bacon froise

Bacon Froise

A friend of mine who is a "furriner" is intrigued by the names the British give some of their more traditional dishes and I delight in feeding him the ones that are less likely to appear on a restaurant menu. So when he popped round on Saturday afternoon, I had thought to make an easy standby - "toad-in-the-hole", which is essentially just sausages cooked in a savoury pudding batter and served with gravy. Sadly I had forgotten to buy any bangers, so decided to revert to a "froise" instead, the name if nothing else, being delightfully cosy.

This rather frugal dish is an old English recipe dating back to about the15th century. The "froise" (or "fraize") is a batter-like mixture, which was probably originally cooked in the hot fat that dripped from a spit-roasted joint.

It is a tasty economical recipe, delicious served with mushrooms, lightly cooked in a little lemon juice flavoured with black pepper and grilled tomatoes. In this case (see picture above), I threw in a little chopped salad too.

Serves: 4
Skill level: Easy

ingredients:
50g plain flour
1 x egg
150ml milk
black pepper, to taste
4 x streaky bacon rashers, chopped
1 x egg white
butter, for frying
grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, to serve

directions:
Sift the flour into a bowl.
Break in the egg.
Gradually add the milk, beating to form a smooth batter.
Season with pepper.
Gently cook the bacon in a frying pan until the fat runs and the bacon is crisp. Drain well.
Whisk the egg white until stiff, but not dry, and lightly fold into the batter.
Melt a little butter in the frying pan until sizzling. Add half the batter and spread out to cover the base of the pan. Cook over a moderate heat until the bottom is a light golden brown and the top is just beginning to set. You have to be careful here, since you will be cooking for a further few minutes (see below) and you don't want to burn it's bottom!
Scatter the bacon over the surface of the batter and cover with the remaining batter. Cook until the top is set, then turn the 'cake' over and brown the other side.
Transfer to a warmed plate and cut into wedges.
Serve accompanied by mushrooms and tomatoes.

tip:
Makes a great supper and an interesting cooked breakfast.