Many years ago when my friend Matvei and I were sharing a desk and talking to the Russians every day, the topic of pancakes (naturally) arose. Matvei said that he and his new bride LOVE to eat pancakes (yet one more reason we were such BFFs) but they couldn’t find a recipe to satisfy their real pancake needs. How many others must suffer from this same malady is of great concern to me.
I will now share with you the pancake recipe I shared with Matvei all those years ago, but only on condition that you promise to respect the pancakes. Do not disrespect the pancakes. And if so, you, too, just like Matvei and his wife, will come back to me and proclaim, “Oh my gosh! Those are the BEST PANCAKES EVER!!!” I promise.
To prove to you just how scrumptious they are, Clark recently joined me in the kitchen, donned an apron and handled all the measuring for our batter. He was the perfect sous-chef and his work paid off. Because as soon as the batter was prepared under my direction, we traded places and I became the sous-chef to the alphabet-meister as he instructed me on which pancake letter to drizzle next for his breakfast. “Good job, Mimi!” is always music to my ears!
Besides being a flexible batter, the results were so tasty that Clark consumed his entire name, plus an additional 2.5 full-sized pancakes – more than any of the other three adults in the room ate, individually. True story.
P is for Pancakes
You can easily whip up this batter in 10-15 minutes and have hot pancakes off the griddle in less than 30.
Ingredients:
- All-purpose Flour - 1 cup
- Baking Powder - 2 tsp
- Sugar - 1 T
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Plain Milk Substitute (soy, almond, rice) - 3/4 cup
- Earth Balance (or butter) - 2 T, melted
- Egg - 1, well beaten
Instructions:
Sift together all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, butter and milk together. Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients. Stir together to ensure there are no dry patches, and you have a smooth consistency. This is a thick batter and a larger whisk or wooden spoon will do the trick.
If you're cooking on the stovetop or with a non-stick griddle, grease your surface lightly with Earth Balance. If you're using non-stick it's unnecessary.
You're the judge on the size and shape of your cakes. Just keep a close watch and when you see the bubbles covering the surface of the pancake, flip to the other side for another minute. When you see the steam it's time to serve them hot with your topping preference. Holly Hobbie suggests pineapple chunks and maple syrup.
In all the years I've been making these pancakes, I've never once taken that piece of advice from her. She's never led me wrong before. Perhaps we should try the pineapple next time?
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Look Who’s Talking!