Mary Fawley’s Blueberry Cobber // Photography by: Clinton Hussey

Mary Fawley’s Bluberry Cobbler (June 2008)
"I love Mary Fawley’s Blueberry Cobbler, appearing in the June 2008 edition of Western Living. It’s so delicious with ice cream or whipping cream, and my favourite fruit are blueberries."—Diana Lingholt, Chilliwack, BC

1/3 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp corn syrup
4 tbsp butter (chilled)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
4 cups fresh blueberries
1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp brown sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine sugar, water, vanilla and corn syrup in small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, until thickened. Set aside. To make dough, cut butter into dry ingredients. Stir in milk to form a soft dough. Set aside. Place berries in a small casserole dish coated with non-stick spray and pour on hot sugar syrup. Drop spoonfuls of dough over berries. Sprinkle with white and brown sugars. Bake for 25—30 minutes, until lightly browned. Makes 4 servings. (Can be doubled.)

Red Pepper and Tomato Timbale with Spinach Purée // Photography by: Clinton Hussey

Red Pepper and Tomato Timbale with Spinach Pureé (Winter 1987)

"The Western Living Cookbook is one of the best cookbooks to be written. I was given it in 1987 and have made many recipes from it. Whenever I see a copy in a second hand bookstore I buy it to give to a young person who loves to cook. This Christmas I made the Red Pepper and Tomato Timbale with Spinach Purée, as the kids are now adults and vegetarians so my menus have changed somewhat!"—Annette Barclay, Victoria

Red Pepper & Tomato Timbale
2 red bell peppers
1 213-mL can tomato sauce
1 cup half-and-half cream
4 eggs
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne (or to taste). Salt and pepper to taste. Spinach Pureé, for topping (recipe follows)

Remove the skin of the peppers by placing them on a foil-lined baking sheet and broiling them until blackened and blistered on all sides. Place in a paper bag to steam for 5—10 minutes. Peel and seed under cool running water. Purée.

Mix together the puréed peppers and the remaining ingredients. Pour into buttered individual moulds or one large mould, filling only two-thirds. Place in a large container with enough very hot water to cover the bottom half of the moulds. (This is called a bain-marie.) Bake at 325°F for 30—60 minutes, depending on the size of the mould. The water should never boil. The timbales are done when a thin knife inserted just off-centre comes out clean. Remove from hot-water bath to cool. The timbales may be made ahead to this point.

At serving time, reheat them either in the microwave at medium power for 1—2 minutes or covered, in a hot-water bath, at 350°F for 10 minutes. Gently run a knife around the edge of the mould and turn out on a warm serving plate. Spoon the heated spinach purée around the base. Or, you may place the purée and the timbale on a serving plate and heat both in the microwave on medium power for 1—2 minutes.

Spinach Purée With its delightful texture and flavour this purée can be served on its own.

2 300-g packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp butter or oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped; freshly grated nutmeg; salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 cup whipping cream or half-and-half cream (or more, if desired)

Angie Quaale's Maple-Bourbon Sauce (July/August 2010)

"Ribs are my family’s favourite, and this special sauce makes them even better."—Colleen Bellina, Edmonton

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until smooth and thickened to desired consistency (approximately 20—30 minutes). Makes about 2 cups.

Thumbprint Cookies (November and December 1957 from Western Homes & Living)

"We had these as a kid…with raspberry jam in the middle. I’ll bet my mother couldn’t afford the almond extract, though, as I don’t recall her putting it in. They reminded me of the fancy cupcakes with coconut on them and raspberry jam in the middle that I eyed at the local bakery, but that we bought only once or twice in my childhood."—Pat Battles, Victoria

Preheat oven to 400°F. Sift flour and salt together and add shortening. Cut mixture until it resembles fine meal. Add rolled oats, coconut and sugar, then water and almond extract. Knead slightly. Wrap in foil and chill several hours. Shape into balls about 1-inch in diameter and place on baking sheets. With thumb, make a deep "well" in each. Bake for 12—15 minutes. Let stand and cool. Fill wells with jam or marmalade. Makes 2 dozen.

Celery and Stilton Soup (December 1988)

"I still have the December 1988 magazine and use the recipes from it frequently. The Celery and Stilton Soup is wonderful."—Joan Gurel, Calgary

Serve this soup with thinly sliced julienne of celery and crispy croutons. It may be prepared ahead of time, chilled and gently reheated before serving.

In a large saucepan, gently cook the celery and onions in 4 tbsp of butter over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and cook until celery is tender. Transfer mixture to a food processor in small batches, and purée with a steel blade attachment. Set aside.

Place stilton cheese, whipping cream and half-and-half cream in food processor and process until smooth. Set aside. Melt 2/3 cup butter in a large saucepan until bubbly. Add flour and stir, cooking 2—3 minutes, to prepare a roux. Stir in the celery mixture and allow to simmer 25 minutes. Add the cream-cheese mixture and heat soup through. Do not allow soup to boil. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Garnish with celery and croutons. Serves 8.

Stuffed Beef Tenderloin in Pastry // Photography by: Clinton Hussey

Stuffed Beef Tenderloin in Pastry (January 1978)

"I came across this gem, while going through the WL archives and I love it for two reasons. Firstly it’s a simple, elegant take on one of my all-time favourite dishes—Beef Wellington. But what I really love is the casual reference to using 1-2 whole black truffles, which currently go for about $1,000 pound. Things were great back in the day."—Neal McLennan, Food Editor

Trim any fat or tendons from the beef tenderloin and rub all over with cognac. Season with salt and pepper. Slice truffles very thin and soak slices in the Madeira; leave to soak for at least ½ hour. Preheat oven to 475°F. With a very sharp knife, cut a lengthwise pocket in the filet. Cut to approximately ½ inch from the bottom and within ½ inch of each end of the filet. Remove truffles from the Madeira and set aside. Mix the Madeira with the paté and spread the mixture inside the cavity in the tenderloin. Insert the sliced truffles into the paté mixture along the full length of the filet. Close the opening and tie with butcher string at 1—inch intervals to re-form its shape.

Brush all over with melted butter and bake for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness desired. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least an hour. Remove strings. Roll out puff pastry to approximately 1/8 thick and wrap the filet, placing it top side down on the pastry so that you will have a smooth surface. (The overlapping edges will be on the underside of the pastry when it’s cooked.) Brush all folds and seams with beaten egg to seal the closure. Transfer the pastry-wrapped meat to a cookie sheet, seam side down. Brush all over with egg and bake at 375°F oven till pastry is cooked (about 20 to 30 minutes). Serve hot with sauce Périgueux (see below).

Sauce Périgueux

2 oz butter
2 onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp four
3 cups beef stock (hot)
2 cloves garlic, miched; Bouquet garni (a bundle of fresh rosemary, thyme and sage)
1 tbsp tomato paste; salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp cognac
1/2 cup Madeira
1-2 tbsp finely chopped black truffles

Sauté onions and carrots in butter for approximately 30 minutes. Stir in sugar in the last 10 minutes of cooking and increase the heat so the vegetables will caramelize and slightly brown, to colour the sauce. Be careful not to let vegetables burn at this point. Stir the flour into the onion and carrot mixture for about 3 minutes, then add stock, garlic, bouquet garni, tomato paste and salt and pepper. Stir until it boils, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour. Strain mixture through a sieve into a clean pan. Boil ½ cup of Madeira until reduced by approximately half. Stir reduction into brown sauce with 2 tbsp cognac. Add chopped black truffles. Serve sauce hot with beef tenderloin. wl

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