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as snacks, side dishes, main courses, and desserts. The recipes that follow
offer all the classic dishes and some surprising new inventions as well.
By all means treasure those blueberry pancakes you loved as a child, but
do try a a tiny potato pancake with a dollop of sour cream as an hors
d'oeuvre or curried corn waffles with spicy ratatouille for your next
luncheon. At dinner, replace the usual side dish of rice with a wild rice
pancakes, ginger and carrot skillet pancakes, or a potato pancakes with
roasted garlic and goat cheese. Apple, potato and sausage waffles, and
cheddar and onion waffles with chutney are great for a snack and are perfect
as sandwich material. And ultra thin crepes, surprisingly easy to make,
provide a light and interesting wrapping for all kinds of fillings, both
sweet and savory.
For lovers of sweets, pancakes and waffles are endlessly versatile. Spread
with butter and sprinkled with sugar or drizzled with honey and
cinnamon, plain crepes, pear almond waffles, or German apple pancakes
deliciously complement coffee any time of day. A more luxuriant fare of
semolina waffles with red pepper basil butter, spinach and gruyere crepes,
or cheese blintzes will make a perfect finale to even the most formal
dinner party.
Many of us treasure childhood memories of waking to the warm, yeasty smell
of pancakes on Sunday morning, or marveling at perfectly patterned squares
of waffles on our dinner plate. We hope that the recipes offered from
this article will inspire you to create those wonderful moments any time
the spirits moves you.
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Consistency:
If a batter is to thick, it won't spread enough on the griddle. To thin
it, add a small amount of milk; then add more if necessary, but do not exceed
1/4 cup. A thin batter will spread too much on the griddle. To thicken it,
sift a small amount of flour over the batter and gently fold it in; add
more flour if necessary, but do not exceed 1/4 cup. Be careful not to overmix.
Storing Batter: Pancake batter can be made the night before, covered
with plastic wrap, and stored in the refrigerator. Stir it gently before
using. Waffle batter can be stored the same way, but if the recipe calls
for beaten egg whites, beat and fold them in just before baking.
Freezing and Reheating: Wrap cooled baked waffles or pancakes individually
in plastic, or layer between waxed paper. Place then in airtight plastic
bags and freeze up to one month.
To reheat pancakes, unwrap them, then loosely rewrap them in foil. Place
in a 350 F oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until heated through.
To reheat waffles, unwrap them and place them directly on the rack in a
350 F oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until heated and slightly crisp.
Toasters and toaster ovens also work well for reheating. Microwave ovens
tend to toughen waffles and pancakes are not recommended.
Converting Batters: All the waffle batters from our recipes can be
made into pancakes without changing the recipes. With the exception of crepes,
blini, blintzes, vegetable pancakes, and baked pancakes, all the pancakes
can be made into waffles. To keep from being to heavy, separate the eggs
and add the yolks to the batter. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form,
then fold them into the batter as the last step. |
