Margaret Fulton’s Encyclopedia of Food and Cookery

GAI LARN (CHINESE BROCCOLI)

Also called Chinese kale, this is one of the most popular Asian vegetables, often appearing as a dish at banquets and on its own trolley at yum cha. Gai larn has dark green leaves, fat yet tender stems, and small white flowers. For the Chinese it is the stem that is the choice part of this vegetable, the leaves being largely neglected.

If the stems have a tough skin they are best lightly peeled. Gai larn may be steamed, boiled, stir-fried or braised. The simplest way to prepare gai larn is to discard the large outer leaves, cut the stems into finger lengths, drop them into lightly salted boiling water with a few drops of peanut oil added, and cook until tender-crisp. Drain well, splash a little oyster sauce over and serve hot.

GALETTE

A galette is a flat cake traditionally made with flaky pastry or yeast dough. It is the symbolic cake eaten on Twelfth Night in France. A more elaborate version can consist of meringue, fruit and nuts. Savoury galettes made with vegetables, shaped into rounds, and served hot or cold cut into wedges are also delicious.

ALMOND AND HAZELNUT GALETTE

4 egg whites
1½ tablespoons flour
45 g (½ oz) ground hazelnuts
75 g (2½ oz) ground almonds
½ cup caster sugar
45 g (1½ oz) butter, melted
1½ cups cream
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
1½ cups sliced peaches, fresh or drained canned
sifted icing sugar

Cut out 3 rounds of greaseproof paper 20 cm (8 in) in diameter. Spray with non-stick cooking spray, and place on baking trays. Whisk egg whites until very stiff peaks form. Sift flour, nuts and sugar into egg whites, add melted butter and fold together gently using a metal spoon. Divide the mixture into 3 and spread out on each greaseproof round. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 25–30 minutes or until pale gold. Place on wire racks to cool and remove paper bases when cold. Whip cream and flavour with vanilla. Place one meringue round on a serving platter, spoon one-third of the cream over and arrange sliced peaches on cream. Cover with second meringue round. Repeat layering with cream and peaches and place last meringue round on top. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with remaining one-third whipped cream. Serves 8.

POTATO GALETTE

This is a beautifully crisp, golden-brown potato cake.

Serve hot or cold.

500 g (1 lb) potatoes, cooked
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup hot milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Mash potatoes well, then push through a sieve. Melt butter in a saucepan and soften onions over low heat. Remove from heat and beat in potatoes, eggs, hot milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Turn into a greased 20 cm (8 in) sandwich tin. Smooth top with a spatula and bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/ 350°F) for 1 hour. Turn out cake and serve cut into wedges. Serves 8.

GALETTE NORMANDY

Pastry

2 cups flour
150 g (5 oz) butter
5 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
2 egg yolks
¼ teaspoon vanilla essence

Filling

30 g (1 oz) butter
1 kg (2 lb) cooking apples, peeled, cored and quartered
grated rind and juice ½ lemon
½ cup sugar
Glacé Icing and 1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly (optional) to finish

To make pastry, sift flour onto a board, make a well in the centre and put in butter, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla. Work together into a smooth paste. Divide into 3 portions and chill for 30 minutes.

To make filling, melt butter in a heavy saucepan, add apples and lemon rind and juice, cover and cook gently until soft and pulpy. Mix in sugar and purée in a food processor or blender or push through a sieve. Roll out pastry into 3 equal-size rounds about 20 cm (8 in) in diameter. Bake on baking trays in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for about 15 minutes or until a pale golden colour. When pastry is cold sandwich layers together with apple mixture. Cover the top with a thin layer of glacé icing and marble with redcurrant jelly, if using. Serves 8.

GAME

For culinary purposes,‘game’ means the meat of wild animals and birds or of traditional game species which are now farmed for the table. Farmed game is usually milder in flavour, fatter and more tender than the wild variety.

Game is prized for its rich flavours and textures. The powerful aroma and taste referred to as ‘gamey’ develop with lengthy hanging – a necessity with much wild game in order to tenderise it, but less necessary for the farmed kind.

Most game tends to be dry, so game is often marinated or barded or larded with fat before cooking to promote juiciness.

To bard game: Cover the breast of the game with fat bacon or pork fat before roasting; towards the end of cooking remove the covering, dredge the breast with flour and baste. This is called ‘frothing’ and is done to brown the breast.

To lard game: Cut strips of pork fat and thread or insert through the flesh, using a larding needle.

To cook: Roasting is the best way to cook good, young game, but if you have any doubts about its tenderness, it is advisable to casserole it to ensure moist, tender meat. Game also makes a luxurious soup or pie. Small game birds are often placed on a piece of toast for roasting and are then served on the toast.

Accompaniments for game: Game Chips, wild rice and browned Breadcrumbs are classic accompaniments to game. Other accompaniments should be robustly flavoured, for example braised celery; Brussels sprouts and chestnuts; glazed onions or turnips; spiced fruits;Watercress and Walnut Salad ; or orange salad.

GAME PIE

1 pheasant or 2–3 smaller game birds
2 slices each onion, carrot and celery
1 bouquet garni
2 cups water
250 g (8 oz) skinless belly pork, diced
125 g (4 oz) cooked ham, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried
1 leaf fresh sage, finely chopped, or pinch dried
4 juniper berries, crushed
¼ teaspoon ground mace
½ cup port
2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
90 g (3 oz) mushrooms, sliced
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 tablespoon flour
250 g (8 oz) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg yolk, beaten

Cut meat off pheasant or other birds. Put carcase into a saucepan with slices of onion, carrot and celery, bouquet garni and water, and simmer, covered, for 1½ hours. Strain, chill and remove fat from surface. Cut pheasant meat into bite-size pieces and place in a bowl with pork, ham, chopped onion, herbs, berries, mace, port, brandy, salt and pepper. Cover and leave for 6–8 hours, turning over occasionally. Put meat mixture into a pie dish just big enough to hold it. Sauté mushrooms in butter and place them on top of meat mixture. Add flour to fat in sauté pan and stir until golden, then add 1 cup stock from carcase and stir until boiling. Season with salt and pepper and pour over pie filling. Cool completely. Cover dish with puff pastry, make a hole in the centre and decorate with pastry leaves. Brush with egg yolk and bake in a preheated very hot oven (230°C/450°F) for 15 minutes or until pastry is well-risen, then reduce heat to moderately hot (190°C/375°F) and bake for a further 1½ hours or until meat is tender (test with a skewer through hole in crust). If crust is browning too much, cover loosely with foil. Serves 4–6.

GAME SOUP

2–3 game bird carcases, cooked or raw
6 cups good beef stock
2 teaspoons chopped mixed fresh herbs, or ½ teaspoon dried
3 juniper berries, crushed
60 g (2 oz) butter
60 g (2 oz) cooked ham, diced
1 onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 tender stick celery, diced
60 g (2 oz) mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup port or sherry
60–90 g (2–3 oz) cooked game bird meat, cut into small strips
Croûtons to garnish

Simmer carcases, stock, herbs and juniper berries together for 1½ hours. Strain into a bowl and wash out the saucepan. In same saucepan, melt butter and brown ham and vegetables. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cool a little, then add 5 cups warm stock and stir until smoothly blended. Return to heat and stir until boiling. Season with salt and pepper and add port or sherry and the meat. Cover and simmer for 20–30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve garnished with croûtons. Serves 6.

GARAM MASALA

A fragrant blend of spices used in curries. There are dry masalas in powder form and wet masalas ground into a paste with water, oil or vinegar. The spices are roasted to bring out the flavour and make it easier when grinding to a fine powder. Commercial blends are available.

There are many versions of garam masala, and most cooks use their own favourite combinations of spices according to their preference. Some use hot spices such as pepper, while others use only the fragrant aromatic ones. Always use good-quality spices, and buy them from a store that has a rapid turnover to ensure freshness. After grinding the spices (use a blender or a mortar and pestle), store in an airtight jar in a cool, dry place.

Garam masala is sometimes added to recipes with other spices at the frying stage, but it is more often used during the last few minutes of cooking, when it is sprinkled over the food.

GARAM MASALA

4 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoons cardamom seeds
4 × 8 cm (3 in) cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 whole nutmeg, finely grated

Over medium heat in a small pan roast separately first coriander, then cumin, peppercorns, cardamom, cinnamon and lastly cloves. Remove each spice from the pan as it begins to smell fragrant and cool it on a plate. Put all into a blender and blend to a fine powder or pound using a mortar and pestle. Mix in nutmeg and store in an airtight jar. Will keep several months. Makes ¾ cup.

