Category: Recipes of Yore
Laurette’s Crepe Suzette Pancakes
The recipe book my mom gave me when I moved out is falling apart so I thought I would post up my favorites for posterity and for Zak, if he ever needs them…
Laurette’s Crepe Suzette Pancakes
2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 cup milk
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons oil
Batter will be very thin. Pour small amount into a hot skillet and swirl the skillet to cover and make the crepe very thin. Turn.
You eat these by stacking them. One crepe, some butter, some syrup and cover with another crepe. Repeat. After 4 or 5 (or even 6) cut the stack in half and fold into one big pile. No it’s not traditional, no it’s not even very French, but it is delicious. I have been eating these this way all my life and try and convert pretty much everyone I know to eating them this way.
Great meal to make with the kids as you get several pans going. If there are more than 3 of you, you definitely want a double batch.
Nancy Cole’s Pancakes
Best pancakes ever.
1 1/2 cup flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons backing powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
Beat eggs, sugar and milk and to dry ingredients.
Cook in hot skillet
Some people might question pancakes from scratch, but I have been making and eating these since I was around 10. They are easy and awesome whether in your kitchen or cooking at the campsite. Eat these and you will, never, ever eat a premade mix again. Ever.
Mom’s Banana Bread
This recipe is subtitled Light in Color. I have no idea why…
1 1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Combine these dry ingredient and add:
3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted margarine
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
Stir but do not over-mix. Batter will be lumpy.
Pour into greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.
The loaf is best after it has been left standing for a day. Freezes well.
Yet another recipe that means you never have to look otherwhere. I will admit that I use Michele’s Banana Muffin recipe for muffins but for a loaf, look no farther. I refuse to eat bananas just as an excuse to make this.
Chocolate All-in-One Pudding
Your standard homemade pudding cake but way more chocolaty.
Bottom Mixture
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa
Mix dry ingredients and add
1/2 cup milk
2 Tablespoons oil
1 cup walnuts (optional and I almost always skip them)
Spread on the bottom of a casserole dish.
Top Mixture
1 cup brown sugar
4 Tablespoons cocoa
Mix and sprinkle over the bottom mixture.
Pour 2/14 cups of boiling water over the whole thing. Do Not Mix.
Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.
The crust will come to the top and the chocolate sauce will be at the bottom. Good served hot.
I loved these as a kid, but I will admit to going for the store bought more often than not these days; mostly for the lemon-flavoured ones. But Zak loves this chocolate recipe and it is his preferred Birthday cake of choice.
Apple Crunch Dessert
Apple Crisp = The Best
Cut up apples and place in a casserole. If apples are tart add a bit of sugar or maple syrup.
Crust
Mix:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rolled oats (oatmeal)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup margarine
After mixing well sprinkle over the apples. Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees F.
You can use this crumb recipe for a variety of different fruit: blueberries, saskatoons, fresh peaches etc. The time may vary if the fruit is denser than apples.
Another recipe I have eaten for years without ever deviating. Why change when the best is right in front of you. Occasionally I make a double batch of crisp…. Mmmmmmmm!
Michele’s Banana Muffins
An old friend’s recipe
Makes 12
1/2 cup shortening (margarine)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup banana (ripe and mashed)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons hot water
Grease tin. Cream shortening and sugar in bowl. Add egg then banana. Dissolve baking soda in water and add to goop. Add flour and salt — stir until flour is mixed. Don’t overstir!
Bake 20 minutes at 350° F.
Michele and I lived together for a spell and I have a lot of memorable cooking disaster stories (all mine sadly) from that time period. One thing I did learn how to make was her muffins. Still do and probably always will; they are just that good.
Bruce’s Stolen Honey Pizza Dough
I stole this from the internet. But it’s still my favourite* pizza dough recipe!
1 cup warm water
2 Tbs honey
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
package of yeast
3 cups flour
2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 cup water
Add yeast to 1/4 cup of water.
Mix water, honey, salt and sugar.
Add yeast to mixture.
Add 1 cup of flour and olive oil
Mix.
Add rest of flour: knead for 1 minute.
Rest 45 minutes in warm spot.
Punch down.
Rest 15 minutes.
Freezes well (add a bit of olive oil to ziploc bag). Makes two pretty good size pizzas.
As I said, I got this one off the internet and basically taught myself the intricacies of dough by trial and error. Actually I still rarely have it turn out the same way twice in a row, but it is very forgiving: that’s why I like the recipe.
