Julie’s pikelets

Quite a few moons ago, I used to go to Julie and Herb Barlow’s house most Fridays. We’d all go to Friday Mass at St Mary’s then Fr Owen Doyle, Vin Tuohey and myself would head back to the Barlow home for morning tea.

There would always be Julie’s pikelets, buttered and spread with some of her home- made jam. Yum.

I’d go home and try to replicate the pikelets, looking up various recipes which involved melted butter, baking powder, vanilla essence, butter milk . . . but with very little success.

So I asked Julie for her recipe.

• 1 cup SR flour
• 2 dessert spoons of sugar
• 1 cup milk
• and 1 egg. That’s all!

I went home and tried that recipe - and they still weren’t as good as Julie’s. And then I stood and watched Julie make them one day and realised one of the reasons mine weren’t as nice as hers.

As I cooked mine, I laid them out on a cake cooler. Julie stacked hers up on a plate which meant they sort of ‘steamed’. At last I was going to be a Pikelet Queen. I even bought a dark glass plate like Julie’s in case that was part of the secret.

And I was quite pleased with the result and offered to take over the Friday pikelet job. Well, it wasn’t always a rip roaring success as I’d sometimes forget to flip the pikelets at the right time, so that they looked more like crumpets, but no one was game to complain.

I’ve continued making pikelets for many years now (I usually butter them and sprinkle them with cinnamon sugar). I took some to the ANZAC day service at the hall this year.

But I was quite taken aback when a young Mum turned up with a batch of HER pikelets which were much nicer than mine! She says she doesn’t really have a recipe - just puts this and that in a bowl and mixes it all up.

Botheration! I may have to go for a demo. PS I’ve just remembered another hint that Julie gave me: don’t keep greasing the pan - especially now when non-stick cookware’s available. I use my sandwich-maker to cook mine these days.

Glen