FRAGRANT GARAM MASALA

3 × 8 cm (3 in) cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon whole cloves
½ nutmeg, grated

Over medium heat in a small pan roast separately first cinnamon, then cardamom, then cloves. Remove each spice from the pan when it begins to smell fragrant and cool on a plate. When all are roasted and cooled, blend to a fine powder in a blender or pound using a mortar and pestle. Finally add nutmeg and store in airtight jar in refrigerator. Best used within 2 weeks. Makes ¼ cup.

GARLIC

The distinctive taste of garlic makes it one of the best known herbs. A perennial plant of the onion family, it is the small bulbous root that is used for flavouring. When fully grown, the bulb is made up of a number of small sections, known as cloves. One clove is usually sufficient to bring out the flavours in a savoury dish, although there is a famous chicken dish that calls for 40 cloves of garlic – yet the flavour is surprisingly gentle.

Garlic is an essential ingredient in the cuisines of France, Spain and Italy, the Middle East and Far Eastern countries. In the south of France and also in Spain, garlic is used lavishly – in sauces, salads, meat and fish dishes, as a vegetable, or crushed and spread on crusty bread which has been liberally sprinkled with fruity olive oil. In Italy, on the other hand, its use is generally more discreet. The garlic clove is added whole and then removed from the dish before serving. In the south of Italy, however, a more lusty flavour is enjoyed.

For some, garlic’s odour is a deterrent to its enjoyment, but for those who love garlic there are ways to render it inoffensive. The aroma of a garlic-flavoured meal is less offensive when accompanied by salad greens, providing garlic is not used in the dressing. Fresh parsley neutralises garlic on the breath most effectively. If a whole clove of garlic is cooked peeled but not cut, a much milder flavour results. The smell of garlic can be removed from the hands by sprinkling them with salt, then rinsing with cold water.

Organic garlic is available and well worth looking for in the organic section in most supermarkets.

Ways to use garlic:

• as an essential ingredient in curries

• to perk up otherwise bland dishes such as yogurt, soups and some side salads. Try sliced cucumber in sour cream and see what a difference a little garlic makes (good as an accompaniment to curries)

• crushed and lightly fried with some butter, to give boiled vegetables a delicious flavour – try it with spinach, beans or zucchini

• blended (1 clove) with 30 g (1 oz) butter, to make the butter for garlic bread that everyone loves (below)

• to flavour salad dressings – a whole peeled clove, steeped in Vinaigrette Dressing for a few hours makes a difference to green salads

• as a basic ingredient of many rich casseroles and seafood soups

• to turn mayonnaise into Aïoli, the renowned garlic mayonnaise of Provence.

To crush garlic: Garlic may be crushed in a garlic press but by far the easier method is to crush it with salt. Take an unpeeled garlic clove. Place it on a board. Place the flat part of the knife blade on top and give the blade a sharp crack with the side of the palm. This flattens the garlic clove and makes the skin easy to remove. Remove the thin papery skin of the garlic. Sprinkle the garlic with 1 teaspoon salt. Using the flat edge of the knife blade, work the garlic and salt to a pulp.

Garlic Bread: Cut a loaf of Italian or French bread into thin diagonal slices, almost through to bottom crust but so loaf still holds together. Spread cut surfaces with Garlic Butter (below). Wrap bread in foil. Bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F) for 15 minutes, loosen foil and bake for a further 5 minutes to make crust crispy. Serve hot.

Garlic Butter: Cream 125 g (4 oz) butter. Crush 1 or more garlic cloves (to taste), and blend into butter. Use to make Garlic Bread, or use on snails or mussels or over boiled fish or vegetables.

Garlic Chapons: This is the name given, in the southwest of France, to crusts of bread or slices of crusty French bread which have been rubbed with raw garlic, seasoned with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and added to green salad, especially to curly endive. Sometimes seasoned chapons are put into a preheated slow oven (150°C/300°F) for 15–20 minutes to allow them to dry out and become crispy.

Garlic Oil: Use for seasoning salads. Peel 10 garlic cloves; drop into boiling salted water for 3–4 minutes. Drain them, then pound in a mortar to a fine paste. Add 1 cup good olive oil, then push through a muslin cloth or sieve.

It can also be made by adding chopped garlic to oil and allowing it to stand for 24 hours, then passing through a fine sieve.

Garlic and Oil Sauce: Cook 2–3 finely chopped garlic cloves gently in ¼ cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once over well-drained hot pasta or boiled potatoes.

TOMATOES PROVENÇALE

2 medium tomatoes, halved
salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons melted butter
1 clove garlic, crushed

Season tomatoes with salt and pepper. Mix breadcrumbs with butter and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Spoon onto tomato halves. Grill under a preheated moderate grill until crumbs have browned and tomatoes heated through, or bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/375°F) for 15 minutes. Serves 4.

GARLIC PRAWNS

A Spanish specialty traditionally prepared in individual flameproof ramekins and served sizzling hot. They can be prepared in a frying pan and transferred to 4 hot ramekins for serving.

500 g (1 lb) large green prawns
¾ cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ teaspoon chopped red chilli, or pinch chilli powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon snipped chives (optional)

Shell and de-vein prawns or leave whole, unshelled. Place in container with ½ cup olive oil, the garlic, chilli and salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When ready to serve, heat remaining oil in 4 flameproof dishes. Drain prawns, reserving marinade. Divide prawns between dishes and cook for 3–4 minutes or until prawns turn pink. Pour the reserved marinade over, add parsley and chives and cook for further 1 minute. Serve with crusty French bread. Serves 4.

LAMB AILLADE

Leg of lamb cooked with garlic, anchovies, rosemary and thyme is a specialty of Provence. It is traditionally served at Easter with a green salad garnished with hard-boiled eggs.

1 leg of lamb, about 2 kg (4 lb)
12 cloves garlic, 6 whole and 6 sliced
12 anchovy fillets, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or mint

Make slits in lamb and insert a sliver of garlic and a piece of anchovy in each incision. Rub lamb with 2 tablespoons olive oil, the rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Let it stand for 1–2 hours. Place meat on a rack in a roasting tin and roast in a preheated hot oven (200°C/400°F) for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate (180°C/350°F) and cook for a further 1–1¼ hours. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan and cook whole garlic cloves slowly for about 10 minutes or until they are soft (do not let edges become crisp). Set aside in a small bowl. Remove lamb from roasting tin and pour off excess fat. Pour wine into tin, scrape up brown bits and boil wine over high heat to reduce it by half. Add reduced liquid to garlic cloves. Mash well with a fork and add salt and pepper. Slice lamb and sprinkle with pepper. Spoon sauce over it and sprinkle with parsley or mint. Serves 6–8.

CHICKEN WITH 40 CLOVES OF GARLIC

A dish from the French provincial area of Dauphine. Don’t be startled by the quantity of garlic in this recipe. The chicken will emerge golden, meltingly tender and with the most wonderful aroma of herbs and garlic. Serve with plenty of thick slices of crusty bread. The French spread the bread with tender garlic; a treat for garlic lovers.

1 × 1.75 kg (3½ lb) chicken
salt and freshly ground black pepper
small bouquet fresh parsley, thyme, rosemary and tarragon
¾ cup olive oil
40 unpeeled garlic cloves
bunch fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, bay leaf, parsley and celery leaves
1 cup flour mixed to a thick paste with ¼ cup water

Season chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Place bouquet of fresh herbs inside. Pour oil into a flameproof casserole just large enough to hold chicken and add unpeeled garlic cloves. Place the larger bunch of fresh herbs on top of garlic. Gently warm oil, then add chicken and turn to coat all over. Cover dish and seal lid to base with flour and water paste. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/ 350°F) for 1½ hours. Break pastry seal, clean seal from the edge and serve in the dish with crusty bread. Serves 4–6.

GÂTEAU

The French word for a cake of all types – plain or decorated, large or small, used for dessert, with coffee or at celebrations and parties. In other parts of the world the word gâteau is synonymous with a rich, highly decorated cake, often layered with cream or butter cream, flavoured with liqueur, and decorated with cream, chocolate, nuts or fruits.

See also Cakes.

GÂTEAU CARAQUE

A rich chocolate sponge filled and covered with chocolate butter cream and decorated with chocolate caraque. It keeps well.

75 g (2 ½ oz) unsweetened chocolate, broken into small pieces
2 tablespoons coffee
3 eggs
½ cup plus 3 teaspoons caster sugar
½ cup plus 3 teaspoons flour
1 quantity Chocolate Crème au Beurre
Chocolate Caraque or Curls

Melt chocolate with coffee over warm water. Set aside to cool. Whisk eggs with sugar until very thick and pale. This will take 8–10 minutes. Sift in flour and fold it in quickly and carefully with the melted chocolate. Turn mixture into a 20 cm (8 in) cake tin that has been greased, bottom-lined with greased greaseproof paper, and floured. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 30–40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. When cold, split cake into 2 layers and sandwich with one-third of the chocolate crème au beurre. Spread sides and top with rest of cream and cover with chocolate caraque or curls. Serves 8.

