Monday, March 9, 2020

Savory Mediterranean Scones #BakingBloggers

These savory Mediterranean scones are tender and fluffy, full of flavor with feta cheese, soft sun-dried tomatoes and a mixture of salty olives. They are a great breakfast or snack. I highly recommend using one for a fried egg sandwich!



As I prepped my ingredients to make these scones, my husband wandered by. It was a Sunday morning and no one at our house moves very fast on one of those. “Whatcha making?” he asked. “Mediterranean scones,” I replied. “No such thing!” was his response. And I suppose that he has a point. Scones are a particularly British thing, not unlike his good self, and they don’t usually contain feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and olives.

But as soon as Sue, the host of Baking Bloggers, announced the theme for this month’s event - biscuits and scones - I knew I wanted to bake something savory. I’ve already shared my freeze-and-bake buttermilk biscuits, my slightly sweet bacon honey mustard biscuits and, of course, the ubiquitous fall favorite, sweet pumpkin scones so it was time to jump over to the savory side.

“When in doubt, add cheese” is one of my mottos so a Mediterranean-inspired scone with feta cheese seemed ideal.

Savory Mediterranean Scones

This recipe is adapted from one on BBC Good Food from way back in 2004, with just a few little tweaks. The original created such a wet dough that I decided to make drop biscuits/scones instead of rolling and cutting. My way is easier and the results are lovely and fluffy.

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups or 345g all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup or 56g butter, cut in pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 halves soft Italian sundried tomatoes
3 1/2 oz or 100g feta cheese
10 or 55g mixed Greek olives, plus extra for decoration, if desired
1 1/4 cups or 295ml full fat milk

Optional to serve: butter

Method
Heat the oven to 375°F or 190°C. Line a large baking pan with baking parchment or a silicone liner.

Pit your olives by mashing them with the side of a big knife on a cutting board. Remove the pits and chop the olives roughly.

Stack your sun-dried tomatoes and use a sharp knife to cut them into small pieces. Alternatively, if you have sharp kitchen scissors, I find they are very effective at cutting through a small stack of dried tomatoes.

Use a fork or knife to crumble the feta cheese, keeping some pieces bigger than others. This insures that you still have some chunks of cheese left visible after you fold the milk into the dry ingredients.



In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Use a pastry blender to blend in the butter and the oil, until the mixture resembles rough sand.



Add in the sun-dried tomatoes, feta and olives and stir well so they are coated with the flour.



Make a well in the center and pour in the milk. Use a rubber spatula (so you can scrape the sides of the bowl effectively) to gently fold the milk into the flour, rotating the bowl as you fold, until all of the milk is incorporated. Do not over mix. This is going to be an extremely thick batter.



Use an ice cream scoop or two serving spoons to drop the dough onto your prepared baking pan. My ice cream scoop holds about 1/4 cup by volume, which translated to 12 drop scones.



This is the time to take the stones out of a three extra olives and quarter them if you want to decorate the scones with a spare piece of olive.



Bake for 30-35 minutes in your preheated oven until the scones are risen and lightly browned.



Check out the lovely bottoms! Golden, crunchy and divine!

Transfer to a wire rack. These are wonderful warm and, if you like, well-embuttered. That said, we ate them plain as well and they were great!

An aside: Blogger seems to think that embuttered is a misspelling, which surprised me. So I looked it up. It is indeed a real word (OF COURSE, IT IS!) but embuttered is rarely used. We should totally change that. Who's with me? EMBUTTER all the things.



Enjoy!



This month my Baking Blogger friends are all sharing biscuit and scone recipes, both sweet and savory. Many thanks to our founder and host Sue of Palatable Pastime. Check out the recipes on the list below:

Baking Bloggers is a friendly group of food bloggers who vote on a shared theme and then post recipes to fit that theme one the second Monday of each month. If you are a food blogger interested in joining in, inquire at our Baking Bloggers Facebook group. We'd be honored if you would join us in our baking adventures.

Pin these Savory Mediterranean Scones!

 .

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Bacon Ranch Stuffed Celery #FoodieExtravaganza

Bacon ranch stuffed celery is an easy appetizer that satisfies our need for crunch! And who doesn’t love cream cheese seasoned with loads of bacon, chives, parsley and plenty of black pepper? It makes the perfect filling for celery, not to mention baked potatoes.

