Scribbles & Munch

      You've heard me profess my love of Japanese food, and Indian food, and pie, and breakfast in general.  But honestly, if I only had one meal left to my name, I'd probably pick a full, elegant, British Afternoon Tea.  It is the antithesis to the chaos and ugliness of the world.  Not to mention there are certain foods associated with it that you very rarely see anywhere else, such as crumpets!

Mmm...real crumpets...with a real fried egg...for a real breakfast....

      And I mean real crumpets--not the pre-made ones that you buy in the grocery store next to the English muffins.  Like pancakes and waffles, real, fresh crumpets are a culinary delight that simply must be savored fresh off the griddle if at all possible!  That being said, until today I'd never made them myself.
      Why?  Because they call for a little doo-dad called a fry ring:

If you are enamored with the idea of reining in your fried eggs but don't have the space/money/inclination to buy these things, just use a thick slice of a bell pepper or an onion.  It's also a nice way to sneak a vegetable onto your breakfast plate.

      And since I don't care about having perfectly round fried eggs, and have plenty of other yummy things I can make for tea, I'd never bothered to clutter up my kitchen drawers with these thingummies.  Now I've heard some people say you can simply remove both sides from a tuna or cat food can and wash them really thoroughly, but my nose is too sensitive for that.  The idea of going through all the trouble to wash the cans, make the batter, and fry the crumpets, only to have them taste faintly of fish is...appalling.  So I just refuse to go there.
      But I wanted to make crumpets, mainly because (yes, I realize this is a strange progression of logic) I have a little rosemary tree that isn't going to last too much longer, and I'm trying every recipe I have that calls for fresh rosemary.**  Such as Rosemary Crumpets. So I decided to experiment with my two largest biscuit cutters, and the lid ring from a Mason jar.  The outcome was pretty successful!  The jar ring worked best, so I'll be using that in the future.  And now I've passed this idea on to you, you have no further excuse not to try this recipe.

Z.D.'s Rosemary Crumpets
(makes about 12 crumpets)

Ingredients:
2 Cups flour
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
generous pinch kosher salt
generous pinch ground nutmeg
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 Cup milk (whole or 2%)
3/4 Cup water
Ghee (clarified butter) for greasing (or shortening)

Directions:
 - In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and rosemary.  Whisk thoroughly to combine.

 - In a small saucepan, combine the milk and water.  Heat gently until temperature reaches about 125º F (hot to the touch, but not simmering).  Pour into the flour mixture and whisk until very smooth--no lumps!

 - Cover bowl with a damp tea towel and place in a warm, draft-free area for an hour.  Mixture will have risen slightly, and taken on a lovely, bubbly, spongey texture.

Stirring this when it reaches this consistency is a delight.

 - Lightly grease a non-stick frying pan or griddle, and thoroughly grease the inside of your ring molds (or whatever you're using).  Set them on the greased pan, and place over med-high heat for a couple minutes to warm up.

 - Spoon about 3 Tablespoons of batter into each ring (you can use a 1/4 Cup measuring cup filled about three-quarters full).  Griddle for 4-5 minutes, until the edges are set and dry, and the top is riddled with bubbles.

You can see how well my different improvised molds worked.  The ring to the mason jar lid was definitely the winner, so I'll be using more of those in the future.

 - Remove the ring and flip the crumpet.  Griddle of the other side until golden brown, about 1 - 2 minutes.  Place on a rack in a low-heat oven to keep warm, and repeat with remaining batter, re-greasing molds between each use, until all the batter has been used.

You don't get that look, that texture, or that aroma with the store-bought, preservative-riddled stuff.

      Crumpets, like a true scone, can be used for either sweet or savory toppings.  This particular recipe is lovely topped with ham, or served as an accompaniment to sausage.  You can also grate some cheese on top and pop them under the broiler just long enough for it to melt for a fancy-shmancy open-faced grilled cheese sandwich.  For sweet, I recommend topping these with apple butter, or spread their hot surface with plenty of butter and honey!  And if you don't eat all of them fresh off the griddle, let them cool entirely on a rack and then pop them into a tupperware in your fridge.  Toast and serve.

This is my sad, slowly withering rosemary plant.  I must eat it before it dies.

*I guess technically the Japanese Squash Cake was #30, but it was unusual enough that it sort of slipped my mind.  And these crumpets sort of don't count because I think of them as an afternoon tea thing.  But I ate them for breakfast today, soooo...yeah.

**And somebody told me rosemary is an aphrodisiac.  And tomorrow is Valentine's Day.  Nudge-nudge, wink-wink, say no more, say no more!