elizabeth_mn (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
elizabeth_mn) wrote2015-01-05 12:11 pm
elizabeth_mn) wrote2015-01-05 12:11 pm
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Historical Food Fortnightly #15: Nun's Farts
Or Nun's Puffs, if you prefer. But I would never miss a chance to say fart. Because I never grew up.
The Challenge: 15. Sacred or Profane December 14 - December 27
In this challenge, be as divine or as devious as you like! It could be a food with connections to a religion, a dish served for sacred celebrations, or a concoction with a not-so-polite name. Whatever your choice, show us how naughty and/or nice you can be! Ok so I am late, oh well.
I first heard of Nun's Farts, or pets de nonne, in the Green & Blacks Chocolate cookbook. Their version is baked and includes chocolate. The recipe I chose is fried and filled with whipped cream.
The Recipe: Nun's Puffs from A Text-Book of Cookery.
The Date/Year and Region: 1897, east coast USA
How Did You Make It: This was a very simple batter. I melted the butter in water in a pot, then added flour and cooked for a few minutes. When this was cool(ish), I added the eggs, beating well after each. The resulting mixture was a lovely golden yellow. I am grateful to have access to a wonderful local egg producer; the flavor and deep yellow of organic eggs is definitely noticeable in egg-rich recipes like this.
I heated a big pot of sunflower oil (the best vegetable oil for frying; it tolerates high heat and has a mild flavor) to about 350 and dropped in spoonfuls of batter. They really puffed up quickly!
The first few I could have cooked a little longer, because they got a little shirively after cooling. But it's January in my Minnesota kitchen so it was pretty cold in there. You can see the ones in front that have just come out vs. the ones in back that have cooled and shrunken.
Some puffed up so much that they cracked open and kept expanding.
I filled some of them with freshly whipped cream, using a pastry bag, and the rest were dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
Time to Complete: About an hour.
Total Cost: Not much, maybe $3-4.
How Successful Was It?: These were pretty delicious. The interior was very open and hollow, and very eggy, like a popover. They were soft, not crisp, on the outside. They could have been just a little sweeter for me; a light dusting of sugar on the cream-filled ones would not have been excessive.
How Accurate Is It?: I imagine lard would have been used for frying; I used sunflower oil instead. And I whipped my cream with an electric mixer.
The Challenge: 15. Sacred or Profane December 14 - December 27
In this challenge, be as divine or as devious as you like! It could be a food with connections to a religion, a dish served for sacred celebrations, or a concoction with a not-so-polite name. Whatever your choice, show us how naughty and/or nice you can be! Ok so I am late, oh well.
I first heard of Nun's Farts, or pets de nonne, in the Green & Blacks Chocolate cookbook. Their version is baked and includes chocolate. The recipe I chose is fried and filled with whipped cream.
The Recipe: Nun's Puffs from A Text-Book of Cookery.
The Date/Year and Region: 1897, east coast USA
How Did You Make It: This was a very simple batter. I melted the butter in water in a pot, then added flour and cooked for a few minutes. When this was cool(ish), I added the eggs, beating well after each. The resulting mixture was a lovely golden yellow. I am grateful to have access to a wonderful local egg producer; the flavor and deep yellow of organic eggs is definitely noticeable in egg-rich recipes like this.
I heated a big pot of sunflower oil (the best vegetable oil for frying; it tolerates high heat and has a mild flavor) to about 350 and dropped in spoonfuls of batter. They really puffed up quickly!
The first few I could have cooked a little longer, because they got a little shirively after cooling. But it's January in my Minnesota kitchen so it was pretty cold in there. You can see the ones in front that have just come out vs. the ones in back that have cooled and shrunken.
Some puffed up so much that they cracked open and kept expanding.
I filled some of them with freshly whipped cream, using a pastry bag, and the rest were dusted with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
Time to Complete: About an hour.
Total Cost: Not much, maybe $3-4.
How Successful Was It?: These were pretty delicious. The interior was very open and hollow, and very eggy, like a popover. They were soft, not crisp, on the outside. They could have been just a little sweeter for me; a light dusting of sugar on the cream-filled ones would not have been excessive.
How Accurate Is It?: I imagine lard would have been used for frying; I used sunflower oil instead. And I whipped my cream with an electric mixer.