Griddle Glory

cooking 101

On Fat Tuesday, enjoy the sweet decadence of homemade pancakes

"Pancakes are so easy to make on your own, why would you bother with a box?" she said.

Besides, you can't dance to a box.

pancake tips

* Is your griddle hot enough? You can tell if a drop of water skitters across the pan.

* Lightly coat the pan with vegetable oil or clarified butter. Regular butter can burn too easily.

* Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to dispense the batter, or a turkey baster to make shapes.

* Pancakes are ready to be turned when they are dry around the edges, the top is covered with bubbles and the underside is golden brown. Make a sacrificial first pancake to make sure your griddle is not too hot.

* After flipping the pancake, resist the temptation to press down on the pancake as if it were a hamburger on a grill.

* Pancakes are best eaten right off the griddle. But if you must keep them warm, arrange them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, uncovered, in a 200-degree oven. Never stack or cover them. The steam will make them soggy.

* For her oatmeal-brown-sugar pancakes, Sarah Simington, chef and owner of the Blue Moon Cafe, adds 1/2 cup oatmeal and substitutes brown sugar for the white sugar in her basic recipe.

* Add on at the end. Even when making her favorites, caramelized-apple-and-bacon pancakes, Simington simply scatters the ingredients on the wet side of the pancake while it cooks.

* Make a toppings buffet and include fruit, granola, chopped nuts, chocolate chips, jam, honey, powdered sugar and whipped cream as well as syrup and butter.

Sources: Interviews, cookbooks and Web sites

Susan Reimer

blue moon pancakes

Makes 4 to 6 five-inch pancakes or 12 to 14 silver-dollar pancakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 eggs

2 to 3 tablespoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups milk

3 tablespoons melted butter

3 tablespoons sugar

Combine all ingredients and stir until lumps are gone. Ladle onto a hot (350 degrees) griddle coated with vegetable oil or clarified butter.

If you would like to add extra ingredients, such as chocolate chips or berries, sprinkle them on the wet side of the pancake now, while the underside cooks.

Look for bubbles on the wet surface (a sign that the air is cooking out of the pancakes), or use a spatula to peek underneath, making sure the pancake is golden brown. Flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve with syrup, whipped cream and more berries or chocolate chips.

Courtesy of Sarah Simington, chef/proprietor of the Blue Moon Cafe in Fells Point

Per pancake (based on 6 large pancakes): : 255 calories, 7 grams protein, 9 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 34 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 91 milligrams cholesterol, 232 milligrams sodium