Food Lust People Love: Bacon ranch stuffed celery is an easy appetizer that satisfies our need for crunch! And who doesn’t love cream cheese seasoned with loads of bacon, chives, parsley and plenty of black pepper? It makes the perfect filling for celery, not to mention baked potatoes.


As a child, my favorite dressing was always thousand island because I loved its creaminess with just a bit of bite. As I got older, I taught myself to love blue cheese dressing. Not sure exactly where I got the idea, but I decided it was more sophisticated than thousand island and that I should like it.

Every week in my high school cafeteria the menu seldom varied. Thursday was rigatoni day. It was our favorite meal of the week. Big rigatoni pasta with Bolognese sauce and a side salad. Despite not liking blue cheese, that’s the dressing I chose week after week, until sometime in the middle of possibly sophomore year, I actually really liked it. Yeah, I know, I’m weird. Blue cheese became my favorite.

Until 🎵dum dum da dum 🎶 RANCH DRESSING entered my consciousness. I first tried it at a Texas buffet restaurant I adored called Souper Salad, where one could fill one’s plate with salad ingredients too numerous to count, along with myriad toppings, like crumbled bacon and cheeses, sliced boiled eggs and sunflower seeds. The vats of dressing were enormous, like the ice cream tubs in the cooler at Baskin Robbins. They also served soup and some of the best cornbread on the planet.

After that, I wanted ranch on All The Things. And possibly some crumbled blue cheese.

Bacon Ranch Stuffed Celery

Sure, you could just dip your celery sticks in ranch dressing but my way is much more delicious. Mix the ranch flavors into cream cheese and stuff the celery full. It doesn’t drip off on your shirt like dip does and it’s more delicious to boot.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
4 thick slices bacon, fried till crispy, crumbled
8 oz or 226g cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup or 60ml mayonnaise
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives/green onion tops
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt, to taste
8 ribs celery (mine were about 8 in or 20cm long)

Method
Put the minced garlic in a large bowl and add in the lemon juice. Set aside for 10 minutes. This mellows the garlic so it isn’t as sharp but it’s still got plenty enough garlicky flavor.

Use a fork to mash the room temperature cream cheese into the lemon juice and garlic.



Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.



Taste and add salt if needed. With the cream cheese, bacon and mayonnaise, all of which are salty, you probably won’t need much, if any at all. I don't usually add any.



Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour to allow the flavors to meld.

Use a plastic bag with the corner cut off or a pastry bag to pipe a healthy amount of the filling into your cleaned celery ribs. Run the tines of a fork over the top to score the filling and gently push it into the celery so it won’t fall out.



Cut your celery into 2 inch or 5cm lengths and arrange them on a serving plate.

Food Lust People Love: Bacon ranch stuffed celery is an easy appetizer that satisfies our need for crunch! And who doesn’t love cream cheese seasoned with loads of bacon, chives, parsley and plenty of black pepper? It makes the perfect filling for celery, not to mention baked potatoes.


Enjoy!

Food Lust People Love: Bacon ranch stuffed celery is an easy appetizer that satisfies our need for crunch! And who doesn’t love cream cheese seasoned with loads of bacon, chives, parsley and plenty of black pepper? It makes the perfect filling for celery, not to mention baked potatoes.


This month my Foodie Extravaganza friends are celebrating National Celery Month by sharing our favorite recipes with celery. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out all the great recipes:

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board!

Pin this Bacon Ranch Stuffed Celery!

Food Lust People Love: Bacon ranch stuffed celery is an easy appetizer that satisfies our need for crunch! And who doesn’t love cream cheese seasoned with loads of bacon, chives, parsley and plenty of black pepper? It makes the perfect filling for celery, not to mention baked potatoes.
.

Monday, February 24, 2020

Apple Brown Sugar Muffins #MuffinMonday

These apple brown sugar muffins are tender and fluffy on the inside. The warm cinnamon elevates these beauties to pure comfort food. Brew up a pot of tea and bake up a batch.

Food Lust People Love: These apple brown sugar muffins are tender and fluffy on the inside. The warm cinnamon elevates these beauties to pure comfort food. Brew up a pot of tea and bake up a batch. If there is any combination that smells as delightful as it bakes as apples, brown sugar and cinnamon, I don’t know what it is. While these were in the oven, my house smelled absolutely fabulous. Plus they are delicious. Bake these. You won’t regret it.

