Pancakes

By -
pancakes

After all that info about carnival food and Shrove Tuesday, what else makes sense but a great recipe for pancakes? This is from one of my favorite basic cookbooks, The New Doubleday Cookbook by Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna.

Basic Pancakes

We double this to make breakfast for four in our family. I always make the Buttermilk Pancakes unless we happen to be out of buttermilk in which case the regular recipe is also delicious.

1 cup sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons cooking oil, melted butter or margarine

Preheat griddle over moderate heat while you mix batter or, if using an electric griddle, preheat as manufacturer directs. Sift flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder into a bowl or wide-mouthed pitcher. Combine egg, milk, and oil, slowly stir into dry ingredients, and mix only until dampened -- batter should be lumpy.

When a drop of cold water will dance on the griddle, begin cooking pancakes, using about 3 tablespoons batter for each, allowing plenty of space between them and spreading each until about 4" across.

Cook until bubbles form over surface, turn gently, and brown flip side. (Note: for extra-light and tender pancakes, turn before bubbles break and turn one time only.)

Stack 3-4 deep on heated plates and keep warm while cooking the rest. Serve as soon as possible with butter and maple syrup.

For Thinner Pancakes:
Add 2-3 extra tablespoons milk.

If Batter Has Stood Awhile:
Mix in about 1/4 teaspoon additional baking powder before cooking.

Buttermilk Pancakes:
Prepare as directed but reduce baking powder to 1 teaspoon, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and use 1 cup buttermilk instead of sweet milk.

Whole Wheat Pancakes:
Prepare as directed, using 1/2 cup each unsifted whole wheat flour and sifted all-purpose flour; increase milk to 1 cup.

Nut Pancakes:
Prepare as directed and just before cooking fold in 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, or roasted peanuts.

Berry Pancakes:
Prepare batter as directed and just before cooking fold in 1/2 cup berries (any kind as long as they're small and well drained).

Cornmeal Pancakes:
(This is my variation. Can't remember where I picked it up.)
In a double batch of regular pancakes use 1-1/2 cups flour and 3/4 cup cornmeal.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amaretti

By -
Image
I kicked off our Christmas cookie season by whipping up a batch of Amaretti. Absurdly simple, these are some of my favorites ... basically meringue cookies with ground almonds mixed in. They were made much easier by the fact that I found Almond Meal at the Central Market so I didn't have to grind the almonds in the food processor. I also saw Pecan Meal and Hazelnut Meal there and am now wondering how those would work in variations. I'm not usually fond of meringues but love these so they had to go into the freezer ASAP otherwise we wouldn't have had many left. This recipe came from my mother and I'm not sure what cookbook it came from. However, it is not too different from other such recipes I've seen ... except it is a great deal simpler than some. Step 1: 2 large egg whites 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon almond extract Beat egg whites until foamy, gradually beat in sugar and almond extract. Continue beating for several minutes until whites form very stiff, sh
Read more

Spicy Tuna Fish Cakes

By -
These are from Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking and they will completely revolutionize the image that springs into your head when someone says "fish cake." They are fresh, lively, and absolutely delicious. Notes: we made this with tuna canned in water and they seemed rather dry. Later I realized that tuna packed in oil is much more common and would be a better choice both for moisture and (possibly) to help hold them together better. We couldn't find the kaffir lime leaves and, behold, the dish was delicious without them! Spicy Tuna Fish Cakes 1 pound good-quality tinned tuna (we used four 6-ounce cans) 6 tinned water chestnuts, drained and finely sliced 3 green onions, trimmed and sliced 1" piece of ginger, peeled and grated 3 tablespoons chopped coriander 1 red chili, seeded and finely chopped 3 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped (rehydrated for 5 minutes in boiling water if dried) 2 teaspoons Thai fish sauce 2 eggs, beaten Vegetable oil, for fryi
Read more

Curried Cream of Chicken Soup

By -
This is from The Silver Palate Cookbook. It is simple, delicious, and a touch out of the ordinary, both because of the curry flavor and the "cream" method which calls for half-and-half but is just as good with regular milk! Step 1: 6 tablespoons butter (I use 2 tablespoons) 2 cups minced onions 2 carrots, peeled and chopped Cook over low heat, covered, until tender. Step 2: 2 tablespoons curry powder 5 cups chicken stock 6 parsley sprigs 1 chicken, quartered ½ cup rice Salt and pepper to taste Add all. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer until chicken is done. Cool chicken in stock. Remove meat from bones and dice it. Step 3: 1 cup half and half (I use milk, either whole or 2%, depending on what I've got around) 10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted Remove fat from broth. Strain soup through strainer. Put solids and 1 cup stock in food processor and puree. Return to pot and add milk. Stir in reserved stock until
Read more