Before family and guests take up temporary residence in your home for the holidays, consider an often overlooked meal—breakfast. We all focus on the big dinners, leftover lunches, and non-stop treats to go with the festivities. What about the first meal of day for a busy holiday household? For a lot of people, it’s help-yourself- chaos in the kitchen—everyone is running around fixing coffee, tea, decaf variations, toast, cereal, and if they are lucky, eggs.
Instead, let them relax—and you can feel more in control as you present your version of a Martha Stewart or Bree Hodge (Desperate Housewives) breakfast.
Pancakes are one of those magical foods that transform an unruly mob into eager, happy guests. You can even make a pancake mix ahead of time to give yourself a head start.
Insider Tip: Good Eats Inspiration- To insure a fool-proof batter, separate the eggs. When mixing the wet ingredients, first add the yolks to the butter and blend. Then combine the egg whites in with the buttermilk and vanilla. Stir both mixtures together. This extra step will make your wet ingredients come together harmoniously without the butter clumping up.
With these few easy steps, you can serve your guests light, fluffy pancakes.
yield: 3 batches
2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
2 cups ‘Impromptu’ Pancake Mix
1-1/2 cups of fresh blueberries
1-2 banana (about 2 cups), diced (pick bananas that are slightly firm so you can dice easily)
1. Combined all ingredients in a resealable container. Shake well to mix. store in airtight container.
1. Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350℉. Heat oven to 200℉.
2. Whisk together the egg whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.
3. Combine the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Pour the liquid ingredients on top of the pancake mix. Using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together. Don’t try to work all the lumps out. Stir in blueberries and diced bananas gently.
3. Check to see that the griddle is hot by placing a few drops of water onto to the griddle. The griddle is ready if the water dances across the surface. Lightly butter the griddle. Wipe off thoroughly with a paper towel. (No butter should be visible.)
4. Gently ladle 1/3 cup of pancake batter onto the griddle. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.
5. Serve immediately or lay pancakes on a towel-lined baking sheet and cover with a towel between layers. Hold in a 200 degree F. oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
Method inspired by Good Eats/Alton Brown