GÂTEAU PROGRES

This cake is a speciality of France, made as a reward for success, something to help celebrate a special achievement in one’s life. There are three basic steps in its preparation: first, the making of the nut meringue layers; second, the butter cream; and third, the layering together and finishing off. The first two steps can be done well ahead of time, and the finishing off can be done a few hours before the cake is needed.

It is traditional to dredge the top with icing sugar and pipe ‘Progres’ across the centre of the cake, or sometimes, the word ‘Succes’.

cup caster sugar
1¼ cups ground almonds
5 egg whites
3 drops vanilla essence
1 quantity Coffee Butter Cream (see below)
almonds, blanched, toasted and chopped, to decorate
icing sugar, for dusting

Coffee butter cream

½ cup sugar
½ cup very strong black coffee
5 egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
250 g (8 oz) unsalted butter

Have ready 3 baking trays, each lined with baking paper on which has been marked a 20 cm (8 in) circle. Preheat the oven to moderate (180°C/350°F). Sift the sugar, reserving 3 tablespoons, and ground almonds together. Whisk the egg whites in an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, but the mixture is not dry. Beat in the reserved sugar until the mixture is thick and glossy. Fold in the sifted sugar and almond mixture quickly and lightly.

Divide the mixture into 3 portions and spread on the baking paper circles neatly. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until firm to the touch. Cool on wire racks.

To assemble, lay a meringue round on a serving plate and spread with half the coffee butter cream; lay the second round on top and spread with the remaining butter cream. Top with the last round and spread the sides only of the cake with the reserved coffee butter cream, keeping a little aside if you are going to pipe the top. Press the toasted almonds into the butter cream at the sides and dust the top of the cake with icing sugar. Finish by piping ‘Progres’ or ‘Succes’ on top. When the cake is assembled, store in the refrigerator to firm the butter cream; it also makes the cake easier to slice.

To make Coffee Butter Cream, dissolve the sugar in the coffee over a very gentle heat, then bring to the boil, boiling until the syrup falls in a thread from the spoon – if you have a sugar thermometer it should register (112°C/234°F). Beat the yolks for 1 minute, preferably using an electric beater; while still beating, add the hot syrup in a very steady slow stream. Continue beating until the mixture has cooled. Add the vanilla and then the butter in small pieces, beating well until thoroughly incorporated and the butter cream is light and fluffy. If it seems too soft, allow to chill for a few minutes.

GÂTEAU ST HONORÉ

This is the traditional French birthday cake.

½ quantity Pâte Sucrée
1 egg, beaten, to glaze
1 quantity Choux Pastry
½ cup cream
vanilla essence
1 cup sugar
½ cup water

Crème St Honoré

1 egg, separated
1 egg yolk
¼ cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cornflour
1½ cups milk
1 vanilla bean
½ cup cream

Roll out pâte sucrée to a 20 cm (8 in) round and place on a greased baking tray. Prick well with a fork, and brush edge with beaten egg. Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (½ in) plain tube with choux pastry. Make a border around edge of pastry round, 1 cm (½ in) in from outside to allow for spreading. Brush with beaten egg. Pipe remaining choux onto a greased baking tray in 15 small rounds the size of a walnut. Brush with beaten egg. Bake all the pastry in a preheated hot oven (200°C/400°F) for 25 minutes for the choux puffs and 35 minutes for the pastry base or until crisp and golden. Remove from oven. Prick base of each choux puff 2 or 3 times to allow steam to escape and cool on a wire rack. While choux puffs and choux ring are cooling, prepare crème St Honoré.

To make the crème St Honoré, beat 2 egg yolks with sugar until creamy and very light in colour. Mix flour and cornflour with a little cold milk to make a smooth paste and add to egg yolk mixture. Scald remaining milk with vanilla bean, strain onto egg yolk mixture, blend and return to saucepan. Stir over a gentle heat until mixture boils. Whisk egg white until peaks form, add a little of the hot custard, mix thoroughly and pour back into pan. Stir gently over low heat for 2–3 minutes. Chill. Whip cream and fold through just before serving.

Whip remaining cream, flavour with vanilla essence and put in a piping bag. Cut a tiny hole in the side of each puff with the point of a knife and force in cream through the hole. In a small heavy saucepan heat sugar with water until dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil, without stirring, until golden. Spoon a little caramel syrup onto choux pastry rim and secure choux puffs on top. Fill centre of gâteau with crème St Honoré. Return caramel to the heat and cook until it is a rich amber colour. Immediately transfer saucepan into cold water to prevent further cooking. Spoon over the puffs. For a spectacular effect, dip 2 spoons into caramel, then pull and spin caramel strands around the gâteau. Serve immediately. Serves 8.

NOTE: The gâteau may be prepared ahead if desired:

Two days before: Make pâte sucrée; wrap and store in refrigerator.

The day before: Make choux pastry. Roll out pâte sucrée and pipe on choux pastry border. Bake. Prepare and bake puffs. When cool, store base and individual puffs in an airtight tin. Make basic custard but do not fold in whipped cream. Store, covered, in refrigerator.

A few hours before assembling: Place case and puffs in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 10 minutes until crisp. Cool completely.

Just before assembling and serving: Whip cream and fold into basic custard. Fill puffs with vanilla-flavoured cream and continue as directed in recipe.

GAZPACHO

The refreshing, spicy, chilled soup-salad which is served in almost every Spanish home and restaurant. It is a favourite alfresco dish and, accompanied by separate bowls of garnishes, is almost a meal in itself. Gazpacho varies a little from region to region but is always a flavoursome mixture of vegetables and aromatics, served over ice.

GAZPACHO

6 ripe, red tomatoes, peeled, or 1 × 425 g can tomatoes, drained, plus 2 fresh tomatoes, peeled
1 cup white wine or chicken stock
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon ground cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
cup olive oil
¼ cup wine vinegar
3 cups tomato juice
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
12–16 ice cubes
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup small Garlic Croûtons

Seed 6 fresh or the canned tomatoes. Coarsely chop half the fresh or all the canned tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes with wine or stock. Purée in a blender or rub through a sieve. Set aside. Cut remaining tomatoes into small dice. Mix garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix in breadcrumbs, then very gradually beat in oil to form a thick paste. Stir in vinegar little by little, then puréed tomatoes and tomato juice. Combine with half the diced vegetables. Adjust seasoning and chill for 2–3 hours before serving. Place 2–3 ice cubes in each bowl, then ladle gazpacho over. Serve remaining vegetables, chopped hard-boiled egg and garlic croûtons in separate bowls for each diner to add their own choice of garnish. Serves 6–8.

GELATINE

An extract of the animal protein collagen, gelatine makes possible a great range of culinary triumphs both sweet and savoury – a delicate Bavarian Cream, an airy cold soufflé, a beautifully shaped salmon or vegetable mousse, a sparkling aspic – as well as dozens of family dishes from simple jellies and whips to cake and pie fillings, smooth and economical ice cream, home-made confectionery and appetising moulds of meat, fish and vegetables. It is sold in powdered form, often in individual envelopes, and in leaf form.

Leaf gelatine once came in thick sheets – now it is available in very thin sheets. As it is available in varying degrees of strength and quality it is advisable to use powdered gelatine unless you are sure of the leaf gelatine. Many professional cooks use leaf gelatine but they have shopped around for the best quality. Generally speaking, 6 sheets of gelatine is the equivalent of 3 teaspoons of powdered gelatine (a 10 g/ oz sachet), which is enough to soft-set 480 ml (2 cups) of liquid.

Gelatine can be used with almost any food except uncooked pineapple and pawpaw, which contain an enzyme that prevents jelling. As the enzyme is inactivated by heat, cooked or canned pineapple or pawpaw present no problem.

Do not boil gelatine mixtures, as this will weaken the jelling power, and do not freeze them unless their fat content is very high, as in ice creams.

Amount to use: Proportions of gelatine to liquid may vary from recipe to recipe, depending on other ingredients. As a general guide, 1 envelope or 3 teaspoons gelatine will set 2 cups liquid into jelly. If the jelly is to be unmoulded, use 1 tablespoon gelatine to 2 cups liquid to give a slightly firmer texture.

