Idol worship
Tuesday, December 5, 2006 at 10:35AM 
I was recently watching a biography on Nigella Lawson and was surprised to hear about the controversy surrounding the title of her book How to be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking. Though I may be behind the times to discuss an almost six-year-old debate, at the time I had been unaware of the outrage expressed over her title.
Long story short, some reviewers took the title rather literally, believing that it implied a throwback to pre-feminist ideology. Nigella’s proponents jumped to her rescue, declaring the statement to be facetious; a cheeky attempt at irony.
While an admitted Nigella fan, I will not take this opportunity to defend her humour. Instead, casting aside the trappings of gender roles, I pose a question - is it, for a female or male, terrible to wish oneself worshipped for a job well done?
On the field, in the classroom and around the conference table, we are taught to perform to the best of our abilities. And there are goals to which we choose to aspire, without thought of apology. Why should it be any different in the domestic realm? Is it not one of the most basic, and somewhat noble, desires to want to be able to provide delicious food for those you love?
As much as there is art in the culinary world, there is also basic skill. Some behaviours are learned and it is a talent that can be improved. There is effort; frequently resulting in sweat and sometimes dissolving into tears. Anyone who has ever attempted a holiday meal for family and friends can surely attest to that.
It is in light of this struggle that I will proudly show off my collected burns that decorate my hands and forearms, the nicks on my cutting boards or the scorch marks on my pots and pans. I have survived the trial by fire and come out with feast fit for celebration. Truth be told, I would fully expect the display of these war wounds to illicit an appropriate amount of fawning attention from my loved ones.
With imminent adoration in mind, I happily face the Saturday morning request from my dear Sean - pancakes. Quite content, you will most often find me padding about in fuzzy slippers and spatula in hand, lazily flipping cakes and feeling rather pleased with myself.
Over the years I have played with recipes, striving for perfection and finally settling on one which seems to meet the criteria. Most recently, our bundle of boy, Benjamin, has started stealing nibbles (no syrup, of course). Two clean plates, two toothy grins and two rounded bellies is praise enough for my efforts - and I feel blessed enough, indeed.
I would like to dedicate this post to my dear, dear friend Michèle, a goddess in her own right.
Spiced pillow pancakes
With the subtle warmth of spice floating up from the pan, these fluffy cakes offer some wintertime aromatherapy. It hardly needs saying, but these call for nothing less than a drizzle of your best amber maple syrup. One apology - I always hate a recipe where you have an egg yolk left over. If you choose, omit the third egg white and reduce the flour by 1/4 cup. You will, of course, sacrifice a bit of lift.
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
4 tablespoons golden or brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon (a good pinch) ground cardamom
3 egg whites
2 egg yolks
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
6 tablespoons melted clarified butter, plus more for cooking
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. Set aside. In a small bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Set aside. In a third bowl, whisk together the remaining wet ingredients to combine.
Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until just dampened. Some lumps are a good thing here; you are not going for a perfectly smooth batter. Add a dollop of the egg whites to the batter and fold to lighten. Once fully incorporated, fold in the the remaining egg white. Again, I do not mix to fully combine; the batter should be striped with white and tan at this stage.
While the batter rests, preheat a non-stick or cast iron griddle over medium heat. Lightly brush with melted clarified butter if desired. Ladle about 1/3 cup of the batter onto the pan. Cook until the edges become dry and bubbles begin to form in the centre, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until golden and puffed, about another 2 minutes. Remove to a platter and keep warm in a low oven if needed. Continue until all batter is used.
Makes 20 pancakes, serving about 6.
Notes:
• Vegetable oil can be substituted for the clarified butter.
• Grated apple can be added to this batter. You may need to adjust the flour accordingly.
• If looking for ease of cleanup and perfectly-portioned cakes, use a spring-loaded ice cream scoop instead of a ladle.
Reader Comments (10)
Tara, thank you so much for the dedication you old softie you! I must admit I kind of like being referred to as a goddess! You and I have discussed before how old school we might seem for wanting our kudos in the kitchen--I could stub my toe on the bed and it would just make me flustered, but I could slice my finger chopping onions and it's a badge of honour that is worn proudly!
I have yet to try your time tested pancake recipe on G, but once we get to London it's definitely going to be on the menu!
these sound and look delicious.
absolutely beautiful.
okay so are you a chef or a food stylist?
Hi Tara
To be honest, what I enjoy about Nigella is that she takes a "how to fake it within reason" approach. She allows us the pleasure of feeling like we've provided well for our loved ones without making us feel that every dish we make needs to look like a Thomas Keller creation or have a recipe which starts with "first pick a basketful of peas from your backyard". Neither does she take the other extreme and show us how to construct a meal completely out of canned and frozen goods. Happy Holidays!
Hello Tara,
Thank you for your insights on Nigella. I think she is a positive influence and we women can celebrate our cooking and baking at home. And more and more of our husbands like being their with us (mine does:-). But together we wonder sometimes why the professional kitchen is still almost totally the domain of the men. All this experience of women cooking and baking doesn't leave the home enough.
I heartily agree with your post! It is not so much a throw back to pre-feminism as a call to be recognized for a job well done--no matter if the cook is a man or a woman, providing sustenance and making it delecious is an activity that is not highly prized in our frozen and fast food happy society, but it should be! As a self- identified, "postmodern" feminist, I always groan internally when people assume I play a 1950s housewife just because I love to cook and bake!
Your pancake recipe looks wonderful--can't wait for a Sunday to try it!
I LOVE this paragraph of yours "It is in light of this struggle that I will proudly show off my collected burns that decorate my hands and forearms, the nicks on my cutting boards or the scorch marks on my pots and pans. I have survived the trial by fire and come out with feast fit for celebration. Truth be told, I would fully expect the display of these war wounds to illicit an appropriate amount of fawning attention from my loved ones."
I think it's a beautiful sentiment, and the pancakes sound delicious!
michèle you are truly deserving of the moniker, to be sure. And I'm sure that your G appreciates all your efforts.
petite gourmand, thank you for the compliments! I am not a food stylist or chef, just an all-too greedy home cook.
s, I do agree. But at the same time, I think that Nigella's 'cheats' are not true fakery. As you say, while she takes shortcuts (like saying make a course, buy a course), she does not resort to much by way of processed or prepacked food. Things like hummus may be bought, but she seems to do so with a thought to maintaining a quality standard.
marieke, what a true sentiment. It is a shame that the talent of the female home cook seems to be a separate character entirely from the professional realm. It is good to see women who have become legends like Alice Waters in what has been a man's world.
kristina, I cannot say another word. Beautifully put!
Thank you, joyful abode - lovely name too!
beautiful photography and great recipe! I'm so glad I discovered your blog this evening :)
Tried these tonight and they were awesome! Forgot to add the clarified butter/oil and they were still wonderful. Thanks for a great recipe!
Best pancakes I've ever had! ty