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.

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.