Oatcakes by MollyDunlop

Here is the oatcake recipe I use. It's from Dan Lepard's book The Art of Handmade Bread, which you must all go out and buy now, to make up for my stealing his recipe.

Oatcakes

1.5 cups (250 g) fine oatmeal
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1.25 tbsp (20 g) unsalted butter or lard
6 tbsp (100 g) water at room temperature
additional oatmeal for rolling

In a bowl, combine the oatmeal, salt and baking soda then rub in the butter until all the lumps disappear. Add the water and mix to a soft dough.

Sprinkle a little oatmeal on the work surface, place the dough on top, and sprinkle more oatmeal over the dough. Use the heel of your hand to flatten the dough, then sprinkle again, over and under, with oatmeal. Roll it out to a scant 1/4" thickness. You may need to run a spatula under the dough to make user it doesn't stick. Cut out disks with a 3" cutter, and place on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with oatmeal. You can rework this dough without destroying the structure, so re-roll it as needed to get as many cakes as you can.

Bake at 400 F (200 C) for 30-40 minutes, until crisp and beginning to brown at the edges. Cool on a rack, then store in an airtight tin.

You don't so much bake oatcakes as dry them; the oven will fill with steam as they cook. It is almost impossible to screw them up unless you actually burn them. They're excellent with butter and a sharpish berry jam or good marmalade, and very good with cheese or smoked fish.

New Home

When Salon Table Talk closes on 10th June, 2011, the Otter discussion thread will continue at drive we said. In fact, we're there already--join us!

Romany Creams by liz isabella

Biscuit
1/2 lb butter, plus 1 tablespoon butter
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut
2 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, melted
1/2 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon baking powder

Butter cream filling
1 lb icing sugar
1/4 lb butter, softened (not melted!)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons milk
A couple of teaspoons of reserved melted chocolate

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cream together butter and sugar; add flour, coconut, and baking powder.

3. Dissolve melted baking chocolate by whisking into boiling water; add to mixture. Reserve a teaspoon or two to mix into your filling.

4. Roll mixture into small 1-inch balls. 5. Place balls on greased cookie sheet and, using a fork, press criss-cross to flatten.

6. Bake in a moderate oven, 350F, for 10 to 12 minutes until desired doneness (some people like them crispier than others); let cool on a wire rack.

7. Make the butter cream filling: cream one-third of the icing sugar with softened butter and salt in large bowl.

8. Blend vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons milk and remaining sugar into mixture.

9. Gradually stir in remaining milk to filling until desired spreading consistency is reached.

10. When cookies have cooled completely, sandwich them together with the butter cream filling.