Pancake
Heavenly Hots
Sometimes the name of a dish is irresistible: Ratatouille. Financiers. Mooncakes. Oysters Rockefeller. Fallen soufflé. Anything confited. And my recent favorite, pudding chômeur (biscuit dough baked in maple syrup and cream—a delight that Canadians have been keeping to themselves), which translates to "unemployed-person pudding." When I began work on this book and several readers wrote in about heavenly hots, there was no question—I had to try a recipe with that name.
Ingredients:
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup cake flour
- 2 cups sour cream
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- vegetable shortening or neutral cooking oil for cooking the pancakes
- maple syrup or honey, for serving
Directions:
- Whisk together all the ingredients (except the vegetable shortening and syrup) in a large bowl, beating until smooth. This can also be done in a blender. Chill the batter overnight. (The batter will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 week.)
- The next day, heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat. Beat the batter again until smooth. Lightly coat the griddle or skillet with shortening. Drop small spoonfuls (I used 3/4 tablespoon) of batter onto the griddle, making sure that when they spread out, they measure less than 3 inches in diameter. When a few bubbles appear on top of the pancakes and the bottoms are browned, turn and cook the second side briefly—you don't want to cook the pancakes all the way through, because you want them to remain creamy in the center. Transfer to a platter and keep warm in a 175°F/80°C oven. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Serve with light maple syrup or honey on the side, or better yet, a sprinkling of lemon zest sugar or cinnamon sugar.