Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Mardi Gras, Fastnacht or Shrove Tuesday, it’s all about the food
This year, Feb. 21 isn’t simply another Tuesday in New Orleans: It’s Mardi Gras. And while the prevalence of bead-related nudity is exaggerated, the sheer amount of food and drink celebrators will consume is not.
In Louisiana, the traditional Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, sweet is the king cake, covered in icing and decorated, commonly, with purple, green and gold sugars. But Mardi Gras is just one of many varied and memorable celebrations happening around the world on the day before Lent, including pancake races in Buckinghamshire, England; orange-throwing wars in Binche, Belgium; and the boisterous Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
The day is known elsewhere as Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day, Maslenitsa and Fastnacht, but the common thread is that rich foods play an important role as Christians would historically attempt to exhaust their supplies of animal products, like butter and eggs, before those foods became forbidden during the 40-day Lenten fast.
The British and the Irish eat pancakes with lemon and sugar, while the Italians eat sweet dough balls called castagnole or deep-fried cookies called cenci. The Polish have paczki, the French have beignets and the Germans have fastnacht — all members of the doughnut family.
In Iceland, the day is called Sprengidagur, or Bursting Day, and in Slavic countries like Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, the Maslenitsa festival is often referred to as Butter Week or Cheesefare Week. For Christians in India, the day before Lent is spent eating colorful, coconut-filled crepes known as Goan pancakes or madakasan, depending on the region.
“In the Northern Hemisphere, Lent was typically a time of food scarcity,” said Neil Buttery, a food historian and host of the podcast “British Food: A History.” “The meat you saved for winter was running low or threatening to spoil, and the crops you planted for spring hadn’t yet produced food.
“The feast before Lent was a final chance to have some fun, get your fill and put on a few pounds before a difficult but natural period of want,” he added.
In fact, the broader Carnival season that precedes Lent comes from the Latin term carnevale, meaning “remove meat.” But it wasn’t just meat that people were removing from their diets, it was also animal byproducts. This may explain, Buttery said, why so many of the dishes eaten before Lent feature butter and eggs.
Each of these traditions has Christian ties but, as Sharon Hudgins, a University of Maryland professor and the author of “T-bone Whacks and Caviar Snacks,” explained, the tradition of raucous feasts this time of year predates Christianity.
In Russia, for example, costumed revelers spend the festival before Lent celebrating the sun’s return by eating blini and burning an effigy of the “Old Witch of Winter,” Hudgins said. It’s a tradition that can be traced to the early Slavic people, who also feasted on round, pancakelike snacks.
But, for most, pre-lenten treats no longer conjure thoughts of the sun’s battle with winter spirits — or even of fasting during a season of food scarcity. Whether in New Orleans or Paris, Warsaw, Poland, or Kerala, India, they evoke memories of family and centuries of tradition.
Ingrid Schatz, the owner of Axelsdotter, a bakery in Richmond, Virginia, said that her cream-filled semlor, traditional to Sweden, are a special source of nostalgia for her customers, many of whom say they remember eating semlor with their parents.
“The whole day is special,” she said. “That so many different cultures take part in this tradition of using their fatty foods, and that they’ve all come up with super delicious ways to do it, I’m proud to be part of it.”
Buttery pancakes with lemon and sugar Recipe from Ahoy Cafe Adapted by Matt Haines
Historically, on the day preceding Lent, the shriving bell rang in towns throughout Ireland and Great Britain, calling parishioners to church to be absolved from their sins. The bell is less important in modern times on Shrove Tuesday, and what is eaten has taken center stage, which is why many now call the day Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday. The pancake accomplishes the annual Christian tradition of finishing animal products like butter and eggs just before they become forbidden during the long fast. This traditional Irish pancake recipe, shared by Claire Keeney and her team at Ahoy Cafe in Killybegs, Ireland, is simple and delicious. The thin, delicate pancakes are topped with butter, sugar and a bright burst of lemon.
Yield: Approximately 8 pancakes Total time: 30 minutes Ingredients:
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons/114 grams all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder Pinch of salt
1 egg
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons/275 milliliters whole milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
Unsalted butter (preferably Kerrygold), as needed for cooking and serving
Lemon slices and granulated sugar, for serving
Preparation:
1. Pass the flour, baking powder and salt through a sieve into a medium bowl. Add egg and about half the milk; beat well. Add the remaining milk, beat again, and leave the batter to stand for 10 minutes.
2. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into a large nonstick pan and turn the heat to high. When hot, pour a thin layer of batter (about 3 tablespoons) into the pan. You should be able to fit two or three pancakes in a large pan.
3. Add a tablespoon of butter into the pan for flavor as the pancakes are cooking and fry until bubbles appear on the top of the batter, about 1 1/2 minutes.
4. Lower the temperature to medium and flip the pancakes. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute, then transfer to a plate.
5. Repeat the process until all the batter is used, adding oil and butter as needed and wiping out any oil in the pan that becomes too dark along the way. The heat should be turned to high just before more batter is added, but then lowered to medium just before the pancakes are flipped. 6. Serve each pancake with a pat of butter, a lemon slice and a generous sprinkling of sugar.
Coconut-stuffed pancakes Recipe from Jes Thomas Adapted by Matt Haines
Scented with cardamom and traditionally sweetened with jaggery, madakasan, alle belle and other variations of coconut-stuffed pancakes are enjoyed in regions along the western coast of India and beyond. Jes Thomas, an Indian American personal chef and cooking instructor who lives outside Knoxville, Tennessee, but whose family is from Kerala, India, shared this recipe, which gives an option for sugar in the filling instead of the more traditional palm jaggery. The jaggery creates a more complex flavor, but the difference isn’t as pronounced as one might think. Adding food color to the pancakes is optional but highly recommended, as it will transform this everyday treat into one that is both beautiful and festive.
