Alex's Ultimate Pancakes

I am very lucky to have amazing foodie friends. They are a great source of inspiration and I just love bouncing ideas off them and picking their brains for cooking tricks. My friend Alex is one such foodie; baking is his specialty, and he gets my mouth watering every time he mentions his latest experiments.

I am very honored to have his permission to reproduce this pancake recipe he spent years perfecting. When he announced he had created the ultimate version, I knew I had to try it.

This is literally a copy-paste of the recipe he sent me, so you'll find the narrative style a bit different from my usual prose; I thought that the best way to detail his recipe was to use his own words.

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Dry ingredients:
3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder (do NOT put too much)
Dash of salt

Wet ingredients:
2 large eggs
3 cups of milk
6 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Splash of vanilla extract

Mix the dry in one bowl. Mix the wet in another bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. DO NOT WHISK! DON'T EVEN USE ONE! Mix with... GASP! a SPATULA! Fold and gently mix until well incorporated but still with some lumps. Luuuuumps. We like dee LUUUUUMPS!

Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes (no less, not too much more). LIGHTLY stir with the spatula. The flour will have expanded and the lumps should have moistened and will come apart. PRE-HEAT a pan to medium heat (4/10... 5/10... depends on your stove). I use an ice cream scoop to make sure my pancakes are the same size (I'm anal about pancake stacks). You need to flip when they bubble and the edges look dry.

They are soooooo fluffy they DRINK up butter/margarine. We get "Celeb" which is Maxi's house brand of Becel. 2$ less and tastes EXACTLY the same (buttery, with less guilt). I put a lot on them; it melts and the pancakes soak it up. Then I finish with the DARK maple syrup we found this spring at the Marché Jean-Talon. C'est de la tire en canne, c'est tellement bon!

Add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and half of that of nutmeg to the batter for a comforting yummy nutty kick!

*If they are not browned enough increase the heat and let the pan warm up.

*Note that a perfectly smooth batter means you over-mixed and hence developed gluten. SHAME! Your pancakes will not be miraculously fluffy, but they will still be delicious. Smile. Just be careful next time!
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I followed Alex's instructions very carefully. I used my stirring spatula to gently mix the batter, I preheated my crepe pan with a light psssht! of non-stick cooking spray, measured the batter with my ice cream scoop and used a thin slotted spatula to flip the pancakes. By the way, pancakes are very much like crepes: the first one is always a mess, so don't get upset. Just keep going, the second pancake will already be a huge improvement.

Besides 2 flipping incidents (my hand-eye coordination sucks early in the morning), making these pancakes was quite simple. They are ready to flip rather fast, so give them your full attention if you don't want to overcook them. If they start bubbling too quickly, lower the heat to medium-low: giving the pancakes time to set properly will make them easier to flip and will reduce batter splashing - they will also rise higher if they cook more slowly.

The fascinating part is that once flipped, you can see them rise before your eyes! They have the perfect texture and density to stack up high on a plate and drench in butter and maple syrup, just like in movies and 24-hour diners.

My ice cream scoop is small, so I used 2 scoops of batter per pancakes, and I got 16 little fluffy wonders. Alex usually makes bigger pancakes, and gets about 8.

And they really DO drink butter! A little nub of butter on one of these hot pancakes goes "slurp" and disappears. I am definitely a real butter kind of gal (my dad being French, I was brought up to think margarine was the devil's lube, and therefore, not something fit for human consumption), and when it comes to maple syrup, I like to use a lot. The pancakes drank up the butter and the maple syrup like little sponges, making each bite deliciously oozy.

Given the impressive quantity of pancakes wielded by this recipe, I suggest halving it if you are making them for 2. While they were delicious plain, I am sure a handful of fresh berries or banana slices would make them stellar.

Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe, Alex! You are ze baking-master!

French Toasts

On a nice sunny Sunday morning, is there anything more awesome than a pile of French toasts? Having them served to you in bed, maybe, but since the cat really can't hold a spatula properly, I have resigned myself to making them and eating them somewhat vertically.

People have been making French toast, or pain perdu, for a long time. The oldest recipes for it date back to the 4th century, and it was already the yummiest way to use up bread gone a bit stale (it soaks up more egg mixture without falling apart than fresh bread will, so feel free to leave a few slices on the counter overnight if you plan on making French toast the next morning). It was eaten by peasants all over Europe, but I am not sure when it became nominally French. Today, it is a lovely brunch dish that you can make with any kind of bread that's sliced thick enough.

