As we've now mentioned several times, today is Pancake Day (Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday). Historically this is because pancakes were a good way to use up the ingredients in your cupboards that were prohibited during Lenten austerity. As with all things in this age, Pancake Day has been somewhat co-opted by society at large. Case in point? The International House of Pancakes isn't celebrating Pancake Day until next week!
Today is also Super Tuesday, which means that citizens across 24 states will be going to the polls today to cast their vote for their candidate of choice. Apparently, the fact that Pancake Day and Super Tuesday fall on the same day caused great consternation to the IHOP. They didn't want to share the date with democracy and so have announced that next Tuesday, February 12th is when they'll be celebrating National Pancake Day. It sort of defeats the purpose, don't you think?
My father (aka Mo) is something of a pancake connoisseur. He spent a bit of time working at the International House of Pancakes as a short order cook during his youth. He found their pancakes to be so bland and unimpressive that he set off on a life-long mission to create the best pancake he could. This meant that I grew up with excellent pancakes. His were nutty and full of belly-satisfying whole grains. One of his secrets is the addition of honey-toasted wheat germ to the mix. Sadly, this ingredient has gotten increasingly difficult to find over the years.
Despite the challenges to find the appropriate wheat germ, he still makes a good pancake and has passed that knowledge on to me. I've always been an eager study when it comes to food and so hungrily drank in his pancake wisdom as a small child. He recommends to carefully monitor your heat, so that the insides of the pancakes cook completely before the outside gets too dark. He always greases his griddle with vegetable oil, wiping off the excess with a carefully folded paper towel. Lastly, he teaches that you know it's time to flip your cakes when the bubbles start to pop at the edges and don't close back over themselves.
In some parts of the world, tomorrow is known as Mardi Gras. Others know it as Shrove Tuesday and still others simply refer to it as Pancake Day. For those of you who like to eat a big stack of pancakes before heading into the austerity of Lent, check out the recipe for Mo's Famous Pancakes after the jump and get cooking!
Our pancake roundup this morning only included eight delicious recipes that were sure to tempt just about everyone to get out their frying pan and make up a batch. But as tempting as they may have been, most of the recipes presented there would not be good choices for gluten-free eaters because they were almost all flour-based. In fact, most pancake recipes are. Fortunately, there happen to be a lot of equally delicious gluten-free pancake options out there that ensure everyone who wants to can celebrate Fat Tuesday (a.k.a. National Pancake Day).
The easiest GF option is a pancake mix. Jay used Kinnikinnick Pancake Mix to make the lovely stack pictured above. There are many mixes out there to choose from, including Bob's Red Mill, which is widely available at Whole Foods Stores.
If you want to make your own, try using an alternative flour, as was done in these Rice Flour Crepes or Almond Flour Pancakes. You can find several more GF pancake recipes here, which use buckwheat, quinoa, potato flour and other gluten-free bases.
Last year, we rounded up eight great pancake recipes for a Fat Tuesday celebration, but even though eight new pancake recipes are enough to get you through several breakfasts without getting bored, there are always going to be more recipes out there to try. So, without further ado, here are eight delicious new pancake recipes to try:
Nosheteria's Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes (pictured) are light and tender, with the bright flavor of lemon backed up with a little crunch from poppyseeds. They're a great alternative to lemon poppyseed muffins.
Keeping the seasonal citrus, but moving in a slightly different direction, we have Lemon and Ricotta Pancakes, which are delicate and just melt in your mouth when eaten.
Oatmeal pancakes are hearty, but perfectly satisfying on a cold winter morning - although with a fresh berry topping like the one Elise used, they will satisfy in summer, as well.
A giant Baked Apple Pancake can be served as breakfast or as dessert, but due to its size and addictive taste, it is best to save lots of room for it.
A little bit of zest and spice can take a plain, buttermilk pancake to a whole new level, as they did in these Orange and Cinnamon Buttermilk Pancakes. Use any spices you like (ginger would be nice)!
For those of you who are health-conscious when it comes to breakfast, you might want to try making a batch of No-Flour, No-Sugar Crepes to start your day.
