Giant Oven Pancakes

Ordinary sized pancakes aren't very much fun at all. But make them either tiny or huge, and it's a whole different story. Tiny pancakes can stack up like a roll of quarters. You can fit three of them on your tongue at a time (I've tried) and if you're really hungry you can eat more than a dozen (I haven't tried that but my kids have).

This post is not about tiny pancakes, though. It's about a giant oven pancake from a new favorite cookbook - In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite.  This pancake was huge. So huge that it served my whole family, including three hungry girls, a little boy monster who can eat a horse for breakfast, and a big hungry dad who can eat even more. And me. 

The tricky thing about this pancake was what to call it. The original recipe from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite is called The Mysterious David Dare's Pancake and there's a really fun story about the name. My hungry horse-eating son dubbed it a 'pomlet.' (That's a combination of Pancake and Omelet.) One of the hungry girl monsters called it a 'pamlette,' a slightly fancier combination of Pancake and Omelette. 

In order not to play favorites, I'm going to give it a name that says it like it is. Giant Oven Pancake. Because it is giant. It goes in the oven. And it certainly is a pancake. One of the fluffiest pancake-iest pancakes I've ever had. A lovely Sunday breakfast meal. 

Giant Oven Pancakes, adapted from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite

Serves 6.  Time: 25-30 minutes

The original recipe calls for grated nutmeg but I know my customers. They are not a nutmeg-loving bunch. I substituted ground cinnamon. I also left out the final step, freshly squeezed fresh lemon juice, although I am including it as an optional step here in case you do want to try it. I also increased the eggs to 4 and all the other ingredients by about 30% to feed my family of six. 

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch kosher salt

5 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, optional

Preheat the oven to 425*. Whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, cinnamon, and salt until combined but still a bit lumpy. 

Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Drop in the butter and let it melt. 

Pour in the pancake batter and transfer the pan to the hot oven. Bake until the pancake is puffy and brown, about 15 minutes. 

Take the skillet out of the oven and shake the sugar evenly over it. Return it to the oven to caramelize the sugar for another 2 minutes or so. 

If you're using lemon juice, splash it over the pancake. Bring the pan to the table - it's so puffy and dramatic! -  and serve immediately with maple syrup or extra sugar for sweetening. 

Linking this up to Pennywise Platter Thursdays, Real Food Wednesdays, Full Plate Thursdays and It's a Keeper Thursdays. 

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Chai Oatmeal

This dish combines two of my very favorite breakfast foods: Chai Tea and Oatmeal. 

Because I drink Chai tea only on the very rare occasion that I have the time to make it and drink it in peace, to me, Chai means peace, quiet, serenity. It is calming and luxurious. 

Chai Oatmeal, for 1

1/2 cup water
1 cup milk (I use skim)
1 1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and sliced thin
5 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
4 black peppercorns
2/3 cup oatmeal
1 teaspoon maple syrup, agave, or honey (optional)

Combine the water, milk, ginger and spices in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium flame and then immediately remove from the heat. Cover the saucepan and let the milk sit for about 1/2 hour.

After the milk has been steeping for about 1/2 hour, drain it, discarding the ginger and spices and putting the flavored milk back in the saucepan.

Add the oatmeal to the saucepan and bring to a boil over low heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the oatmeal is as soft as you like it.

Sweeten, if desired. Serve hot.

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Simple Buttermilk Biscuits

For me, nothing says 'family time' like homemade biscuits (or scones) for breakfast.

As the kids roll out of bed on Sunday mornings, bleary eyed but refreshed from a good night's sleep, they smell that buttery crispy fragrance and their eyes light up.

We all enjoy biscuits. My husband enjoys them with cream cheese. Sarah likes them with butter, and the rest of the kids enjoy them with jelly.  I'll eat them any which way. So long as they are fresh and homemade.

I've tried a few variations, and Molly Katzen's recipe (from one of my very favorite cookbooks, Sunlight Cafe) is our favorite. It's simple, no fuss, and comes out great every time.

If you don't have any buttermilk at home, which I often don't, just add 1 tablespoon white vinegar to 1 cup of milk and let it stand for a few minutes. I don't taste a difference between biscuits made this way and those made with the 'real thing.'

Simplest Buttermilk Biscuits from Sunlight Cafe
I don't stress too much about the rolling and shaping. I don't mind if the biscuits are rough and oddly shaped. 

2 cups white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons cold butter
2/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 400*. Lightly spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Place the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a food processor or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix briefly to combine.

Cut the butter into slices and add them to the dry mixer. Mix as briefly as possible, just till the butter is cut up and the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

Pour in the buttermilk and mix just until the dough holds together.

Roll or pat the dough into a rough circle, about 3/4 inch thick. Cut free form biscuits with a knife or glass.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until deep golden brown on bottom and light golden on top. Cool for a few minutes before serving.

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French Toast

French Toast

Sunday morning breakfasts in our home range from cold cereal (hey, this is my only real vacation day all week!), pancakes made from Aunt Jemima mix (you can't expect me to make everything from scratch!), and French Toast made from leftover homemade challah.

This morning, feeling well rested and very domestic, I made a small batch of French Toast for the kids. Predictably, they ate every last drop! Here's the recipe.

French Toast
About four slices of leftover challah, preferably homemade, sliced about 1/2 inch thick
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
A dash of cinnamon
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon maple syrup

Mix together the milk, eggs, cinnamon, salt, and maple syrup. Lay the challah slices in the egg mix and soak for 2-3 minutes. Flip the slices over and let the other side soak for a couple of minutes.

Melt the butter in a frying pan (I like to use cast iron) on medium heat. When the butter is bubbling but not burning, add the soaked challah. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden.

Serve immediately with maple syrup on the side.

I shared this post on Countdown to 2011!

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