It Takes the Biscuit!

About author / Rebecca Michaels

Queen of the desserts and pastry chef extraordinaire; graduate French Culinary Institute; Golden Scoop Award winner; Flying Monkey Bakery founder

I was going through my piles of cookbooks and I ran across a cookbook from Britain, On Baking by Sue Lawrence, a renowned Scottish baker and author. As I leafed through the pages, I pondered the fact that even though we both speak English on either side of the Atlantic, there are some vast differences in our use of language. Particularly in food is where some of the biggest differences stick out.

British desserts and baked goods have funny names. I'm sorry. They just do (I expect an article on the same from a counterpart over there!). And they don't call it dessert; it's called "pudding," kind of how even a can of Mountain Dew in the American South is referred to as a "coke." However off-putting the names of some of these dishes might be, they are just as delicious and really quite similar to many sweets and breads we eat over here.

Spotted Dick: Perhaps the most notorious of desserts, it sounds like a state bird or worse, but it is actually quite a nice "pudding" similar to our Boston brown bread. Basically, it's a steamed cake made with raisins or sultanas (yellow raisins). I've seen some classic recipes that include suet, not an ingredient normally found in an American pastry chef's kitchen, much less the home cook's. But the newer variations skip that component. Don't forget that classic mincemeat is also made with suet and that's yummy! Read your labels carefully vegetarians.

Treacle: No, you're thinking of barnacles! It's an ingredient similar to molasses or golden syrup. I've seen another steamed cake similar to spotted dick referred to simply as "treacle," but it also is used commonly in a treacle tart, which is akin to our shoo fly pie.

Selkirk Bannock: A classic Scottish yeasted raisin bread. It was said to be a favorite of Queen Victoria, who would eat a slice with butter every day for breakfast. Incidentally, Selkirk was the home of William Wallace, a.k.a. Braveheart. "Bannock" means loaf.

Kentish Huffkins: I love that name! "I'll take two Kentish huffkins, please. And a coffee. Regular." But alas, they are not as exotic as one might think. They are quite simply soft-crusted oval rolls with a characteristic dent in the middle. Serve warm from the oven with lots of butter and tea, of course.

Stottie Cake: The British version of focaccia. It's a fat-rich bread baked in a flat pan. It's even dimpled like focaccia and is used similarly for sandwiches.

Orkney Broonie: Another Scottish classic that is a light gingerbread enhanced with oatmeal.

Parkin: Claims its origins from either Yorkshire or Lancashire depending on whom you ask. Similar to the Orkney broonie, but described as more dense, dark and crumbly.

Singin’ Hinnies: Named for the sizzling noise the dough makes when it hits the griddle, this is basically a fried scone made with currants. Similar to our own Johnnycake. Serve warm, split open and slather on the butter. (I'm starting to see a pattern here. . .)

Petticoat Tails: A rich yet delicate shortbread made with corn flour and sprinkled with sugar when it comes out of the oven. A favorite of Mary Queen of Scots.

Teisen Lap: A spicy moist cake studded with dried fruit from Wales. Miners used to bring it down to the pits because it kept well and was tasty eaten either warm or cold. Probably it's better without coaldust.

I could go on, but this fine array of classic British baked treats is the bees knees. Recipes for all of them are very easy to find. Before you hop the pond, try making some for yourself and Bob's your uncle! Best of British to you!