Mill Brook House Recipes

Fancy Pancakes

To use up the frozen bounty from last fall's harvest, I make frequent use of these two recipes.

Applesauce-Stuffed Pancakes

Mix together:

2 eggs

1 T canola oil

2.5 cups of buttermilk*

1 t vanilla 

Sift into the wet ingredients:

1&1/3 cups of flour

½ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

1 T. sugar

Mix in the dry ingredients; if necessary, add more buttermilk until the batter is syrupy. Heat a large frying pan, adding 1 T. of oil. Pour c. 1/2 cup of batter into the pan and swirl it around until it covers most of the pan. Let the pancake bubble and turn slightly glossy before you flip it. (Pancakes made with sour milk or buttermilk are very tender and will break apart if you flip them too soon.) Cook the second side for only a minute or less. Place the pancakes in a warm oven until all are cooked. Then place each pancake on a serving plate and spoon 1/3 cup of applesauce along the diameter along with c. 1 T of crème fraise. Roll up the pancake and continue until all of the pancakes are rolled; sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Makes 6-8 pancakes.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Sift together:

1 ¼ cup flour

½ t baking powder

½ t baking soda

½ t salt

½ t cinnamon

¼ t nutmeg

¼ t ginger

1/8 t cloves

2 T brown sugar or 1T white sugar

   ***

Mix together:

1 egg

½ cup pumpkin puree (or canned pumpkin)

1T vegetable oil or melted butter

1t vanilla 

2-2 ½ cups buttermilk*

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth. Add 1/3 cup chopped pecans.  Fry as directed above.  Makes 8 large pancakes.  Serve with maple syrup.

*You can mix normal milk with buttermilk if you don't have enough buttermilk or want to save on it, but use at least 1 cup of buttermilk to achieve the desired tenderness in your pancakes and use no more than 2 cups of milk total.

Cannoli French Toast

Cannoli French toast is all the rage at local diners, but what I've eaten there is not that good.  By contrast, this recipe is delicious and easy to make.

 French Toast

Make eight slices of French Toast your favorite way or follow this recipe:

Soak eight slices of scali or other bread in a mixure of:

2 eggs

2 cups of milk

¼ t cinnamon

1/8 t salt

Fry each slice on both sides in c. 1 T oil for 2-3 minutes per side on medium to low heat.  Place the slices of French toast in a warm oven until all of the slices are cooked.

Ricotta mixture

15-16 oz ricotta cheese.  Drain it for an hour or more if the brand of cheese seems a little watery; not all ricotta is equal.

Add 2-4 T powdered sugar, 1 t vanilla, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and ¼ cup mini-chocolate chips and mix.

Spoon a generous amount of the ricotta mixture between two slices of French toast.  Serve with maple syrup.  Makes 4 servings.

 

Baked Pancakes

Mix this batter the night before and bake for breakfast the next morning.  This batter uses yeast, not unlike blini or other raised pancakes.

1 T dry yeast + ½ t sugar dissolved in warm water.  Let it foam.  

****

Mix together the following and add the dissolved yeast:

1 egg

½ T cooking oil

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup milk

1 t vanilla

1 T sugar

****

Sift and add to the liquid mixture:

1 cup white flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

½ t salt

½ t cinnamon, opt.

Cover your mixing bowl and refrigerate the batter for 7-8 hours or overnight.  Place batter in a greased, oblong pan.  Bake at 400° for 7 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle 1 pint of blueberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries over the partially cooked batter.  Return to the oven and cook for an additional 15 minutes.  Cut into squares and serve with maple syrup and/or whipped cream.  (If you choose to omit the maple syrup, sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.)

Unlike fried pancakes or waffles, leftover squares of baked pancakes stored in the refrigerator and warmed for ½ -1 minute in a microwave maintain their flavor, texture, and freshness.

 

  

Maple Salmon

 

Add the orange juice to this recipe if you enjoy a hint of orange flavor in your food.  Leaving out the OJ out will preserve more of the pure maple flavor.

