My lace group in Kurri Kurri, NSW, Australia has our Christmas get together close to Nov 25th - Catterns Day. Each person contributes some food to share - in Oz we call this "bring a plate" - and also a small gift (to an agreed value) which is put into the lucky dip basket. Some people bring lace to do but mostly there is general chat, often someone who has been travelling will tell us about their craft related doings. My contribution is the Cattern Cakes. The recipe was found online and the result is a very authentic British style of cake. Maybe an American would call them a cookie - they are somewhere between a cake and a biscuit in type.
Recipe: 9oz/275 gms SR flour (cake flour ie.including raising agent) 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1oz/25 gms currants 2oz/50 gms ground almonds 2 teaspoons caraway seeds 7oz/200 gms castor sugar 4oz/100 gms melted butter 1 medium sized egg beaten Cinnamon and fine sugar mix for sprinkling Heat oven to hot Sift flour and cinnamon together Add currants, almonds, caraway seeds and sugar Add melted butter and beaten egg Mix by hand to give a soft dough but dont handle too much. Roll or push out on a floured surface to a rectangle about 12 x10 ins, 30 x25 cms. Brush the surface with water Sprinkle on the cinnamon/sugar mix so that the surface looks brown. Roll up the dough from the long side. Slice into approx. 3/4in /2cm slices 12 or so cakes Place well apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, so that they are beginning to brown but don't overcook. They will puff up a bit and spread out. They should be more crumbly and chewy than crisp when cold. The result is a spiral which represents the wheel on which St Catherine was martyred. They are very quick to make, and best made on the day of eating. So to answer your queries Devon: The mix is a dough but but not made with yeast. Caraway seeds are essential, as are currants, and the cinnamon layer to give the wheel effect. And the ground almonds give the texture. Phil in Maitland NSW - To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [email protected]. For help, write to [email protected]. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
