cooking @ home

Archive for the ‘Breakfast’ Category

©2008 Harry Kenney

Alright I know what I said before. And I’ve changed my mind. I’m allowed to do that. I said when it came to making waffles it has to be from scratch — and that still holds true. But for pancakes I said get lazy and usually just grab the pre-made mix with the big “B” on the yellow box. Well, I’ve changed my mind.

You see, here I am baking cookies around the Holidays time — rats, I’ll have to remember to get those recipes up here. Where was I? Ah, the cookies and cakes like the lava cake, cave-in cake and the banana Boston cream pie and puffed pastries too … after that how can I justify saving myself a mere 3.5 seconds by grabbing a premade mix instead of just making my hotcakes from scratch? So I played around a bit then came up with the mixture I like best.

Now there’s one thing about pancakes that I have always done, be it from scratch or box, and that is “have fun with them”. What mean by that is … why ever go with just plain pancakes? There’s just no reason for it. So I like to try different things. Make some “IHOP” at home, if you know what I mean. That’s one thing I have always done, said why go out for something because they make it special when you can do the same thing at home.

I remember 10-15 years ago my folks must have gone out of the house twice a day to McDonalds or wherever to pick up two cups of coffee. It was their “treat”. I bought them their first automatic drip coffee-make and said, “Here, have a treat everyday — all day long. Oh yeah, and save that money you’re spending at McDonalds.” Ok, so Ronald the clown did put a contract out on me, but then again Mr. Coffee became my best friend. (No I haven’t lost it. Just having a bit of silly fun.)

Here’s my tips or observations for making pancakes. First, no matter what you do, the second (and third, etc) batch you make will always get done very quickly compared to your first batch. I don’t care how hot you make the pan or the griddle or what you do, your first batch will take x amount of time, and the next ones you must –repeat, must — start checking the bottom of them no longer 10-15 seconds after you’ve put it down. Doesn’t matter how many times I do these, it still surprises me. Though it no longer catches me off guard.

Next tip, in between batches, stir the mix you have in your bowl with your big pouring spoon as it will have settled during the time you cooked that previous batch. Finally, this a tip you may or may not want to use. At my house, each batch I make gets placed on a “holding” plate and then I give each finished pancake a buttering. Some folks get really weird and territorial about their food and even though you are the cook they don’t want you to touch or butter their pancakes for you. LOL. Odd but true. I find they taste better when buttered (or margarine I should say) right as they come off the pan or the griddle and let that just sink right in. Again though in my house no one minds. Your mileage may vary.

Last but not least, a normal pan is going to take forever and you’ll only be able to do two or three normal-sized pancakes at a time (and that means four to six batches). I either do my pancakes on the two-burner cast iron griddle that is the flip side of my grill or I do them in my large 13″ non-stick frying pan. Seriously both of these are must-haves in your kitchen. The first is obvious, the second you can make four pancakes at a time, you can do 7-10 full strips of bacon, you can make a paella in it. If you don’t have one of these, get one and you will wonder how you ever got along without having one. Same goes for the cast-iron grill-and-griddle where you can make 6-8 pancakes at one time easily and 10 if you force it. They are major time savers so think about getting yourself them.

Basic Pancake Recipe
©2008 Harry Kenney

2 cups flour
3 tbsps sugar
2 tsps baking powder
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

vegetable oil (for the pan)
margarine (or butter)
pancake syrup

Chocolate Chip Pancakes
©2008 Harry Kenney

Add to the above:

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (or semi-sweet)
2 tbsps chocolate liqueur (Creme de Cacao recommended; Godiva Chocolate if you’re feeling rich or just want to use it up)

Put dry ingredients into bowl and mix well with spoon. Add in wet ingredients, use electric beater or whisk and mix until well incorporated. For chocolate chip pancakes: add chips and liqueur into mix.

