HFF 3.5: Indulgence

The Challenge: Indulgence--A dish associated with Mardi Gras, or an ingredient that is 'indulgent' for you. I choose pancakes (associated with Mardi Gras), and an indulgent wine sauce.

The Recipe: Pancakes and a nice summer sauce from Cookery As It Should Be

The Date/Year and Region: 1856, Philadelphia

How Did You Make It:  For the sauce, I creamed together 4 Tbsp of brown sugar and 2 Tbsp of softened butter. I then stirred in 1 Tbsp of orange-flower water and ~1.5 oz of white wine (a Riesling; my go-to source for domestic measures from 1840 lists one wineglass as 1.5 oz). At this point, I ran into a problem where no amount of mixing would incorporate the butter into the liquid; I finally stuck it in the microwave for 20 seconds to melt the butter. The sauce then went into the freezer to thicken while I made the pancakes.

For pancakes, I stirred 1 cup of all-purpose, sifted flour into 1 cup of skim milk (which is what I keep on hand), then separated four eggs and beat the whites to stiff peaks. I beat the yolks and mixed them with the flour-milk, and added 1/8 tsp salt. I then stirred in the egg whites. I cooked the pancakes on medium heat in a butter-and-lard greased pan until brown. 

To serve, the pancakes are rolled, stacked, and doused with summer sauce. I grated fresh nutmeg over the top.

Time to Complete: All morning.

Total Cost: Unsure. Most ingredients on hand.

How Successful Was It?: The pancakes are slightly bland on their own, but thick and fluffy. I was worried that the mixture was too thin, but the egg whites made it work. The pancakes are almost too thick, and I was finding them getting crunchy on the outside by time the center cooked. The sauce is delightful--the flavors of orange flower and brown sugar come through the most, with a hint of the wine--and utterly necessary. Without the sauce, the pancakes are fairly flavorless, save a faint taste of egg.

These take time to cook, and need to be served hot, so if I make them again, it'll probably be for a period cooking/dining event. If so, I would like to get multiple pans going, so that a full plate of pancakes can be prepared before the first ones get cold.

How Accurate Is It?: Fairly? I cheated with an electric mixer, and melting the sauce butter. And, of course, I was working on an electric stove. I do like the Victorian flavor combination of orange flower, wine and nutmeg.

Pancakes. Fairly tasty, but time-consuming.