NB Spring 2020 — I’ve moved on. I rarely use this recipe any more. These days if I am working ahead I use my NYC style dough recipe and make a few batches to sit in the fridge, or if I am making pizza that evening I will stick with Ricardo’s recipe.
NYC Pizza Dough
New York style!
A 12–13” pizza (~63% hydration) that I usually double so I have one in the fridge for later. Perfect for 2 people.
If I have time this is the dough I make. It works best with at least 24 hrs to ferment in the fridge but I have successfully let it sit in the fridge for up to 5 days. If I want pizza last minute then I usually go for Ricardo’s dough recipe.
- 225 gm flour (~1 3/4 cups)
- 1/4 tsp (.8 gm) active dry yeast
- .5 tsp (3 gm) kosher salt
- .5 tsp (2 gm) sugar
- 143 gm lukewarm water (slightly less than 3/4 cup)
- .6 tsp (3 gm) oil (non virgin olive oil)
Mix dry ingredients, then add water & oil.
Mix, then knead ~8 minutes.
Put in sealed, oiled container for a minimum of 24 hours, and up to 5 days.
Warm dough at least 1 hr before using. Preheat oven and pizza stone to 525°F for around an hour.
Form into a ball and flour dough heavily. Flatten into a small (6″) circle. Create edge of crust by pulling the edges into the circle with your fingertips. Continue to spin dough and stretch from the edges in.
Transfer to a piece of parchment paper (or a heavily floured peel). Add sauce (not too much), pepper flakes and preferred ingredients. Top with cheese—you can get away with remarkably little if that is your jam.
Bake until the bottom is done to your particular preference (around 8–12 minutes)
Tasty and Easy Sauce
Open a can of plain tomato sauce and pour into a tupperware container. Add 4 or 5 glugs of extra virgin olive oil. Mince 3 or 4 cloves of garlic and add that in too. Add pepper flakes or dried oregano if you want but it’s not necessary. Store in fridge for a day or two to let it all flavourfy. Lasts for weeks.
No Knead Boule (Bread)
C’s recipe. I generally make a 2/3 batch which is good for two people. I also like to top it with coarse sea salt and Herbes de Provence.
- 3 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups water (room temp or cold)
Put the flour, salt and yeast in a bowl. Add the water. Mix with a wooden spoon until incorporated and dough is shaggy. No need to knead.
Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 12 to 21 hours.
Use as-is for pizza dough.
- For a boule, punch down the dough (use flour—it will be sticky), and form it into a ball. Roll the ball in flour. Cover loosely, and let rise until double (1 to 2 hours although you can get away with as little as 30 minutes).
- Put a Dutch oven with a lid in the oven, and heat it to 425°F for a minimum of 30 minutes—longer is better.
- Flop the risen dough into the hot Dutch oven; optionally top with coarse salt and a generous sprinkle of Herbes de Provence. A spritz of water will also make the crust a bit more crispy.
- Cover and bake in oven for 30 min.
- Remove the lid, and bake 15 minutes more.
Enjoy!
Cracked wheat bread
I’m no baker (or chef for that matter) so a lot of the terms like “cook until done,” “knead until ready,” or “let rise until doubled” frankly always baffled and annoyed me. I’ve included them here, but frankly I make this — and most of my bread recipes — strictly by the times. They may vary in your particular environment but once adjusted they should work pretty decently..
- 1/2 cup (80gm) cracked wheat (you can use 7-grain cereal)
- 2 cups (a smidge more actually) (500gm) boiling water
- 2 1/4 tsp (8gm) active dry or instant yeast
- 4 cups (650gm) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp (10gm) dark brown sugar or honey
- 1 1/2 tsp (15gm) fine salt
- 1 Tbsp neutral cooking oil or regular olive oil
Instructions
- Pour boiling water over cracked wheat, then let stand until mixture cools to ~ 100°F (about 20 minutes).
- Add yeast, 1 cup flour, oil, brown sugar and mix. Add salt. Gradually mix in remaining flour to form a smooth, moist dough. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest 15 minutes.
- Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if it’s really sticky, about 8 minutes.
- Oil a large bowl and add dough to bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Grease one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- Gently deflate dough by pressing down the dough, then turn out onto lightly floured surface. Stretch out into a rectangle — about 10 x 20 inches. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with the shortest side, then pinch seams together. Place roll seam-side down into loaf pan.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
- Bake in preheated oven until golden and crusty, up to 45 minutes. CHECK LOAF after 20 minutes and cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil if it’s already browned enough.
Let cool on rack.