JT's Family Tradition Pancake Recipe
July/21/2008 11:00 AM Filed in: Recipes
In his post, “Memories
Born Out of Simplicity,” JT McCubbin
described his multi-generational Saturday
monring family breakfast tradition. In this
post, he shares with us his recipe for the
pancakes he prepares every weekend.
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, honey, egg and vanilla (or Almond).
(Hint 1: measure the oil first, then the honey in the same measuring spoon. The honey slips right out yielding the entire tablespoon with no sticking).
(Hint 2: warm the milk in the microwave for 45 seconds. The honey will dissolve more readily, and the pancakes will cook more evenly because the batter isn’t cold)
Mix the liquids into the dry with a spoon or wisk, it’s okay to leave a few small lumps of batter rather than over mix.
Pour the batter (1/4 to 1/2 cup amounts depending on desired size) onto an oiled, cast iron griddle or skillet. I use low heat, because the cast iron conducts efficiently, and I don’t want the cooking process to begin until I have finished the pour. When bubbles start to rise to the top, check the bottom surface and flip when the right amount of golden brown is apparent. Serve right off the griddle and top with real maple syrup from the melting/warming pot.
Variation:
Immediately after pouring the batter, drop chocolate chips or blueberries on top and tap in with the spatula. This works much better than trying to mix them into the batter bowl, and it gives you the option to arrange them in fun designs.
Rule:
Never, which means not ever, use a pancake mix. This isn’t complicated. You can do it, and you and your kids will appreciate it.
MacGourmet users, click
image to download recipe (or simply drag image
to your MacGourmet recipe box).
Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below, or you can contact JT directily at ironman@cookingincastiron.com.
CAST IRON
REQUIRED:
- Griddle or skillet
- Melting Pot
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup unbleached flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 Tbs sunflower oil
- 1 Tbs honey
- 1 egg, brown of course
- 1/2 tsp vanilla, or 1/4 tsp almond extract
DIRECTIONS
Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, honey, egg and vanilla (or Almond).
(Hint 1: measure the oil first, then the honey in the same measuring spoon. The honey slips right out yielding the entire tablespoon with no sticking).
(Hint 2: warm the milk in the microwave for 45 seconds. The honey will dissolve more readily, and the pancakes will cook more evenly because the batter isn’t cold)
Mix the liquids into the dry with a spoon or wisk, it’s okay to leave a few small lumps of batter rather than over mix.
Pour the batter (1/4 to 1/2 cup amounts depending on desired size) onto an oiled, cast iron griddle or skillet. I use low heat, because the cast iron conducts efficiently, and I don’t want the cooking process to begin until I have finished the pour. When bubbles start to rise to the top, check the bottom surface and flip when the right amount of golden brown is apparent. Serve right off the griddle and top with real maple syrup from the melting/warming pot.
Variation:
Immediately after pouring the batter, drop chocolate chips or blueberries on top and tap in with the spatula. This works much better than trying to mix them into the batter bowl, and it gives you the option to arrange them in fun designs.
Rule:
Never, which means not ever, use a pancake mix. This isn’t complicated. You can do it, and you and your kids will appreciate it.
MacGourmet users, click
image to download recipe (or simply drag image
to your MacGourmet recipe box).
Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below, or you can contact JT directily at ironman@cookingincastiron.com.
|
Memories Born Out of Simplicity (Cast Iron Traditions)
July/17/2008 09:14 AM Filed in: Reflections
Posted by JT McCubbin
Saturday morning arrives and the house is still
quiet, save for the single clacketing disruption as I
grind the morning’s coffee beans. If I manage this
one disturbance without waking the household, peace
returns and the kids sleep another hour until their
internal cartoon clock beckons them for the morning’s
programming. This is enough time to get
Tradition underway.
A few years ago, as a father of two toddlers, I rebelled against any notion that I should have to get up on a Saturday morning and make breakfast for the family. It was the only day in the week when sleeping-in was plausible. Rising early was required the other six days of the week; why could I not have this one day to experience that simple exhilaration--that one joyous moment--when one wakes up without external prodding.
Amidst my whining and self-complain--because the only one who listens to my complaint is the self--I started to become more reflective. I began to justify my resistance by considering how breakfast was not that important to me when I was a kid. Well, except for breakfast at Grandma’s. The smell and sizzle of ham in the skillet and the eggs--brown eggs from the chickens in the back yard, made-to-order, scrambled or sunny-side-up. Oh, and the toast, with homemade jam and jelly, three or four flavors made from the fruit trees right outside. Waffles, butter, syrup, of course this was only tradition in the sense that we visited Grandma and Grandpa’s one or two weeks out of the year.
It wasn’t only the food, but also listening to the conversation of adults as a child. Grandma shared the neighborhood gossip, recalling early years with siblings, and reminiscing about farm life--the good ol’ days.
