Muddling Through

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When I woke up this morning, it was actually 28. Mind you, the date on the calendar is April 2, and yet the temp has barely topped 43 degrees for months. This is the life of someone living on the Great Plains of the upper midwest. It is a life of extremes that most cannot quite understand unless they have lived it.

I have many friends who are natives, and love it here. My daughters, who have basically been raised here, love it here. I however, was raised and lived all my life on the west coast of the country, am not a fan. I mean, in all my years on the west coast, I can honestly say I never heard nor saw someone doing this as April approached:

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Yes, that is grilling in the snow. This is a more positive view compared to a couple weeks ago, since we had one of our ‘balmy’ days and the snow had melted enough for us to actually GET to the grill! We decided it was cause for celebration, it was above 32 degrees and so the meat would actually cook!

Yes, Minnesota is land of extremes. Summers are beautiful I won’t lie. They are green, lush and by August, dry. This is the land of lakes, and we have plenty. Ironically, I’m not really a lake person, but I do love the river. While the lakes are silty, murky and have lots of vegetation, the St. Croix is beautiful. By late summer it’s warm, clean and slow running. No slimy weeds in your toes or little fishes like Sunnies to bite at your moles. My girls love to take a gaggle of girls, head to the beach to hang out and tan. One of my favorite family summer traditions is to pack a picnic lunch, and paddle the canoes from Taylors Falls down the river a few miles, ending up where shuttle bus takes us back to the car. It’s a lovely way to spend 4-5 hours on a hot and steamy June day off.

The heat here starts in June and doesn’t really let up until mid-September. While we have -20 in the deepest part of winter (Just for reference, that is cold enough to freeze the snot in your nose. Cold enough to vaporize a cup of hot water thrown in the air) , we reach nearly 100 at times in the summer. It’s a steamy heat due to all the water we have, so with heat index, it is over 100 at times. So, come August, another favorite family summertime tradition is to go up to the North Shore of Lake Superior. It allows us to escape the heat for a brief week. Not only is is cooler up there, but the scenery is breathtaking. Being that far north, you cannot see to the other side of the lake. It reminds this coastal girl of the ocean. It is my guaranteed once a year sanity break from being land bound. That far north, you sit on the slopes of the Iron Range. Tall pines, birch, elevation that produces rivers, streams and fun climbing trails all remind me of my beloved Central Oregon and the high desert around the Three Sisters Mountains. Staring out my window and looking at this:

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makes me pine for summer up north (Grand Marais) where we enjoy this:

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Sigh. When spring consists of snow, snow and more snow, it’s hard to envision and recall the warmth and green of summer. Right now, the forecast is for yet another couple days of cold, with the hope of warming by weekend. Sadly, all that warmth will bring is mud. Lots and lots of mucky, muddy, soggy ground that will result in lots of work to keep clean. Spring brings rain, which on the still frozen ground, results in flooding. Spring water and warmth, brings the mosquitoes, which are big enough to be semi-laughingly be referred to as the state bird. Spring brings the humidity. But at least with the arrival of spring, I know that summer is not far behind.

We had our first snowfall here mid-October. It’s now April 2. I won’t lie, my patience for winter to be over is waning. My fingers itch to be out in the garden. My body is restless to be in something other than turtlenecks and sweaters. My dog yearns to be taken for long walks in the farm fields. It’s a feel of expectation and anticipation. It’s a sense of impatience that grows stronger with each passing day. I know that once the thermometer hits 50, I will go from impatient toe tapping to frenzied activity, so I guess during this transition, I’ll have to settle for muddling through.

Goat Milk & Honey Panna Cotta

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Goat Milk & Honey Panna Cotta

My daughter is lactose intolerant and she takes a Lactaid to negate most of the effects. We aren’t quite sure if she is intolerant of the milk protein, but large amounts of dairy, especially cream dairy does not agree with her. As such, I’ve had to learn how to modify her favorite dessert: Panna Cotta

While standing in front of the dairy case, I spotted Goat Milk. Hmmm, I wondered how that would taste in a Panna Cotta? I grabbed a carton and sped home to whip up a batch. Honey is a natural companion to goat, and the real vanilla bean gives it added punch.

It turned out so well, I think this will be a semi-regular dessert to have around the house. While tinkering with the milks, I also leaned the recipe out tremendously. I made a quick jam out of frozen blueberries to go on top. I hope you enjoy this extremely tasty version of Panna Cotta as much as we do. The best part is, you can enjoy and not feel guilty!

Goat Milk & Honey Panna Cotta

2 cups goat milk
1.75 cups lactose free milk (I use 1% organic)
.25 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt (I used Himalayan pink)
1 package gelatin (1 tbsp)
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

In a 2qt saucepan, add 1 cup of the milk, the vanilla bean & seeds, and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let sit for 5 mins to bloom.
Bring this mixture to just under a boil. Bubbles will appear around the edges of the pan, the gelatin will dissolve as well as the sugar and honey. Let steep for 5 mins to extract flavor from the bean. Remove the bean add the rest of the milks, stir to combine.

