Sunday morning pancakes

                                              

                                                Total time: 15 to 20 minutes

                                                Serves: 2 - 4

           

            Like everything, when it comes to pancakes, personal tastes are all over the map. Some people are under the impression they like the discus-sized cakes one gets served at a diner, stacked high on the plate, ready to absorb a pint and a half of artificial syrup. These individuals are sadly mistaken. They just haven’t sampled anything better.

            This recipe is about small and moist cakes, delicate and spongy, maybe a little crispy at the edges. It features the rich sweet flavor of bran, not too much, but just enough.

            It is also about approximate quantities. Each new batch is a little different from the last one. The basics of this recipe were inspired years ago by my friend Charlie Walters. He used the palm of his hand to measure out the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. After seeing him do that, I never went back to measuring spoons. With a little practice, you can gauge quantities quite well, and the hands-on approach adds a certain intimacy to food preparation. Once you get comfortable you can throw the recipe together automatically, half asleep, or while recovering from the worst of Sunday morning hangovers.

MUSIC: Rachmaninoff’s Vespers or Faure’s Requiem (both under Robert Shaw’s direction). Be gentle. This is not a Kurt Cobain breakfast.

HERE’S ALL YOU NEED:

1. Flour, about ½ Cup, all purpose white, or whole wheat if you like.
2. Wheat bran: about ¼ Cup
3. 1 large or 2 small eggs
4. Baking soda: ½ teaspoon approximately. (put ½ teaspoon of baking soda into the palm of your hand to learn the volume for future measuring).
5. Baking powder: ½ teaspoon approximately.
6. Salt: ¼ teaspoon approximately.
7. Yogurt (plain!), or buttermilk or part sour cream: about ½ Cup
8. Milk: to dilute batter to right consistency: usually about ½ Cup (see below)
9. Cooking oil (vegetable oil, safflower, canola, etc): 1 Tablespoon in batter, 1 Tablespoon in pan for first batch (melted butter is fine as alternative).

           

HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

• Put all dry ingredients, egg, yogurt, and oil into a bowl.
• Add milk (usually about ½ Cup) and mix (with hand whisk or spoon). Use enough milk to achieve correct consistency: somewhat thick, a little jiggly. Let sit for five minutes for the leavening soda/powder to go to work.
• Heat skillet to low to medium, until a splash of water bounces around in little beads.
• Add 1 Tablespoon of oil to the hot pan and spread evenly. Pour off some oil if it looks like too much.
• Ladle batter in tablespoon size (four to a 10 inch skillet). Flip when firm enough and golden brown. Serve directly when done, or transfer to warm platter. Serve on warm plates with one of the toppings below.

VARIATIONS ON THE THEME (and TOPPINGS):

1. A word about maple syrup. Don’t make this recipe if you plan to use artificial commercial maple syrups. Use only authentic maple syrup. Real maple syrup comes in light, medium, and ‘standard’ (the darkest). The finest, most delicate flavor is the light variety. The others can be overpowering. If you have never had real maple syrup, the flavor may surprise you, but it usually doesn’t take long to convert even the most resistant.
2. Apple/pear sauce: This is fantastic as an accompaniment to pancakes, with or without maple syrup. Peel and cut into coarse chunks: 2 pears (Anjou or Comice are best, but any will work beautifully) and 2 large apples, into a 1 or 2 quart sauce pan. Heat on medium heat with 10 - 15 raisins, covered, with a splash of water to prevent sticking. When soft (5 to 10 minutes usually), stir or mash into a coarse sauce. Add a little sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon carefully, to taste.
3. Heated blackberry sauce. Heat fresh or frozen blackberries with splash of water until softened, add sugar and a dollop of Cointreau and cook for 2 minutes. Don’t use maple syrup with this one; put berries directly on the pancakes.
4. If you like banana, a small quantity of mashed banana can be added to the batter, but not too much or the cakes remain too wet. Even better is to use coarsely chopped banana as a topping. Great with maple syrup.

About the eggs: for more fluff, separate the egg and beat the whites, then fold into the batter. It is wonderful now and then. Beaten egg whites yield bouncier batter and very light pancakes.

About yogurt, milk and buttermilk. The best pancakes contain some fat. Non-fat pancakes are so unsatisfying and thin in flavor. Yogurt goes from non-fat to over 10% or higher in the Balkan or Greek styles. I often use 3% yogurt and dilute the batter with skim milk. Buttermilk is usually non-fat, so add yogurt, sour cream or whole milk for body. Any combinations of the above ingredients work well.