Pancakes any day

Oatmeal blueberry buttermilk pancakes

– Shaun Smith

Ingredients:

• 1 cup non-quick cooking rolled oats
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

(Makes eight pancakes)

Mix the oats and buttermilk together in a medium bowl and let sit covered and refrigerated overnight. In the morning, add one tablespoon of melted butter and one egg into the buttermilk/oat mixture. Mix thoroughly by hand. In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients together and then fold them into the buttermilk/oat mixture by hand, making sure the batter is uniform and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Cover loosely and let sit unrefrigerated for 30 minutes.

When ready to cook, gently fold the blueberries into the batter being careful not to break any berries. Bring a large non-stick skillet up to temperature over a med-low heat. Water droplets should sizzle on the skillet, but not sputter and jump. Melt a small amount of butter in the pan to evenly coat it and then scoop the batter in heaping tablespoons onto the skillet, three or four at a time, giving each spoonful lots of space on the skillet. The batter will spread as the pancakes cook. Gently encourage the batter to spread and give each pancake shape with the edge of the spoon. If the pancakes touch while cooking, simply cut them apart with the edge of a spatula before flipping.

Let cook about four minutes on the first side. This is a thick batter, so you will see only a small amount of the bubbling that is characteristic of a thinner batter. When you do see this, and when the upper edges of the pancakes turn a matte tone, gently flip each pancake trying to do so in one motion using a wide spatula. The pancake will still be fairly gooey on top, so use care when flipping. Cook on the second side for about two minutes.

The surface of the pancake should be a speckled golden brown and the interior like a light oat muffin in texture. If after the cooking time, the surface is too light, or the interior gummy, your temperature is too low. If the surface is too dark or scorched, reduce heat. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel and add fresh butter before starting the next batch.

Serve the pancakes with butter and warmed pure maple syrup.

Note: To keep these pancakes warm, lay them on a cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper if you have it) in a 200 F degree oven for up to 30 minutes. Do not stack them in the oven, as they will become soft and starchy.

Cachapas are served by street vendors in Venezuela. (Ken Albala)

Cachapas

–Ken Albala

Ingredients:

• 2 cups/275 g cornmeal
• 1 cup/155 g fresh corn cut from the cob
• 1 green and 1 red pepper, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• salt
• a little milk for moistening
• butter for frying
• 1 slice of cheese

Combine the cornmeal with the fresh corn. Add to this the peppers and jalapeno.

Add a smidgen of baking soda, some salt and moisten with milk until a fairly thick batter forms.

Pour the batter into a hot frying pan and cook in the butter.

Flip over and cover with a slice of cheese.

Fold the cachapa in half and serve, with tomato salsa on the side.

Pick a pancake

–Marty Curtis

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of 2% milk
• 6 tablespoons peanut oil

(Serves four)

Great breakfasts can create lifelong memories. If you've ever been woken up by the smell of pancakes, you should enjoy these proven pancake winners, all of which were tested and joyfully eaten. Start with the fluffy pancake base and create from there.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and then add the eggs, milk, and 2 tablespoons of the oil, and whisk to remove any lumps. Preheat a large skillet, and add enough oil to coat the surface. Hot oil is the key to great pancakes. When a drop of water spatters in the pan, pour away. When bubbles form on top of the batter and the bottom is browned, about three to four minutes, flip and cook another for another two to three minutes. Remove from the pan, and serve topped with a pat of butter and pure maple syrup. Try adding raspberry or strawberry jam on top of that. It's delicious.

Café Confidential: I prefer to cook my pancake in small amounts of peanut oil rather than butter, as butter sometimes burns. The oil makes the perfect brown crusted rim around the outer edge of the pancake. I end up using about 4 tablespoons per recipe.

Be creative. Add any of these ingredients to the batter, or mix and match to create a flavour all your own:

Apple Jack

• 1 large apple, peeled, cored and shredded
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ cup raisins (optional)
• ½ cup walnuts, pieces (optional)

Lemon, Raspberry, and Cream Cheese

• 1 cup raspberries
• ¾ cup cream cheese, cut into pea-sized bits
• 1-2 tablespoon lemon rind

Cranberry Orange

• ½ cup dried cranberries
• rind and juice of 1 orange

Banana Chocolate Chip

• 1 diced banana
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Muskoka Berry

• ¼ cup fresh blueberries
• ¼ cup fresh raspberries
• ¼ cup fresh blackberries

Hui two-layer crepes

–Naomi Duguid

(Random House Canada/Artisan) I came across these in Qinghai province, in the market in Xining, being made by a fresh-faced, friendly young Hui woman. Her breads were about ten inches across and she cooked them on a large cast-iron griddle. They're made with two batters, a plain flour-and-water batter for the first layer, and a second one with egg and a little sugar for the sweeter, richer pale yellow top layer.

