Staffordshire Oatcakes

Method

1. If using rolled oats, grind them fine in the blender.
2. Mix the flour, oatmeal, salt and yeast in the large bowl.
3. Whisk in the warm water and milk, at about body temperature, to a smooth batter the thickness of heavy cream.
4. Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm place for 1 hour, until bubbly.
5. Pull the skin and bones off the duck legs and shred the meat.
6. Warm the duck with 1 tablespoon of its fat and the whisky in a small saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until soft and moist; season with pepper.
7. Mix the sour cream with the rocket.
8. Warm the redcurrant jelly with 1 teaspoon of water until runny.
9. Stir the batter; if it has thickened, loosen it with a little warm water.
10. Heat the frying pan over medium heat and brush it with a little oil and melted butter.
11. Pour in about 90 ml of batter and tilt the pan to spread it thin.
12. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until the top is set and full of holes and the underside is golden.
13. Flip and cook for 1–2 minutes more, then stack the oatcakes under the tea towel, brushing each with butter. Make 8.
14. Scatter the Cheddar, diced tomato and duck over one half of each oatcake.
15. Fold each oatcake in half over the filling, then in half again into a triangle.
16. Warm the filled oatcakes in the pan for about 1 minute per side, until the cheese melts.
17. Set two oatcakes on each plate with dots of redcurrant sauce, the cherry tomatoes, a spoon of rocket sour cream, the frisée and the sprouts.
18. If you have a smoking gun, cover each plate with a glass dome, fill it with smoke and lift the dome at the table, as the chef does.

1. Let’s prepare the dough.
2. Grind the oat-flakes with a blender
3. Dissolve the yeast in a small amount of warm water
4. Mix the flour and oat-flakes, season with salt
5. Add the yeast, the remaining water and milk
6. Stir well until smooth
7. For tasty pancakes, cover the dough and put it in a warm place for 1 hour
8. If the ready-made dough seems too thick, you can add some warm water into it. To get thin pancakes, the dough consistency should be as heavy cream.
9. How to cook pancakes
10. Add the olive oil and butter mix to a well-heated frying pan
11. Pour the dough into the frying pan: 1 ladle of dough = a pancake, ½ ladle = a real Staffordshire oatcake
12. Fry the pancakes on both sides until golden brown
13. Fold the pancakes in a stack, brush each pancake with butterl
14. Filling:
15. Stew the duck meat at low heat with the addition of whiskey until smooth.
16. One half of the pancake sprinkle with cheddar cheese, tomatoes concassé and semi-finished duck, close the pancake.
17. Fold the pancake in half diagonally.
18. Decorate the plate with currant sauce, quartered cherry tomatoes, sour cream and frieze salad.
19. Smoke the dish directly before serving.
20. Put the dish on the plate, smoke it and immediately serve.
21. Smoke it under the glass cup.
22. But you can change the cup with any deep gastronome pan.

The dish in the photograph was cooked by the restaurant for this story. Photo: Oleksandr Slyadnyev.