What I am about to say will probably cost a number of people money in bets they've laid down against me, but tough: I don't always want something sweet. I know, hard to believe, but there it is and that was my predicament earlier today. Breakfast was some coffee and a persimon, and then after some faffing about, the next thing I know and it's about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. This would not have been a problem, today is my day off afterall, except that by then I was hungry. So, options..... Not many. One that I did sort of seriously entertain was seeing what I could find at the store, as I needed to go pick up groceries, but the rational part of me nixed that quick. Shopping while hungry is the Worst thing I can do, because then I come home with half the ingredients for about 5 different meals and not a single thing I actually went for. So back to looking at my cupboards and wondering what I could put together on the quick as the longer I looked, the hungrier I got. I debated making up some cream of rice, which I usually like and is fast, but for all that I wasn't sure what I wanted I knew it wasn't that. I just didn't want anything sweet. Pancakes were out for the same reason, but then I remembered what we would have some Saturday mornings when I had spent the night at my friend Megan's house when we were kids.
For all that Megan and I practically lived in each others back pockets, there are to this day a number of people who still can't believe that we were ever friends to begin with. I was loud, she was quiet; I was the oldest, she was the youngest; I was round, she was thin; long story short, on the surface we seemed to be complete opposites. I guess we were, but we never really thought about it. We were friends, and we didn't need a reason! So we spent a ridiculous amount of time at each others houses, and not coincidentally, eating each other's food.
The way her family cooked was incredibly different from the way my family cooked; I am convinced some of the dishes they would have on a regular basis, and since I was over me too, helped to form my love of all kinds of food. Curried white fish over rice with diced granny smith apples and bananas (is amazing!), Bird's custard (which I can still have, score!) and so many other things that I have simply incorporated that I don't even remember the specifics. The way they did french toast, however, is not something I could forget.
You know french toast, right? Bread, dipped into beaten egg, usually mixed with some milk and sometimes spices, then fried up on both sides till crisp and golden and hot. For most of us, we would then slather it in honey butter or maple syrup or some jewel toned fruit preserve or jam and it was a little slice of heaven on a weekend morning. Well, not them. French toast was eaten with ketchup. I actually asked her why once, when we were about university stage, and she told me it was because her mum didn't want them to be starting their day off with too much sugar. We both appreciated the irony of that, at least as adults.
So today I remembered eating french toast with ketchup and it reminded me of corn cakes. These are amazing if you want to bulk them up a bit by adding some corn kernals to the batter, or for a really nice kick, toss in some diced jalapeno. Or both! I went with simple, basic recipe (this is modified from one in Cooking for Isaiah by Silvana Nardone; have I mentioned that this is a great book?) that is just topped with a little mayo, some sliced tomato and then some lemon-dill-salt and pepper.
Corn meal griddle cakes
Makes: Lots! About 20
- 1 1/4 cups "milk"
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup GF Flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs at room temp, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
First, stir together the milk and the vinegar. Next, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar and baking powder. Add the milk mixture, the beaten eggs and the oil to the flour and stir till combined. I do suggest using a spoon as the batter is a little heavy for a whisk and you don't really want lumps.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and lighty grease (spray, a little oil, whatever you prefer). Pour the batter about 1/4 cup at a time, and cook until the pancakes are golden, about 2 minutes per side. You might wish to regrease or oil your pan between every second or third set of cakes, also.
This really does make about 20 cakes! They keep fairly well, and can be reheated easily in the toaster. They also do taste really good with syrup on them, so since you'll have a few, you can switch it up as you wish. They might even taste good with ketchup!
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add the egg and milk and stir into the flour, then beat to make a smooth batter.
