Thursday, August 2, 2012

English Pancakes

I have never had English pancakes before. Have you? The best way to describe them would be a cross between a crepe and a pancake. They are delicate and light. The pancake by itself is plan but that is why toppings are great!
 
When I was researching them, many sites served the pancakes with lemon. Lemon? I wouldn't have thought to top my pancakes with lemon. I had to try it. Now, I like lemonade so I liked the lemon and sugar topping. It is funny of all the new foods I make the kids did not want to try these pancakes. I did talk my son into trying the pancakes with lemon and he liked them. My youngest daughter wanted just sugar. My oldest daughter wanted stewed strawberries. The hardest thing about these pancakes was flipping them. It took a little practice.
 
English Pancakes
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg 
1 egg yolk
1 1/8 cup milk
1 Tbsp melted butter
little vegetable oil or melted butter to coat the skillet
white sugar and lemon juice for topping

Directions:
  1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt.
  2. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the egg, egg yolk, and 1/2 of the milk. Whisk.
  3. Add the remaining 1/2 of the milk and the melted butter. Whisk well.
  4. Heat an 8 inch skillet over medium heat until hot.
  5. Add the oil or butter and heat for a few seconds.
  6. Add about 2 Tbsp of the pancake batter to the skillet. Swirl the batter in the skillet to coat the bottom of the pan. 
  7. Cook the pancake about 30 seconds before flipping.
  8. Remove from pan onto a plate. 
  9. Top the pancake with the sugar and lemon. Roll up the pancake.
Recipe adapted from A Bowl of Mush website.
Did you already know...
-English pancakes are a popular dish to make on Shove Tuesday.
-Shove Tuesday (Pancake Day) is the day before Lent.
-On Pancake Day, some English towns hold pancake races in which women will race to a finish line while carrying a skillet and flipping pancakes.
She was trying to distract me while I took my photos! Isn't she sweet
I decided not to post the photo of her making faces at me!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Bangers and Mash

Since my oldest daughter just returned from England, I asked her if she had Bangers and Mash when she was over there. She said no so I asked her if she saw it on the menu. She said yes but she didn't know what it was. My Dad said she never asked. My Dad said Bangers and Mash is a common pub dish. 
I told my daughter that Bangers and Mash is sausage and mashed potatoes. She said she would have ate it if she had known. My family really liked this dish very much. It is an easy dish to make. The sausage and potatoes are served with a sauce or gravy. I will admit that I don't know how authentic my dishes will be this week but they taste good. The traditional gravy is made with a stock but when I went into the pantry I couldn't find any. The meal was done and I didn't feel like having anyone wait so I decided to make ours cheesy.
Bangers and Mash
2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and diced
8 links beef sausage
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 Tbsp flour
4 cups milk
 1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp heavy cream
salt and pepper

Directions:
  1. In a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with cold water.
  2. Bring the potatoes to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. In a skillet, add the oil and heat over medium heat.
  4. Add the sausage to the skillet and brown.
  5. Remove the sausage and place on a plate to the side.
  6. To the skillet, add the onion to the pan. Cook the onion until soft about 5 minutes.
  7. Add the flour to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. 
  8. Whisk in the milk to the skillet and return the sausage to the pan.
  9. Cook the sausage for about 15 minutes until the liquid is reduce to the desired consistency. Stirring occasionally. 
  10. Stir in the cheese.
  11. When the potatoes are done, drain the potatoes and mash.
  12. To the mashed potatoes, add the butter, milk, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. 
  13. To serve, place the mashed potatoes on a plate. Place the sausage on top of the potatoes. Cover the sausage and potatoes with the cheese sauce. 
Recipe adapted from Foodnetwork. com.
Did you already know...
-Bangers and Mash is a traditional English meal. 
-Bangers and Mash are often served with an onion gravy.
-A popular side to Bangers and Mash is peas.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Dulce de Leche Macaroons

