Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Grandma's Bonfire Parkin

 Grandma's Bonfire Parkin

Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated in Great Britain on November 5. It's a tradition where they remember the failed attempt by a group of disgruntled Catholic conspirators to blow up Parliament and King James I with it. (See more about Guy Fawkes Night a.k.a. Bonfire Night in Friday's post.)

I was given this Bonfire Parkin recipe, which is traditional in Yorkshire, by an honest-to-goodness native of Britain.  I thought I would share the recipe with you. It has a very nice, strong ginger flavor and mine turned out more like a hearty bar than a cake. They are excellent with a cup of strong coffee and cream. (Sorry, tea is good, but I must break with the British here.)

Grandma's Bonfire Parkin
  
My friend listed amounts in grams. I weighed them, then converted them to cups. I'm giving you both.

Tin - 7 inches square cake tin lined with non-stick paper, Oven at 325 degrees F.

4 oz. (3/4 c.) Self-rising flour
4 t. powdered ginger
pinch of salt
8 oz. (2 1/2 c.) porridge oatmeal (rolled oats, not steel-cut)
2 oz. (1/8 c.) butter
4 oz. (1/2 c.) Golden Syrup (light corn syrup)
4 oz. (1/2 c.) Black Treacle (I used dark, unsulphured molasses) I can't hear the word 'treacle' without thinking of Bertie Wooster and his attempt to steal a painting for Aunt Dahlia! (see YouTube below)
4 oz. (7/8 c.) soft dark brown sugar
1 egg, beaten


Mix all dry ingredients.

Melt butter, sugar, syrup, and treacle very gently in saucepan, stirring all the time until just melted together. DON'T let it get hot. (I melted the butter first, then dissolved the brown sugar in it, then added the syrups).  Add to dry ingredients and stir well.


Add beaten egg, and a little milk if needed.


Pour into tin and bake until golden brown and firm to touch. Mine was done at 45 minutes.


Leave to cool, then cut into squares. It's nicer if after cutting it's left in a tin for a couple days.


*******


My husband's reaction was hilarious when he first tasted it, but I think it grew on him. He kept coming back for more. :-) It was his idea to serve it with strong coffee and cream. And he was right! It is definitely for those who enjoy strong flavors, which I do.




This post is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays
and Tasty Tuesdays
and Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods



P.S.      Don't Forget to Vote Today!

 

And just in case you're interested in watching the YouTube offering I mentioned,

14 comments:

Denise said...

Sounds interesting my friend.

Unknown said...

I have never even hear of Bonfire Parkin....it sounds very interesting.. I would definitely try this. I'm always up for trying new things!

Kim of Mo Betta said...

I think I would love this! I really like ginger and molasses is one of my favorite things!! I may have to give it a try, but I'm sure I'd have to eat it all by myself (but that's okay too!)

Michelle said...

This looks great! I love baked goods with oats in them! Voted early, so I got that done, check! I also see that you have written an adorable children's book! Unfortunatly our library doesn't have a copy but I'm going to request that they get one:-)

Michelle said...

Ps-I don't know how I've missed the book after all these visits!

Sue said...

I love bars, and my husband is crazy about ginger. These sound/look wonderful!

Empty Nester said...

I'm going to try it, looks like something Hubs will like!

Judy S. said...

Sounds like gingerbread with oats in it...interesting. We voted and are looking forward to no more robo-calls and nasty ads.

Jami said...

A very unique recipe, I do love oats, so I may give them a try, though I'll probably have to go light on the molasses so that my kids will eat them. :)

Bethany Nash said...

"I have no intention of stealing a painting, with or without the assistance of treacle."

It looks like Hugh Laurie just about cracked a smile delivering that line... certainly gave me a good laugh!

PS That's for posting the video... saved me the trouble of looking it up ;)

Linda... said...

Sound like something I'd like to try!
http:://Lindalovedsblog.blogspot.com

Heide said...

Did you know King Arthur Flour sells genuine Golden Syrup??!! Just dicovered this yesterday. Would be interesting to try it!

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/lyles-golden-syrup

P. S. They also have a lot of gluten-free products.

Yenta Mary said...

Oh, I love molasses and ginger and oats -- I am SO making these!!!

partialemptynester said...

I would totally dunk mine all the way down into the coffee...mmMmmm...and that would probably be a break from the British, as well, lol!

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