Pancakes with Personality

Want to spice up your pancakes? Looking for something unique to serve your holiday guests? BedandBreakfast.com searched near and far for great pancakes from great innkeepers! Below are the tasty recipes and helpful tips from the two finalists in our Pancakes with Personality Contest. Check back after January 3, 2008, to learn who won!

Cranberry Caramel Almond Pancakes
Lemon Buttermilk Ricotta Cheese Pancakes
Tips for Perfect Pancakes

Cranberry Caramel Almond Pancakes
Colby Hill Inn, Henniker, NH

5 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup canola oil
4 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla
3 to 4 cups milk
2 cups dried cranberries (soak in 1/2 cup orange juice to reconstitute)
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Method
Mix dry ingredients together. Add eggs, oil vanilla and milk into dry ingredients. Fold in drained cranberries and slivered almonds.

Place 1/2 cup of batter on an oiled or buttered griddle. Drizzle scant caramel sauce on top of each pancake. Cook until bubbles form and flip over.

Caramel Drizzle
1 1/2 sticks of butter
1 1 /2 cup brown sugar
dash of cinnamon
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream

Method
Melt butter in a saucepan; add brown sugar and continue to cook until mixture comes to a boil. Add dash of cinnamon,  and add heavy cream while stirring. Stir and cook until mixture comes together and thickens slightly. Mixture will thicken as it cools down.

Plate pancakes, drizzle with caramel sauce, garnish with dried cranberries and almonds, and dust with confectionary sugar if desired.

Makes 10 servings of 3 pancakes each.



Lemon Buttermilk Ricotta Cheese Pancakes
Arbor Inn B&B, Rye, NH

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. granular sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs, separated
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 tbsp. lemon zest
2 cups assorted fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cut strawberries). Use one type of berry, or many.

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks, oil, buttermilk, ricotta cheese, orange juice and lemon extract. Whisk together until smooth.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the liquid mixture. Mix together until flour is just incorporated. Sprinkle top of batter with lemon zest.

In a small stainless steel bowl, beat egg whites until just stiff. Fold the egg whites into the batter until incorporated. Let set for 10 to 15 minutes. While batter is setting up, make your lemon sauce.

Sweetened Lemon Sauce
1 cup granular sugar
1/2 cup salted sweet cream butter
1/4 cup water
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp. lemon zest
3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized stainless steel sauce pan. Over medium heat, stir constantly until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Bring sauce to a boil, uncovered, then lower the temperature for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and let set, keeping warm until ready to serve.

Butter large skillet, and warm on medium to low flame or low heat. When butter begins to bubble, place 1/4 to 1/2 cup batter on hot skillet. Let the pancakes rise on the pan slightly, then place assorted berries on top of each pancake, pressing slightly into the batter. Once bottoms begin to brown, turn pancakes over to finish cooking just until lightly browned.

Place finished pancakes on a large platter, and top each with sweet cream butter, powdered sugar and warmed lemon sauce. Garnish with berries of choice or lemon wedges.

Makes approximately 15 pancakes.

Tips for perfect pancakes

• Don't over-mix ingredients; mix just until everything is incorporated.

• For lighter pancakes, beat egg whites and yolks separately, and fold fluffy egg whites into batter at the last minute.

• Be patient; don't turn pancakes until those 'telltale' bubbles appear.

• Use real, warmed maple syrup

• Never heat your pan at a high or medium-high temperature. The batter will be undercooked in the middle when pancakes need to be turned.

• Be patient and cook pancakes slowly to keep them delicate and delicious.