foods that make you go "hmmmmm"

One of the things I look forward to every month is my subscription to Victoria magazine.  I usually get a cup of tea and take some quiet time to enjoy it.  I usually do not even try a recipe.  But this month there was a recipe for classic tatties, which is a Scottish potato scone.  They have many of our favorite ingredients in it so why not give it a try.  

Sooo good!  Both my Beloved and myself would be willing to have had them again today.  That is how good they were.  My Beloved said in need more tatties in his life!  Always a good sign.  I served them with smoked salmon.  Eggs would be good.  Anything  you would serve with potatoes and cheese would be good with them.  Or just by themselves.  Yum!

classic tatties

Note:  This makes about a dozen which is really too many for too.  Unless you do not serve them anything but other tatties.  The thought makes me smile.

1 russet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup potato flour

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

a pinch of black pepper

4 ounces cheddar cheese

olive oil

In a medium pot,  put the potato and  cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Turn down to a simmer and cover. Let cook until the potatoes can be poked with a fork.  Turn of the heat, drain, and let cool.  I did this mid day because I did not wish to burn my hands later.  I have done that.  If you do not let the potatoes cool, please be very careful with handling the dough.

Once the potatoes have cooled, mash.  Mix in the butter, potato flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and pepper with a wooden spoon.  Sprinkle some potato flour on the counter.  Dump the dough on it and knead into a nice ball.

Grate the cheese.

Put a griddle on the stove over low medium heat.  Put a teaspoon of olive oil on it and let it slowly heat.

Roll the dough out until it is about a quarter inch thick.  Do not try to treat it like a pie crust but do make sure there is enough potato flour under it so it does not thick.  Sprinkle cheese over the rolled out dough.  Fold the dough ove the cheese and roll out to about  a quarter inch thick again.

Cut the dough into about a dozen pieces.  If you wish, you can cut it into traditional wedges, but that started to become too much work so I just cut squares.

Put the scones on the griddle.  Cook about four minutes on one side.  Turn and cook another three to four on the other side.  You want the scone to be golden and the cheese melted.

My Beloved and I split the tatties.  We ate them with smoked salmon, thick yogurt, and applesauce.  All you could hear was "hmmm" as we ate.  A high complement.

We both want them again.  Maybe later in the week.

potato pancakes

When I was growing up, leftover mashed potatoes would be shaped into a patty and fried.  First, there had to be leftover mashed potatoes which was a very rare thing.  We would call them potato patties.  That was all there was to them.  Simple things.  A nice way to reheat mashed potatoes without a microwave or the chance of thinning them out too much.  I still make these.  Sometimes I had a nice cheese on top.  Actually, this is what we had for Sunday breakfast with a scrambled egg.

As I got older, I have liked the potato pancakes you get in delis.  The potato is grated.  From there, there is more work then I really wish to do.

I recently read an essay that had a recipe in it for potato pancakes that was half way between the two.  Mashed potatoes instead of the work of the grated with most of the ingredients of the deli potato pancakes.  I decided to give them a try.  With a poached egg, smoked salmon, homemade applesauce, and a spoon of sour cream, these potato pancakes filled a craving.  And made a very nice dinner.

potato pancakes

about a pound or more of thin skinned red potatoes

2 to 4 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup buckwheat flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large pot, put the potatoes. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Turn down, cover and let simmer until soft to a fork.  Drain.  Mash.  Add the cream and dash some more.  Put in the freezer to cool if you plan the pancakes soon.

In a frying pan, put the olive oil.  Heat over medium heat.  Add the garlic.  Brown.  Remove the bowl of potatoes from the freezer, mix in the garlic.  Add a bit more olive oil the the frying pan and heat.

Mix in the buckwheat flour, salt, and pepper into the potatoes.  Mix in the eggs.  This will be thick.

Take a large spoonful and dump it into the frying pan.  Shape into a pancake shape with a spatula.  Do this with the rest of the batter.  Let brown on one side.  Turn over and brown on the other.

Serve anyway that suits your fancy.  The poached egg and salmon was ours.  Homemade applesauce was a nice addition.

My tummy was quite pleased with this dinner.  Just added a cup of tea.

turtle dark chocolate brownie torte

I have a tendency to read books where there is a lot of stress baking and tea drinking.  I do not know why but that is what seems to happen.  My Beloved and I have been listening to a lot of audiobooks lately.  It is easy to do with the library.   We occasionally buy and audiobook but the library really is where we find most of them.

We were listening to an audiobook and brownie baking came up.  My Beloved looked at me and said, "Brownies?"  This is what came from that.  A dark chocolate torte made with almond flour and a put sliced homemade turtles on top.  These did not last 24 hours.  Yes, that good.

turtle dark chocolate brownie torte

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

2 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 large egg

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

A pinch of salt

2 tablespoons almond flour

10 small turtle candies (carmel, pecan, and milk chocolate) cut into thin slices

Preheat 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Butter and "flour" an 8 inch pan.

Melt 3/4 cup chocolate and butter in a saucepan until chocolate is melted.  Mix in the sugar, vanilla, egg, and flour.  Pour into the prepared pan.  Put the sliced turtles on top.  Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until a knife poked in comes out clean.

These are lovely with tea. 

marble pound cake

I came across a recipe for marble pound cake.  It had been modified from Martha Stewart recipe.  Then I modified it to be a smaller cake, a bit more chocolately, and gluten free.  Actually, marble pound cake is one of the few things I like from Starbuck's.  I have been thinking for years that I wanted to try a recipe.  I decided that it was time.  So I went there.

This was actually quite good.  Better then Starbuck's.  

marble pound cake

Note:  To use wheat flour, use 100 grams all purpose flour.

100 grams almond flour

50 grams rice flour

50 grams arrowroot flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

8 ounce (1/2 cup) butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

30 grams cocoa 

2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter a small loaf pan.

Cream the butter and sugar together.  Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and salt.  Mix in the gluten free flour.  Pour half the batter into the loaf pan.

Mix the cocoa and water together.  Make sure there are no lumps.  Mix into the batter not in the pan.  Pour the rest of the batter into the loaf pan.  Draw a knife through to marble the batter.

Bake 1 hour or until a knife inserted in to it comes out clean.

These little pieces are lovely with a cup of tea.

fried eggplant

Even though I only have one bush, my garden has been producing many eggplants.  Yes, the bush over wintered and it is more then six feet across.  The eggplant have these interesting spiny green tops but taste fabulous.  I actually gave one away to neighbors who were walking past on Sunday.  I think I have them all picked and then I find another.  There are also more flowers.  I may have eggplant most of the summer.

I had two the size in the picture so I decided to fry them.  The Tall Short Person and her Love said they were addictive.  Push the plate far away from me addictive.  I always like them.  And if there are many leftovers, they are a great base for ratatouille!

fried eggplant

olive oil for frying

eggplant, sliced thin, across the fruit

2 eggs

1/2 cup rice flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons dried oregano or basil, crushed

In a cast iron frying pan, put about a 1/2 inch of olive oil.  Heat over medium heat.

In a shallow pan,  beat the eggs well.  In another shallow pan, mix the flours, salt, pepper, and oregano.

Dredge a slice of eggplant in the egg, both sides.  Dredge the slice in the flour mixture.  Put in the oil,  Fry until brown.  Turn over and fry until brown.  Pull out.  Drain.  Continue cooking this way until all the eggplant is gone.

it is best to try to wait for them to cool down so you do not burn your mouth or fingers.  No one around here seems to be able too!