Spoon onto well-oiled medium-high large frying pan or griddle with a large spoon (so as to make similar sized pancakes), about 1/4-1/3 cup. Turn when see bubbles. Also do a visual peek of pancake bottoms with flipper to know when to turn. You should turn just once, though no problem with multiple flips. When each pancake or batch is done, place on holding platter. Butter each, optional.

Stir batter at start of each new batch before pouring into pan. Also regrease (oil) pan each time. Serve with side of bacon or sausage and pancake syrup. Makes roughly one dozen pancakes.

You know how you can tell I’m a home cook and not a chef? Cause if I get a very good result from something pre-prepared, I’ll often enough be lazy and I’ll take it. For instance, I’ve never made from-scratch pancakes. Yeah, I know, lazy-lazy. It wouldn’t be that much of a bother, it’s just that a box of Bisquick, eggs and milk does it so fine and in less time. Btw, just because I don’t make from-scratch pancakes does not mean I don’t “juice them up.” Blueberry pancakes, banana pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes ….

When it comes to waffles, it’s FSO: From-scratch only, baby! But why, you ask? Waffles are much more difficult than pancakes. True. But the answer is the pre-packaged stuff does not cut it. Doesn’t come close. If it did, then yeah, I’d probably be lazy again. But it is soooo far away from what a “real” waffle is. No way.

What is one of my rules of thumb? If the difference in taste is worth the time, I’ll go the extra mile. Pancakes from scratch compared to prepackaged? Little difference, I go fast. Waffles, it’s an Everest-sized difference.

The secret is the separated frothy whites folded gently into the batter. You see waffles are supposed to be light and airy; think heavenly clouds, a thin coating of crispness outside and fluffy goodness inside. They are not meant to be bricks. They are not meant to be square pancakes with “pockets” in them. They are certainly not meant to be pre-frozen “things” that spew forth from a toaster.

I caught an old episode of “Good Eats” the other day, and I have to say: Alton, for once, you’ve failed me, you fell down like a caved-in souffle. No whites separation with gentle folding?! I’m in a state of amazement. Hang your head low, Mr. Brown, for you finally got one wrong — and you did it Big Time.

Some quick thoughts on the subject. Bigger is better. If you’re buying a waffle maker, get Belgian style.

No, I have no idea how to clean the son of a gun. I recall many years ago the Frugal Gourmet complained about the same thing: non-stick but it sticks, and being non-stick, you can’t clean it with anything strong. He suggested maybe finding an old pre-Teflon one, be it electric or even stove-top. I looked and there are many available for good prices on eBay. I’ve been tempted but haven’t made the leap yet. As far as I can figure, the so-called “non-stick” waffle irons of today are an example of planned obsolescence: “the decision on the part of a manufacturer to produce a consumer product that will become obsolete and/or non-functional in a defined time frame.”

Anyhow not afraid to admit I don’t know things. So, dear readers, if any of you know either of the following, give me a comment and let me know. First, as mentioned above, what’s the best way to get a non-stick waffle maker the cleanest?

And second, as you see in my photos, I can never seem to judge how to get my batter perfect. Either I get them to the corners and overflowing all over the countertop, or — the way I’ve come to do them — aim for the middle, try to get it out towards the sides, and if it doesn’t get there, not worry so much about the shape. But if you know a way to get it there on the money — is it even possible? — let me know!

Best-Ever Homemade Waffles
©2007 Harry Kenney

ingredients:

2 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups flour
1 tblsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat waffle iron, lightly coating it, preferably with cooking spray. Beat separated egg whites until stiff. In another bowl beat yolks by themselves until thick. Add milk and oil and continue beating. Add dry ingredients and beat until everything is smooth. Add vanilla and fold in the egg whites.

Cook per waffle iron instructions or until waffle iron alerts you (usually with a light) they are done. If you’d doing it the old-fashioned waffle iron way, roughly 3 to 4 minutes or until waffle iron stops steaming. If you are doing a bunch, place each new bunch onto cookie sheet in oven at lowest setting 150-200F until ready to serve.