 Maple Salmon

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup maple syrup

1 T brown mustard

2 T orange juice, opt.

* * * *

1 lb salmon filet

salt, pepper to taste

Mix up the marinade, pour it into a baking dish or shallow plate, and place the salmon, skin-side up, in the marinade.  Let it rest there for at least 20 minutes.  Then place the salmon in a broiling pan, skin-side down, pour the marinade over it, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at 375° for 7 minutes, then broil for c. 12 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.  Open the oven and spoon the marinade back over the salmon from time to time while it is cooking.  To serve, place the broiled salmon on a plate and pour the remaining marinade over it.

 

 

Maple Dumplings

 

Toast ½ cup of pecans in a 300° oven for 10 minutes, then chop.

Combine:

1.25 cups flour

1 t baking powder

½ t baking soda

½ t salt

Cut in: 2.5 T butter (by hand or in a food processor)

Place 1 egg in a measuring cup and whisk until it is uniform in color; add buttermilk to the cup until you have ½ cup liquid.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated into the dough.  (To keep the dumplings tender, do not over-mix or knead.)  Split the dough into 10 golf-ball-size balls and place them on a cutting board or plate. 

Pour into a saucepan and bring to a boil:

1.5 cups water

¾ cup maple syrup

¼ t salt

Turn down the heat and drop half of the balls of dough into the pan.  Cover and let them boil for 8-10 minutes.  Remove them to bowls and place these in a warming drawer or warm oven.  Add 1.25 cups water to the liquid remaining in the saucepan.  Bring the liquid to a boil once more and repeat this process with the remaining balls of dough.

While the dough is cooking, beat 1 cup of whipping cream and stir in 2T maple syrup.

Serve the dumplings in bowls, topped with the remaining liquid from your saucepan, whipped cream and chopped pecans.

 

 

Maple Walnut Cheesecake

Light and not too sweet, this cheesecake is amazing!

8 double graham crackers

¾ cup walnuts

2 T brown sugar

2 T melted butter

Food process the graham crackers and walnuts with 2 T sugar.  Add 2 T melted butter.  Press the mixture onto the bottom of a 10” spring-back pan and bake for 10 minutes in a 325° oven.

***

4 8-oz pkgs Neufchatel (low fat) cream cheese

½ cup brown sugar

½ t cinnamon

¼ t ginger                             

1/8 t allspice (or cloves)

1/8 t nutmeg

1 cup low fat sour cream

½ cup maple syrup

4 eggs

Beat the cream cheese, spices, and sugar in a mixer until blended.  Add the sour cream and maple syrup and mix.  Add the eggs one at a time and continue beating on low.  Pour this mixture over the crust.

Bake at 325° for 70-90 minutes until the center is almost set.  Run a knife around the rim of the pan to loosen the cake.  Cool completely before removing the rim.  Refrigerate the cake for 4 hours or more.

***

½ cup whipping cream

½ cup maple syrup

¼ cup chopped walnuts

Remove the cake to a serving plate.  Bring the cream and maple syrup to a boil on medium heat, stirring constantly.  Simmer 10-12 minutes or until reduced to about 2/3 cup.  Cool mixture completely, then drizzle it over the cheesecake and sprinkle the nuts on top.

 

 

Maple Popcorn

This maple treat will brighten up a cold afternoon.

Maple Popcorn

a fun and healthy country treat

1/2 cup unpopped corn

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/8 t salt

1 T butter

1/4-1/2 cup of peanuts (optional)

Dry pop the popcorn.  Pick up the popped corn in your hands and remove to a large mixing bowl, leaving the unpopped kernels behind.  

Heat the butter, salt, and maple syrup in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and becomes slightly stiff when a few drips are dropped into cold water.  If you use peanuts, add them to the maple mixture when you take it off the stove.  

Pour the maple mixture over the popped corn, mixing quickly with a wooden spoon until each kernel has a touch of maple on it. 

The maple popcorn will form into small chunks and can be eaten this way by hand.  To form popcorn balls, double the maple syrup and butter, and, after pouring the thickened maple syrup on the popcorn, form it quickly into firm balls.