Tags
bannocks, Ellis Vidler, Prime Target, recipes, Scotland, Suspense
”Halloween. How can I work Outlander into Halloween?
I watched the first episode of the TV series (all I can get L) and had to read the book again. For three days, that’s all I’ve done—immerse myself in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander, for maybe the fourth time.
So what to do for Halloween? Have a bloody, battered Sam Heughan answer the door? Would that scare you?
Possibly not the reaction I’d have in spite of the blood, so I’ll go to plan B.
What if I offer bannocks to the trick-or-treaters? Jamie ate a lot of bannocks in that book, so they must be good.
Okay, it’s an idea.
First I had to look up bannocks.
Apparently they’re a sort of bread, similar to a thick pancake, American biscuit, or a thin scone, according to the first couple of recipes I found. Lo! Then I found a site devoted to the Outlander kitchen, but the bannock looks like the oatcake pictures. And the first thing it says is to grind the flours with a coffee grinder. Somehow that takes away from the authenticity, even though the cakes sound right otherwise. (I should have paid attention to this.)
Oatmeal to Americans is porridge, and we used rolled oats to make it.
So I thought maybe steel-cut oats, being smaller, would be better than rolled oats, which are more common here. NOT! There is no way this is going to turn into dough.
Time to try the rolled oats. Hmmm. Another mess. Loose and flaky, never going to stick together.
Now I have two bowls of oaty stuff that will never be any kind of bread, so I abandoned that recipe and moved on to one that sounded more modern.
http://outlanderkitchen.com/2014/08/13/bannocks-castle-leoch/
This version calls for flour and rolled oats. (Even though the recipe says to grind the oats, I didn’t.) It also said to use milk and yogurt. I used buttermilk. There are always exceptions when I cook, usually based on what’s in the kitchen at the time.
These ingredients looked much more promising.
My Bannocks
(I used bread flour because it’s hard instead of the soft flour we use for biscuits. Hard flour is surely what’s grown in Scotland, right?)
Flour, 2 cups
Quick rolled oats, 1 cup
Baking powder, 1 tablespoon
Sugar, 1 teaspoon
Salt, ½ teaspoon
Butter, cold, ¼ cup (1/2 stick)
Buttermilk, 1 cup
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease baking sheet.
Combine dry ingredients in bowl. Grate cold butter into mixture and rub or cut in.
Add buttermilk and mix quickly to make dough. Mine was not sticky but rolled into a ball easily. Roll out on floured board to about ½-inch thick. Cut into rectangles (saves having those odd bits to form into another ball) and arrange, not touching, onto baking sheet. Bake about 12 to 15 minutes.
Woohoo! Edible bannocks, or at least something close. Eat warm with butter and jam or whatever you fancy.
This is the recipe I used with a few changes:
http://outlanderkitchen.com/2014/08/13/bannocks-castle-leoch/
Here’s one that looked right, but I didn’t want to grind the oats. Should have.
http://outlanderkitchen.com/2011/11/21/jocastas-auld-country-bannocks-from-drums-in-autumn/
This one, from Glasgow, is the one I wanted to use. http://www.glasgowguide.co.uk/scottish_recipes_Bannocks.htm
Several generations back, my MacFarlane ancestors lived by Loch Lomond, not too far from Glasgow.
So, says I, maybe I’ll have some inherent affinity for them. Sadly, this was not to be. The first two batches of yucky oat stuff came from this recipe. Incidentally, I have the clan badge my mother gave me.
It’s a bit different from the ones I see on the Internet, with arrows instead of a sword. I have no idea where it came from or anything about it.
http://www.glasgowguide.co.uk/scottish_recipes_Bannocks.htm
4 oz (125g) medium oatmeal (1.4 cups) Additional oatmeal to be added when kneading 2 teaspoons melted fat (bacon fat is best, if available) Pinch of salt ¾ tablespoons hot water 2 pinches of bicarbonate of soda
NOTE: “Oatmeal” must be oat flour. Who knew?
I don’t think I’ll be offering bannocks for Halloween treats; mine are sort of like harder American biscuits. Good though. Do you all make bannocks? How?