Some people top it with all kind of extravagant stuff, but I like to keep it simple (mostly because I am generally per-caffeinated when I make them): fresh berries and maple syrup. Feel free to use any other fresh fruit you like (peaches and bananas are especially awesome), toasted walnuts or pecan, and top your creation with whipped cream, creme anglaise or honey (sprinkle powdered sugar on top if you want; it's naughty, but I have to admit it IS pretty). I used rather conventional bread in the pictures, but a nice baker's bread stuffed with nuts and fruits makes French toast extra-special!

Nadia G.'s "Bitchin' Kitchen" recipe is virtually identical to the one my grandmother taught me, with the slight difference that my nonna spiked her French toast with nutmeg, making us all a bunch of raving addicts who only swore by her recipe. Here's how to do it:

4 eggs
1 vanilla bean (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract)
Brown sugar

Freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 cup milk
Sea salt
4 to 8 thick slices of bread
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup fresh berries
Maple syrup

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, the seed of 1/2 vanilla bean (or the vanilla extract), a big pinch of brown sugar, a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg, a splash of milk and a small pinch of salt.

Slice 4 pieces of bread 1-inch thick. Drown in the egg mixture. Melt the butter in a large frying pan on medium heat. Fry bread until golden brown on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side (fry in batches of 2 slices, if needed).

Pile the toasts on a serving plate, sprinkle with fresh berries and serve with maple syrup.

This makes a lovely breakfast for 2, but the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd (the mixture with 4 eggs can soak up to 8 slices of bread, so only double that if you plan of frying an entire loaf). Serve it with some OJ and coffee, unless it's a special occasion, in which case, mimosas and a side of bacon are mandatory.

If eggs are not your thing, here is a vegan version from my dear "Vegan with a Vengeance". Mixing flour with a non-dairy milk makes an interesting substitute for the eggs, and chickpea flour is as close to the real thing as you can get. Simply use this little mix instead of the traditional egg mixture:

1/2 cup soy creamer

1/2 cup rice milk or plain soy milk

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup chickpea flour

Pour the soy cream and rice milk in a wide, shallow bowl. Mix in the cornstarch, and stir until dissolved. Add the chickpea flour and mix until it is mostly absorbed. Add vanilla extract if you want to sweetened it up a bit, use canola oil instead of butter to keep your bread from sticking to the frying pan and voila! Vegan French toasts!

With a little imagination, French toast can be quite versatile. Omit the vanilla, sugar and nutmeg, and you can make savory French toast served with breakfast proteins like sausages or ham, some roasted breakfast potatoes, a few asparagus and a drizzle of Hollandaise sauce...

Enjoy the beautiful Sunday!

Crêpes!

Today, I am sharing a beloved family secret: my dad's recipe and method to create delicious crêpes! It's got a bit of everything that makes cooking awesome: they are very easy to whip up, taste great and can be stuffed with almost anything that crosses your mind. They can be breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snack!

I had a late morning today and wanted something that could be both breakfast and lunch, as I would need sustenance running all over the island to make my appointments. And let's be honest, I also had a sweet tooth... I have an almost obsessive love of maple syrup, and of all the sweet tasting things in the world, nothing beats it as far as I am concerned. I wanted something I could drown in the golden-brown wonder and devour. Crêpes were just the thing to make me finish my coffee and run to the stove.

Fun fact: in Paris, they have crêpe-stands in the streets, the same way you have hot-dogs carts in New York City! They give it to you rolled up in parchemin paper, so you can stuff your face with a warm crêpe full of chocolate spread and banana slices as you walk down the Champs-Élysées! I confess that this luxurious snack left a lasting impression.

My dad is the son of a French innkeeper, so this technique is old-school French crêpe-making (or so I am told). I used to consider them a treat, but once I got the hang of it, there was no stopping me from making them every weekend. The quantities given make enough batter for 4 to 6 crêpes about 10-inches across, which is perfect for 2 people to pig-out on at brunch. However, it is very easily doubled if you have company.

I found a great non-stick crêpe pan at Stokes, for about $25. It's worth every penny if crêpes become more than an occasional treat in your kitchen. They distribute the heat evenly, and make flipping the buggers with a flick of the wrist very easy, if you plan on looking impressive and professional. A good old frying pan works just as well; just make sure to give it a quick spray of non-stick cooking spray (too much greasy stuff in the pan will make your crêpe congeal), and use a thin spatula to flip the crêpes.

