Sunday, December 20, 2009

Take Your Pick Pancake Recipe

By Andrew Cook

My favorite food is pancakes. They are good anytime of the day not just for breakfast. My basic pancake recipe is a mix of eggs, baking powder, sugar, and flour. I mix them up in my food processor. The difference in your pancake recipe is what you add. I add blue berries to the batter but I like to process them in the food processor. I do not like lumps in my pancakes. But if you do that will work also.

You can do it either way. If you like whole berrys in your pancake then simply mix the blue berrys rather than process them. In the autumn I like pumpkin pancakes. I simply mix canned pumpkin into the batter and process it. Do not use pumpkin pie mix. Use plain canned pumpkin.

I sometimes make sweet potato pancakes. You can buy sweet potato in the can with its own liquid. You can add a little of the juice from the can but not too much or else the batter will be too watery.

You can also place strawberries in the batter and process them so they are ground up. Strawberries are too large and will not cook well in the pancake unless they are processed in the batter.

I cook pancakes on a griddle I have brushed cooking oil over. I heat the griddle and then test it with a few drops of batter. When the drops cook the griddle is hot enough to start cooking after I have scrapped aside the test batter.

I pour about a six inch circle. My dad taught me to wait until the bubbles that form over the pancake pop before I turn it. If you like your pancakes well done follow this advice. I like my pancakes a little more tender. I flip them when the bubbles have formed but before they have all popped. Cook the pancake for about another 40 seconds and transfer them to you plate. If you like them cooked well then leave them on the griddle a few more seconds.

Transfer the pancake to your plate and cover to keep warm. I like two pancakes on my plate. I also like my syrup warm. I pour my syrup into a bowl and place it near the stove top flame so it warms up. I also place some butter into the syrup so it melts into the syrup. Use real maple syrup on your pancakes. If you read the ingredients of the most syrup you buy in the grocery store, especially the generic or store brand, you will find it is all corn syrup with food coloring or caramel coloring.

Be fair to yourself and your pancakes. Get real maple syrup. You may have to to to a specialty store or shop on the internet. But do what you have to do to top your pancake recipe with real maple syrup. May you enjoy your next plate of pancakes. I think I will cook some up right now.

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