough to break up the creamed mixture. Sift flour, salt and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture and mix until smooth for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time beating 1 minute after each. Bake 300F for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Steamed Molasses Pudding

1 Cup raisins
3 TBSP shortening
1 Cup boiling water
1/2 Cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 Cup molasses
1 egg (beaten)
1 1/2 Cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking soda

Place raisins and shortening in a bowl, add boiling water. Blend in sugar and molasses. Add beaten egg and sifted dry ingredients. Pour into greased 1 qt mold. Steam for 2 hours. Serve hot with desired sauce.

Clear Sauce (For the Steamed Molasses Pudding)

1/2 Cup sugar
1 TBSP flour
1 Cup boiling water
1 tsp. flavouring
1 TBSP butter
1/4 tsp. salt

Melt butter but do not brown. Stir in the flour. Add the boiling water and sugar, stirring all the time. Add flavouring.

Jumbo Raisin Cookies

2 cups raisins
1 cup water
1 cup shortening
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
Bring water to boil; add raisins and boil 5 minutes. Cream shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add cooled raisins mixture and the remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet and bake at 350F for approximately 12 minutes.

Apple Muffins

1/2 Cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Egg well beaten
1 Cup milk
1/4 Cup melted butter
1 Cup chopped apples
2 Cups flour
4 tsp. Baking Powder

Mix in order given. Mix 2 TBSP white sugar & ? tsp. cinnamon and sprinkle over top before baking. Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes.

Thick Molasses Cookies

4 Cups flour
1 1/4 Cups shortening
1/3 Cups brown sugar
1 1/2 Cups molasses
2 Eggs
2 Teaspoons ginger
1 1/2 Teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon cloves
Little nutmeg
1/2 Cup boiling water
4 Teaspoons baking soda
2 Teaspoons salt (1 tsp was overwritten with 2 tsp)
Dissolve soda in hot water
There was no directions with this recipe, but I would assume bake at 350F for approximately 13-15 minutes.