To add gelatine to a mixture: Sprinkle gelatine over cold water or some of the liquid used in the recipe, using about 3 times the volume of liquid to gelatine. Do not stir but leave the liquid to absorb the gelatine undisturbed. If gelatine is to be added to a cold mixture, soften it first. Place the gelatine container in hot water on gentle heat, and leave until mixture is clear. Never let it boil. Stir or fold into the cold mixture and continue to stir or fold carefully until mixture is on the point of setting (when it has the consistency of unbeaten egg whites), before turning into a mould or serving dish to set.

To unmould a gelatine mixture: This is not difficult if you don’t try to rush it. Have ready a chilled, dampened serving plate and a sink or pan of comfortably hand-warm water, deep enough to come up to the rim of the mould. Remove mould from refrigerator and, with your fingers, gently pull the edge of the gelatine away from the mould all round. Dip the mould into warm water for about 4 seconds if it is metal, 8 seconds if it is china, plastic or glass.

Lift out and invert the serving plate on top. Hold mould and plate firmly together, turn over and shake gently up and down until the gelatine slips from the mould onto the plate. If it doesn’t slip out, repeat the process. Centre the gelatine on the dampened plate, then wipe the edges of the plate dry.

JAMBON PERSILLÉ (COLD PARSLEYED HAM)

A traditional dish from Burgundy, splendid for a buffet or picnic.

1 kg (2 lb) cooked or canned ham, cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) cubes
1½ cups well-flavoured chicken stock
½ cup dry white wine
freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg
1 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons powdered gelatine
½ cup cold water
1–2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar

Simmer ham in stock and white wine, seasoned with pepper and nutmeg, for 5 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid. Put ham into a bowl or loaf tin which has been rinsed out with cold water and lightly dusted with parsley. Soften gelatine in water, then stir into hot liquid. When gelatine has dissolved, add remaining parsley and tarragon vinegar to taste. Allow to cool and when syrupy pour over the ham. Chill in refrigerator until well set, then unmould. Serves 8–10.

FRESH ORANGE JELLY

A reminder of why jellies were once served at the most elegant dinners.

thinly peeled rind 1 orange
thinly peeled rind and juice ½ lemon
cup sugar
1½ cups hot water
2 tablespoons plus 3 teaspoons powdered gelatine
2½ cups freshly squeezed orange juice, strained
extra sugar or lemon juice
cream to serve

Put orange and lemon rind, lemon juice, sugar and half the water into a saucepan and warm on low heat for 10 minutes to infuse. Dissolve gelatine in remaining hot water. Stir into ingredients in saucepan, strain and cool. Stir in orange juice, taste and add a little more sugar or lemon juice, if needed. Pour into a mould or glass bowl. Chill until set. Serve with cream. Serves 6–8.

GENOISE CAKE (GENOESE)

A basic sponge-type cake used for filled cakes, sponge fingers, petits fours or bombe Alaska. The eggs and sugar are beaten with a balloon whisk over gentle heat until they are warm, thick and a pale lemon colour, and the beating continues at room temperature until the mixture is cool and even thicker. These 2 steps can be done using a hand-held electric mixer, with or without the use of heat, although the volume of the cake will not be quite as great as it would when hand-mixed with a balloon whisk. Flour and melted butter are then mixed in very quickly and lightly to preserve the masses of air bubbles formed through whisking.

To make filled, layered cakes, use whipped cream or Butter Cream flavoured with liqueur, and decorate with fruit or nuts.

Ice single cakes with Butter Cream Icing, flavoured to your taste.

GENOISE CAKE

4 eggs
½ cup caster sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup flour, sifted
60 g (2 oz) butter, melted and cooled

Put eggs, sugar and vanilla in a heatproof bowl; place over warm water over a gentle heat and whisk until mixture is a pale lemon colour, thick and doubled in bulk. This will take about 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and beat for a further 3–4 minutes or until cool and very thick. Fold in flour, then add butter. Mix as lightly and rapidly as possible. Turn at once into 2 greased 20 cm (8 in) round or 18 cm (7 in) square tins that have been bottom-lined with greased greaseproof paper. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 20–30 minutes or until cooked. To test, gently press centre with finger – if cake springs back it is cooked. If impression remains, leave cake for further 5 minutes and test again. Cool on a wire rack. This recipe will make 2 × 20 cm (8 in) round cakes or 2 × 18 cm (7 in) squares.

GHEE

See Butter and Curry: Ghee.

GHERKIN (CORNICHON)

Gherkins, or cornichons (‘little horns’), are very small cucumbers which are grown for pickling. The best are about 3 cm (1½ in) long. Serve pickled gherkins with hot boiled beef, corned beef or frank-furts, or with cold meats and cheese. They are also part of the flavouring for Tartare, Gribiche and Rémoulade sauces.

GHERKINS

1 kg (2 lb) firm fresh gherkins
1 cup salt
4 cups water
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon white peppercorns
1 tablespoon blade mace
1 tablespoon whole allspice
1 × 8 cm (3 in) cinnamon stick
2 slices fresh ginger
4 cups white vinegar
grape leaves (optional)

Place gherkins in a large bowl. Dissolve salt in water and pour over gherkins. Cover and leave for 3 days. Meanwhile, tie spices and flavourings in a muslin bag, place in vinegar and bring to the boil. Cool, with spice bag in vinegar, for 2 hours, then remove bag. After 3 days, drain, rinse and dry gherkins. Pack them into scalded wide-mouthed jars. Bring vinegar to the boil, pour over gherkins, cover tightly and leave for about 24 hours. Pour off vinegar into a saucepan, bring to the boil again, pour over gherkins and leave as before. Repeat this process once more. Add a few grape leaves to each sterilised jar, if desired, to help keep gherkins crisp. Cover tightly and leave 6 weeks. Keeps for 12 months in a cool, dark place. Once opened, store in refrigerator. Makes 2 × 500 g (1 lb) jars.

NOTE: For sterilising jars see Jams.

GIBLETS

The name for the neck, heart, gizzard and liver of poultry (although livers may or may not be included in giblets that you buy). If giblets are sold with a bird, they are packaged and placed in the body cavity, so always be sure to check before cooking. If they are there, use them to enrich the gravy to be served with the bird. Giblets are also sold separately. They make excellent soup or can be served in a sauce made from their cooking liquid, on toast.

Basic preparation: Remove all fat and membrane from giblets and cut off any discoloured or dark parts from liver. Clean all grit from gizzard and scrape the lining well. Wash giblets under cold running water.

Giblet Gravy: Put all giblets, except liver, into a saucepan and add a slice each of onion and carrot, a small piece of celery and a few fresh herbs if you have them. Cover with cold water and simmer for 45 minutes or until giblets are tender. It is best to cook liver separately because of its strong flavour. If you are roasting a bird, cook liver under it for 5–10 minutes; otherwise, sauté it in a little butter.

Strain liquid from the pan of giblets and reserve, and discard neck. Finely dice the heart, gizzard and cooked liver. Use reserved liquid when making gravy and add diced giblets at the end.

GINGER

A bold perennial, with the most heavenly scented flower. The ‘root’, which is known as the ‘hand’ (it looks rather like a hand with plump, deformed fingers) is the edible part of the plant. Whole, fresh ginger should be smooth-skinned and kept dry or it will sprout and lose its flavour. It has been used in Asia, from India to China, since long ago, and dried ginger was one of the first spices to reach Europe from Asia.

Fresh ginger: It can be peeled and grated or ground to a pulp and used in many types of curries. (See Prawn Curry and Lamb with Cashew Nut Curry). In Chinese dishes, a slice of fresh ginger is added to oil and sautéed for a minute to give its distinctive but delicate flavour to the oil. Peeled and cut into fine strips, it is often used in Chinese and Japanese dishes (see Coriander Chicken and Steamed Fish Coriander).Peeled and sliced, it can be rubbed over chicken, fish or duck, as you would garlic. It may also be added to marinades, soups or stews.

Dried ginger: The root is often dried. To use, cut into pieces and soak in cold water for several hours. Dried ginger is also ground to a powder, and it is a popular spice for flavouring cakes, biscuits and puddings.

Preserved ginger: The peeled ginger root is often preserved in syrup and eaten as a sweetmeat. Preserved ginger is used in fruit and cream desserts and steamed puddings. The syrup may be poured over ice cream, fruit salad, etc.

Red pickled ginger and brined ginger: Called gari or sushoga in Japanese, finely sliced red pickled ginger is a traditional accompaniment to sushi and sashimi. Although its pretty pink colour can be natural if young ginger is used and enough time is allowed, it is often dyed using natural foods, such as beetroot. Sugar, salt and vinegar are used to preserve the thinly sliced ginger.

Ginger preserved in brine is used in stir-fry dishes; it is available sliced, diced, in julienne (matchstick) strips and used as a substitute for fresh ginger.