Every waffle maker is different, in my large Belgian waffle one, the above makes two sessions. Eight waffles, or “squares”, all together (if you cut down the lines) or two giant waffles (if you consider each session and large circle to be a single waffle).

Butter while hot. Top with pancake syrup definitely, and maybe add some whipped cream as well. Don’t forget some bacon or sausage on the side. Serves 2-4.

I have one major variation on this that will send these out of this world.

Cinnamon Waffles with Golden Raisins

Same above and also …. add 1-2 tsps (from lighter to robust) cinnamon and a 1/2 cup of golden raisins. (Yes you can use regular raisins, but the golden one’s give a lighter taste that goes better with the lightness of the waffle.) Add both of these to the dry ingredients (prior to adding those to the wet). The flour helps coat and lift the raisins so they don’t sink in the waffle.

This is one of those meals I had way long ago. It was my first big vacation when I was out on my own. It fell at the end of September, top of October and my initial choice of the Bahamas looked to be too shaky with hurricane season. So I took my second choice first: Santa Fe-Taos area of New Mexico. Why? What’s not to love? American Indian pueblos, a church bell cast before the Pilgrims landed, Indian art, cowboy art, the home of Georgia O’Keefe, southwestern cooking, adobe houses, you name it.

It was also the first vacation I took solo, and learned the art of eating by one’s self. And one of the things they all suggest for dining alone is to slowly savor the food. Maybe that’s why I remember one of those meals, this one, so well. Maybe that’s in part why I became a “foodie” and then got into cooking. Anyhow, this is my best effort recreation of that awesome breakfast I had one day in some restaurant in Santa Fe. I think it turned out pretty delish if I say so myself.

Before we jump in, a few words of advice. I’d never worked with jam, jelly before, ok, I have, with cookies, especially raspberry thumbprint cookies. But not quite in this manner as a fruit sauce. When I was trying to reduce it down and it wouldn’t get thicker I initially used a touch of cornstarch. That made it perfectly the thickness I wanted, and then I put the pan to the back of the burner and worked on the meat side (sausage) and the pancakes themselves.

Long story short, I pick up the pan to find it had cooled back to a thick jelly. Oh no! I’m not used to working with sauces that thicken when cooked, but thicken when heated. Thinking back I should have known that. Not from my own experience, but things I’ve heard and read about. In any event I saved it, that first version, by adding two tablespoons of OJ. The second time around I did what you read in the recipe below: reduced, added no thickner, put it to the side while still very watery looking, came back to it and was fine sauce.

One more thing, there are a variety of ways to make this sauce with fresher ingredients. As said, I used jam. You could instead use frozen rasberries or fresh ones. If you do, you will need to add sugar or simple syrup and macerate them with a liquour or something. In this specific instance, I purposely didn’t go fresher as I really wanted something to use up the jar of jam I had left over from baking. Enjoy.

Ricotta Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce
©2007 Harry Kenney

ingredients:

batter:

2 cups whole-milk ricotta
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsps oil (vegetable, peanut, etc)
2/3 cup of milk

sauce:

1 cup of raspberry jam (seedless)
1/3 cup orange juice

Place the sauce ingredients into a small pan and mix. Keep low and stir often or it will quickly rise and overflow. Reduce somewhat. Note, you will take this off the heat while the mixture looks much too thin; it will thicken considerably after you have removed it from the heat. If too thick when you come back after making pancakes, add a tablespoon of the OJ and mix and heat up a bit.

Blend all the batter ingredients together. A tablespoon works fine, but your choice. Spoon 1/4 cup of batter into frying pan until golden brown and flip. 3-4 minutes per side. Makes 8 pancakes. Drizzle the rasberry syrup on and across the pancakes. Note this concentration goes a long way. Get too liberal with the sauce and it may be too sweet. Start out more sparingly and you can always add more to the plate.