Pancake

My friend Keena lives less than a mile away and has a plum tree she can't keep up with. In early fall, she makes jam with as many plums as she can and sends me home with a big grocery bag full of them every time I see her. I'm not much of a canner, so I began sautéing them and using them as a topping for yogurt and porridge, and as a filling for these simple buckwheat crepes. While buckwheat groats have a pretty distinct flavor and can be a hard sell for many folks, buckwheat flour is commonly used and adored in both sweet and savory crepes. For this recipe, use oval-shaped Italian plums (or prune plums) if you can; they're nice and firm and lend themselves well to sautéing—or just plain snacking. Morning Notes: The crepe batter needs to rest for at least an hour, so plan accordingly or make the batter and refrigerate it overnight. If you go that route, the crepes cook best when the batter is at room temperature, so let it sit out for at least 30 minutes before cooking them.

If I entered a competitive-eating contest, it'd be one for pancakes. I like mine crispy edged, yet soft and tender inside. After years of tinkering, I've found that the best way to get this texture is to start with a fresh pancake batter, but you don't even have to make it yourself. (I love the buttermilk-based Robby's pancake mix available at RobbysPancakeMix.com or Amazon.) If you can, let the batter sit overnight in the refrigerator to hydrate and swell—that extra time makes for the fluffiest pancakes, I promise you. I love the play of the sweet maple syrup with the creamy, slightly bitter nature of the coffee butter in this recipe.

Paper-thin crepes aren't so fussy. "They're almost simpler than pancakes," says pastry chef Garrelts.

After a full day of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, these atayef are a welcome treat. Like all traditional foods associated with special holidays, somehow they taste best at the right time. But that shouldn't stop you from making these unforgettable moreish sweets at anytime of year. And by moreish I also mean Moorish, with a flavor and fragrance that is exotic, complex, and evocative of a culture that goes back to ancient times. These are divine.

This recipe proves that streusel makes everything better.

Chef Kenney often makes these crepe-like pancakes for his family on the weekend. He couldn't resist including them in this menu as a shout-out to Jack Johnson's 2005 song "Banana Pancakes."

Fast-track this recipe by tripling the dry ingredients and storing them in a jar. At breakfast time, scoop out 2 1/4 cups. All the other measurements stay the same.

Topped with smoked salmon or served simply on their own, these pea-studded pancakes are the ultimate springtime version of a classic blini appetizer.

There's nothing as delightful as a towering stack of fluffy pancakes. Unless those pancakes happen to be reminiscent of your favorite mint chocolate chip ice cream. The green food coloring here is optional but adds nicely to the appeal.

Rösti is a large potato pancake made famous by the Swiss. This version omits the speck, but feel free to add a slice under the cheese. Chilling parboiled potatoes makes the grating step easier.

This lightly sweetened, crepe-like dessert is a great way to end any meal, be it breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It's delicious with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

Pancakes say lazy-day lounging with friends. Sour-cherry syrup, which you can make a week ahead, adds a twist on taste.

This crêpe-like pancake recipe might make you want to eat breakfast for dinner. The yellow cornmeal gives the cake a hearty flavor and a crisp crust, leading one reviewer to compare it to a hybrid Swedish-buttermilk pancake. Yogurt and scant mixing keep these cakes fluffy and airy. Make extra compote to use on oatmeal or ice cream.

Made with shredded beets and carrots, these pancakes are substantial enough to be a vegetarian main course but mild enough to play second fiddle to roast chicken or pork. Pull out the food processor to shred the carrots and beets in minutes. Or pick up a bag of shredded carrots from your supermarket to save time. Luscious crème fraîche can take the place of the sour cream garnish, if desired, and both can be dressed up with chopped fresh chives or dill.

Fluffy buttermilk banana pancakes get a unique makeover with the help of salty macadamia nuts and zesty orange butter. As the orange butter melts into each pancake, the bright, refreshing citrus notes lighten up this rich morning meal. Add some chocolate chips or use different nuts to customize your breakfast.

This is a very simple recipe for crêpes that can be filled with all kinds of savory ingredients or turned into a sweet dessert by omitting the herbs and black pepper and adding a touch of honey. I like them sweet-savory: Spread a little bit of sweetened yogurt over a Chestnut Crêpe, roll it, and drizzle with honey. It makes the perfect snack. If you cannot find chestnut flour, use a combination of 1/2 cup (70 g) superfine brown rice flour and 1/4 cup (35 g) buckwheat flour.

Our dad makes these every year on Hanukkah. And he makes a huge mess. He puts newspapers on the floor, uses every burner, and the whole house smells bad for a week. But they are super delicious and we had to include them in our book. We make them almost every weekend. We had our dad test the recipe.

On one of my first trips to India, at a bus stop in Poona, there was a street stand where the vendor was roasting potatoes over charcoal, chopping them, and tossing them with curry spices and crispy onions. He served the mixture wrapped in a piece of newspaper. It was amazing, and it inspired this dish.
There are so many curry spice mixtures from around the world. This recipe employs one of the most common. You can use either yams or sweet potatoes in this recipe.

This puffy, soufflé-like pancake starts in your blender and makes a fantastic dessert—or breakfast. The honey-sweetened compote works well with fresh or frozen cherries.