Well, I finally got around to making Rhode Island
johnnycakes with my authentic Rhode Island johnnycake
meal that I picked up in, where else, Rhode Island
last fall. I was waiting to replenish my supply of
maple syrup at the PA Maple Festival. So, I finally
got the syrup and finally got around to making the
johnnycakes.

I followed the direction on the bag of johnnycake
meal for "thin johnnycakes". This is basically adding
milk until you get the correct texture. I had no
idea what they meant by that but assumed that it had
to be pourable.

So, I heated some bacon fat in the skillet and pour in
batter to make 4 small cakes. They were not what I
would call thin - they were about 1/4 inch thick.
They browned nicely and I turned them and browned the
other side. I put them on the plate and topped each
one with butter and poured syrup over all.

I noticed that they were nicely crisp on the "first"
side. The center was dense and thick. The didn't
soak up the syrup like regular pancakes do. Also,
the butter didn't soak in. They were okay but not
something I would go looking for to make again.

I still have half a bag of meal left so I will perhaps
try one of the other versions printed on the bag.
There were "thick johnnycakes" and one or 2 other
types.

I was surprised when I opened the bag to find that
the meal was very finely ground, almost like regular
flour. I had assumed that it would be more like
cornmeal and gritty in texture.

Well, it was definitely an interesting experience.
Maybe the next time I'm in Rhode Island I will try
to find a place that serves good ones and see how
close mine came to what they're supposed to be like.

Kate
--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?