Wednesday, March 17, 2004

Pancakes are fun at any hour of the day

Pancakes aren’t just for breakfast. Sweet or savory, they can be served at any meal of the day as a main dish or side dish.

We listed several recipes to get you started, but the great thing about pancakes is that anything goes. If you don’t want to mix your batter from scratch, use prepared mix and stir in any add-ins you desire.

Use these suggestions to modify the recipes listed:

• Turn the ambrosia or ginger oat pancakes into pineapple upside-down pancakes by arranging pineapple tidbits in the pan and then pouring pancake batter over them. Cook as directed. Serve with pineapple-coconut syrup. Combine 1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice (reserved from pineapple rings) and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a small saucepan and stir until blended. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk, preferably unsweetened, and 1/2 cup milk. Heat, stirring gently until the mixture thickens slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

• You can do the same thing with banana slices.

• Fold your favorite berries, chopped canned pears or other fruit into ginger oat pancakes.

• Stir mashed bananas into the cocoa pancake-ettes for a cocoa-banana surprise.

• Replace the strawberries in cottage cheese, lemon and strawberry pancakes with 1/2 cup shredded apples and 1/2 cup pecans.

• Replace the carrots in the sesame carrot-ginger pancakes with shredded, slightly steamed sweet potatoes.

• Stir frozen corn kernels and sliced green onion into the cornmeal and bacon pancakes.

Making pancakes is a fairly simple cooking task, but these tips will help perfect the process:

• Combine all dry ingredients in one large bowl. In a smaller bowl, stir together liquid ingredients. Add liquid ingredients to the dry all at once.

• Stir — never beat — the ingredients together just until blended and evenly moistened. Overmixing will toughen the pancakes.

• If the batter seems too thick, add water or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Cooking pancakes

• Preheat the pan. Test the heat by adding a drop or two of water. The surface is hot enough when the water sizzles for a second and then evaporates.

• When the pan is hot enough, brush it with vegetable oil or use cooking spray. Use minimal oil; pancakes should be cooked on a fairly dry surface. You may add more for additional batches, but it usually won’t be necessary.

• Never rush pancakes. A rushed pancake will be underdone inside. Let the pancakes cook slowly until tiny bubbles begin to appear all over the surface, 2-3 minutes or more, depending on the batter. When bubbles appear on the surface, use a spatula to lift one side gently. Look at the bottom to see whether it is evenly browned. If it is, turn the pancake and cook the other side. When the pancakes are browned on both sides, remove one and test it by cutting into the center to see whether it is done.

• Keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven while you prepare more. Preheat oven to 200-250 degrees. Place cooked pancakes on a baking sheet, cover lightly with foil and keep in oven for no longer than 10 minutes.

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