Parkwood Press
ASIN: B00N34SOV2
After witnessing her husband’s murder, Madeleine Schier becomes a killer’s target. She flees her upscale New York life to become a name on a tombstone, relying on her wits and imagination to survive in a world where danger is everywhere. One wrong move could be her last. Should she trust the damaged recluse who’s always near? Before long, her new life turns into her old nightmare when crimes that were once distant horrors on the nightly news turn up on her doorstep.
Find Ellis Here.
http://theunpredictablemuse.blogspot.com/
Ellis writes the stories she likes to read–action, adventure, and heart. She falls in love with the characters, flawed but striving to do the right thing, and hates leaving them when the book is finished.
From early childhood she’s told stories (not quite how her mother put it) and collected strays. She imagined herself as everyone from Little Red Riding Hood to Robin Hood and shared their adventures through long hours of reading beneath the covers by flashlight. Her career began with illustrating, moved into editing, and then writing. She also taught fiction writing. Her website is ellisvidler.com. She loves to hear from readers.
Her novels are suspense stories with varying degrees of romance
Thanks, Shey, for having me. Next time you’re in the neighborhood, stop by for tea and bannocks. They might be a wee bit hard, but those hamsters have sharp teeth. They can help. 🙂
I will stop by Ellis. Count me in. The dudes too.
Oh, they will soon polish them off. They eat anything. Lovely to have you visit Eillis. Must say your book sounds excitingly right u0p my street xx
I’ll mention bear… Hope that you invite me one, dear Shehanne!!!! ❤
Great overviews on Ellis Vidler's book and regarding bannocks… well I have never eaten those ones but will definitely pass the recipe to my mom who is a great cook!.
Much love and all the very best to you, always! ⭐
Aquileana 😀
Thank you Aquileana. The hammies would LOVE to send you a bear but they are all cowering under stones right now, quivering in their hamstah boots. Maybe your mom will make you some bannocks, or have the recipe to give Ellis? Keep up with the myths, paintings and poetry shares. Lots of love to you in return. xxxxxxxx
Aquileana, would your mother be Canadian? Maybe she’ll know what she’s doing. Let me know if she makes bannocks. The myths and paintings are beautiful. Myths are good for story inspiration–all the stronger emotions are there.
When Scottish recipes call for oatmeal or oats, do they mean oat flour? If I grind rolled oats in a blender, will that do it? Anyone know?
Well, thing is here Ellis you can buy big bags of oats. You can get them rough, or fine milled, that looks not unlike wheat germ. You can also get flour with oats, or chuck em in the flour, say for making a crumble. I’m guessing if you ground rough oats you would get fine ones so…
I’ll grinding some rolled oats and see. I think specialty stores may sell oat flour, but I’ll try grinding first. It’s fun to experiment once in a while.
I think that is probably what to do. Oat flour here is flour with oatmeal in it. Amazing how different the same thing cane be– eh- across the pond?
It’s nice to know you are getting your oats Shey 😉 I prefer my porridge with hot milk and Tate & Lyle golden syrup. Not with salt. Yuk ! xox ❤
Now Ralpha man, just cos you won the last blog round…. Seriously, I don’t like porridge at all. But with hot milk and golden syrup I might re-consider that stance, seeing as you recommend it. ❤
I should try it if I was you. It’s great ! ❤
SInce you recommend it…..ok x
We cook porridge with milk and put a little brown sugar and butter on it. Good and filling enough to last until dinner (the last meal of the day).
I’ve heard of bannocks through history class and settlers as well as Native Canadians eating them as a staple. Here’s a recipe I found: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/bannock.php It’s a bit different than the traditional Scottish. No oats in these I think. Great post Shey and Ellis. I really enjoyed your adventure with trying something new. Your book sounds very intriguing and suspenseful. And I love the cover! 🙂
Yes!!!! Another recipe. Ellis does write very suspenseful books and her covers are always a treat. Her recipes are too by the looks of them. And I mean she has plenty time to try another….Don’t you Ellis?????? Lovely to see you Felicity.
I’ll make time. What’s a few more calories in a good cause? Bannocks today, oat cakes tomorrow, . . . who knows what will be next? 🙂
Thanks, Felicity. Glad you like the cover. I stumbled across the photo and contacted the photographer, who sold it to me. Figuring out how to use it took some time, but it was fun. Steam Bunny has an interesting cover too!
