Sunday, December 31, 2006

Happy New Year

My family is all German all the way back. Every year on New year's day for as far back as I can remember we'd all get together for Specken Dicken, a German rye pancake traditionally eaten at New Year.

A couple notes:
This is my great grandmonther's recipie, and it's sized to feed a large gathering of hungry farmers. You may want to cut it in half. That should give enough batter to screw up the first few, and still make enough to completely stuff 2-3 hungry people.
It's nearly impossible to find rye graham flour. Regular rye flour works fine.
The anise may be a little offputting to some people. I grew up eating this, and it's one of my favorite foods. For others it can be a bit more of an acquired taste. You can reduce the anise a little bit. This year, in deference to RedSonja, I've cut it by a third. This is tradition though, don't fuck with it too much.
Make the batter the night before and let it sit in the fridge. It just tastes better when it's been allowed to sit for awhile (the anise flavor spreads through the batter some). Just thin it back out with water.

3 cups sugar
5 well beaten eggs
2 cups dark corn syrup
1 Tablespoon anise seed
1 teaspon baking soda mixed in a small amount of hot water
1 Tablespoon salt
6 cups rye graham flour
6 cups white flour
bacon, hamburger, or sausage browned and broken up into small pieces (personally I like bacon or cut up cocktail wienies).

Mix all ingredients except the meat together with enough water to make a thin batter. When you're ready to cook, set a small pile of meat on a hot griddle or skillet and pour the batter over it and cook like a pancake. Serve with or without syrup.

Updated with further notes: Now that I've cooked some up again, I've thought of a few more things to mention.
Half of the above recipie is still alot. I think you could cut it in half again, and still have enought to make 10-12.
These are a bit more temperamental than pancakes. Make sure you thin the batter out enough so that it spreads out some. Pour them small, and flip as soon as bubbles start to break the surface. A little burning around the meat is fine. It doesn't impact the flavor at all.

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