Candied ginger: This is another popular treatment; chopped or sliced it is used in baking or as a sweetmeat.

Finally, ginger is widely used for flavouring the popular beverages ginger ale and ginger beer.

To keep fresh ginger: Juicy young roots that have not become too fibrous may be peeled and cut into small knobs. Place in a clean glass jar and cover with dry sherry. Keep, covered, in refrigerator and use as for fresh ginger.

Gingered Honeydew Melon: Peel and slice a ripe chilled honeydew melon. Discard seeds and arrange slices in an overlapping design on a chilled platter. Sprinkle them with a mixture of 1 tablespoon icing sugar, sifted, and ½ teaspoon ground ginger. Serve as a first course, or dessert with ice cream.

Ginger Ice Cream: Take 500 ml (2 cups) vanilla ice cream from freezer and allow to soften slightly. Swirl in 2 tablespoons finely chopped, preserved ginger and return to freezer. Serve with a crisp sweet biscuit. Good with poached pears, peaches or sliced fresh melon.

ORIENTAL CHICKEN WINGS

A popular starter for barbecues or casual entertaining. Best eaten with your fingers.

1 kg (2 lb) chicken wings
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, or ½ teaspoon ground
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons Tomato Ketchup

Cut tips off wings. Mix remaining ingredients together, add wings and turn to coat. Leave to marinate, covered, for several hours in refrigerator. Drain and arrange wings on a greased grill rack. Grill under a preheated grill for about 10 minutes, then turn, brush with marinade and grill for a further 10 minutes. Serve hot and offer a pile of paper napkins. Serves 6.

GINGER MARINADE

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons oil

Combine ingredients. Use to marinate 500 g (1 lb) shelled green prawns or scallops, diced chicken or pork, fish fillets or chicken pieces. Marinate, covered, for about 30–60 minutes. Thread marinated food on skewers or place fish fillets or chicken joints on grill rack. Cook under preheated grill, turning several times and brushing with extra marinade during cooking.

CHINESE GINGERED ROAST CHICKEN

3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2.5 cm (1 in) piece fresh ginger, grated, or ½ teaspoon ground
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1½ teaspoons five-spice powder
1 × 1.5 kg (3 lb) roasting chicken
3 tablespoons salt

Combine soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic and ½ teaspoon five-spice powder, and rub over chicken and in cavity. Cover and refrigerate for 1–2 hours, turning occasionally. Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Put on a rack in roasting tin containing a little water (to prevent drippings from burning). Roast in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 1¼ hours, brushing 3 or 4 times with reserved marinade and turning chicken occasionally. Chop the chicken through skin and bones into bite-size pieces. Arrange on a heated serving dish. Serve remaining five-spice powder mixed with salt for dipping. Serves 6.

RICH GINGER CAKE

A marvellously rich, moist cake with excellent keeping qualities. It is an old family favourite that is splendid for picnics, lunch-boxes and morning and afternoon snacks.

125 g (4 oz) butter
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch salt
2 eggs
1 cup treacle
cup sultanas
cup sliced preserved ginger
¼ cup milk
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Sift flour with ground ginger and salt. Beat eggs into creamed butter mixture one at a time, sprinkling mixture each time with 2 teaspoons flour. Stir in treacle, sultanas, preserved ginger and remaining flour. Warm milk gently, add soda and stir at once into cake mixture. Turn into a greased and floured 18 cm (7 in) round, deep cake tin or 21 × 11 × 6 cm (8½ × 4½ × 2½ in) loaf tin. Bake cake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 1 hour, then reduce heat to moderately slow (160°C/325°F) and bake for a further 30 minutes. If cake begins to brown too much on top, cover loosely with a piece of greaseproof paper. Cool for 5 minutes in tin before turning out.

CRYSTAL PRAWNS

Soaking prawns in water with bicarbonate of soda gives the prawn meat a clear colour – thus the name. It also slightly changes the texture of the meat.

1½ tablespoons bicarbonate of soda
2¼ cups water
500 g (1 lb) green king prawns, shelled and de-veined
1½ tablespoons cornflour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons shredded fresh ginger
2 tablespoons shredded red pepper
¼ cup sliced spring onions

Dissolve bicarbonate of soda in 2 cups water, add prawns and soak for 2 hours. Drain and rinse well under cold running water, then soak again in fresh cold water to cover for a further 1 hour. Drain. Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain well and dry. Combine remaining ¼ cup water, the cornflour, salt and sugar and heat in a wok or frying pan, stirring, until boiling. Add prawns and toss until well coated and heated through. Place ginger and vegetables on a heated serving platter, spoons prawns on top and toss through. Serves 4.

GINGER BEER

Home-made ginger beer is one of the joys of childhood. It is made by fermenting a simple syrup with a yeast, ginger and sugar mixture (called ‘plant’).As fermentation causes strong pressure inside bottles, be sure to use sturdy bottles, seal them with patent clip-on bottle seals or screw-tops and store them in a cool place where a burst bottle will do no harm. Make ginger beer in small batches so that it will not be kept too long.

GINGER BEER

Ginger beer plant

1 teaspoon compressed yeast, or ½ teaspoon dry yeast
9 teaspoons sugar
1 cup warm water
9 teaspoons ground ginger

Syrup

4 cups sugar
6 litres (24 cups) warm water
½ cup strained lemon juice

To make ginger beer plant, mix yeast and ½ teaspoon sugar in a large sterilised jar and add water (lukewarm for compressed yeast, comfortably hand-warm for dry yeast) and ½ teaspoon ginger. Cover jar with muslin and leave 8 days, adding ½ teaspoon each of ginger and sugar every day.

To make syrup, heat sugar and 6 cups water, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add remaining water and lemon juice. Strain yeast mixture through 2 thicknesses of muslin. Reserve sediment on muslin. Add strained liquid to syrup. Stir well. Pour into bottles, filling only to base of necks, and seal. Leave about 5 days before drinking, depending on weather – in hot weather, the ginger beer will be ready in 3–4 days.

To make further batches of ginger beer, halve plant left on muslin and place in 2 sterilised jars with 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 cup water in each (no more yeast is added after first start). Repeat process as before, adding sugar and ginger daily. Makes 8 × 750 ml (3 cup) bottles.

NOTE: For sterilising jars see Jams.

GINGERBREAD AND GINGERBREAD MEN

These lovely old favourites are easy to make, keep well and are immensely popular with all members of the family.

GINGERBREAD

This is a moist, sticky gingerbread.

1½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon mixed spice
pinch salt
60 g (2 oz) butter
2 tablespoons treacle
½ cup loosely packed brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
¾ cup milk
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Lemon Glacé Icing

Sift flour, baking powder, ginger, spice and salt. Cream butter with treacle and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in flour mixture, eggs and milk in which bicarbonate of soda has been dissolved. Beat vigorously until surface of batter is covered with bubbles. Pour into a greased 20 cm (8 in) round or square cake tin that has been bottom-lined with greased greaseproof paper. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 30–35 minutes. Keep cake airtight for 1–2 days before cutting, to develop flavours. Ice with lemon glacé icing.

NUTTY GINGERBREAD

This gingerbread should be somewhat dry and chewy. It is delicious topped with lemon or orange icing, or simply served sliced and buttered.

2½ cups flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
cup sultanas
cup chopped almonds
cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup treacle
¼ cup golden syrup
185 g (6 oz) butter
2 large eggs, beaten
lemon or orange Vienna Icing and glacé ginger (optional) to finish

Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger; and stir in sultanas and almonds. Put sugar, treacle, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan and heat gently until butter melts. Add to flour mixture. Mix in eggs and beat well. Pour into a greased 28 × 19 cm (11 × 7½ in) lamington tin that has been bottom-lined with greased greaseproof paper. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 30–35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean. Allow to cool, then ice with lemon or orange Vienna icing and decorate with slices of glacé ginger, if using.

GINGERBREAD MEN

Children love gingerbread men and this easy recipe makes them fun to make.

125 g (4 oz) butter
cup sugar
cup golden syrup
3 cups flour
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
currants and glacé cherries to decorate

Put butter, sugar and golden syrup in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until butter melts. Allow to cool. Sift flour, ginger and cinnamon. Add bicarbonate of soda to cooled butter mixture and pour onto flour mixture. Add egg and vanilla, and mix to a soft dough. Roll out to a thickness of 5 mm (¼ in) and cut out shapes with a gingerbread man cutter or a sharp knife. Place on greased baking trays. Put currants in place for eyes and buttons, and cherries cut into strips for mouths. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Makes about 20 small gingerbread men.

GINGERNUT BISCUITS

Who doesn’t remember the hard, crunchy texture of gingernut biscuits with their wonderfully spicy flavour? Try the following recipe and recall the past.