Our kitchen is in a bit of a shambles as we rip out the old narrow cupboards and add new more spacious ones but we feel very strongly that anyone who owns a home built one hundred years ago has a responsibility to keep the original feel and as many of the vintage elements as one can. I know my readers in the UK will laugh at a 100-year-old home being considered old but, hey, the US is still a new republic, history-wise. And goodness knows we have a lot to learn.

The William Wilson Realty Company created our neighborhood in Houston, the Woodland Heights, back in 1907 but we believe our house dates from the early 1920s. The word wasn’t used back then but we would have been in the suburbs! Now with the spread of Houston to actual suburbs, we are considered almost downtown. Isn’t it funny how times change? The original houses sold for about $4,000, which I am guessing was a lot of money in those days.

One thing a person can still bake in a distraught kitchen is muffins. Two bowls: Wet ingredients. Dry ingredients. Mix them together and bake, even if you don’t have a countertop. That arrives on Thursday. One day we will have a more functional kitchen and I have to tell you, I’m still going to bake muffins. And use the Instant Pot. It’s been a godsend.

Apple Brown Sugar Muffins

If there is any combination that smells as delightful as it bakes as apples, brown sugar and cinnamon, I don’t know what it is. While these were in the oven, my house smelled absolutely fabulous. Plus the muffins are delicious. Bake them. You won’t regret it.

Ingredients
1 large apple (about 9 oz or 254g whole)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cups or 250g all purpose flour
3/4 cup, tightly packed, or 150g dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml milk
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil, plus a little extra for the pan
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Prepare your muffin pan by brushing it with oil or line it with paper muffin liners.

Peel, core and chop the apple into small pieces and toss them immediately with the lemon juice to stop them from discoloring.



In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, egg and vanilla.

Add the apple pieces into the dry ingredient bowl and stir to coat.



Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and fold until they are just combined. Do not over mix.

 Divide your batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups.



Bake 20-25 minutes in the preheated oven or until muffins are golden. Remove them from oven and let them cool for a few minutes before removing the muffins from the pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Food Lust People Love: These apple brown sugar muffins are tender and fluffy on the inside. The warm cinnamon elevates these beauties to pure comfort food. Brew up a pot of tea and bake up a batch. If there is any combination that smells as delightful as it bakes as apples, brown sugar and cinnamon, I don’t know what it is. While these were in the oven, my house smelled absolutely fabulous. Plus they are delicious. Bake these. You won’t regret it.

Enjoy!

Food Lust People Love: These apple brown sugar muffins are tender and fluffy on the inside. The warm cinnamon elevates these beauties to pure comfort food. Brew up a pot of tea and bake up a batch. If there is any combination that smells as delightful as it bakes as apples, brown sugar and cinnamon, I don’t know what it is. While these were in the oven, my house smelled absolutely fabulous. Plus they are delicious. Bake these. You won’t regret it.


It's the last Monday of the month and that means it's Muffin Monday! Check out all the wonderful muffins my friends are sharing:
Muffin Monday

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Pin these Apple Brown Sugar Muffins! 

Food Lust People Love: These apple brown sugar muffins are tender and fluffy on the inside. The warm cinnamon elevates these beauties to pure comfort food. Brew up a pot of tea and bake up a batch. If there is any combination that smells as delightful as it bakes as apples, brown sugar and cinnamon, I don’t know what it is. While these were in the oven, my house smelled absolutely fabulous. Plus they are delicious. Bake these. You won’t regret it.
 .

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffin Bundt #BundtBakers

It looks like cake and tastes like cake but this is actually a big peanut butter chocolate chip muffin baked in a Bundt pan! Made with the muffin method of mixing wet and dry ingredients in one bowl, it’s fast, easy and delicious.

Food Lust People Love: It looks like cake and tastes like cake but this is actually a big peanut butter chocolate chip muffin baked in a Bundt pan! Made with the muffin method of mixing wet and dry ingredients in one bowl, it’s fast, easy and delicious. Because this is a celebratory muffin Bundt, I topped it with some melted crunchy peanut butter (and butter) and a generous sprinkling of semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can leave those off but I think you’ll be sorry you did!


