La petite biscotte

I finally got around to upgrading the blog’s software to the latest version and sorting out some of the old drafts  that I had started a long time ago. This is one of them. I think I made this picture about nine months ago and never really finished / published the post that goes with it. I’m quite happy though because as it happens, my camera is broken now when I planned to restart working on the blog. Until I manage to get it fixed I’ll simply dust off and finish those drafts.

First question you probably asked yourself is “why the heck are those pancakes labeled as ‘American’”. This is not some particular form of patriotism (as you might know, I’m actually writing this blog from Germany and have spent most of my life here ), it’s just that we Germans label this type of pancake as “American” since it is quite different from the usual “German” pancake. Pancakes over here are made without baking powder hence they are slightly thinner but therefore larger in size. We usually eat them with sugar/cinnamon or marmalade, oh and before I forget it, of course “Nutella” which is a chocolate/hazelnut spread that is absolutely addictive and particularly loved by children. Maple syrup is something that you’ll only find in bigger malls and it is fairly expensive over here because people almost solely consume it with “American pancakes”. Fortunately these have become quite popular here, so the syrup isn’t that hard to find anymore.

I’ve tried many recipes for this dish over time and this, so far, is my favorite:

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 50g sugar
• 150ml buttermilk
• 100g flour
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 25g butter

Recipe

1. Separate the eggs and beat the egg-whites along with the sugar until it becomes firm enough for you to be able to flip the bowl with the contents staying in place.
2. In a second bowl mix egg-yolks and buttermilk until both are well incorporated then add the flour, the salt and the baking powder and continue stirring until the batter becomes smooth.
3. Separate the beaten egg-whites in two parts and incorporate them slowly into the batter; be careful not to stir too much, since the egg-whites are supposed to make the batter “fluffy” and the longer the batter is agitated, the more it loses that texture.
4. Heat up a skillet and melt about a tsp of the butter in it. At medium heat drop 2-3 tablespoons full of batter into the skillet, each making a pancake. Once they are golden brown on one side, you can flip them. If you realize that the pancakes are burning before the batter turns solid on the upper side, just reduce the heat a little. Continue until the batter is used up and add butter to the skillet as you go (when the butter from the previous batch turns too “brown” just use a paper towel to clean the skillet quickly in between).

Makes about 15-20 pancakes.

Enjoy!