Hoito Pancakes

 

Not living in Thunder Bay means missing out on some really good local food.  Along with missing Coney Dogs, and Panzerotti we also miss Finnish Pancakes.  We have eaten many at the Hoito and at Kansas Sauna over the years and they continue to be fairly common for a weekend breakfast here at home….so far from Thunder Bay…. Be warned, to get them nice and brown…you need a generous amount of butter and a nice hot pan.  I have made them on an electric fry griddle but have over the years changed to using a nonstick pan on the stove.  What ever you use, the pan needs to hot enough to brown the butter before you add the batter.

Finnish Pancakes ( recipe makes two  large pancakes enough for 1 adult…scale up the recipe to make more)

1 large egg beaten

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup milk (whole or 2% work fine)

1/2 tsp sugar

Pinch of salt

Butter for frying (not margarine)

Add half of the milk, all of the flour and salt and sugar and whisk smooth.  If you don’t get every little lump out it’s no big deal.  Add remaining milk and mix it in.

Heat your pan with a good  teaspoon or more of butter and let the butter melt, bubble, and brown.  Once the butter is browned…pour in half of your batter (it will be quite thin) into the centre of the pan.  You may need to add less if your pan is small.  Only add enough batter so that it does not start pooling thicker. So only enough batter that it reaches the outside edge of the pan and no more. Once the bottom is browned (you can check under an edge to have a peak) the top should no longer have flowing batter, it should be firmed up….then you can flip your pancake and it should finish cooking in about 30 seconds.  Remove to a plate and add more butter to cook the next pancake as you did the first.  You may need to adjust the temperature down slightly after the first pancake especially if you are using cast iron a it holds the heat very well.  Serve with maple syrup, or table syrup, or strawberry sauce with whipped cream, or with apple stroop. 

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

 Peanut butter sheet cake seemed to be very similar to a chocolate sheet cake recipe that I really liked.  I ended up making half of the recipe below and it perfectly fit my 1/4 sheet pan.  It is very peanut buttery and goes well with a glass of cold milk.

Peanut Butter Sheet Cake

Cake

2cups flour

2 cups sugar

1tsp. Salt

1 tsp baking soda

1cup peanut butter 

1 cup butter 

1cup water

1/2 cup buttermilk 

2 eggs 

Frosting

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup butter

6 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a half sheet pan, 13”x18”. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside. In a 2 quart sauce pan on medium heat, bring peanut butter, butter and water to a boil and set aside off of the heat.  Add buttermilk and beaten eggs to the peanut butter mixture and stir in.  Add in dry ingredients and mix to a smooth batter.  Pour into prepared pan and level off the batter.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (If you make a half recipe check cake at 15 minutes)

When cake is removed from oven immediately make the frosting. Heat the peanut butter and butter in a saucepan to melt.  Add milk and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and icing sugar beating until smooth.  Pour the frosting onto the still warm cake and quickly spread frosting before it begins to set up.

Steamed Puddings

I noticed that the Jaimie Oliver pressure cooker recipe booklet had a recipe for a steamed pudding in it and was curious to try.  After a bit of poking around on the internet I decided to give the recipe here a try.  I was not disappointed at all.  It was well risen and light with all kinds of opportunity to vary the flavours of the recipe.  I'll be making this again.  It was a really quick make and needed no attention while steaming.  It would be wonderful with a splash of pouring custard or cream on top.

I did all of the mixing in my Kitchenaid mixer...so it was no work at all.  I love that this recipe really looks like you've gone all out...when really you haven't

Steamed Puddings

120 g golden sugar
120 g butter, softened
2 eggs
120 g flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp brandy

golden syrup

Cream the sugar with the softened butter.  Add in eggs and beat until smooth.  Add all remaining except the golden syrup and mix batter until smooth.  Grease 5 small ramekins with butter and put a good heaping tsp of golden syrup into the bottom of each.  Divide the batter evenly between...on top of  the syrup and smooth over the surface..  At this point, the puddings can be cooked or frozen.  If freezing, cover with plastic wrap and freeze.  If cooking....cover with greased tinfoil loosely so there is room for expansion on the pudding as it cooks.  Place in your pressure cooler on a rack and fill with water so that the water comes half way up the sides of the ramekins.  Put on the lid and cook at high pressure for 35 minutes.  Remove from heat and vent the pressure.  Once you open, remove ramekins (use care as they will be hot) and turn out the pudding upside down onto a serving plate and eat warm as they are...or with a bit of pouring custard or cream.