Happy National Muffin Day! As head cheerleader for Muffin Monday, I might normally have celebrated such an auspicious holiday by baking muffins but this year National Muffin Day happens to coincide with Bundt Baker Thursday, which falls on the third Thursday of every month. For a fun twist, our host Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm proposed that we take our favorite muffin recipe and turn it into a Bundt cake.

Best of all, since this is really one big muffin, you can enjoy a slice for breakfast. Don’t mind if I do! Make sure you scroll down past my recipe to see what other great muffin recipe Bundts my fellow Bundt Bakers are sharing.

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Muffin Bundt

Because this is a celebratory muffin Bundt, I topped it with some melted crunchy peanut butter (and butter) and a generous sprinkling of semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can leave those off but I think you’ll be sorry you did!

Ingredients
2 cups or 250g all-purpose flour
1 cup, packed, or 200g dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup or 165g crunchy peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup or 61g Greek-style yogurt
2/3 cup or 156ml milk
2 large eggs, at room temperature
6oz or 170g semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus extra for decoration, if desired

For the peanut butter glaze:
1/3 cup or 83g crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon butter

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. Prepare your large Bundt pan by buttering it generously then dusting the butter with flour.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another mixing bowl, whisk the butter, peanut butter, milk, yogurt and eggs.





Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold until almost completely combined. You should still see dry flour. Fold in the chocolate chips.



Spoon the thick batter into your prepared Bundt pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.

Food Lust People Love: It looks like cake and tastes like cake but this is actually a big peanut butter chocolate chip muffin baked in a Bundt pan! Made with the muffin method of mixing wet and dry ingredients in one bowl, it’s fast, easy and delicious. Because this is a celebratory muffin Bundt, I topped it with some melted crunchy peanut butter (and butter) and a generous sprinkling of semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can leave those off but I think you’ll be sorry you did!


Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about five minutes then transfer the Bundt to the wire rack to cool completely before moving it to a serving plate.

Food Lust People Love: It looks like cake and tastes like cake but this is actually a big peanut butter chocolate chip muffin baked in a Bundt pan! Made with the muffin method of mixing wet and dry ingredients in one bowl, it’s fast, easy and delicious. Because this is a celebratory muffin Bundt, I topped it with some melted crunchy peanut butter (and butter) and a generous sprinkling of semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can leave those off but I think you’ll be sorry you did!


To make the peanut butter glaze, melt the peanut butter and butter together in the microwave 10 seconds at a time, stirring well in between, or over a low heat in a small pot, similarly stirring often if not continuously, until the peanut butter is of pouring consistency. Spoon it over the cooled muffin Bundt and sprinkle with extra chocolate chips, if desired.

Food Lust People Love: It looks like cake and tastes like cake but this is actually a big peanut butter chocolate chip muffin baked in a Bundt pan! Made with the muffin method of mixing wet and dry ingredients in one bowl, it’s fast, easy and delicious. Because this is a celebratory muffin Bundt, I topped it with some melted crunchy peanut butter (and butter) and a generous sprinkling of semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can leave those off but I think you’ll be sorry you did!


Enjoy!

Food Lust People Love: It looks like cake and tastes like cake but this is actually a big peanut butter chocolate chip muffin baked in a Bundt pan! Made with the muffin method of mixing wet and dry ingredients in one bowl, it’s fast, easy and delicious. Because this is a celebratory muffin Bundt, I topped it with some melted crunchy peanut butter (and butter) and a generous sprinkling of semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can leave those off but I think you’ll be sorry you did!


Many thanks to our Bundt Baker host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm for this fun theme and all of her behind-the-scenes work. Check out all the lovely muffin recipe Bundts:


BundtBakers

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our ;Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.


Pin this Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffin Bundt!

Food Lust People Love: It looks like cake and tastes like cake but this is actually a big peanut butter chocolate chip muffin baked in a Bundt pan! Made with the muffin method of mixing wet and dry ingredients in one bowl, it’s fast, easy and delicious. Because this is a celebratory muffin Bundt, I topped it with some melted crunchy peanut butter (and butter) and a generous sprinkling of semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can leave those off but I think you’ll be sorry you did!
.

Monday, February 17, 2020

Sous Vide Chicken Crown Roast

A bone-in chicken crown roasts to perfection after a sous vide of one hour and 45 minutes. Succulent and tender, it carves wonderfully into delectable slices. Serve with onions, carrots and/or parsnips for a complete meal.