GINGERNUTS

1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
60 g (2 oz) butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
extra ¼ cup sugar (optional)

Sift dry ingredients. Melt butter with golden syrup and pour into flour mixture. Mix well and roll into balls the size of a walnut. If liked, roll the balls in extra sugar before baking for super crunchiness. Place on greased baking trays and press lightly. Bake in a preheated very hot oven (230°C/450°F) for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven heat to moderate (180°C/350°F) and bake for a further 7–10 minutes. Cool on trays. Makes about 20.

GNOCCHI

The delectable little savoury dumplings or cakes of Italy, mostly made from mixtures containing semolina or Polenta, mashed potatoes or ricotta cheese and spinach. They are served with a variety of sauces or simply with melted butter and grated cheese, and hold the same place as pasta in a meal. They can also make a satisfying meal when served alone with salad, or can accompany grilled meats or roast chicken. Gnocchi can be shaped like little dumplings and poached in lightly salted water, or cut into cakes and baked in the oven.

GNOCCHI ALLA ROMANA (SEMOLINA GNOCCHI)

1 medium onion, halved
1 bay leaf
3¾ cups milk
¾ cup semolina or polenta
1½ teaspoons salt
freshly ground white pepper
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
60 g (2 oz) butter
½ teaspoon dry mustard

Put onion halves in a saucepan with bay leaf and milk. Bring slowly to the boil. Remove onion and bay leaf, and add semolina or polenta, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, over a low heat for 15–20 minutes or until very thick. Remove from heat and stir in half the cheese, 15 g (½ oz) butter and the mustard. Spread on an oiled baking tray to about 1 cm (½ in) thick. Cool. When cold, cut into rounds with a 5 cm (2 in) cutter or into squares with a knife. Arrange in rings, slightly overlapping, in a well-oiled shallow ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Melt remaining butter and sprinkle over top. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 15 minutes, then place under a preheated hot grill until top is brown and crisp. Serve immediately, while still bubbling. Serves 4.

VARIATION

GNOCCHI IN TOMATO SAUCE: Prepare gnocchi as above and arrange in a well-oiled shallow ovenproof dish. Spoon over Smooth Tomato Sauce, sprinkle generously with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and bake in a preheated moderately hot oven (190°C/ 375°F) for 30 minutes or until golden-brown.

POTATO GNOCCHI

2 kg (4 lb) potatoes, cooked, mashed and kept warm
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups flour, sifted
1 quantity Bolognese Sauce
grated Parmesan cheese

Make dough for potato gnocchi just before cooking as it becomes damp if allowed to stand for too long. Mix together warm mashed potatoes, salt and eggs. Work in enough flour to make a firm but soft dough. Divide dough into pieces and roll in well-floured hands to thick pencil shapes about 1 cm (½ in) diameter. Cut into 3.5 cm (1 in) lengths and pinch centre of each piece of gnocchi lightly between finger and thumb.

Place gnocchi on a lightly floured tea-towel, making sure they do not touch each other. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a simmer and drop in gnocchi, a few at a time. Do not crowd pan. As soon as gnocchi float to surface, remove with a slotted spoon. When all are cooked and drained, stir into hot sauce and serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 6.

NOTE: Potato gnocchi can be served simply tossed with melted butter and grated Parmesan cheese, or with Smooth Tomato Sauce.

HERB GNOCCHI

250 g (8 oz) fresh or frozen spinach
125 g (4 oz) fresh sorrel leaves (if not available substitute same amount of extra spinach)
1 cup watercress sprigs
1 cup parsley sprigs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chervil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
185 g (6 oz) ricotta cheese
30 g (1 oz) butter, cut into small pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
2½ tablespoons flour
melted butter to serve (optional)

Wash and drain spinach, sorrel, watercress and parsley (if using frozen spinach, allow to thaw and do not wash). Boil ½ cup water in a large saucepan, add spinach, sorrel, watercress and parsley and boil for 4 minutes. Drain well, squeezing out as much water as possible, and chop finely. Add chervil, tarragon and dill. Stir mixture in a saucepan over a low heat for several minutes to dry out as much as possible. This gives a good dry mixture for shaping gnocchi. Beat ricotta cheese until smooth and add to green mixture with butter, salt and pepper. Stir in one-third of the Parmesan cheese. Remove pan from heat. Beat in eggs and flour until smooth. Pour into a shallow dish and leave, uncovered, in refrigerator overnight.

After chilling, mixture should be firm enough to handle; if it is not, add a little more sifted flour but not too much or gnocchi will be heavy. Heat a large pan of salted water to just below simmering point. Form mixture into egg-shaped gnocchi by using 2 teaspoons and rolling very lightly on a floured board. Drop gnocchi in batches into water, making certain they do not stick together. When they float to the surface, after 4–5 minutes, lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain on a clean cloth. Test one to make sure they are cooked enough. Keep drained gnocchi warm in a heated serving dish while you cook remainder.

Sprinkle gnocchi with a little Parmesan cheese and serve with remaining Parmesan and a jug of melted butter. Serves 4.

GOAT’S MILK AND CHEESE

This is more easily digestible than cow’s milk, and is excellent for people who are allergic to cow’s milk. Goat’s milk cheeses are delicious, velvet-textured and fresh. They are found all over France and in countries around the Mediterranean. Goat’s cheeses vary in flavour according to the region and the length of time taken for ripening, but most taste nutty and sweet. Garlic, chives and herbs can be used as flavourings.

GOLDEN SYRUP

This light, pale golden syrup is a by-product of sugar refining. It is used in cakes, puddings, sweet sauces, confectionery, tart fillings and gingerbreads.

See also Treacle.

GOLDEN SYRUP DUMPLINGS

2 cups self-raising flour
pinch salt
45 g (1½ oz) butter
2 eggs, beaten
little milk

Syrup

2 cups water
cup sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
30 g (1 oz) butter

Sift flour and salt and rub in butter. Add eggs and stir in with a knife, adding enough milk to make a soft dough. Divide dough into 12 pieces and roll into balls. In a large saucepan, heat water with sugar and golden syrup, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add butter and bring to the boil. Place dumplings in syrup, cover and simmer for 20 minutes without lifting lid. Serve dumplings at once, with syrup spooned over them. Serve with custard or cream. Serves 6.

GOLDEN SPONGE PUDDING

125 g (4 oz) butter
½ cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 cup self-raising flour
2–3 tablespoons milk
6–8 tablespoons golden syrup

Cream butter with sugar. Beat in eggs and stir in flour. Add sufficient milk to lighten mixture, which should be soft enough to drop lightly from a spoon. Put golden syrup in bottom of greased 4-cup pudding basin. Spoon mixture into basin, cover and steam for 2 hours. Turn out onto a heated serving dish and serve with thick cream and more hot syrup if you wish. Serves 6.

GOOSE

A festive bird, which is traditionally eaten at Christmas, Michaelmas (29 September) or Martinmas (11 November).

A young roast goose makes succulent eating, although if there is any doubt about tenderness it is better to braise the bird in the same manner as duck. The meat is rich and goose releases quite a lot of fat during cooking, so roast goose is usually stuffed with a sharp sage-and-onion or fruit stuffing. Many cooks prefer to bake the stuffing separately with some of the fat that runs from the goose, and to place an apple and some aromatic vegetables or herbs inside the bird – these flavourings are not served with it.

A pliable breastbone is the sign of a young goose, and a good bird should have a plump breast and a creamy colour. As the bird has a large, bony frame, allow 500–700 g (1–1½ lb) uncooked weight per serving. A 3.5 kg (8 lb) goose will serve 6; a 4.5 kg (10 lb) one will serve 8.

ROAST GOOSE

1 young goose
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 apples, halved
1 onion, halved
3–4 fresh leaves sage, or ¼ teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons flour
¼ cup brandy

Remove excess fat from inside goose and press or cut oil sacs at base of tail to empty them. Wipe bird inside and out with a damp towel and rub inside and out with salt and pepper. Place apples, onion and sage in cavity; sew up opening or close with poultry pins laced with string. Truss goose: tuck wing tips under back, pull loose skin of neck to back and fasten these with small skewers. Tie ends of legs together with string, drawing them close to tail. Prick breast all over with a skewer and dry bird well. Brush a roasting tin with the oil and place over high heat.

Dust goose with flour and place in tin, turning to sear all over. Warm brandy, set alight and pour over bird. (This adds flavour and also sears off any remaining pin feathers.)

