Treat yourself to recipes from around the world.
Flipping Good Pancakes: Pancakes From Around the World by Sudi Pigott
Photo: Octopus Publishing Group
Due to hectic morning routines, we can't blame any working moms for skipping out on breakfast or scarfing down a protein bar as you scramble out of the door. But on weekends—or those glorious days off without kids—you deserve to enjoy something a little more filling.
Sudi Pigott's new cookbook, Flipping Good Pancakes: Pancakes From Around the World , offers an international twist on an American breakfast staple. You can explore how different countries from around the world serve up their version of the pancake without ever having to leave your home. Here are five of her recipes republished with her permission:
PREP: 10 minutes plus 20 minutes resting
COOK: 75 minutes
TOTAL: 85 minutes
DIETARY: use gluten-free all-purpose flour
MAKES: 20 X 2in, serves 4 to 6
10½ ounces Russet potatoes
2 large eggs, beaten, plus 2 egg whites
¼ cup heavy cream¼ cup low-fat milk
1½ tablespoons all-purpose flourbutter, for cooking
¾ cup crème fraîche, to serve
FOR THE CRAB COCKTAIL TOPPING
1 dressed crab, or 7 ounces crabmeat
zest of 1 lime and 3 tablespoons lime juice
½ red chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake the potatoes for 1 hour or until the insides are soft. Remove from the oven. Turn the oven down to 225°F and put a rack on a baking sheet inside to keep the blinis warm.
Meanwhile, put the crabmeat in a bowl and mix in the lime zest and juice, chile, herbs and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
Push the cooked potato through a potato ricer or strainer into a bowl or food processor. Mix with the 2 beaten eggs, cream, milk, flour and ½ teaspoon salt, either in the food processor or using a hand mixer. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Put the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl and whisk until they form soft peaks. Gently fold into the potato mixture using a spatula. Set aside to rest in a cool place for 30 minutes.
Place a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon butter and swirl to coat the pan. Drop in tablespoonfuls of batter from the tip of a tablespoon, as many as will fit at one time. It will sizzle as it hits the pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until lightly golden. Flip over and cook for another 2 minutes, then keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding a little more butter to the pan as necessary.
The potato pancakes can also be made in advance and reheated in a preheated oven at 225°F on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If doing this, allow the pancakes to cool a little before topping them with crème fraîche; otherwise, it will melt and run off. Top with a dollop of crème fraîche and the crab cocktail before serving.
What gives these pancakes such a brilliant texture is using a little baking powder and baking soda, plus buttermilk. The baking soda reacts with the acid in the batter mix to produce bubbles of carbon dioxide, which makes for a lighter-than-air finish.
Photo: Octopus Publishing Group
PREP: 15 minutes
COOK: 15 minutes
TOTAL: 30 minutes
DIETARY: use gluten-free all-purpose flour
MAKES: 8 X 5in, serves 4
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons superfine sugar
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup blueberries (optional)
FOR THE MAPLE SALTED-BUTTER SAUCE
½ cup maple syrup
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
TO SERVE
8 slices thick-cut bacon
2 avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
zest and juice of 1 lime
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
maple syrup, for drizzling
Preheat the oven to 250°F and put a baking sheet with a wire rack inside in the oven for keeping the pancakes warm. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl gently whisk the buttermilk with the 4 tablespoons butter and the egg yolks. Put the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl and whisk until they form medium peaks yet are still soft in the middle—do not over-whisk. Gently fold half the egg whites into the batter using the whisk at first and then a spatula, turning the bowl while folding. Add the remaining egg whites in the same way. The batter should be slightly lumpy for the best results, with large parts of egg white not fully incorporated.
Heat a nonstick crêpe pan over medium heat until hot. The pan is hot enough when water sprinkled onto the surface bounces and splutters; it is too hot if it evaporates instantly. Turn the heat down to medium–low. Brush the pan with 1 tablespoon melted butter and wipe off any excess with paper towels. (Using butter ensures an extra-crisp finish.)
Drop 2 to 3 tablespoons of the batter into the pan from the tip of the tablespoon for each pancake. This is the time to scatter with the blueberries, if using. Cook for 2 minutes or until bubbles start to form and pop on the surface of the pancake and it is slightly dry and airy around the edges and lightly golden underneath. Flip over and cook for 2 minutes or until lightly golden. Keep the pancakes warm on the rack in the oven. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter to the pan as necessary.
Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a dry frying pan over high heat, or under a preheated broiler, for 5 minutes. Mash up the avocados with a fork, then mix in the lime zest and juice and season with black pepper.
To make the maple salted-butter sauce, if using, heat the maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the cold butter until it is incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Remove from the heat and keep warm until ready to use.
Serve a stack of pancakes, topped with the smashed avocado, crisp bacon and an indecent amount of maple syrup drizzled over, or serve with the maple salted-butter sauce.
I like blintzes all year round as a wonderfully comforting food for breakfast or a delectable dessert. What I particularly relish about these unusually soft crêpes is that their filling reminds me of baked cheesecake. No wonder they are so popular in New York!
