Sweet potato pancakes can be made savory too

Friday, January 1, 1904

To Reach UsFare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send.* Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750.* E-mail: janehenegar@gmail.com.* Fax: 423-668-5092.

Good morning, readers. The day begins with two new requests, for biscuits like the store-bought frozen ones and for a cold lemon picnic chicken. Additionally, we still are looking for apple-onion soup; a January recipe for a salad dressing, featured on the John Tesh show, made with canola oil and herbs; chocolate lush with toffee candy and a nutty crust for dessert tarts or pies. In looking back at 2012 requests, I am amazed, and then again not amazed, that you have found most of them.

It is Chickamauga Mom who is seeking "a good recipe for biscuits like the ones you can buy frozen. I have tried my regular recipe, and they won't rise or brown."

The next request is for a chicken recipe featured years ago in Fare Exchange. The requester remembers that it was from a Mrs. Taylor and worked well cold to take on a picnic.

Brief biscuit and picnic commentary: There was a time when almost every cook had his or her favorite biscuit recipe. As a newlywed, I worked with a Head Start teacher here who made biscuits every single morning for her family; oh my. ... And my own mother was such a biscuit expert that I didn't dare attempt her craft. Secondly, we don't seem to do much picnicking these days, and, despite the attendant bugs and heat of summer, picnics are a fine tradition.

Barbara's most recent addition to the dessert category in our Taste section is a simple one.

Nutty Peach Crisp

1 can (29 ounces) sliced peaches, undrained

1 package yellow or butter pecan cake mix

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 can flaked coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

Arrange peaches in an ungreased 13- by 9-inch dish. Sprinkle dry cake mix over top. Drizzle with butter; sprinkle with coconut and pecans. Bake at 325 F for 55 to 60 minutes, or until golden. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Yield: 12 to 15 servings.

We've been discussing caramel icing of late. Two more voices joined the chorus: Jo Shipley credited the recipe from Mrs. Ben Haden in Helen Exum's Chattanooga cookbook as truly never-fail but advises sifting the powdered sugar to make the results a sure thing.

And Becky McGee sent the Real Thing, in honor of "Miss Gertrude Oehmig. I remember having her layer cake with caramel frosting at Loveman's Tea Room. It was delightful. Miss Oehmig was a fabulous cook, and we can thank her for many of our old Southern recipes that we all enjoy today."

Ms. McGee made a couple of changes to the recipe, namely a buttered saucepan and an added 1/4 cup Karo syrup.

Miss Gertrude's Caramel Frosting

1/2 stick butter (no substitute)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup light Karo corn syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Melt butter in saucepan, coating sides. Stir together in saucepan sugar, heavy cream and corn syrup, and let boil until mixture forms a soft ball in cold water. Add vanilla at end; remove from heat and let cool. Beat until creamy. This recipe is simply delicious.

The request for sweet potato pancakes did not specify whether the tasted, tasty pancakes were sweet or savory, so an anonymous reader found both, neither of which he or she has tested. The first recipe, a savory one, came from Whole Foods.

Sweet Potato Pancakes with Garlic, Herbs and Onion

These pancakes are made with shredded sweet potatoes instead of cooked mashed potatoes, and they go well with chicken, pork or tofu. Cooking pancakes in coconut oil adds a tropical flair. Serve with ricotta cheese, cottage cheese or Mascarpone cheese for a special treat. These pancakes, you will note, are prepared in a covered skillet.

2 medium sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and shredded (about 4 cups)

2 tablespoons white or brown rice flour (wheat flour may be substituted)

Sea salt

White pepper (optional)

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon dried fines herbes

1/2 cup minced yellow onion

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 to 3 tablespoons coconut oil or high-heat sunflower or safflower oil

Place shredded sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with rice flour, salt, white pepper if using, garlic granules and fines herbes. Mix well. Toss in minced onion, Pour in egg mixture, and mix until egg completely coats sweet potatoes.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet. Working in batches, and using more oil as needed, use 1/2 cup sweet potato batter to make each pancake.

Cook, covered, for 5 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Remove to a platter and serve immediately.

Makes 5 servings.

Nutrition Information: Not including ricotta or cottage cheese, 270 calories per serving, 9 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 5 grams protein, 43 grams total carbohydrate, 5 grams dietary fiber, 29 grams sugar, 85 milligrams cholesterol, 340 milligrams sodium.

Sweet Potato Pancakes for Breakfast

11/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

31/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

11/4 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes

2 eggs, beaten

11/2 cups milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine remaining ingredients; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Combine remaining ingredients; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop by tablespoons onto hot greased griddle or skillet, and fry, turning once, until browned on both sides.

Serve with maple syrup or your favorite syrup and melted butter.

Makes about 24 pancakes.

At the end of a column, I usually have questions for you: What are you cooking these days? Why can't my pancakes ever look perfectly round and dribble-free? What about fish for supper? How are you simplifying? What's the most appreciated meal you have prepared of late? What food have you given as a gift to someone you love, and/or someone who was feeding you supper? If you've got answers, please share them -- and I know you have answers.