That’s one thing about childhood memories: we all have them, and our children will have them too; but it is up to us to influence what positive emotional value they might have. In my reflection I realized I wanted to create some of these memories for my children. Memories born out of simplicity, which my kids could look back to and gain insight about their father, and of traditions they could continue and build upon.
Will I get up early and make breakfast for my kids? Yes, of course I will, and I have nearly every Saturday for the last six years. The Saturday morning event has, along with my recipe for pancakes, undergone a few tweaks as time has gone by. A few months ago I eschewed the anodized-aluminum in favor of a cast iron skillet (just like Grandma’s), and more recently implemented a cast iron griddle. The cast iron probably enhances the memory aspect more for me than for my children. Only time will tell. But for me it connects me to the way my mother and grandmother prepared breakfast and many other meals.
So, every Saturday begins with pancakes and
sausage. As a family we aren’t purists about
“organic,” but in this one area I try and maximize
the organic content if for no other reason but the
simple pleasure. While not organic, our local grocer
carries a store brand of breakfast sausage with no
MSG, so that is the sausage of choice. The eggs are
brown of course, just like to ones from Grandma’s
chickens. The most recent add-on to our pancake
practice has been the use of a cast iron melting pot
to warm the real maple syrup and melt some butter
into it. So, just like the recipe (and its
variations), I look forward to someday passing on the
cast iron to my children. Maybe they will prepare
pancakes and sausage links for their children in the
same cast iron cookware.
I become reflective again. Is this really making an impact on my kids? Do they take comfort in the ritual? Is there security in the knowing of what to expect when they wake up on Saturday? Do they care? Every once in a while I get a glimpse of a connection. One Friday evening as the kids were headed off to bed, perhaps in a mental lapse, my daughter asked, “What’s for breakfast tomorrow?”
I was almost hurt. “What do you think is for breakfast,” came my retort.
“Oh, tomorrow is Saturday--pancakes and maple links. Yes!”
A smile emerged on my face--she gets it.
Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below, or you can contact JT directily at ironman@cookingincastiron.com.
And watch for JT’s Saturday morning pancake recipe in an upcoming post.
A few years ago, as a father of two toddlers, I rebelled against any notion that I should have to get up on a Saturday morning and make breakfast for the family. It was the only day in the week when sleeping-in was plausible. Rising early was required the other six days of the week; why could I not have this one day to experience that simple exhilaration--that one joyous moment--when one wakes up without external prodding.
Amidst my whining and self-complain--because the only one who listens to my complaint is the self--I started to become more reflective. I began to justify my resistance by considering how breakfast was not that important to me when I was a kid. Well, except for breakfast at Grandma’s. The smell and sizzle of ham in the skillet and the eggs--brown eggs from the chickens in the back yard, made-to-order, scrambled or sunny-side-up. Oh, and the toast, with homemade jam and jelly, three or four flavors made from the fruit trees right outside. Waffles, butter, syrup, of course this was only tradition in the sense that we visited Grandma and Grandpa’s one or two weeks out of the year.
It wasn’t only the food, but also listening to the conversation of adults as a child. Grandma shared the neighborhood gossip, recalling early years with siblings, and reminiscing about farm life--the good ol’ days.
That’s one thing about childhood memories: we all have them, and our children will have them too; but it is up to us to influence what positive emotional value they might have. In my reflection I realized I wanted to create some of these memories for my children. Memories born out of simplicity, which my kids could look back to and gain insight about their father, and of traditions they could continue and build upon.
Will I get up early and make breakfast for my kids? Yes, of course I will, and I have nearly every Saturday for the last six years. The Saturday morning event has, along with my recipe for pancakes, undergone a few tweaks as time has gone by. A few months ago I eschewed the anodized-aluminum in favor of a cast iron skillet (just like Grandma’s), and more recently implemented a cast iron griddle. The cast iron probably enhances the memory aspect more for me than for my children. Only time will tell. But for me it connects me to the way my mother and grandmother prepared breakfast and many other meals.
I become reflective again. Is this really making an impact on my kids? Do they take comfort in the ritual? Is there security in the knowing of what to expect when they wake up on Saturday? Do they care? Every once in a while I get a glimpse of a connection. One Friday evening as the kids were headed off to bed, perhaps in a mental lapse, my daughter asked, “What’s for breakfast tomorrow?”
I was almost hurt. “What do you think is for breakfast,” came my retort.
“Oh, tomorrow is Saturday--pancakes and maple links. Yes!”
A smile emerged on my face--she gets it.
Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below, or you can contact JT directily at ironman@cookingincastiron.com.
And watch for JT’s Saturday morning pancake recipe in an upcoming post.