I first tried pancakes about 15 years ago, during a trip to New York; my travel companions wanted to have breakfast in a true New York diner, and we all went for pancakes. They did not impress me: they were bland and tough, and the syrup had an odd chemical aftertaste that reminded me of cough medicine. Not my choice of breakfast.
A few years later a friend made me her own version; she was crazy about pancakes and could not understand my aversion to them. She presented her made-from-scratch pancakes with a proud smile, but again they seemed bland and I just didn’t see the point of making them.
Then a few months ago I kept finding recipes for pancakes, and I noticed that some recipes called for vanilla extract, and some required beaten egg whites, to make the pancake light and fluffy…interesting…for the first time, I was curious enough to make pancakes.
After a thorough search on the internet, I tweaked a few recipes into one, as I often do, and one Sunday morning I gave it a try. What can I say? These delicious pancakes are now part of my list of Sunday breakfast treats. They are tasty, light and fluffy, and smell heavenly. I love them with a dollop of crème fraîche and honey, but they are delicious even just sprinkled with a bit of sugar.
Vanilla Blueberry Pancakes
2 large eggs, separated
5 tablespoons milk
100 gr plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoon vanilla sugar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
100 gr blueberries
Vegetable oil or butter to fry
Place egg yolks, vanilla extract and milk in a medium bowl and whisk them together.
Sift over the flour, vanilla sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate, and combine well.
Whisk the egg whites and salt in a separate bowl, until they are firm, then gently fold into the pancakes mixture.
Using a pastry brush, brush a frying pan with a little vegetable oil (or melted butter) and heat over medium-low heat; for each pancake, drop 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. At this point, sprinkle a few blueberries on to the uncooked side, then loose the pancake with a spatula and flip over. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side. Serve with your topping of choice: butter, maple syrup, honey, jam, or, if it’s one of those I-need-a-special-treat day, crème fraîche.
Photo Credit: Cristina Colli
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