Showing posts with label Houghton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Houghton. Show all posts

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Pasties are Comfort Food





After a day on the boat in upper Michigan, we needed comfort food. Mary Nomenilli brought authentic Finnish pasties from Houghton, Michigan.

Historymaker Rose Mofford told us her family tradition of serving Cornish Pasties in Globe, Arizona. Along with her food memories, we printed the recipe in Tastes & Treasures cookbook on page 133.

Cornish Pasties

Ingredients for Pastry:
2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon salt

½ cup shortening

1 cup beef suet, finely chopped

4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Filling Ingredients:
2 pounds round steak or other lean beef, cut into ½ inch cubes

2 or 3 potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 or 3 small onions, coarsely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

butter

Directions for the pastry:
Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the suet and toss with a fork until combined. Add just enough of the ice water to make the dough adhere and mix well. Knead lightly and shape the pastry into a ball. Chill, covered , for 1 hour.

Directions for the filling:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the steak, potatoes, onions, salt and pepper in a bowl. Pat the pastry on a lightly floured surface into ¼ inch thick rounds 8 or 9 inches in diameter. Press on the pastry to flatten pieces of the suet. Spoon ¼ to ½ cup of the filling onto half of each dough round and dot with butter. Moisten the edge with water and fold over to enclose the filling. Press the edge with your fingers or a fork to seal. Arrange the pasties on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour.

Makes 8 pasties

Monday, August 23, 2010

Pannukakku, Finnish Pancakes




Pannukakku is the premier pancake of Finland. Visiting Houghton, Michigan for a Mich. Tech. Univ. reunion was a great excuse to sample the tastes of the Copper Country. The Suomi Bakery and Restaurant in Houghton has been serving Finnish food for 50 plus years. The crowds at the door every morning are a tribute to their popular cuisine. The formula of using 1/4 cup flour to 1/4 cup milk to 1 egg per serving is basic for Pannukakku but it can be varied with sugar and seasonings to taste. It is more like a custard than a pancake but try them yourself for a taste of the Old World.

Ingredients
1-1/2 cup flour (1/2 C whole wheat can be used)
1-1/2 cup milk
6 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter for the baking pan
heavy cream for whipping

Directions
In a bowl, whisk together first 5 ingredients until no lumps remain. Let stand 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Melt butter in a 9×13 pan by placing it in the preheating oven. (Remove pan when butter is melted to avoid scorching.) Brush entire pan with melted butter before pouring in the pancake batter. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until edges are puffed high and golden. Top with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Serves 4 – 6

Note There are so many choices to put on top Pannukakku. Experiment with fresh lemons and powdered sugar; raspberries or blackberries or blueberries in syrup. The Raspberry Puree recipe in Tastes & Treasures page 25 would be wonderful. It is an historic recipe from The Cottage Place Restaurant in Flagstaff.