Old Fashioned Sour Milk Griddlecakes with Cinnamon Roll Syrup

Looks yummy 😀

Original post: http://bakerbettie.com/2012/02/19/old-fashioned-sour-milk-griddlecakes-with-cinnamon-roll-syrup/

Many weekend mornings when we were little my grandpa would make us pancakes.  But these were not just ordinary pancakes.  He was a pancake artist, making them into different shapes.  Mostly cars or animals or Mickey Mouse ears.  I just about thought this was the coolest thing in the world when I was 6 and honestly, I still do.

I also have this vivid memory of my sister and I sitting at the table gobbling down our pancakes and here comes our grandpa with a plate for our grandma with pancakes shaped in the letters: I L-O-V-E Y-O-U.  I’m pretty sure that he thought we weren’t paying much attention to this at the time, but even if he thought we were that wouldn’t have made a difference.  My grandparents are perfect examples of the way partners should treat each other even after they’ve been together for 40, 50, and 60+ years.  Like they are newly in love and they do little things each and every day to show that.

So I guess what I’m getting at here is pancakes feel like love to me.  They bring back all kinds of warm and fuzzy feelings of love and it just so happens that they are one of my husband’s favorite breakfasts.  But I didn’t want to just make pancakes.  I found a recipe for “Sour Milk Griddlecakes” in my vintage cookbook and tweaked the recipe a bit to create the most fluffy, melt in you mouth griddlecakes around.  I also made a homemade syrup which tastes exactly like cinnamon rolls.  Seriously.  Put away that store bought maple syrup and make this.  It is divine.

So without further ado I present to you Baker Bettie’s Old Fashioned Sour Milk Griddlecakes with Cinnamon Roll Syrup

Old Fashioned Sour Milk Griddlecakes adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook 1957 publication

Click here for the printable version of the recipe

• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar (you can also use light.  I prefer the taste of dark brown)
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (you can substitute all-purpose flour here but reduce the amount to 2 1/4 cups.  The cakes won’t be quite as light and fluffy)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• 2  tsp baking powder

In a large bowl whisk together the dark brown sugar, cake flour, salt, and baking soda. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture.In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until fluffy.  Beat into the eggs the buttermilk, vanilla extract, and melted butter.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix until combined.  The batter will be lumpy.  Do not over mix to a smooth consistency.Let the batter sit for at least an hour and up to overnight covered with a clean towel or loosely with plastic wrap.  If you let the batter rest for more than an hour you can move it to the refrigerator.(If making the syrup, prepare it before frying the cakes)When ready to fry the griddlecakes, blend into the batter the baking powder and let sit for 5 more minutes.  Fry the cakes on a lightly greased and very hot griddle.  When bubbles appear on the surface of the cakes, flip them before the bubbles burst.  This will give you light and fluffy cakes.

Cinnamon Roll Syrup (This syrup tastes exactly like cinnamon rolls!)

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (you can also use soured milk.  Mix 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar into the milk and let sit for 5 min)
• 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp light corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Combine butter, brown sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, cinnamon, and corn syrup in a medium sauce pan.  Bring to a simmer.  Once simmering, mix in baking soda and cook for 10 seconds.  Remove from heat.

Make the syrup before the pancakes and let it cool slightly so it will thicken up a bit.  This syrup will not get as thick as regular maple syrup.

Potato Parsley and Birista Frittata

Ada yang mau masakin? Dengan senang hati saya akan memakannya 🙂

My sister recently got back from India and with her, my mother sent me a big stash of yummy, crispy, fragrant Birista. What the heck is Birista you ask? It is crunchy deep-fried onions that are used widely in Bohra cooking. Bohra is the name of the Muslim sub-sect that I was raised in and it is an Indian sub-culture that has its own unique cuisine and food traditions, influenced by Arab and Indian styles of cooking. Read all about the Bohra culture here and how to make the perfect Birista over at my friend Kulsum’s blog.

I’ve been finding excuses to eat Birista with every meal. The beauty of fried onions is that they go with any meal – a garnish on any dish, an attractive addition on plain rice or khichdi, on top of eggs, a crunchy addition to sandwiches and it even glams up the simple daal-chawal (rice and lentils). Even in cooking, the Birista is really versatile and can be used in place of fresh onions in the curry base to prepare meat dishes.

So, yesterday, when I found myself searching the pantry and fridge for something to eat for lunch, all I found was half a boiled potato, a few eggs and some fresh parsley. Inspired by Julia Child’s method of browning potatoes in a skillet, and an imaginative concoction of eggs and Birista, I made this Potato, Parsley and Birista Fritatta. I ate it for lunch and when eaten with some store-bought hummus, it made a fancy and delicious meal in itself. I suppose serving it for dinner or brunch would also be a great idea, considering how easy it is to make.

Here’s how you make it:

You will need (serves 1 very hungry person or 2 moderately hungry people ):

• 1 medium sized heavy-bottom oven proof non-stick skillet
• 1 large potato, boiled and sliced thin
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced (alternatively, you could use garlic powder)
• Any cooking oil
• 2 large eggs
• Fresh chopped parsley
• a splash of milk
• Your favorite shredded cheese
• Some Birista
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cayenne pepper powder

Method:

• Heat about 3 tbsp of oil in the skillet. Once heated, swirl the oil around in the pan to make sure it properly coats the sides and bottom of the skillet.
• Place the sliced potatoes in a circle first around the edges of the skillet and then the center, to form a sort of circle of sliced potato on the bottom of the frying pan. (Here, you could use raw sliced potatoes, but cooking time would accordingly increase. Boiling them beforehand makes the meal faster to make). Sprinkle the minced garlic over the potatoes and season with salt , pepper and cayenne pepper. Allow the potatoes to brown from one side on medium to high heat, pressing down with a non-stick turner.
• Flip the potatoes over once browned from one side, and season again, while pressing down with the turner.
• While the potatoes brown, whisk the eggs, milk, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl.

• When the potatoes are well browned and crisp from both sides, pour the egg mixture over the potatoes. Immediately, shake the skillet gently to make sure the egg settles between the potatoes and to the bottom of the skillet. Lower the heat, cover the skillet and allow the eggs to cook slowly. Occasionally, keep shaking the skillet to make sure the eggs don’t stick to the bottom of the skillet.
• The eggs will be almost cooked when you see that the sides are cooked but the middle of the skillet still has some raw egg. Sprinkle some cheese and birista over the eggs at this point, cover with a lid again and let it cook till you see very little raw egg on the top.
• Finally, place the skillet 4-5 inches under a hot broiler on high in your oven to allow the top of the frittata to cook and brown. Allow to cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the eggs are cooked completely.
• Serve immediately and garnish with some crispy birista. You can serve it with a dollop of hummus or sour cream.

via Potato Parsley and Birista Frittata « One Life to Eat.