I haven't been out for breakfast in at least five weeks, but with a Sunday morning with no munching companions, I decided to make my own pancakes. I'm really bad at making pancakes [shakes first at universe] but I do believe I have found an out. I rummaged through my file of recipes clipped from magazines and found "Pancakes 101" from Martha Stewart Living. These pancakes were so good that I ate most of them as they came off the stove, plain, no syrup or jam, yelling "Mmmmmm! Yummmmy! Pancakes good! Coffee good!" (My grapefruit was tough and a little bland, so I didn't yell about it.) I think the trick is butter. My family always made pancakes with oil, and these are so much better (sorry, parents).
Portions of the article are on the website here, but the recipe I used doesn't seem to be included. So here is my new favorite pancake recipe: Martha's "best quick pancakes," as tested by an entry-level cook who nevertheless hoardes recipes that scare her. It makes about 9 4" pancakes, and the recipe can be doubled.
It's a well known but little discussed fact that singing while you cook makes everything taste better. To that end, watch this before you head to the kitchen.
I do not endorse Aunt Jemima, though. I'm an honourary Canadian and I go pure maple. Your pancakes deserve better than corn syrup.
Heat griddle to 375 or pan over medium-high heat. When ready to use, test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. When they bounce and splatter off, it's ready. (I should note that I didn't get this phenomenon - when I sprinkled water on the pan, the drops sizzled away. But never one to be bound by recipes or instructions, I figured what the heck. But when I put the butter in the pan, it turned brown really fast, so I turned down the heat to the border on my dial between medium and medium-high.)
Whisk 1 C flour, 2 t baking powder, 1/2 t salt, and 2 T sugar. Add 1 lightly beaten egg, 1 C milk, and 2 T melted unsalted butter. Combine with whisk. Batter should have small or medium-sized lumps.
Brush about 1/2 t melted butter on griddle. (I hate washing my pastry brush, so I just put a few little dabs of butter on the pan and swirled them around to coat.) Put 1/4 C scoops of batter on griddle, about 2" apart. Turn pancakes over when bubbles form on the top and the batter is slightly dry around the edges. (This happened a lot faster than I anticipated - don't leave the stove!) Cook about 1 minute more, until golden on the bottom.
Also good is Martha's article on "Pancakes around the World." I cut this article out and plan to frame the pictures and put them up in the kitchen.
Update to post (November 24, 2007): inspired by Thanskgiving flavors and having half a can of pumpkin puree in the fridge, I swapped out 1 1/2 T of the melted butter for 2 T pumpkin puree and added some cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger. Yum!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Breakfast in Costa Rica
Or How I Learned to Love Gallo Pinto.
Costa Ricans eat the same meal three times a day, so despite the fact that I forgot to take pictures at breakfast, these pictures from lunch are quite representative. Gallo pinto is beans (usually kidney or another red bean) and rice. The rice is cooked with onions, peppers and other aromatics and served next to savory beans. If you are really hungry, you can order casados. Casados means married in Spanish and I heard the term translated (in relation to food) as "homemade" or "like a married man would eat."
This is Casados con Pollo Super Deluxe. Under the freshly made tortillas is a fried egg on top of a slab of cheese. Under the egg and cheese is a grilled plantain and the gallo pinto. Also on the plate are a cold sweet potato hash, random no flavor mayonnaise pasta salad, tomato wedges, and very savory chicken. I couldn't eat half of the casados because we had also ordered maduros con queso; caramelized, ripe plantains (sweeter than the ones with the casados) covered in queso fresco. Now, I know you are thinking, "caramelized bananas, yes." "Caramelized bananas with cheese, hell no." But how wrong you are. Think Bananas Foster only with slightly more savory ice cream (ok, that doesn't sound much better, maybe you have to trust me on this one).
As hard as this is to admit, the best coffee we had in Costa Rica was at the gringo owned bed and breakfast we stayed at. I can only pray that the coffee they kept stored in the Starbucks jar on the counter was a local variety. On the days when we had breakfast at the B & B we were served a North American style breakfast of eggs, french toast, pancakes or waffles, bacon, and decidedly tropical fruit.
Costa Ricans eat the same meal three times a day, so despite the fact that I forgot to take pictures at breakfast, these pictures from lunch are quite representative. Gallo pinto is beans (usually kidney or another red bean) and rice. The rice is cooked with onions, peppers and other aromatics and served next to savory beans. If you are really hungry, you can order casados. Casados means married in Spanish and I heard the term translated (in relation to food) as "homemade" or "like a married man would eat."
This is Casados con Pollo Super Deluxe. Under the freshly made tortillas is a fried egg on top of a slab of cheese. Under the egg and cheese is a grilled plantain and the gallo pinto. Also on the plate are a cold sweet potato hash, random no flavor mayonnaise pasta salad, tomato wedges, and very savory chicken. I couldn't eat half of the casados because we had also ordered maduros con queso; caramelized, ripe plantains (sweeter than the ones with the casados) covered in queso fresco. Now, I know you are thinking, "caramelized bananas, yes." "Caramelized bananas with cheese, hell no." But how wrong you are. Think Bananas Foster only with slightly more savory ice cream (ok, that doesn't sound much better, maybe you have to trust me on this one).
