On our must-try list: Ployes — a traditional Acadian pancake that cooks on one side
Alain Bossé shows us how to nail the no-fail, no-flip flapjacks first made in New Brunswick’s Madawaska region
Even the most prepared meal-planners among us have probably had one of those mornings where it’s time for breakfast but there’s nothing left in the fridge… or the fruit bowl… or the bread box. This easy buckwheat pancake recipe from Alain Bossé’s cookbook The Acadian Kitchen is the answer to those occasions. Made from a mix of pantry staples, the traditional Acadian dish cooks quickly in a cast iron on one side, so you don’t even have to worry about getting that flip just right. Serve ‘em sweet, or serve ‘em savoury — either way they’ll look impressive.
Ployes
By Alain Bossé
Ployes are a traditional Acadian dish that originated in the L’Acadie des Terres et Forêts region of New Brunswick, and they are still very popular in this northern region. Because they only had a few ingredients, they were affordable and would give added substance in times when food stores were low on supplies. Ployes were most often served with maple syrup, molasses, or a pork spread called creton, and they usually accompanied all three meals.
Ingredients
- 1 cup buckwheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups cold water
- ½ cup boiling water
Preparation
In a large bowl, mix buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Add cold water and mix well; let stand 5 minutes. Add boiling water and mix vigorously; let stand another 5 minutes.
Ladle ¼ cup batter at a time onto a hot, lightly greased skillet (cast iron works best), using a 2 oz ladle to pour the batter. Using the back of the ladle, quickly spread batter in a circular motion so that it is quite thin. When the surface is dry and the ploye is covered with holes, it is ready to be removed from the pan. Unlike pancakes, ployes are cooked only on 1 side.
For best results stir batter between each ploye.
Yield: Makes 6-8 ployes
Excerpted from The Acadian Kitchen: Recipes from Then and Now by Alain Bossé. Recipes Copyright © 2018. Excerpted by permission of Whitecap Books. All rights reserved.