I looked at the Canadian recipe.It sounds rather like a fried American biscuit. I’ll try it and see what happens. Thanks for sending the link.
They sound good, though, the bannocks. I know that website, Outlander Kitchen.
You have set yourself a busy week! And I rather fear the hamsters may be encountering a few too many bears for their liking. 😉
Ellis’ novel sounds gripping!
Hi, Lace. The bannocks were good–maybe not like real bannocks but still tasty.
You must all write steamy romance. I can read it but writing it is beyond me. I hope you like suspense too, because the sex will be very disappointing in mine. But Casablanca is one of my favorite movies. I can’t think how many times I’ve seen it.
Contrary to popular belief, writers of steamy romance do, once in a while, enjoy reading something that isn’t necessarily filled with sex, lust, desire, heartbreak, and reunion. 🙂
Actually, I’m quite a fan of a good suspense story, that keeps me on the edge of my chair, heart pitter-pattering with anticipation, not knowing what will happen next. Will she escape and survive? Or will the bad guys get her? Are the bad guys who we think they are? Turn the page to find out…
Ah, then we’re even, because I like a good steamy romance too. My critique partner writes both suspense and erotica. It seems like a good fit. 🙂
well…I think they may live to regret it Lace. Lovely to see you. And let’s hope there are no bears when you are over here this week xx
The bears, in my experience, have been quite tame and friendly. It seems that writers are not on their diet. I’m not sure I can speak for hamsters, though.
When I was a child, I had hamsters. One had a fondness for fingers. Those teeth are wicked!
Hmm.. the little dudes will be sure to take care of any bear…..
Shey, I followed the links with the names and found a website, two blogs and a twitter page. The books look interesting. I’ll track them down this week. Glad to have met everyone!
Ellis…I want a pic of your bannocks to show here!! There’s a lot of readers here who don’t write steamy romance. In fact there’s a very mixed bunch come by here. You would be kinda surprised! And as Lace sez, we don’t all read it 24/7. Suspense is a pretty popular genre. No-one would ever be disappointed with the ‘lack of steam’ in your books. It’s wonderful to have you here again and that’s all there is to it!! Hugs. xxxx
For me, suspense and romance go together. One enhances the other. My books all have some degree of romance, but they don’t have the 50-50 balance RWA wants. So I call most of them suspense with a love story, hoping most readers won’t be disappointed.
The picture above with the bannocks on the blue plate, red-patterned napkin, and the apple is mine. But I can send you another. I’m going to try the Canadian recipe today, and maybe grind the oats for another. I can freeze them. Having company at Thanksgiving, so they’ll be good (crossing my fingers) for breakfast then.
I’m a big fan of “mixed” genre writing. If it’s not “romantic” enough for suspenseful romance, then call it romantic suspense! There are writers writing romantic horror, thriller romances, science fiction romances… Anyway, yes, I totally agree that the genres go well together.
Lace, I like crossovers too. I’m not a purist in any way, just enjoy the stories and characters and what happens. One of the comments I got from agents back when I submitted was that it’s a good story but doesn’t fit the genre; bookstores couldn’t place it. I always thought that was way too limiting. Some of the smaller presses are much more open now, and I like the result. A good story is a good story.
Ellis, I tried for years to fir the mould and eventually I thought stuff it. My biggest fear became having the heap of crap I was writing that wasn’t me accepted and then I might have to write more. It’s good now that some presses have more vision.
Yes, it’s encouraging, for writers and for readers. Glad you stuck to your vision and it found a good home. I made my own home. 🙂
I know you did. GOOD ON YOU! What tickles me about how you can’t have this and you can’t have that is that these same editors etc will say they have no idea what is going to sell. SO…. gimme a break. x
The important thing is to write4 what you are comfortable with and what is you. There is nothing worse than trying to fit a niche when you can’t. I’m pretty sure you don’t disappoint x
That I do–write what I’m comfortable with. I have a psychic series and a group of security consultants. First I have to fall in love with the characters, then I find the story. How do you do it?
I must get a series up on just this topic Ellis. It’s fascinating to know how authors construct. I just see this one scene. That’s it. It’s an image – usually somewhere near the start and I try telling it to naff off, but it won’t go. I truly never ever know where anything is going next . I frequently sit down to write without a clue that way. And no matter how I want my characters to be– and truly I want them to be nice– these other lippy horrors get in on the act.
