From Pancakes to Pavlova
GOPA’S PANCAKES
*no matter what, use real maple syrup!
From breakfast to dessert, pancakes to pavlova, grandparents to kids, Anthology Of Crumbs has developed out of the love of sharing family recipes, new and old.
For the last 25 years, Gopa’s pancakes would wake me up on a Sunday morning when visiting, the nutty smell of butter warming on the pan the first indication that the aroma of pancakes would shortly follow. And once evening hit, after incredibly full tummies from whatever dinner was that night (in our house, it was mum’s ever famous roast beef and Yorkshire puddings), my husband’s mum would magically present a pavlova.
For the last 25 years, Gopa’s pancakes would wake me up on a Sunday morning when visiting, the nutty smell of butter warming on the pan the first indication that the aroma of pancakes would shortly follow. And once evening hit, after incredibly full tummies from whatever dinner was that night (in our house, it was mum’s ever famous roast beef and Yorkshire puddings), my husband’s mum would magically present a pavlova. Part cake, part cloud – a high dollop of whipped cream over a bed of meringue, crackly sweet surrounding a soft and marshmallowy inside with fresh fruit sprinkled over it all, would be placed in front of us. And, like he would when he was little, my husband would (and still does) sneak the crispy corners hidden beneath the meringue for a preemptive taste.
This website, blog, recipe box, call it whatever you may, is not about me creating my own recipes. Although, I’m sure that at some point I will post a few.
Always a morning coffee & newspaper
Last to bed and first to rise, pancakes were his Sunday morning priority when his boys were young and later when family came to visit.
Rather, Anthology Of Crumbs is a curated recipe box. My family’s, (extended and friends) best kept secrets, past and present, here to be shared with you. I grew frustrated of going through my endless cookbooks for “that one recipe” that I knew where it should be (but never was). And like sitting at the table, stories being passed around, I felt that recipes should be, too. Mostly gone with the newer generations are the days where we cook with our elders, learning how the dough should just feel when you add the flour instead of pure measurement.
Which is why pancakes are the first introduction here. My daughter was two and we were living on the other side of the country, about to move across the border even further away. And Gopa wanted to make sure that his granddaughter was able to still have “real” pancakes. In our beautiful little kitchen of our first home, this is where he taught me the unwritten rules of his family pancakes. Namely, getting him to actually write down amounts of the ingredients was the hardest lesson to learn. Like my mum’s scones that she learned from her mother, there was no recipe on paper. Everything was by look and touch. But after a few sighs, couple cups of coffee, and many giggles, I did him proud and nailed the task at hand. Scroll down for the recipe if you’d like.
So lesson learned. I’ve tried to include annotations along with the recipes. More will be coming as I’ve only just started going through my books. It’s quite nostalgic flipping through the dog-eared pages and brownie stained papers deciding what to post first. I can’t wait to hear what you think of them - after all, you don’t need to be polite (but please be kind!) since you’re not sitting at my dinner table. And looking forward to seeing your suggestions of what to try roll in.
FOLD IN THE BUTTER
What a lesson over pancake batter. The secret?
Get the batter perfectly consistent AND THEN add the butter. (Oh, and whole milk)
Gopa's Pancakes
Ingredients
Instructions
- Beat egg. Add melted butter.
- In another bowl, combine dry ingredients.
- Add egg and butter and slowly add milk until you reach a nice creamy texture with a whisk. (I tend to add with the melted butter once I've reached desired consistency).
Notes
ANTHOLOGY NOTES
*I find that I use a ½ cup scoop for each pancake
*Batter should be like a cake batter before adding melted butter. Let the mixture sit for a minute or two prior to griddle.
*You may have to add a drop or two of milk as the batter sits and becomes too thick.
If you choose to freeze, make sure you put parchment between the pancakes so they don't stick together.