Yield: About 8 pancakes
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
For the filling:
2 cups/180 grams freshly grated coconut (or frozen grated coconut that has been defrosted)
4 whole cardamom pods, ground, or heaping 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 cup/50 grams granulated sugar or lightly packed grated palm jaggery
For the pancakes:
1 1/2 cups/192 grams all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups/360 milliliters whole milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons granulated sugar Pinch of salt
Food coloring (optional), preferably purple, green and pink gel food coloring, for vibrant color Neutral oil or unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
Preparation:
1. Prepare the filling: Place the coconut, ground cardamom and sugar into a medium bowl; mix well and set aside.
2. Prepare the pancakes: In a separate medium bowl, stir together the flour, milk, egg, sugar and salt to make a thin batter. If you desire colorful pancakes, split the batter into four bowls: One bowl can be left as the original color, then add 3/4 cup batter to each of three separate bowls to brighten with food coloring as you please. (Purple, green and pink are common options.) Stir each colored batter to combine.
3. Heat a crepe pan or 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium. Grease the pan with some oil or butter to coat, wipe off excess.
4. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the pan and tilt the pan in a circular motion to spread the batter evenly all around. The pancakes should be thin, like crepes. Cook until the edges are dry and only the middle appears slightly wet, about 2 minutes. (Cook time will vary, depending on the thickness of the batter in the pan.) Flip pancake over and cook for about 1 additional minute.
5. As pancakes are done, transfer them to a plate. Continue making pancakes until the batter is done, adding additional oil or butter between pancakes and lowering the heat as necessary.
6. Set a pancake on a flat surface, spotted side up if one side is darker than the other. Place about 1/4 cup of filling in the center of the pancake, arranged in a log. Fold the top flap down to cover the filling, then repeat with the bottom flap. Carefully transfer to a serving plate, flap side down. Repeat with remaining pancakes and filling and serve.
Semlor (cardamom cream buns) Recipe from Ingrid Schatz Adapted by Matt Haines
Following the Christian tradition of exhausting supplies of animal products, such as butter and eggs, before Lent, many Swedes enjoy cream-filled, cardamom-scented semlor on the final day before fasting. “We Swedes call Mardi Gras ‘Semmeldagen’ or ‘Semlor Day,’” explained Ingrid Schatz, who serves this recipe at her Swedish-focused Axelsdotter Bakery, in Richmond, Va. She uses a blend of both fine and coarsely ground cardamom, which gives more concentrated bursts of cardamom flavor, but you can simply use finely ground cardamom. A word of advice: Before filling the buns with almond cream, set one aside and slather its soft interior with butter for an irresistible snack.
Yield: 10 large semlor
Total time: 1 hour, plus rising Ingredients:
For the dough:
7 tablespoons/100 grams unsalted butter
5 tablespoons/60 grams granulated cane sugar
14 grams active dry yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon/333 milliliters whole milk
4 1/2 cups/535 grams bread flour (preferably King Arthur)
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
For the filling:
1 (7-ounce/198-gram) package Odense almond paste
2 cups/480 milliliters heavy whipping cream, plus 3 tablespoons (or more as needed)
1/2 cup/62 grams powdered sugar, plus more for garnish 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preparation:
1. Prepare the dough: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Weigh the cane sugar and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer; add the cardamom.
2. Once the butter has melted, add the milk to the saucepan and allow it to warm up just slightly. The Swedes call this fingervarm, just above body temp. Add the milk-butter mixture to the bowl of the stand mixer and allow to sit for a couple of minutes, stirring once to combine.
3. Once the yeast starts to dissolve and activate (you’ll see foam starting to appear on the surface), add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed with a dough hook until combined, then increase the mixing speed to medium and allow to mix for 3 to 5 minutes, until the dough is soft and smooth.
4. Remove the dough from the mixer and knead into one large ball and allow to rest in a large bowl, covered with plastic wrap, until roughly doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
5. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to portion the dough into individual buns, each weighing 100 grams. If there is any dough left over, divide it into pieces and add to the rest.
6. To shape, flatten a portion of dough and fold the edges in toward the center to create surface tension in the dough, flip over so the seam you have created is facing down and roll clockwise with a cupped palm to form a tight ball. Repeat with each piece. Place onto parchment-lined baking sheets with about 3 inches of space between each bun. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until almost doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
7. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans and switching their position halfway through baking. The buns should be golden and have a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom when done. Transfer to a cooling rack and let sit until cool enough to handle.
8. While buns are baking, prepare the filling: Add the almond paste to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add about 3 tablespoons of heavy cream and mix until it has a spreadable consistency (you may need more cream); transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
9. Once the filling is made, using a clean mixing bowl and the whisk attachment, combine the rest of the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla and whip the cream to stiff peaks. Transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
10. To assemble the buns, begin by cutting the top third of the buns off horizontally and save the tops. Using your fingers, hollow out a small portion of the center of the buns and fill with about a tablespoon of the almond filling. Using an offset spatula, spread the paste to reach the edges of the cut portion of the bun.
11. Use the piping bag to pipe the whipped cream into a swirl on top of the almond filling. (Don’t be afraid to go high!)
12. After the semlor are all filled, cut the reserved tops into triangle shapes and place them on top of the whipped cream. Sprinkle the semlor with powdered sugar to serve.