The opening of Lady Fury must be such a scene. I love the atmosphere in the room with the potential “donors.” I could see each of the characters and feel her tension. Good work, Ms. Shey!
Oh my lord, Ellis, thank you so much. The opening was all I could see. But Flint was so much nicer and helpful, the old friend and adviser. Alas, he threw a big spanner in my works by coming off the page the exact opposite. What you’ve said means a lot to me. Thank you.
Certainly sounds like an interesting recipe to try out! It’s always fun to try (and taste!) something new 😀
I like to try things, but some turn out much better than others. 🙂 I tried this egg and blueberry thing microwaved in a mug, and it looked like something regurgitated by a cow. Horrible on all counts. The bannocks were definitely better.
Mishka lovely to see you. You’ll be here this week too. I don’t know about microwaved in a mug. yeah I never manage to do much more than defrost. Glad the other things turned out,.
Great fun – as always. Those poor little hammies still haven;t got their week – and now they’re terrified of the bear! Ellis – glad I’m not the only one who has – ahem – adventures – in the kitchen! Good luck with the book. Sounds great
Thanks, Catherine. Adventures is the right word for my kitchen experiences. It’s apple season here, and I’m looking for a pie recipe. The last two were okay but could be better. Maybe if I have one of your ghostly drinks first, the cooking will go better. 🙂
Oh yeah…A fav of mine at this time is toffee fudge crumble. I pour some brandy into the mix.
Cat..hugs. They will get their week. They got it planned! As to what kind of week it will be…well… xxxxxxxxxx
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2023636/toffee-apple-crumble
Okay, found this. By “fudge,” do they mean the actual candy or just blocks of chocolate? I’m learning to ask for the translation first.
Lol, it’s amazing how the lingo differs! By fudge they mean http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fudge
we call it fudge but you probably call it candy. To complicate it yes, we have diff flavours here and one is chocolate!
I think I’d prefer shortbread to bannocks, but this was a fascinating post. Thanks Ellis and Shey.
Lol, but shortbread wouldn’t have the same alliteration as blood, battered bannocks, it might be sh*^%y you know, shortbread. And of course it was the Highlanders’ staple fare. Personally I ain’t a fan of either!! Whisky neither. But I get to say that. Lovely to see you, especially when you must be busy busy busy. xxx
“Blood-battered bannocks?” Oh my.
I have a delicious recipe for shortbread from my husband’s family. Mary came from Scotland during WWII, and she still has a lovely lilt to her voice and rolls her rrrrs.
Awwww, Ellis, tell us why she moved over then. I’ve done all my family history that I can and it fascinates me where folks came from and got to, Families are like drops of water that way. Also you must share that recipe. If you do it on your blog I will link it. If not and you want to send it……the hammies promise not to eat it. the recipe that is. xx
My husband is from Hastings (1066 and all that), and during WWII, his cousin was stationed near North Berwick. He lodged with Mary’s family, and when it was time for him to go home, they married and went to Hastings. A few years later, they immigrated to Toronto. Mary’s father was a groundskeeper at St. Andrews. She had a beautiful voice, and when we visited, they took us to a pub where they were singing folksongs. Mary sang My Ain Folk, and the whole place quieted down to listen–one of my fondest memories. That and the shortbread. 🙂
My Ain folk? Well, there’s quite a song. I live about 16 miles from St Andrews. Lovely place. Steeped in history. Ellis, this is a great story. I’ll tell you now, I have some of my ain folk traced back far as I can…there’s been a few unusual names which let me do it…and one arrived here, not long after 1066, in that neck of the woods. I’m not all Scots.
I’ve traced some of my family too. Maybe that’s one reason I like historical fiction. The Duke family was easiest and goes way back, but my ancestors are from all over Britain with one distant branch either Swiss or German.
I posted the shortbread recipe at http://theunpredictablemuse.blogspot.com/
Oh..I ‘s off tah look . It never ceases to amaze me where people came from and got to. I see your folks are the same. x
Noelle, Found you on Twitter. Must check your Robin Hill books! Thanks for commenting!
Noelle’s latest is coming out soon. She’s another talented lady, just like yourself. xx
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