Welsh Cakes

This is the recipe off the back of the baking stone box.

Ingredients:

• 250g/8oz self-rising flour
• 75g/3oz butter
• ¼ tsp salt
• 75g/3oz currants or raisins
• 75g/3oz caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3-4 tbsp. milk
• caster sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling

In a large bowl, rub the fat into the flour.  Add the dry ingredients, then the egg and sufficient milk to make light dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured flat surface; gently knead the dough until flat and about ¼ inch thick. Cut into ½ inch rounds* and place on a lightly buttered baking stone over a medium heat.  Bake on each side for about 5 minutes until golden brown and soft in the middle. Eat hot, dusted in sugar and/or cinnamon and spread with butter.

*This is what it says in every translation of the recipe on the back!  We make them about 4-5 inches in diameter, I think.

Grandma's Pancakes

• 1.5 cups flour
• 1.5 Tblsp. sugar
• 1 Tblsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup oil

Mix dry.  Beat eggs, and add milk and oil.  Add to dry, and mix until it comes together.

Makes: um...rather a lot of little pancakes (about 20).  Or about 5-6 really huge pancakes.

Buckwheat Crepes

When visiting Paris years ago, a friend took me to a restaurant called "le Petit Jocelyn" near Montparnasse, a Breton restaurant that specializes in crepes. All of the savory crepes were made with Buckwheat flour and had a very particular consistency with lots of holes in the pancake. I've been trying ever since to replicate these crepes, and I've recently had some success with a recipe I've adapted from bon appetit magazine. I use a stainless steel skillet, which requires some special handling instructions, but it is otherwise pretty straight-forward.

• 1 1/4 cups buckwheat flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil plus additional for skillet
• 3/4 cup cold nonfat milk
• 1 1/4 cups (or more) cold water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Whisk eggs, mix in oil, cold milk, and cold water. Whisk in salt and buckwheat flour a little at a time until completely mixed. Check the consistency with a tablespoon--the batter should have the consistency of heavy cream. Cover and place batter in the fridge. In the mean time, heat frying pan over medium to medium-high heat (on our stove, level 2). It is important that the pan is *HOT* before proceeding any further! With a paper towel or napkin, rub a thin layer of oil on the hot skillet, pour in ~1/3 cup batter, and tilt pan to coat bottom. Fry for 20-30 seconds on each side adjusting heat (if necessary) to prevent the crepe from burning. Repeat. Makes ~12.

I typically fry all the crepes before assembling them in order to prevent stuff from getting on the skillet and causing the freshly poured crepes to stick. To reheat, simply throw the already cooked crepe onto the skillet over medium to medium-low heat and add your favorite filling (also works with left over crepes that have been stored in the fridge in a plastic bag). One traditional filling is cooked ham and cheese (Emmentaler, Gruyere, etc) and egg. Serve with cidre.