Recipes By Matt Haines
3 recipes found
Buttery Pancakes With Lemon and Sugar
Historically, on the day preceding Lent, the shriving bell rang in towns throughout Ireland and Great Britain, calling parishioners to church to be absolved from their sins. The bell is less important in modern times on Shrove Tuesday, and what is eaten has taken center stage, which is why many now call the day Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday. The pancake accomplishes the annual Christian tradition of finishing animal products like butter and eggs just before they become forbidden during the long fast. This traditional Irish pancake recipe, shared by Claire Keeney and her team at Ahoy Cafe in Killybegs, Ireland, is simple and delicious. The thin, delicate pancakes are topped with butter, sugar and a bright burst of lemon.
Semlor (Cardamom Cream Buns)
Following the Christian tradition of exhausting supplies of animal products, such as butter and eggs, before Lent, many Swedes enjoy cream-filled, cardamom-scented semlor on the final day before fasting. “We Swedes call Mardi Gras ‘Semmeldagen’ or ‘Semlor Day,’” explained Ingrid Schatz, who serves this recipe at her Swedish-focused Axelsdotter Bakery, in Richmond, Va. She uses a blend of both fine and coarsely ground cardamom, which gives more concentrated bursts of cardamom flavor, but you can simply use finely ground cardamom. A word of advice: Before filling the buns with almond cream, set one aside and slather its soft interior with butter for an irresistible snack.
Coconut-Stuffed Pancakes
Scented with cardamom and traditionally sweetened with jaggery, madakasan, alle belle and other variations of coconut-stuffed pancakes are enjoyed in regions along the western coast of India and beyond. Jes Thomas, an Indian American personal chef and cooking instructor who lives outside Knoxville, Tenn., but whose family is from Kerala, India, shared this recipe, which gives an option for sugar in the filling instead of the more traditional palm jaggery. The jaggery creates a more complex flavor, but the difference isn’t as pronounced as one might think. Adding food color to the pancakes is optional but highly recommended, as it will transform this everyday treat into one that is both beautiful and festive.