Food Lust People Love: A bone-in chicken crown roasts to perfection after a 1 hour 45 minutes sous vide. Succulent and tender, it carves wonderfully into delectable slices. Serve with onions, carrots and/or parsnips for a complete meal.



I know that science is still trying to nail down whether meat cooked on the bone is tastier, but as for me, I am a believer. I have been known to butterfly and marinate legs of lamb to put them on a charcoal grill but that’s about the only time I willingly take a bone out before cooking.

If you’ve never searched, you might not be aware that sous vide recipes for poultry with bones still in are few and far between. Frankly, I couldn’t find one for a whole bird. Most poultry roast recipes call for removing the bones or at the very least butterflying the bird. I’m sure the reason is that it’s hard to keep a whole bird submerged, because of the air inside.

I solved that problem a couple of years ago when I wanted to roast two guinea fowl for Christmas. I stuffed them! It was a risky experiment that could have meant a terrible Christmas dinner but they turned out beautifully! I was so impressed that I’ve even used sous vide to cook a whole stuffed turkey. I cannot tell you how moist and tender the meat was, even the breast.

That’s why I was so excited when I found a chicken crown roast to further experiment on. It’s not a very common cut for chicken although many shops do sell turkey crowns around the holidays. Basically the crown is the whole breast, both sides, with the bones that support it underneath, sometimes with the ribs as well, sometimes without. It's a good place to start if you are scared of sous vide-ing a whole bird.

Sous Vide Bone-in Chicken Crown

Partially cooking the crown roast first by sous vide before roasting ensures that the meat is tender and juicy, yet covered by golden brown skin that people will fight over. To make a full meal of this beauty, you can add onions, carrots, parsnips and/or potatoes to the roasting pan. Or roast it alone if you have other side dishes in mind. It's one of our favorite family meals.

Ingredients
For sous vide:
1 chicken crown, bone in, skin on (about 1 1/2 lbs or 700g)
1 small lemon, sliced in thin wedges
Flakey sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Leaves from 1 large sprig rosemary
2-3 tablespoons butter

Optional for roasting:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 small onions, peeled and quartered
1.1 lbs or 500g Chantenay carrots, topped, tailed and scrubbed clean
2-3 parsnips, peeled and cut into sticks
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method 
Set up your sous vide machine to 145ºF / 62.8ºC in a large vessel filled with water up to the MAX line. Set the time for 1 hour and 45 minutes. (I use this Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker. <Amazon affiliate link)

Liberally salt and pepper the chicken crown. Okay, this guy hasn't been salted and peppered yet but I wanted to show you what he looks like out of the bag.



Put it in a large sealable bag with the lemon wedges, rosemary and butter. Carefully submerge the bag in the heating water until all of the air inside has been pressed out to create a vacuum. Seal the bag.



Sous vide at 145°F/62.8ºC for 1 hour 45 minutes.

Remove the whole bag from the sous vide vessel and leave to cool still in the bag.

If you aren't roasting until later, refrigerate and increase the roasting time to compensate. You will be looking for an internal temperature of about 165°F or 75°C.

To finish, roast on 375°F or 190°C, fan assist, for about 40-45 minutes, accompanied by onions, carrots and/or parsnips drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, if desired. Turn pan occasionally so the chicken crown browns evenly.

Cover with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Carve to serve with pan juices.

Food Lust People Love: A bone-in chicken crown roasts to perfection after a 1 hour 45 minutes sous vide. Succulent and tender, it carves wonderfully into delectable slices. Serve with onions, carrots and/or parsnips for a complete meal.


Enjoy!

It’s Multicooker Monday again, that monthly post when we attempt to make more use of our slow cookers, Instant Pots, sous vide machines and air fryers and hopefully inspire you to use yours as well. Many thanks to our group founder and host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. Check out the other recipes we are sharing:

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Pönnukökur aka Swedish Pancakes #BreadBakers

Thin, soft and golden, these lightly cardamom scented pönnukökur are a traditional teatime treat in Sweden. In their homeland, they are served simply: sprinkled with sugar then rolled up individually by each person around the table. You can push the boat out by adding lemon slices, fresh berries, jam and hazelnut spread to the add-on offerings.

