If I don’t work Sunday, then tradition dictates Pancakes, usually served with sausages. The tradition goes back almost ten years when I discovered a pancake recipe I have yet to top. More later.

Breakfast

Breakfast arrives late on Sunday. I believe in slow Sunday mornings. The coffee goes on first. Then some thing classical but light for back ground music. Today I put on Debussy.
Next the beautiful summer morning part, which on a cold windy, rainy day is a challenge. However, today the sun is shining. Off comes the yellow and blue Provencal style tablecloth, and on goes a rust red one with a delicate floral print. (I’m working on an a piece about tablecloths, a very under rated decoration.) Stores are over loaded with cheap bunches of daffodils at this time of the year. Two bunches stuffed into a 6-inch high vase transformed from its life as a glass covering for a light bulb; add a touch of sunshine to the table. A Candelabrum follows with yellow/tan candles I found in Ikea which are warm , bright ,oh and cheap. A flat basket of bananas, peaches, and an avocado make up the rest of the picture. (Be creative, you’ll enjoy the challenge, and the result. Utilize stuff you have around the house. Come up with different uses for common household items. Don’t let your house sit like a still life hanging on the wall, move things around.)
Only after I set the stage, do I let people into the dinning room or kitchen. Coffee is served all around, while I get the pancakes ready.

What You Need

I’ve made this recipe so many times I could do it in my sleep. Once you master the basic recipe, be creative I’ll give you some ideas.
Dry ingredients.
Shift together in a large mixing bowl, 2 cups (here we go all ready) either whole-wheat flour (the original recipe) or half and half or unbleached. Your choice. 3 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, and one tablespoon of brown sugar. Shift.
In another bowl pour in 2 cup of milk (you decided how much butter fat) ½ cup of canola oil. Separate 3 eggs. The yolks go into the bowl of liquid the whites go into another bowl. In this order, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Using the same beaters beat the liquid to blend. Then pour the liquid onto the flour mixture and stir quickly. The batter will be lumpy, that’s okay. Then gently fold in the egg whites. You get a very light and airy batter.
Cook on a griddle (I use a fairly large electric non stick griddle) but a fry pan will do.

Once brown on the bottom flip over, brown the other side and serve with your favourite syrup.
Variations. (Add blueberries, or bananas or black berries or…. You get the picture.)
Substitute: Soya milk for the milk. Research shows that Soya protein is, like way better for you. (Sorry I’m a Valley boy at heart.) You can also use half buttermilk. Lemon in the syrup cuts the sweetness. If you are watching your waist or some other bulging part of your anatomy, the sugar reduced syrups help. In addition, remember only on Sunday. The rest of the week is penance.
Serve with Sausages, or bacon, or nothing at all.
To pick it up a notch, serve a very chilled Asti Spumante from Italy or a real dry Spanish bubbly. To impress further, put a strawberry in the glass and float a mint leaf. See you can layer anything onto a basic truth.
Once the pancakes are consumed, push back the chair, have another cup of coffee, enjoy the company and the sunshine. What could be more perfect mid morning on a beautiful Sunday morning?

Good Food, Enjoyable Life
Nick
“There are some strange summer mornings in the country, when he who is but a sojourner from the city shall early walk forth into the fields, and be wonder-smitten with the trance-like aspect of the green and golden world.” Herman Melville