Place goose, breast up, on a rack in the tin, cover loosely with foil and roast in a preheated moderate oven (180°C/350°F) for 25 minutes per 500 g (1 lb) or until juice runs clear when a fine skewer is inserted between top of leg and body. Remove fat with a spoon or bulb baster as it accumulates, and remove foil for last 30 minutes to give goose a good golden colour. For a crisp skin, increase heat to very hot (220°C/425°F) 10 minutes before end of cooking time, and flick a little ice water over breast once or twice during this time. Leave goose on a heated platter in a warm place for 20 minutes before carving. Serves 6.

NOTE: The goose may be loosely stuffed with a mixture such as Apple, Prune and Nut Stuffing, or stuffing may be baked separately with some of the fat that runs from goose. Any leftover fat, lifted from the chilled pan juice, is delicious spread on bread or used for frying potatoes.

GOOSEBERRY

A summer fruit that can have red, yellow or green berries that are either sweet or tart. Gooseberries are grown in cool climates and are widely used in the northern countries of Europe. In English home-cooking, gooseberries are used in tarts, desserts, jams, jellies and sauces, or poached in syrup flavoured with elderflower. Gooseberry sauce is traditionally served with mackerel, but is good with any oily-fleshed fish, and with roast duck or roast pork. Gooseberry Fool is also a delicious favourite for dessert.

If you cannot buy or grow fresh gooseberries, canned or frozen ones can be used for tart fillings, sauces and fools.

GOOSEBERRY SAUCE

250 g (8 oz) fresh gooseberries, or 2 cups drained canned gooseberries
2 teaspoons caster sugar
60 g (2 oz) butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup hot water
½ teaspoon ground ginger
salt and freshly ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

If using fresh gooseberries, top and tail them, cover with cold water and simmer gently until tender. Purée drained fresh or canned gooseberries and sweeten with sugar. Melt half the butter in a small saucepan, stir in flour and pour on hot water. Stir until boiling and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in remaining butter and then gooseberry purée. Finish with ground ginger, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Serve hot with baked or poached mackerel, mullet, tailor or other oily-fleshed fish, or with roast duck or pork. Makes about ¾ cup.

GOUGÈRE

From Burgundy in France, a gougère is a savoury cheese-flavoured choux pastry ring that may be cut into slices and served with drinks, served plain and offered as a light meal with a salad, or made more elaborate with a meat, seafood or chicken filling as a main dish. The smaller bite-size gougères are the perfect food to serve with drinks, especially a glass of red wine.

GOUGÈRE

1 cup plain flour, sifted
pinch each of salt, freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg
1 cup water
125 g (4 oz) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
4 eggs
125 g (4 oz) Gruyère cheese, half grated, the rest cut into small dice
a little beaten egg

Place the water, salt, pepper and nutmeg with the butter in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, ensuring that the butter has melted by the time the water boils. Remove from the heat and add the sifted flour and sugar, all at once. Incorporate quickly and thoroughly with a wooden spoon and continue beating until the mixture balls around the spoon and leaves the sides of the pan.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 1 minute or so before beating in the eggs, one at a time. Beat each egg fully into the mixture before proceeding with the next. Fold in the grated cheese and put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (½ in) plain tube. Grease and flour a baking tray and mark a 20 cm (8 in) circle on it. Pipe a circle of pastry on the tray, following the outline, then pipe another circle on top of the first. Brush with beaten egg and stud with the diced cheese. Bake in a preheated very hot oven (220°C/430°F) for 25–30 minutes or until well risen, crisp and golden-brown. Serve warm, cut into thin slices. For a lunch dish, fill centre with Chicken à la King, creamed seafood or any savoury mixture desired and cut Gougère in wedges to serve. Serves 4–6.

VARIATION

GOUGÈRES: Spoon small balls of the mixture on a buttered baking tray. Prick a piece of diced cheese into each puff, brush with a little beaten egg and bake in a very hot oven (220°C/430°F) for 20 minutes until risen and golden. Serve piping hot. Make ahead by shaping onto baking paper–lined tray and freezing the uncooked gougères. When they are firm and frozen they can be transferred into freezer bags ready for baking at any time. Gougères become cheese beignets when deep-fried until puffed and golden. Makes 30.

GOULASH (GULYAS)

The Hungarian word gulyas means ‘herdsman’s stew’. Goulash is popular all over the world, and in Hungary is regarded as the national meat dish. It is an enticingly rich stew that always contains meat, usually beef or veal, onions and sweet or spicy paprika. Goulash should never be thickened except with the use of diced potato. The meat is best cut into large pieces, about 5 cm (2 in), to prevent breaking up during the long, slow cooking process, and the paprika should not be cooked over high heat without liquid as the heat turns it bitter. Sour cream should be served in a bowl on the table for the diners to help themselves.

HUNGARIAN GOULASH

2 tablespoons lard
4 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1.5 kg (3 lb) veal neck chops or steaks, cut into 5 cm (2 in) cubes
1 tablespoon paprika
2 green peppers, cored, seeded and chopped
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
noodles and sour cream to serve

Heat lard in a flameproof casserole and add onions and garlic. Cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes or until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add veal cubes and sauté until golden. Reduce heat, sprinkle with paprika and cook very gently for about 10 minutes. Add green peppers and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, cover and cook goulash in a preheated slow oven (150°C/300°F) for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with buttered noodles and a bowl of sour cream handed separately. Serves 6–8.

GRANITA (GRANITE)

Granita and spumone are the Italian names for the soft, water ices which are also called sorbets or sherbets elsewhere, although they are unlike some sorbets. Granita should have a slightly granular texture; it can be made from sweetened fruit juices, soft fruit or coffee.

GRANITA DI CAFFÉ (COFFEE WATER ICE)

150 g (5 oz) freshly ground Continental roast coffee
6 tablespoons sugar
4¼ cups boiling water
whipped cream and extra ground coffee (optional) to serve

Put coffee and sugar into a warmed earthenware jug and pour boiling water over. Cover jug, stand in a saucepan of boiling water and leave to infuse off the heat for 20–30 minutes. Cool. When cold, strain through a filter paper. Pour into a shallow ice cream tray and freeze, without stirring, until frozen to a granular but solid mush. Serve in tall glasses, topped with whipped cream and a sprinkling of ground coffee. Serves 4–6.

GRAPES

Grapes from the vine have been celebrated down the centuries as much for their decorative qualities as for the pleasure of eating them. A fine bunch, served at the end of a meal with creamy cheese or, in the Italian way, on ice, has an air of luxury and refreshes the eye as well as the palate.

When buying grapes, look for those which are fully ripe but still fresh. Dark grapes should have lost any tinge of green, and white grapes should be just beginning to show an amber tone. All varieties should be plump, with a bloom on the skin, and be firmly attached to the stem. Stems should not be withered, although they should be showing some brown. Store grapes unwashed on a plate, loosely covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.

Canned grapes are also available and make an attractive addition to many sweet and savoury dishes.

Ways to use grapes:

• Chilled grapes are a perfect picnic dessert – carry them in a covered container with a few ice cubes.

• Use grapes in fruit salads, bowls and platters; serve them on ice or with creamy cheese at the end of a meal.

• Grapes combine well with poultry, ham or crab in main course salads, and with ingredients such as apples, pears, watercress, hearts of palm, melon, celery, cottage cheese, walnuts or endive in first-course or side salads.

• They also make a good garnish or sauce for hot ham, tongue or game birds and for fish, particularly sole. A grape garnish gives the name véronique to a dish.

To peel grapes: Most grapes can be peeled easily with the fingers or a small knife. If they prove difficult, dip them in boiling water while you count to 4, before peeling.

To seed grapes: The seeds are easily flipped out with the point of a knife if grapes are halved. If you want to keep grapes whole, push the prongs of a bobby-pin into a cork and use the other end to hook out seeds through the stem end of the grapes.

Frosted grapes: One of the prettiest decorations for a holiday cake, dessert or fruit bowl. Beat 1 egg white just until frothy and brush over a bunch of grapes, coating each fruit. Dredge with caster sugar, turning to cover all over, shake off excess and dry on a wire rack.

GRAPE JELLY

underripe grapes
sugar

Put grapes into a heavy saucepan with just enough water to prevent scorching. Stir and crush. Stew over gentle heat until juice runs freely, then strain through a colander lined with several layers of cheesecloth and set over a bowl. Do not press grapes; just allow juice to drip through slowly. Chill juice, then measure it by transferring with a cup measure from the bowl into a saucepan. Do not use sediment. Add ¾ cup sugar for every cup of juice. Stir over heat until sugar has dissolved, then boil rapidly until a few drops of the mixture, dropped onto a chilled plate, will jell as they cool. Pour into warm sterilised jars and seal. Keeps for 12 months. Use on toast, to glaze tarts, with scones and cream or on ice cream.

NOTE: For sterilising jars and storing preserves see Jams.