Portion out in to serving dishes. I like to serve mine in wine glasses, but ramekins work well to. This makes 6 generous servings. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Serve by itself, or garnished with a homemade jam, berries, mint and a little whipped cream.

Gorgeously Gluten Free Yorkshire Pancake

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Growing up my parents had a cabin in the mountains, and it seemed nearly every other weekend we’d make the 2 hour drive to spend those precious 2 days in the higher altitudes of the Cascade Mountain Range. I adored it. Winters meant lots of deep powder to ski on and great sledding. Summers meant riding our horses in the high dessert, soaking in the glory of God’s handiwork in the form of arid mountainous pines, alpine meadows, crystal clear running rivers, breathtakingly cold mountain lakes, and incredible mountain vistas. Whenever I reminisce my childhood it is chock full of those memories interlaced with the wonderful smells emanating out of my mothers kitchen. 

My love of cooking is an inheritance from my mother. Looking back I am amazed at the wonderful eats she churned out of that small cabin kitchen. My brother and I would leave the cabin after a hot breakfast, returning only when we were hungry, which repeatedly was not until dusk. In fact, it was so tough getting us in by dark that my mother hung a dinner bell on the back deck that she would ring when food was on the table, to which we would come running. Funny how kids are that way. Food is completely forgotten to the excitement of an ant colony, or a fish in the stream, meadows of shoulder high grass for hide and seek , or a rotted out tree trunk that needed to be explored for critter signs. But when that dinner bell rang, our stomachs let us know quite clearly we had not fed our engines all day! 

Yorkshire pancake is a dish that my mother made on a regular basis. She only ever made it at our cabin, I’m really not quite sure why. Was it the secret of the cast iron pan? Was it the mastering of having something puff so gloriously at a high altitude? Was it the simplicity of ingredients? Or was it that the cabin was a simple life and we were easily impressed by the sight of that mile-high puffed treat, showering her with praise. She is no longer with us, so I cannot ask her. I like to think it was a memory maker. A tradition unique to that time in our lives. All I know is how grateful I am to have that very same skillet in my possession, well seasoned by decades of use, non-stick smooth and black as night. 

As the resident ‘memory maker’ in this family I have passed this tradition down. This has become a favorite of my girls that I bake on the long, cold, snowy winter weekends we have here. The original recipe is made with flour and if you are not GF, by all means make it with regular flour. It will produce results that will stun and wow any guest or family member. Just be sure to call the crowed BEFORE you pull it out of the oven. Like any popover/pudding batter, it will begin to deflate immediately, but as you can see from the photo below, should maintain it’s vertical edges beautifully browned bubbles. Made with my new favorite Pamelas Artisan Flour I get near identical results to my regular flour version. It doesn’t rise quite as high, but my daughter is tickled pink she can have her Yorkshire Pancake once again. 

A couple of tips for making this pancake:

Bake in a cast iron skillet. If you don’t have cast iron skillet use an oven proof heavy bottomed pan with low sides.

This recipe can be doubled. I’ve not had much success tripling it as GF, but with flour you can easily triple it to feed a crowd. I have adjust the butter compared to the original whopping 1/2c amount, and have tried to make it as low fat as possible without compromising taste. This recipe is not dairy free, but I cut down the lactose by using Lactose-Free milk. Pre-heat your oven while preparing, and whisk well prior to pouring in the pan for GF. For wheat flour, mix thoroughly and let rest while oven heat. 

Gluten Free Yorkshire Pancake

1/2 cup Pamelas Artisan Flour (I cannot recommend good results with any other flour. I’ve not had success with this recipe until I used this brand of GF all-purpose flour)

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs (whisked in to the milk)

1/4 c butter, melted (see recipe) 

pinch of salt. (I love to use my himalayan salt)

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Move the rack to the middle/lower rung of your oven (to allow for it to puff) and place your 10 in cast iron pan in the oven to heat up. (If your pan is not cast iron, heat on the stove top until very hot, but would NOT smoke oil) In a bowl whisk the eggs in to the milk  and add a pinch of salt. Add the flour and whisk in. There will be some lumps, let it rest for 5-10 minutes, then whisk out any remaining lumps. If using wheat flour, be careful not to over beat, as this will make the pancake tough. 

When the oven reaches temperature, CAREFULLY remove the hot pan to your stovetop. Add the butter and let melt. When completely melted, pour the batter in to the pan, and place in the oven. (I have found the GF flour can get a little thick, just make sure it’s spread to the edges)

Set your timer for 14 minutes and then check the cake. It should look set in the center, not raw. For the recipe amount above, I’ve found it to be done in between 14-16 mins. If I triple the recipe, I use a larger skillet (14inch) and let it go a full 18-20 mins. When it’s done, the edges will have puffed up and be crispy brown, the center will be soft like a pudding but not raw at all. 

This is so delicious served with real maple syrup and powdered sugar, a side of sausage links and a fried egg. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Let it be your memory maker! 

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