I've trawled through Google images today to find an illustration which most closely resembles my pancakes of yore, and this one fits the bill well.
There were many others which didn't... Images of thick, flaccid looking anaemic circles of, no doubt, unimaginable toughness besieged my senses, and just about put me off the thought of pancakes for life! These ones at least, look thin and crispy enough to make my mouth water.
But it was Kat Mortensen, alias Poeticat, whose email made me feel obliged to confess a small fact I omitted in Monday's post. The dreaded First Pancake Crumpled Mess. How many of you know what I mean? In the eagerness to get started on the feast, it's tempting to begin cooking before the pan is quite hot enough. It's easy to pour on a trifle more batter than is wise, because the hand /eye coordination has yet to find the perfect balance... This pale amoeba sits silently in the pan, taunting you. Eventually, slight hissing begins around the circumference, but by this time, the centre of it is stuck like glue to the griddle. A hearty scraping with the fish slice only serves to concertina the amorphous mass into a heap, and even if you manage to flip it over, it will never be a thing of beauty!
But by golly, does it taste good! Hehehe! I know - I've acquired a certain liking for them over years...hot, in the fingers, no lemon, no sugar, straight-from-the-pan-heaven!
There must be something about kids and pancakes. My sons were also crazy for my secret recipe! I added vanilla and cinnamon to the batter. We never had leftovers.
ReplyDeleteI think the items in the photo are not pancakes; they are crepes. Or perhaps tacos.
ReplyDeleteHow did pancake racing on Shrove Tuesday get started? Most Americans are not aware of "Pancake Tuesday" or pancake racing. Here people call it Mardi Gras and celebrate by going to New Orleans and getting drunk and throwing beads from floats to adoring crowds of women who raise their blouses. Or they did before hurricane Katrina.
RWP - Here in good old UK these are what pancakes look like! The small, flat, thicker things are called drop scones!
ReplyDeleteI have the biggest urge to go make pancakes now ... you have shared your "mind invasion". Isn't the internet a powerful thing ;-)?
ReplyDeleteYum! Too true about that first one.. it's always a major flop.. as opposed to a masterful flip.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how flat you make a pancake it has two sides. Just thought I would throw that in.
ReplyDeleteOh Pen - no lemon? That is criminal - I always discard the first pancake and then make lovely paper-thin ones, stack them and smother them in sugary lemon - can't wait for Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteThat's my kind of pancake too. Yummmm. I never order the American pancakes at restaurants because they tend to be thick and fluffy - a good thing to some people, but not to me. I wish you could email me one or four of those pancakes.
ReplyDeleteI just asked Jill to make some over the weekend and she seemed interested so I'm hoping.... - Dave
ReplyDeleteI've cooked few pancakes in my like as I am more drawn to waffles. However, many of our civic clubs have pancake suppers or breakfasts as fundraisers. From the lines I see, we have a ton of pancake lovers around.
ReplyDeleteDrop scones! Well, I never. Anyway, your sort of pancake looks delectable to me!
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