We've adapted the recipe to make slightly smaller (and thus easier to shape and cook) crepes than the originals. Whatever the size, they're very attractive, and supple and pleasurable to eat. Make them as a snack, or to accompany any meal. They'll steal the show …

First batter:

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups lukewarm water
• 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
• Generous 1 teaspoon salt

Second batter:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• About ¼ cup peanut oil or vegetable oil for cooking

Make the batters at least one hour, or as long as three hours, before you wish to make the breads. To make the first batter, place the flour in a medium bowl, add the water, and whisk until smooth. Add the oil and salt and whisk to blend. Cover and set aside for 45 minutes to one hour.

To make the second batter, place the flour in a medium bowl. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and add to the flour, together with the water. Whisk the mixture vigorously until you have a very smooth batter. Whisk in the sugar. Cover and set aside for 45 minutes to one hour (refrigerate if leaving for longer).

About 10 to 15 minutes before you want to serve the breads, place a griddle or a 10- to 12-inch cast-iron skillet, preferably with low sides (see Note), over high heat. When it is hot, lower the heat to medium-high. Add about ½ teaspoon oil and rub it all over the pan with a wadded-up paper towel.

Whisk the first batter. If it seems a little thick (you want a pourable texture, like a crepe batter), whisk in one to two tablespoons water. Scoop up a scant ¼ cup of batter and pour it onto the hot pan in a spiral, working from the center outward. Use an offset spatula or the back of a large wet spoon to smooth and spread it as thin as possible, to a round about seven inches in diameter. Let cook briefly, about one minute, while you whisk the second batter.

Again, if it has thickened, whisk in a little water to thin it to a pourable crepe-batter texture. Scoop up a scant three tablespoons of the second batter and pour it on top of the crepe in the pan, using the back of a wet spoon to smooth it out to the edges. Let cook for another minute, or until the surface has turned from liquid to matte. Drizzle on a thin spiral of oil (just over one teaspoon), then flip over. Let cook for about one minute on the other side, then fold in half and transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the breads as you make them, to keep them soft and supple. Makes seven or eight crepe-like breads about seven inches in diameter; allow one or two per person

NOTE ON TECHNIQUE: We've discovered that, as with any crepe, it's easier if your pan has low sides so you can work with a spatula without running into the walls of the pan. If you have trouble spreading the batter very thin, there are two things to try: thin the batter a little more, to make it more liquid and easier to spread, and lower the heat slightly, so the batter doesn't set too quickly.

Hui crepe wraps: These breads were sold plain in Xining, to be eaten out of hand, but we think they are ideal for fillings of all kinds. To use them as sandwich wraps, place tender leaf lettuce on the breads, top with slices of cheese and/or roasted or grilled meat, or else salami or prosciutto, and roll up. Or try a soft filling like tuna salad, egg salad, or guacamole, on tender greens.

Mini-crepe alternative: We sometimes make nontraditional smaller versions of this bread: Scoop up one tablespoon of the first batter and spread into a thin round about 3 ½ inches across. Use about two teaspoons of the second batter. These smaller versions are easier to shape, and they make an attractive base for appetizers. They hold moist toppings well-spread them with a little Lhasa Yellow Achar or a nontraditional topping such as tapenade or smoked salmon. They stay supple and fresh for several hours if covered. Makes about 30 mini-crepes; allow three or four per person

Hui green onion crepes: You can also use the first batter as a base for scallion crepes, beautiful fl atbreads that the woman in the Xining market was selling alongside her two-layer crepes. Make only the first batter. Just before cooking the crepes, add G cup minced scallions (white and tender green parts) to the batter and whisk in. Lightly grease a griddle or heavy skillet as above and preheat over medium-high heat. Then pour in ¼ cup of batter in a spiral, starting at the center of the pan, and smooth, as above, with an offset spatula or the back of a wet spoon, to a round just over six inches in diameter (the crepe will be a little thicker than the first layer of the Two-Layer Crepes because of the scallions).

Once the top turns from shiny to matte and small bubbles appear, after about one minute, drizzle a thin spiral of oil, about one teaspoon, onto the crepe, then flip it over and cook on the other side for another minute or so, until lightly touched with brown on the underside. Serve these as a savory bread or snack, perhaps with a little salsa or a sharp cheese. Makes seven or eight crepes about six inches in diameter