Recent news, and saltcakes

[ashnistrike]

I'm neck deep in terrifying Deep Roots edits, but wanted to share a couple of posts elsewhere:

I joined Fran Wilde and Aliette de Bodard for the latest episode of Cooking the Books. Also on their site: the long-awaited honeyed saltcake recipe! 

Petra Mayer interviewed me for the NPR Books blog. I may have squeed a little, because NPR.

Comments

[eagleoftheninth]

I finally got around to making these!

I made the proper Deep One version and found that amount of salt very good indeed, though you'd want a drink on the side. I didn't use schmaltz in the end because my co-cook doesn't eat meat.

They turned out slightly burned, but we think that was due to a temperamental aging oven. They were very good regardless if you ate around the burnt bits. For the salt topping I found fleur-de-sel mixed with dried seaweed at a specialist spice retailer's.

The recipe amounts given didn't yield 21 cookies though. I got 12 on my baking sheet plus about one or two cookies' worth more of leftover batter.

[ashnistrike]

Glad to hear they worked out. Seaweed, what a good idea!

[eagleoftheninth]

When I saw the fleur-de-sel-with-seaweed in the shop I was like 'This may not be in the letter of the recipe but I think it is true to the spirit of it.'

I plan on making the other two recipes now they've been released too; for the boiled potatoes I plan to take Neko's suggestion and double the apples but otherwise cleave to the recipe exactly, but I am afraid I am considering amendments to the holiday fish stew. I'd want it spicier, sweeter and less strongly fishy. I hope Aphra will not be too badly offended if I bring (part of) my own heritage into the kitchen and make beelines for garam masala and tamarind paste.