Shrove Tuesday doesn’t have to include pancakes. Today is really about gorging on rich foods before the 40-day fast of Lent. Pancakes just happen to be cooked in grease, filled with eggs and topped with more decadence. It’s okay to think beyond the griddle. Any rich, fatty food will do.
For pancake enthusiasts, these recipes will cover you from main to dessert:
Potato Latkes: Savoury and easy to make. These classic pancakes are great topped with sour cream or apple sauce.
Chocolate Waffles: The waffles aren’t too sweet since you are likely going to load them up with syrup. A nice dessert to close out Pancake Tuesday.
Homemade Clotted Cream, Anyone?
But for those who want their fat in a different form, why not flirt with clotted cream? Boldly striking another item off my Culinary Bucket List, I made a batch. What’s clotted cream? Only the most decadent topping you can imagine. It’s gently heated cream that thickens into a rich, spoonable consistency. Often eaten on scones, you can dollop it on fruit. Or pancakes. Or anything else you fancy. There is nothing low-cal about this. But isn’t that the point today?
I got the idea from Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: What You Should and Shouldn’t Cook from Scratch by Jennifer Reese. She describes clotted cream as “the love child of butter and whipped cream” and says it’s worth travelling to England for. As my planned trip to the British Isles this summer is being postponed, I decided not to wait, and I made my own. Having conquered the elusive clotted cream, I guess I’ll just have to go across the pond for the scotch.
Clotted cream is almost worth travelling to Britain for. Now you can make it at home for a fraction of the price of the imported store bought version — or air fare for that matter.
Scale
Ingredients
5 cups 35% heavy cream (not ultrapasteurized)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 175°F. Pour the cream into a wide heatproof bowl and place in the oven. No need to cover. Let it “cook” for 12 hours.
Remove the bowl from the oven, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, you will have a bowl that contains 2 layers of cream — one very thick, one very thin. With a slotted spoon, scoop the thick cream into another bowl or a jar. You can eat it immediately, slathered over warm scones, or cover and chill for up to 5 days.
This will appeal to: Anyone who wants to take control of their kitchen, and cooks who just want to stretch their DIY list. When I say Reese covers amost everything, I mean it. From salt pork to lard, kimchi to mascarpone cheese, this book’s got it covered in 120+ recipes.
It will also appeal to anyone wanting to save a few dollars. Reese has done the research — and includes dollar amounts —as to whether or not a home version is worth the time and effort. And the verdicts aren’t always predictable. I was surprised to see burritos and crystallized ginger are better off purchased, while crème brûlée is worth it only if you have the torch — and you know I do!
Must try recipes:
Graham crackers (they are on my culinary bucket list, too)
Fruit vinegar
Worcestershire sauce (You can make this stuff at home?)
Biggest delight: While I loved the information, I also I loved the humour. This book could easily have slipped into preachy, self-righteous territory. But it doesn’t. Reese keeps it light and keeps it real. But be warned, reading about all the possible homemade items will turn every trip to the grocery store into a potential culinary challenge. Once you crack the cover, I bet you can’t make just one.
