Thrift

What is it about the possession of a cast iron skillet that inspires a certain prudent frugality? I found myself considering this question as I dished out hoecakes for a family breakfast recently.

They might have been johnnycakes. I'm still not 100% clear on the distinction between these two varieties of corn disci, except that johnnycakes appear to be from Rhode Island. I mean, does anybody really make her breakfast on garden implements these days? But I digress.

At any rate, I had begun the morning with the aforementioned skillet and my bag of corn flour, neither of which has left my side for any considerable length of time in recent weeks. Ever since November's Pileup-prompted bout of nervous exhaustion I have been thinking about suitable pancake substitutes and my gleaming bag of corn flour provided the unmistakable counteragent.

I made the Hoejonnycakes (that sounds extremely rude, I know, but I'm not sure what else to call them) by taking a cup of my wonderful corn flour and mixing in enough hot water to make mush. I added sufficient cream to make the mush into batter and added a bit of salt together with some molasses for sweetness. No emulsifiers, no xanthan gum, no exotic metallic flours - simplicity itself.

I cooked the cakes in a bit of shortening in my beautifully rustic skillet and served up the result with a pile of thick home-made apple sauce (from organic apples, no less: I am teachable, after all) and a bit of caramel (also home-made) for sweet fanciness. The Hoejonnycakes were crispy on the outside and melting on the inside, with a distinctively mellow corn flavour and aroma. The family agreed they were way more exciting than the pancakes typically found in a flapjack stack and we considered other serving options. The usual breakfast fare of bacon and poached eggs was mooted, although the cakes' similarity to blinis (in shape and size, anyway) prompted additional thoughts of sour cream and smoked salmon. I suppose the lesson here is that Hoejonnycakes have the potential to be pretty darned versatile.

You may well be wondering where frugality enters into the discussion. Well, I will tell you. With exactly the same apple sauce, caramel, and cream (I subtracted the corn flour and added a few eggs) I was able that very evening to produce a lovely gluten-free dessert of Apple Snow, which was inspired by the rather blustery conditions we have been experiencing lately.

Apple Snow was apparently the invention of the redoubtable Mrs. Beeton, but Julia Child popularized it back when raw eggs didn't require the game of Russian Roulette they do now. Since I like to live life on the edge and encourage my family to do the same, I had no qualms about beating some whites with sugar to make a foam; enriching that with a bit of whipped ream (a remnant from my panna cotta experiments); folding in the apple sauce to make a mousse; and crowning each serving with a generous dollop of caramel. The result was a rich-tasting but light-feeling treat with the taste and aroma of fresh, fresh apples.
And if that isn't a sensible use of leftovers, I don't know what is.