Thursday, January 23, 2020

La Pescajoune Savoureuse au lardons

A peasant recipe from the Languedoc region of France, the records I found are all for a sweet apple dish. I reasoned that, since one of the essential ingredients for the real deal recipe was lard, that it would lend itself to a savory version. And we quite like it. Loads of variations are possible, but this is the basic recipe for the savory version. Parmesan is an important ingredient, for its strong, sharp flavor that gives the dish the spike of flavor that ignites the rest.

¾ cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
¾ cups milk
6 eggs
1½ cups (total 6oz) grated cheese (a mix of ⅓ Parmesan and ⅔ Gruyere is very nice)
3 slices bacon (105 g), cut into lardons
1 onion, sliced thin

  1. Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and cheese. In a large bowl whisk the eggs; add the flour mix and combine until there are no lumps, then add milk and mix until perfectly smooth. Let the batter sit for at least the time it takes for you to prepare and cook the rest of the ingredient.
  2. Heat an 8 to 10" pan and add the bacon. Just when it starts to release its oil, add the onion and cook together over medium low heat until the onion becomes quite soft and brown. The browning is very important - the more caramelized, the better.
  3. Once cooked, drain from the oil and add to the batter; mix thoroughly. 
  4. Pour the batter into the oily pan (you can remove all but about 2 tsps of the oil if you want, or leave it all in). Cook, covered, over incredibly low heat until the underside lightly browns and the top becomes firm.
  5. Meanwhile, lightly grease a dinner plate for the next step.
  6. Upturn the plate on top of the pancake, hold firm with your hand, grab the handle of the pan and flip the pancake onto the plate. Set the pan back on the stove-top and slide the pancake back into the pan to finish cooking, just enough to lightly brown.
  7. Once browned on both sides, flip back onto the plate and serve immediately.