GRAPE ICE CREAM

A simple and delicate ice cream, the colour of lilacs.

2½ cups cream
1¼ cups unsweetened grape juice
cup caster sugar
little fresh lemon or lime juice

Mix cream, grape juice and sugar, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Add lemon or lime juice to taste. Freeze in an electric ice cream maker or sorbetière (see Ice Cream). Serves 6.

GRAPES BRÛLÉE

3 cups seedless white grapes (sultana grapes)
1½ cups sour cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla essence
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar

Arrange grapes in an even layer in a 23 cm (9 in) heatproof glass pie plate or other shallow dish. Mix sour cream and vanilla, and spread over grapes, covering them. Chill for at least 2 hours. Cover with a layer of brown sugar so that none of the cream shows through, then place dish under a preheated very hot grill until sugar melts – watch carefully and remove before it blackens. Cool, then refrigerate for several hours before serving. Serves 6–8.

GRAVLAX (MARINATED SALMON)

A dish synonymous with Scandinavia: fresh fish, traditionally salmon, is cured for 3 days before serving. It is often accompanied by Mustard and Dill Sauce, or mustard-flavoured sour cream. It is a tradition to pack the prepared fish in the snow; however, modern refrigeration has largely replaced this practice.

GRAVLAX (MARINATED SALMON)

750 g (1½ lb) fillets fresh salmon, salmon trout or large trout
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup coarse salt
1 teaspoon white peppercorns, cracked
1 large bunch fresh dill
¼ cup Cognac or brandy
¼ cup dry white wine

Place 1 fillet skin side down on a plate, sprinkle thickly with sugar, salt and white pepper, cover with plenty of dill sprigs and press on seasonings. Cover with second fillet of fish, skin side uppermost. Sandwich remaining fillets in the same way. Select a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold the fish, pour in Cognac or brandy and white wine and place fillets in it, with seasonings sandwiched between them. Cover with plastic wrap, weight with a 1 kg (2 lb) weight, and let marinate in refrigerator for 3 days. Turn fish every 12 hours, basting with marinade and separating fillets a little to baste fish inside. After 3 days remove weight and plastic wrap. Transfer with a slotted spoonto a cutting board. Separate fillets, scrape off dill, and cut fish horizontally or on an angle into 5 mm (¼ in) slices, cutting it off neatly without any skin. Place slices on black bread, top with a swirl of sour cream mixed with mustard and a sprig of dill, or serve with Mustard and Dill Sauce. Serves 6–8 as an appetiser.

GRAVY

A sauce made in the pan from the browned, coagulated juices left after meat is roasted or pan-fried. It is made by deglazing, that is by adding liquid to the pan and scraping and stirring the flavoursome bits into it as it boils. The liquid used may be vegetable cooking water, stock, wine, cream or a mixture of these.

A good gravy should be well flavoured and light-bodied so that it ‘shows the meat’. It is usually rather scant since the rich meat flavours are lost if too much liquid is added. A thin or clear gravy (in French, jus), achieves its body by reduction and perhaps a little butter swirled in at the end.

Purists frown on the use of flour to thicken a gravy, but since a great many people like gravy made this way, and since it is, after all, simply a roux-based sauce like many respected classics, it seems unreasonable to decry it. The points to watch are that the flour is browned slowly to give good flavour and colour and that you use just enough to give body, without making the gravy heavy and blanketing.

For a gravy which is lightly thickened but still clear, make jus lié by thickening clear gravy with a little arrowroot, or add body with two or three spoonfuls of vegetable purée (see below).

Clear Gravy: Put a few slices of onion or carrot under meat in roasting tin, if desired, to strengthen flavour of the juices. After meat is cooked, transfer it to a heated platter and keep warm. Heat tin gently on top of stove, allowing juices and sediment to colour without burning. Pour fat off slowly without disturbing sediment.

Off the heat, add 1–2 cups hot vegetable water or stock and stir thoroughly, scraping up sediment. Return to heat and boil until reduced by about one-quarter, stirring and scraping several more times. Add any juices that have escaped from meat. Season, strain and serve very hot. If desired, a knob of butter may be swirled into the gravy, off the heat, at the last moment.

Wine Gravy: Follow recipe for Clear Gravy (above) using half vegetable water or stock and half red or white wine as the liquid. Or make Clear Gravy using all stock and add a glass of dry sherry before reducing gravy.

Cream Gravy: Follow recipe for Clear Gravy (above) using cream or a mixture of cream and stock or vegetable water as the liquid.

Jus Lié: Follow recipe for Clear Gravy (above). Mix a little arrowroot with cold water, using 2 teaspoons arrowroot per cup of gravy. Pour into boiling gravy, stirring until it is clear and lightly thickened. A spoonful of Madeira, port or brandy may be added per each cup gravy to taste; simmer for a few minutes longer before serving.

Vegetable-thickened Gravy: To make a thickened gravy without starch, follow recipe for Clear Gravy (above) and stir in some vegetable purée at the end. Use 2–3 tablespoons purée per cup gravy. For the purée, choose a mixture from mushrooms, cauliflower, spinach, onions, carrots, celery and canned or fresh tomatoes. Simmer in a little stock, or water and a stock cube, with a few fresh herbs or a pinch of dried herbs, and drain well. Purée in a blender or food processor, then sieve. Any leftover purée may be frozen in small portions for future use.

Thickened Gravy: Put a few slices of onion or carrot under meat in roasting tin, if desired, to strengthen flavour of the juices. After meat is cooked, Off the heat, sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour into tin and blend well with fat. Place over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is nut-brown. Slowly pour in 1–1½ cups vegetable water or stock, stirring constantly until smooth. Stir until boiling, then add any juices that have escaped from meat and simmer for 5 minutes. Season, strain to remove lumps and serve very hot.

Thickened Wine Gravy or Cream Gravy: Prepare by varying liquid used, in the same way as for the Wine and Cream variations of Clear Gravy (above).

Onion Gravy: After meat is cooked, transfer it to a heated platter and keep warm. Slowly pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from tin, leaving sediment undisturbed. Add 1 onion, finely chopped, and sauté until softened. Add 1 tablespoon flour and 1 teaspoon dry mustard; stir on low heat until browned. Stir in ¾ cup beef stock; ½ cup flat beer, ½ teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or ¼ teaspoon dried. Stir until boiling, simmer for 5 minutes and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Use for sausages or pork chops.

Mushroom Gravy: Follow recipe for Thickened Gravy (above) but pour off all fat from pan, add 2 tablespoons butter and sauté 1 cup sliced mushrooms before blending in flour. Use cream or a mixture of cream and stock or vegetable water as the liquid. Use for beef steaks, pork or veal chops, meat loaves or hamburgers.

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING

A salad dressing with a subtle piquancy which complements seafood. Try serving Green Goddess Dressing with prawns, lobster or crabmeat arranged on a bed of watercress for a luxurious entrée, or as part of a cold buffet table.

GREEN GODDESS DRESSING

1 cup Mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons snipped chives
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons anchovy paste
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine mayonnaise and sour cream, then add remaining ingredients and mix well. Makes about 2 cups.

GREEN PEPPER

See Peppers, Sweet.

GRIBICHE SAUCE

Use this lovely hard-boiled egg mayonnaise with fish or cold meats.

GRIBICHE SAUCE

3 hard-boiled eggs, halved
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1½ cups olive oil
½ cup vinegar
½ cup finely chopped sour gherkins and capers, mixed together and drained of moisture
2 tablespoons finely chopped mixed fresh parsley, chives, tarragon and chervil

Separate egg yolks from whites; cut whites in julienne (matchstick) strips and set aside. Mash egg yolks and add salt, pepper and mustard. Add, very gradually and while beating constantly, the olive oil and vinegar. Stir in egg white strips, gherkins, capers and mixed herbs. Makes about 3 cups.

GRIDDLE CAKES (GIRDLE CAKES)

These little flat cakes were originally cooked on the griddle or girdle irons which gave them their names. Today, they are cooked on a griddle iron or hotplate or in a frying pan. Griddle cakes can be sweet or savoury and eaten at any meal or as a snack during the day. They are usually based on a batter mixture of varying thickness, according to the type of griddle cake being made.

There are as many varieties of griddle cakes as there are different types of flour or meal – Russian Blini are made with buckwheat flour, Scottish Oatmeal Bannocks and Australian Pikelets with refined wheat flour. Each is a type of griddle cake.

When you cook griddle cakes, make sure the iron, hotplate or frying pan is hot enough. Test by sprinkling the heated surface with a few drops of water; if the drops dance, the heat is right, and if they splatter and break up, it is too hot. The iron can be greased or not, depending on the recipe and batter mixture.