As I was cooking breakfast one morning this week a song came on the radio, one of my favorites by Jack Johnson.
Maybe I’m biased, but if you spend a good portion of your life cooking breakfast, you just have to love “Banana Pancakes” … especially:
- This version, shot in 2010 at the Kokua Festival in Hawaii
- Or this one, from Vielle’s Charrues in Carhaix France!
Bananas, blueberries, chocolate chips, or plain, the smell of fresh grilled pancakes for breakfast is morning magic!
Inspirations for Food!
When I think about this weekly column, I realize I’m lucky to have drawn the long straw that allows me the luxury of writing about something I love — food.
When I consider everything that defines who we are as Innkeepers, we made a decision two decades ago that we would fall in love with food all over again. That is, of course, the food of Long Island’s East End … and that decision was a winner in every respect.
As Chefs, we cook from the places in time that have greatly influenced our senses, market windows that mesmerized everything we love about cheese and charcuterie.
Those NYC store windows influence what we serve each afternoon. Of course, that’s Murray Greenberg whose 1040 Cheese Shop on Bleecker Street is still there, though now a part of Kroger’s.
A walk in Amagansett 25 years ago had us wondering when those open fields would be found by the perfect farmers that would bring about changes in how we cook on the East End.
That change was instigated by Amanda Merrow and Katie Baldwin, with the founding of Amber Waves Farm.
Their re-imagined market highlights the best of the East End’s bounty and supplies much of the food that stocks our pantry. One of the most special products at Amber Waves is wheat, and a growing variety of grains:
- Buckwheat
- Hulless oats
- Rye
- Millet
- Amaranth
- Popcorn
- Rice
- Quinoa
- Sesame seeds
- Flax
And that’s the point of the story; this local wheat is the gold in our MHI Pancakes, a far cry from the Bisquick days of our youth!
The Official MHI Pancake Recipe
The newest version of our pancake recipe is below. Please take just as much care with buying all the ingredients as you do finding locally grown and milled flour.
Wet Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 pint buttermilk
- 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch each – allspice, cloves, nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Whisk ingredients together
Dry Ingredients
- 1–1/2 lb local whole wheat flour
- 1/2 ounce baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Sift all ingredients together
Mix wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Let rest 10 minutes. The batter should be thick. If it seems dry, add a little bit of water — but do not make the batter runny, or the consistency of regular pancake batter.
Cooking
- Heat a skillet to medium heat and butter the pan
- Scoop 1/4 cup batter for each pancake
- Cook until golden brown and flip the pancake
- Cook until golden brown on both sides
And that’s it! Let’s know how your MHI Pancakes turn out.
Some Food News for the Week
Godspeed to Michel Richard, who we lost this past week. Sadly, his infamous Citronelle closed in 2013. We can still celebrate Michel’s excellent Central — his version of an American Bistro with a French Accent.
On the shelf in my office is Michel Richard’s Home Cooking with a French Accent 1993. Given the season, try the “Asparagus Frittata Terrine” on page 71, or the “Thousand Layer Smoked Salmon Terrine” on page 60. I borrowed one of Michel’s most popular sayings “that the food was Happy.” Well, it was with him at the stove!
The James Beard Foundation named Jose Andres of his very own Think Food Group as their Humanitarian of the Year! Jose’s World Central Kitchen served over 3 million meals in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017. Not only has his mission been one of feeding, it is also one of education; many of the local volunteers have been trained in the culinary arts. Jose is known to select locations for his new restaurants where new jobs and learning about food benefit the community.
The 2018 James Beard Awards: not much to say about the most prestigious Food Awards, except that they really are the most prestigious Food Awards!
I do hope you enjoy the pancakes and please Call us or email us about having us make them for you!
– Gary