This week's Project Pastry Queen was picked by Missy of Creative Missy. The Macaroons are rich, sweet, and delicious. My youngest daughter loves Dulce de Leche so she thought I should shouldn't be adding it to coconut but these are good. My Mom loves Macaroons and she liked them. 
I didn't add anything else to the batch I made. You can add chocolate or toasted almonds but I kept it simple. I wish I had thought to add English toffee to them since I have been making English fare but next time I will. My next post will be back to my culinary English journey.
Dulce de Leche Macaroons
1 can of Dulce de Leche (click here for recipe)
3 cups lightly packed sweetened flaked coconut
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the cooled Dulce de Leche, coconut, and vanilla. Stir until combined.
  4. Using a 1 3/4 inch diameter scoop, spoon a firmly packed spoonful of the coconut mixture onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Space the coconut mixture about 1 1/2 inches apart.
  5. With a wet fingertip, lightly flatten the coconut mixture gently.
  6. Bake the Macaroons for 12 to 14 minutes. The edges should be dark brown and crisp.
  7. Allow the Macaroons to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen cookbook by Rebecca Rather.
Did you already know...
-Toffee became popular in England in the late 1800s.
-In 1889, a toffee house owned by Mrs. Bushell was located outside the Everton Football Club (Everton FC).
-Many football patrons purchased vast quantities of the toffee.
-In 1892, the football club was moved and Mrs. Bushell received permission to sell her toffee inside the football stadium before the games.
-The Everton FC's nickname is The Toffees.
-In America, Everton FC is a soccer team.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Olympics begins

Since the Olympics opening ceremony is tonight, I thought scones would be a fitting way to use up the remaining raspberries I have. Next week, I am going to post some British dishes. This is going to be a culinary journey for my family. Yes, this even includes my oldest daughter since she ate mostly hamburgers when she was in England.
A couple years ago, my husband and I spent the night in England but it was only because we were in transit. We arrived when it was dark outside and we left at dawn. We did not enjoy warm scones but we were able to get our passport stamped. Next time, we will stay longer.
I love scones since they are easy to make and make a quick breakfast for the next day. My youngest daughter likes scones since they are similar to muffins and biscuits. My youngest son just like to say the name scones. Would you like some scones this morning?

Raspberry Cream Cheese Scones
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
7 Tbsp cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh raspberries

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, gently stir cream cheese, milk, and egg together until combined.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
  5. Cut in the butter to the flour mixture using your hands, pastry blender, or two forks until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
  6. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the cream cheese mixture with the raspberries.
  7. Carefully, mix together the dough.
  8. Form the dough into a circle 1 inch thick.
  9. Cut 2 inch circles into the dough and place the circles on the parchment paper spacing about 1 inch apart.
  10. Carefully gather the remaining scrapes and cut out a few more circles while trying not to rework the dough to much.
  11. Bake the scones for 20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.   
Recipe adapted from Raspberri Cupcakes.
Did you already know...
-Great Britain comprises of England, Scotland, and Wales.
-Scones originate from Scotland.
-The United Kingdom comprises of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Raspberry cheesecake

I am always surprised how advance technology has advanced but sometimes I am surprised we haven't advanced to The Jetsons technology yet. Do you remember The Jetsons? I always liked Rosey the robot. 
 The reason I thought about The Jetsons was because my family are big gamers. They play on the PS3 with other family members and friends. I choice to blog. The other day my sister was playing and she has a Bluetooth so she can talk during the game. Since she knew my husband was playing, my nieces said hi to him. My children heard their cousin,s voices and started to talk to the TV. Of course, my nieces couldn't hear them. Since my sister only lives within 20 minutes of me, I think we will pass when The Jetson's TV monitor comes out. Just picture this- I go downstairs in my pjs (which means my old t-shirts since they are comfy but I can't wear them out) and I am greeted full screen by someone I would rather not see me. It just isn't going to happen no matter how much my husband tries. No Jetson's TVs in this household. How about you? Would you get one? I am not talking about Skype either just the next level of Skype.
Raspberry Cheesecake 
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 Tbsp. sugar for the crust