Moby's Pancakes

I read today in the NY Times that Moby takes his pancakes very seriously, and that his self-esteem is somewhat wrapped up in them. A more complete recipe is posted here on the Epicurious website. This is a vegan recipe, so unless you're a vegan, prepare for a trip to the store for the spelt flour and soy milk. Nice of Epicurious to give you the option to print out a shopping list for the recipe.

Latkes for Four

4 large potatoes
1 large onion
2 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
vegetable oil, as needed (minimum ½ cup)

Grate onion and potatoes with a hand grater using the largest apertures on the grater, or with an equivalent grater blade on a food processor. Put grated potatoes and onion in the center of a dish towel, roll it up like a sausage and twist the ends to squeeze out starch and liquid. Alternatively, you can put the grated onion and potato between two plates and press down, then tip the plate to remove the starch and liquid. Put the grated onion and potato in a large bowl and add egg and dry ingredients. Put ½ cup of oil in pan and heat to medium high.

Using a large slotted spoon, scoop up a spoonful of the mixture, pressing it against the side of the bowl to remove liquid, and drop into the oil in the pan (always drop it away from you – hot oil burns!). Using the edge of the slotted spoon, flatten the mixture so that it is covered to half of its depth in oil. Fry until golden on both sides, drain on paper towels. Add oil to the pan as needed to keep it deep enough to cover half the depth of the latkes. Keep 1-2 hours in oven at 160 degrees Fahrenheit if you wish to make ahead. Serve with sour cream or applesauce or both. Or go wild and serve with freshly made salsa cruda and guacamole.

Why pancake mixes are not inherently evil.

Friends, it is dead easy to make pancakes from scratch.

It is well within the abilities of all but the most impatient to collect and mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt, all as more particularly set forth in Alton Brown's recipe for Instant Pancake Mix.

But friends, I am here to tell you the three little words that make it okay to buy pancake mix. They are "check expiration date." Unless you do a very serious amount of baking with baking powder and baking soda, there's a good chance that the can of baking powder in your kitchen cabinet and the box of baking soda in your refrigerator are out of date. Chances are, you will be able to go through a box of Bisquick well within its expiration date.

While the purple azalea and truffle pancake mix available at your local Whole Paycheck Market for $9.95 for 10 oz. may be an abomination, pancake mixes are not inherently evil.

NYT On a Roll!

It was only days ago that the NYT offered an interesting latke recipe, and now one of their most emailed articles is this recipe for Oatmeal Buttermilk Blueberry Pancakes.

Latkes are pancakes too!

In honor of the season, I am passing on a latke recipe.

I want you to know, however, that a thin film of oil isn't going to get the job done. The oil in the pan should be half the depth of the latkes. Hand forming is a bit of a problem as well, as you don't necessarily know that you are making them of uniform thickness. I prefer to take a scoop of the mixture in a slotted spoon, squeeze any residual liquid out against the side of the bowl, and gently place the spoonful in the hot oil (so as not to splash) and then tapping it down to the right thickness with the edge of the spoon. Let them cook until just a shade of brown less than the doneness at which you wish to eat them. If you have to flip more than once, so be it.

No Post on Pancake Tuesday?

If anybody is reading this blog they might wonder why there was no post on Pancake Tuesday, a/k/a Shrove Tuesday, a/k/a Fat Tuesday, a/k/a Mardi Gras. For the true aficionado of pancakes, Shrove Tuesday is the equivalant of New Year's Eve and St. Patrick's Day for drinkers, strictly amateur night. If you follow the way of the pancake, you do it all throughout the year.

The Perfect Pan

I have earlier stated my preference for Lodge's round cast iron griddle, partly because the shallow sides make it easy for the spatula to approach the pancake at a low angle. I have been reminded, however, that there is another means of cooking pancakes which is also quite satisfactory, but for entirely different reasons.

That other means is an electric frying pan. Its great advantage is that you dial up the temperature and just leave it. Once you know what the appropriate setting is for the pan, you can just set it and forget it. With the cast iron griddle, you need to develop an eye for the flame if you are using a gas stove, or wait forever for it to come to an even heat on an electric range.

You may want to try the electric frying pan. I would suggest looking on eBay for a '60's vintage one, as they will not come with a non-stick surface. I invite comment from readers regarding their perception of the perfect method of cooking pancakes.