Thousands of years have passed since man first learned that adding water to crushed grain and heating the mixture on a flat surface would produce a delicious breadlike food. With the discovery of leavening and honey and other sweeteners, the pancake’s place in almost every culture’s cuisine was assured. In China, the pancakes are rolled thin by hand, steamed, stuffed with meat or vegetables, and folded for serving. In Japan, they are studded with chopped oysters and served with a hot chile dipping sauce. South Africa and Bulgaria both have pumpkin pancakes; Finland boasts a baked version with shredded carrots, eggs, and cream. The potato pancake is truly international: In Ireland it is the boxty, in France the pachade, in Switzerland the röesti, in Eastern Europe the latke.
With the availability of a wide variety of grains, flours, and dairy products and year-round fresh fruits and vegetables, we need not be limited when it comes to creating waffles and pancakes. Once considered only breakfast fare, they can now be served at any time of day as snacks, side dishes, main courses, and desserts. The recipes that follow offer all the classic dishes and some surprising new inventions as well. By all means treasure those blueberry pancakes you loved as a child, but do try a tiny potato pancake with a dollop of sour cream as an hors d’oeuvre or herbed waffles with chicken salad for your next luncheon. At dinner, replace the usual side dish of rice with a wild rice pancake, ginger and carrot skillet pancake, or a chunky sweet corn cake. Onion cheddar waffles and curried corn waffles are great for a snack and are perfect as sandwich material. And ultrathin crêpes, surprisingly easy to make, provide a light and interesting wrapping for all kinds of fillings, both sweet and savory.
For lovers of sweets, pancakes and waffles are endlessly versatile. Spread with butter and sprinkled with sugar or drizzled with honey and cinnamon, plain crêpes, pear-almond waffles, or honey-hazelnut pancakes deliciously complement coffee any time of the day. A more luxuriant fare of mocha waffles, chocolate crêpes, or panettone pancakes will make a perfect finale to even the most formal dinner party.
Many of us treasure childhood memories of waking to the warm, yeasty smell of pancakes on Sunday morning, or marveling at perfectly patterned squares of waffles on our dinner plate. My hope is that the recipes in this book will inspire you to re-create those wonderful moments any time the spirit moves you.
Jane Stacey
NOTE: All of the following recipes were tested with unsalted butter, large eggs, heavy cream, whole milk, sugar, and honey. If necessary they can be modified easily for dietary considerations. Low-fat or skim milk can be substituted for whole milk, half-and-half, or sour cream, and toppings made of heavy cream or sour cream can be replaced with low-fat sour cream or nonfat yogurt. In many cases, especially with waffles, egg yolks can be omitted, since the whipped egg whites will keep the waffle light and the lower fat content will keep it crisp. The melted butter called for by most of the recipes can be replaced by melted margarine or vegetable oil and can be reduced to one tablespoon.