Food Lust People Lust: Thin, soft and golden, these lightly cardamom scented pönnukökur are a traditional teatime treat in Sweden. In their homeland, they are served simply: sprinkled with sugar then rolled up individually by each person around the table. Push the boat out by adding lemon slices, fresh berries, jam and hazelnut spread to the add-on offerings.


I made these for the first time a few years back when we had an overnight guest and Swedish pancakes sounded like a great Sunday brunch dish. As I followed the instructions, it occurred to me that pönnukökur – literal translation: pancakes - were just Swedish crêpes. (For you language buffs, the singular “pancake” is pönnukaka.) The British also call crêpes pancakes so I don’t know why I was surprised.

The funny thing is, as I searched for the Swedish recipe again recently, pönnukökur amerískar kept popping up. You know, the fluffy kind we also call pancakes and serve in a stack with butter and syrup. It’s a mad, mad world.

Near as I can figure, the difference between the British pancakes/French crêpes and Swedish pönnukökur is the addition of ground cardamom and baking powder.

Pönnukökur aka Swedish Pancakes

This recipe has been adapted from several I found on various websites. Some call for melted butter, margarine or vegetable oil in place of the cream but I liked the richness of using cream. I lightly crushed cardamom pods, discarded the husks and ground the tiny seeds with a mortar and pestle. The fragrance and taste is fresher that store-bought ground cardamom. That said, use what you have. It’s all good.

Ingredients - for about 18 (6 in or 15cm) pancakes
1 3/4 cups or milk
1/2 cup or 120ml heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 large eggs

Method
Combine the milk, cream and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and eggs.


Whisk until a smooth batter is created. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. When the foam subsided, I ended up with a little more than 4 1/2 cups of batter.


Heat a frying pan and thinly grease it, or use a non-stick skillet. Ladle about 3-4 tablespoons of batter into the hot pan. Swirl the batter around until the whole bottom of the pan is covered with a thin layer of the batter. Cook on that side until the edges begin to brown slightly.



Loosen the sides and turn the pancake with a spatula. Cook the other side briefly, until you can shake the pan and the pancake slips around easily.

Food Lust People Lust: Thin, soft and golden, these lightly cardamom scented pönnukökur are a traditional teatime treat in Sweden. In their homeland, they are served simply: sprinkled with sugar then rolled up individually by each person around the table. Push the boat out by adding lemon slices, fresh berries, jam and hazelnut spread to the add-on offerings.


Slide the pancake on to a warm plate.

Continue the process until all of the pancakes are cooked, stacking them on top of each other, lightly covered with a bit of foil to keep them warm. Or if the hungry hordes are standing by waiting, employ two small pans on your stove and serve the pancakes directly.

You can also cover the stack with cling film and rewarm the pancakes in a microwave.

The most traditional Swedish way to eat these is with just a sprinkle of sugar but we like a squeeze of lemon too. (Some Swedish sites also suggested one alternative is a spoonful of rhubarb jam.)

Food Lust People Lust: Thin, soft and golden, these lightly cardamom scented pönnukökur are a traditional teatime treat in Sweden. In their homeland, they are served simply: sprinkled with sugar then rolled up individually by each person around the table. Push the boat out by adding lemon slices, fresh berries, jam and hazelnut spread to the add-on offerings.
These can also be enjoyed with hazelnut spread, jam or fruit and whipped cream, which means they make a great dessert as well as a good breakfast or teatime snack.

Food Lust People Lust: Thin, soft and golden, these lightly cardamom scented pönnukökur are a traditional teatime treat in Sweden. In their homeland, they are served simply: sprinkled with sugar then rolled up individually by each person around the table. Push the boat out by adding lemon slices, fresh berries, jam and hazelnut spread to the add-on offerings.


Enjoy!

This month my Bread Baker friends are sharing Scandinavian recipes from the countries of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Many thanks to our host, Felice of All That's Left Are The Crumbs for this fun theme! Check out the recipes below:

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.
BreadBakers

Pin these Pönnukökur aka Swedish Pancakes!

Food Lust People Lust: Thin, soft and golden, these lightly cardamom scented pönnukökur are a traditional teatime treat in Sweden. In their homeland, they are served simply: sprinkled with sugar then rolled up individually by each person around the table. Push the boat out by adding lemon slices, fresh berries, jam and hazelnut spread to the add-on offerings.
.