Also, let's not confuse crêpes, which are thin and flexible, with pancakes, the thick American breakfast food that is similar in some aspects (i.e. they are cooked in a pan and generally served under lots of maple syrup). I will tackle pancakes in the future, but this morning, let's make some crêpes, baby!

Here are the ingredients, and method:

1 tablespoon butter

approximately 2 cups all purpose flour

approximately 2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 pinch sugar (if making sweet crepes)

1 pinch salt (if making salty crepes)

Melt the butter in a small saucepan and set aside. In a large mixing bowl blend the butter, the eggs, the sugar or salt, and 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of milk. Mix well with a whisk and progressively add the rest of the flour and milk, mixing well, until the batter is a lovely cream color, and thick but not firm or stiff; it must still drip from the whisk. At this point, you can cover your bowl with plastic wrap and leave it to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. Just make sure to let it get back at room temperature before you start cooking.

Preheat a crêpe pan over medium heat. Let it get as hot as you can; it will make your life easier. Give it a light spray of non-stick cooking spray (light!). Spoon the batter on the pan with a ladle; 1 ladle-full should give 1 crêpe. Quickly swirl the batter in the pan so that it form a thin layer that covers the entire pan. Let it cook until it is easily flipped with a wide spatula. Flip every minute until it is lovely and slightly golden on both sides. This should take about 2 minutes for each crêpe.

This should yield 6 to 8 crepes, depending on how big and thick you make them. Feel free to use non-dairy milk if you want to: the crepes will be just as creamy and tasty!

I also experimented with a vegan crêpe recipe, from "Vegan with a Vengeance". Family bias aside, the end result was good, though perhaps a little bland for plain crêpes; these babies fare better stuffed with fruit (spectacular with banana slices and maple syrup, as pictured). If you plan on eating them by themselves, I would suggest adding a sprinkle of nutmeg to the batter.

1 1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups water

Combine the flours and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the water and olive oil. Blend until completely smooth, by hand or with an electric mixer. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for half an hour. Preheat a crepe pan over medium-high heat and spray lightly with cooking spray. Use a ladle to pour the batter in the pan; tilt and rotate the pan so that the batter covers the bottom of the pan. When it looks like the top of the crepe is set and the corners of the crepe are beginning to brown lightly, flip over with a thin spatula and cook on the other side for a minute.

Although good, I find these are a bit harder to work with than my dad's batter. They tend to stick together a bit more, and the taste of flour is more present. Still, as far as animal-free alternatives go, I've yet to find a tastier recipe.

Here are a few ideas to make your crêpes memorable morning (or, you know, whenever) feasts:

Sweet crêpes ideas = any of the following garnishes: sliced fruits (strawberries, bananas, mangoes) or whole berries with whipped cream, Nutella, English cream...

Salty crêpes ideas = any of the following garnishes: steamed asparagus, sautéed mushrooms, cheddar or Swiss cheese, prepared ham.

Or for sweet and salty experiment, serve crêpes with sliced Granny Smith apples, Brie cheese and candied Pecan nuts.

Now, keep the following in mind: the first crêpe is the test-crêpe. Use it to judge if your batter needs more milk or flour. If it spreads thickly or unevenly, add a splash of milk, blend well and try again. If it's so liquid it won't "catch" and cook, add some flour, a small handful at the time. You can only really tell from experience, and it's worth tearing a crêpe or two to get a good end result. You should see it cook pretty clearly if your batter has the right consistency: the edge will curl up very slightly, the surface will brown evenly and it will be easy to flip.

I can eat plain crêpes with maple syrup every day (for every meal, in fact), but if you plan on garnishing, have everything ready BEFORE you prepare your batter. Chop the fruits, sauté or grill veggies, prepare the cheese. Speaking of cheese, the secret to a lovely, uniform coat of melting cheese at the heart of your crêpe is: pre-sliced! Buy a pack of neatly, thinly sliced Swiss cheese and cut the little squares in half and carefully place them in a long strip in the middle of your crêpe for the last minute in the pan, just to let it get warm and melty. Top with asparagus, mushrooms, ham, etc.

Unless you own a huge crêpe pan, keeping the crêpes perfectly folded for a fancy presentation can be tricky, as they tend to slip. A naked toothpick is a bit unsightly, so I suggest camouflaging it. A whole strawberry upside down is always cute, but anything you stuff your crêpe with can work: a mushroom cap, a chunk of banana... or go tropical with a cocktail umbrella!