As hard as this is to admit, the best coffee we had in Costa Rica was at the gringo owned bed and breakfast we stayed at. I can only pray that the coffee they kept stored in the Starbucks jar on the counter was a local variety. On the days when we had breakfast at the B & B we were served a North American style breakfast of eggs, french toast, pancakes or waffles, bacon, and decidedly tropical fruit.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Breakfast in St. Maarten, DWI
To begin with, the fact that the Dutch West Indies gets abbreviated "D.W.I." makes me laugh, especially since one of the selling points that was made for purchasing a timeshare in St. Maarten was that we would never be hassled by police for drinking and driving. For those of you who know us, you can understand why we did not jump at the chance to purchase the time share (although we did eat the mediocre free breakfast--Jay had "Island Pancakes" which the waiter promised would have a special island surprise in them, but it was a trick as they were just plain old pancakes).
We did eat some wonderful breakfasts, made all the more impressive by the views. One morning we ate at a French patisserie called La Sucererie that had a view of the lagoon. Jay had a goat cheese quiche and a napoleon with his latte. I had the continental breakfast; an almond croissant, bread and marmalade, and orange juice. The pastries were divine, the coffee passable, the orange juice sour in that way that only vaguely Euro orange juices can be, but the view was spectacular. Unfortunately, this was the morning that I succumbed to the evil cold/flu/knock out bug that Jay had been harboring so it was the last time I was upright for a good 24 hours.
Jay's Breakfast
The other lovely breakfast that we had was on our last morning in St. Maarten at the Holland House Beach Hotel in Phillipsburg. Jay had the smoked salmon eggs benedict (eggs benny being one of his all time favorite breakfast options) and I had the full American breakfast (fruit salad, 2 eggs, croissant, toast and coffee). Again, the lattes were only mediocre but the pastries were great and the view couldn't be beat. We had walked past the beach hotel the night before when the stairs were all lit up and were sad that we hadn't found it until our last night on the island (and after dinner at that). I was thrilled to find the restaurant open for breakfast the next morning. We were able to watch the cruise ships (and the boat people) come and go from the ocean front dining room while sitting on lovely white couches with brightly colored throw pillows. The hotel had a very hip, clean aesthetic that was lacking from our own teal and wicker residence and the ambiance made me feel much cooler than the previous meals I had eaten to the accompaniment of the ubiquitous reggae Christmas hits.
Breakfast with a View
We did eat some wonderful breakfasts, made all the more impressive by the views. One morning we ate at a French patisserie called La Sucererie that had a view of the lagoon. Jay had a goat cheese quiche and a napoleon with his latte. I had the continental breakfast; an almond croissant, bread and marmalade, and orange juice. The pastries were divine, the coffee passable, the orange juice sour in that way that only vaguely Euro orange juices can be, but the view was spectacular. Unfortunately, this was the morning that I succumbed to the evil cold/flu/knock out bug that Jay had been harboring so it was the last time I was upright for a good 24 hours.
Jay's Breakfast
The other lovely breakfast that we had was on our last morning in St. Maarten at the Holland House Beach Hotel in Phillipsburg. Jay had the smoked salmon eggs benedict (eggs benny being one of his all time favorite breakfast options) and I had the full American breakfast (fruit salad, 2 eggs, croissant, toast and coffee). Again, the lattes were only mediocre but the pastries were great and the view couldn't be beat. We had walked past the beach hotel the night before when the stairs were all lit up and were sad that we hadn't found it until our last night on the island (and after dinner at that). I was thrilled to find the restaurant open for breakfast the next morning. We were able to watch the cruise ships (and the boat people) come and go from the ocean front dining room while sitting on lovely white couches with brightly colored throw pillows. The hotel had a very hip, clean aesthetic that was lacking from our own teal and wicker residence and the ambiance made me feel much cooler than the previous meals I had eaten to the accompaniment of the ubiquitous reggae Christmas hits.
Breakfast with a View
Monday, January 1, 2007
You know where else in Champaign is really good for brunch?
Suzanne and Jay's house. YUM. What a PMPH-appropriate way to usher in the new year. Thanks hosts with the mosts!
Decor: 10/10 mod yet realistically livable
Atmosphere: 10/10
Food: 10/10 great variety
Coffee: 11/10 (free; can get own refills when needed so never that jittery where-is-my-coffee wait)
Decor: 10/10 mod yet realistically livable
Atmosphere: 10/10
Food: 10/10 great variety
Coffee: 11/10 (free; can get own refills when needed so never that jittery where-is-my-coffee wait)
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