Photo: Octopus Publishing Group
PREP: 20 minutes plus 40 minutes resting
COOK: 30 minutes
TOTAL: 50 minutes
DIETARY: use gluten-free all-purpose flour
MAKES: 8 to 10 X 10in (before filling), serves 4
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup sparkling water
4 large eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted
pinch of salt
¼ cup boiling water
3 tablespoons butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing
2½ tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, sifted
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the filling1 cup ricotta
1 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
zest of 1 lemon
FOR THE CHERRY SAUCE
2½ cups fresh cherries, halved and pitted
zest and juice of 2 oranges
3 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons dark rum
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sparkling water. Add the eggs, butter and salt. Whisk again until fully incorporated. The batter should have the consistency of heavy cream. Set aside to rest for at least 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the filling, put the cheeses in a large bowl or in a food processor and add the vanilla extract, egg yolk and confectioners’ sugar. Mix together, then put in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
To make the cherry sauce, put the pitted cherries in a small pan with the orange zest and juice, sugar, cinnamon and rum. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Keep the sauce warm.
Before cooking the crêpes, add ¼ cup boiling water to the batter and whisk thoroughly. This ensures the blintzes are soft and pliable when rolling (it’s a tip I picked up from chef Michael Zee).
You can bake or fry your blintzes to finish them, although I prefer them baked. If baking, preheat the oven to 350°F and butter a baking dish. To pan-fry, preheat a nonstick frying pan. Test that it is hot enough by putting a few drops of water in the pan. If the water sizzles, it is perfect for cooking the crêpes. If bubbles burst, reduce the heat a little. Wipe the pan with a buttered piece of paper towel, then pour in sufficient batter to coat the pan thinly. Cook over medium heat until the blintz is a little crispy around the edges and firm on top. Do not flip. Stack on a plate interleaved with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter to the pan each time. (This can be done ahead of assembling the next stage, if you like.)
When ready to serve, fill the blintzes. Put a blintz on a flat surface cooked-side up. Put 2 to 3 tablespoons of cheese filling in the lower third of the blintz and flatten with the base of a spoon. Be sure not to overfill. Fold the base of the blintz over the filling and then fold the two sides into the middle and roll the blintz from the base to the top.
Put all the rolled blintz in the prepared baking dish. Scatter with cubes of butter. Bake for 15 minutes or until enticingly brown. Alternatively, the assembled blintzes can be fried in a large frying pan in melted butter for 4-5 minutes until crisp and golden, turning once.
Mix the confectioners’ sugar with the cinnamon and use to dust the cooked blintzes. Serve immediately with the warm cherry sauce. Traditionally, sour cream is served too, but I think it might be too much, as the blintzes are plenty rich enough.
Rich, crisp and addictive, these scallion pancakes are one of Northern China’s most famous street foods, often found at breakfast “shops” or on dim sum menus.
Photo: Octopus Publishing Group
PREP: 30 minutes plus 30 minutes resting
COOK: 30 minutes
TOTAL: 60 minutes
DIETARY: use gluten-free flour
MAKES: 16 X 3in, serves 8 as a snack, 2 as a main meal
½ teaspoon sea salt
2¼ cups all-purpose flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
sunflower oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 bunch of scallions, green parts and a little of the white finely chopped
1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder (optional)
FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
¼ cup good soy sauce
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
juice of 1 lime
In a bowl, dissolve the salt in ¾ cup hand-hot water and mix with the flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a well-floured surface and knead for at least 5 minutes until the dough is very smooth and slightly springy. Divide into 8 balls (or 16 if you wish to serve as a party snack), brush very lightly with oil, put ina bowl covered with a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the rice wine vinegar in a bowl with the soy sauce, ginger, red pepper flakes, sugar and lime juice, then divide into individual bowls ready to serve. Set aside.
On a floured surface, roll out each ball into a thin rectangle about 4 x 12 inches. Brush with sesame oil and sprinkle with the scallion and five-spice powder, if using. Starting at the long end, roll the dough into a cigar shape, brush the inside with a little more sesame oil, then roll into a snail shape and tuck under the ends. Press lightly with your hands to flatten the spiral. Roll it out very gently into an ultra-thin pancake. You should still see the coils. Roll gently to retain flakiness and turn often to avoid making holes in the pancakes. Cover the prepared pancakes with a damp cloth. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat and brush with sunflower oil. When the oil is shimmering, slip the first pancake into the hot pan. It should sizzle and not burn. Cook for 2 minutes or until golden, shaking the pan gently. Flip over and cook for another 2 minutes or until golden. Drain on a plate covered with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining pancake coils. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.
This is oatmeal in the form of a pancake, so it’s comforting, like a warm bear hug. These pancakes, with their subtle, toasty taste, make a perfect start for breakfast or brunch, or as a dessert.
Photo: Octopus Publishing Group
PREP: 10 minutes
COOK: 10 minutes
TOTAL: 20 minutes
DIETARY: use gluten-free self-rising flour
MAKES: 12 to 16 X 4in, serves 4
1¾ cups porridge oats
1¼ cups self-rising flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, separated
1¾ cups milk, or soy or almond milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
9-ounce container skyr or Greek yogurt
fresh raspberries
6 tablespoons thyme honey
Preheat the oven to 225°F and warm a plate to keep the pancakes warm while you make them. Process the porridge oats in a food processor to make a flour.
Mix the processed porridge oats, flour and cinnamon together in a bowl. Whisk in the egg yolks and the milk. Put the egg whites in a clean bowl and whisk until they form soft peaks. Gently fold the whites into the batter. The batter will be fairly thick, like heavy cream.
Heat a heavy nonstick frying pan over high heat. Reduce to medium-high and use a heatproof pastry brush to brush with butter. Pour in a ladleful of batter and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it puffs up. Flip over and cook for 2 minutes or until lightly golden. Keep the pancakes warm and repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter to the pan as necessary. Serve the pancakes with a scoop of skyr or Greek yogurt, a scattering of raspberries and a good drizzle of thyme honey.