A story about pancakes
by Mia Kapernick
Close to 20 years have passed and I can still remember my grandmothers kitchen. Cork floors and a door on either adjacent wall. Benches lined either wall, filled to the brim with nick-knacks, jars of spices and sugar I’d eat from the jar with my fingers.
Ruth would encourage me to find the big glass bowl she kept under her stove. And to run promptly between pantry and fridge to find each ingredient. Eggs. Milk. Flour.
Then it began. The measuring. The laughing. The whisking. The story telling. The stirring. Oh how I loved stirring as a child. Sitting down opposite each other, me on the floor and her on a canvas chair on her deck, overlooking the garden. Enjoying a piping hot buttery pancake with lemon and sugar and a cup of tea. One with far too much milk and sugar.
In those lessons in the kitchen my grandmother taught me fractions, adjectives, science and instructional writing. But more than that, she passed on her passion for cooking and food. A lust for life. A skill for life. Magical enduring memories and a bond with my grandmother like no other.
If that hasn’t inspired you to get your kids in the kitchen, I don’t know what will. So, without further ado… I bring you…
Ruth’s pancake recipe!
Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- Milk
- Plain flour
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Condiments for serving (jam, honey, lemon and sugar)
Method:
Crack two eggs into a mixing bowl. Whisk. Pour in double the amount of milk, to the amount of egg in the bowl. Whisk. Add a lump of flour into the bowl. Stir using a wooden spoon or use a beater to combine flour until there are no lumps. Keep adding flour gradually until the mixture resembles a batter consistency.
Put a pan on the stove top, heat the pan on a high heat. Grease the pan with butter and oil. Turn the pan to a low heat. Have a spatula and plate at the ready. Pour a bit of the pancake mixture into the centre of the pan. Tilt the pan so the mixture evenly coats it surface. Wait until the edges of the pancake turn opaque or solid (the centre of the pancake can still be raw). Flip! The pancake should be golden brown. Wait another minute or so for the other side to cook. Using the spatula pop the pancake on the plate. Repeat until all batter has been cooked.
Serve them up with any condiments you please. My personal favourite is lemon and sugar but feel free to get creative.
Hop to it
I hope you and yours kids enjoy making this recipe half as much as I did.
I hope it inspires them half as much as it did me.
I hope you make lasting magical memories with the help of this article and my now not-so secret family recipe.