EASY COOKING WITH MOORE

EASY COOKING WITH MOORE

BY BEV MOORE

My recipe collection reflects my life in many ways.

It includes recipes from past co-workers, bridge club members, dear friends and relatives, along with a myriad of newspaper and magazine clippings.

My mother’s recipe box and her Home Economics binder with additions made when she was a young married are favourite treasures.

Now retired, I am inspired to try some of these gems.

This recipe was given to me by a young programmer I worked with in the 80’s. Sadly, I happen to notice in the obituaries recently that this lovely guy had passed away….too young, only 53. Here is his recipe just as he gave it to me printed out on an 8×11 paper. He was Welsh. The cakes really are delicious and do keep well. I made them on top of the stove on a griddle pan.

WELSH CAKES

2 tablespoons of butter (NOT margarine)

¾ cup sugar

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup currants

2 teaspoon vanilla extract (Use the real stuff. It’s much better!)

Take the currants and soak them in cold water for a half hour to an hour, then remove from the water and drain well.

Cream the butter in a large bowl then mix in the sugar. You want as smooth a mixture as possible so depending on temperature blend for two to five minutes.

Next mix in the two eggs and blend well.

Finally mix in the vanilla. The wet ingredients must be mixed well as the dough gets quite stiff.

Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl then start folding it into the wet ingredients, 1/4 cup at a time until well mixed. I usually start with a fork and end up using my hands.

Finally fold in the currants. The final mixture is heavy and sticky. I usually put it in the fridge for an hour or so to stiffen up before rolling it out.

Now, make sure you have lots of flour (a cup or two) for the next step. Put a generous handful of flour on the rolling board then dump the cake mixture onto it. Turn the cake several times to coat with flour. Then using a well-floured rolling pin, roll out to about ¼ inch thick. Rotate and flip the material often to make sure it is well covered with flour. Cut the dough into 2-inch rounds. I cannot stress enough the need for a good even coating of flour on the exterior of the rounds, as it is important for the next step.

If you have turned on your stove at this point, turn it off again and get out the electric frying pan. Do NOT grease, it must be dry and clean. Pre-heat the pan to 250-300°F; no hotter or they will be cooked on the outside before the inside is done.

Place about a dozen rounds in the pan and slowly dry fry until the surface is a warm brown, then flip and cook the other side as well. Cool on a rack and enjoy!

If you can keep them around long enough, you will find that they keep very well in an airtight container as long as they are not broken. This recipe was originally designed for people travelling. A modification on this recipe is to replace the vanilla with ¼ to ½ teaspoon of nutmeg. Makes 1 – 2 dozen. I will be more than pleased to judge the quality of your output. A minimum of one dozen is required for this testing. Enjoy!  ~ David Llewellyn-Hunt