Pork-lovers will probably get a kick out of having their favorite breakfast side inside their pancakes, rather than next to them, so Bacon Pancakes should be particularly appealing to them
Nutella is often spread on top of pancakes or used as a filling for dessert crepes, but mixing it into the batter for Nutella Pancakes eliminates that pesky extra step before consumption. Opt for chocolate sauce as a topping if you like your pancakes for dessert, otherwise stick to maple syrup.
The whole idea behind having pancakes on Fat Tuesday is to use up the butter, milk, eggs and other indulgent ingredients that you might having lying around the house so that you won't be tempted during Lent. But because everyone likes pancakes and not everyone observes lent, calling the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday "National Pancake Day" makes the tradition open to all - and I think that we can all agree that more pancakes are not a bad thing.
For my pancake day breakfast, I opted not to go with something decadent, but instead with something more wholesome so that I don't feel too bad about starting the day with a couple more pancakes (topped with maple syrup, of course), than I need.
The general recipe for pancakes seems to be 100g plain flour, a pinch of salt, 1
medium sized egg and 300ml milk. Of course variations abound:
using 115g each plain flour and caster sugar, 115g eggs, 50ml water, 3tbsp Pear Liqueur, 115ml milk
using 115g flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 medium egg, 125ml milk, 100ml cold water, 1 tbsp brandy, 1tsp sunflower
oil
using 150g plain flour, 1 tsp caster sugar, 300ml full fat milk, 2 eggs
Savoury variations have saffron infused in the milk or using a mix of flours (whole grain, buckwheat or maize) .
The addition of Calvados or Cointreau to the batter adds a subtle flavour. All recipes require resting for 30 minutes
before using. The addition of fruit to the mix is another option; such as the Blueberry Pancakes pictured from the
Epicurean I am going to use the bottom combination of ingredients (as listed above) and serve with a walnut cream
and butterscotch sauce.
Today - February 28th, 2006 - all participating IHOP restaurants
will be giving away free pancakes to their customers. The free pancakes are in celebration of Fat
Tuesday and each diner who requests them will be given a short stack at no charge! In IHOP speak, a short stack of
pancakes is three pancakes, but diners with large appetites shouldn't worry about the small-sounding portion, since
each pancake is nearly the size of a plate. During the promotion, customers will be invited to donate to the Children's Miracle Network, a nonprofit group which works to raise funds for children's
hospitals in North America. Check out the IHOP website for full
details and locations for your free breakfast!
Even the name of "Fat Tuesday" implies that there should be at least a little indulgence in the day. In keeping with the tradition of making pancakes to celebrate the last day before lent, I made a batch of pancakes, using up some buttermilk, butter and eggs. As if that weren't enough for a delicious breakfast of classic comfort food, I added chocolate chips to really get into the decadent spirit of Mardi Gras. The pancakes themselves are light and fluffy, and the chocolate chips melt deliciously into your mouth as you eat. These don't really need syrup, but to really get into the theme of "Fat Tuesday", top yours with whipped cream. IF you have kids, use the whipped cream to make a smiley face, just like the IHOP Funny Face Pancakes.
Even though the may of Pancake Town USA doesn't seem to think that
any time is a good time for pancakes, he certainly can't deny that Fat Tuesday, also known as Shrove Tuesday, is a
natural day for them. The tradition of eating pancakes on the last day before the season of Lent was started to use up
dairy and eggs that were often abstained from, from Ash Wednesday to Easter. But enough with religious roots: you don't
need an excuse to eat pancakes, but it doesn't hurt to have one. Here are Slashfood's eight favorite pancake
recipes:
The traditional King Cake is a ring of rich pastry, similar to
brioche or Danish pastry, which is filled with a rich filling, like cream cheese, marzipan or a buttery cinnamon
mixture. The cake is frosted with brightly colored icing: purple to represent justice, green to represent
faith, and gold to represent power. King Cakes are served some time between Epiphany and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras and can be eaten with breakfast or
as a dessert.
Though the parades and festivities have been scaled back a bit this year in New Orleans,
Slashfood will be fully indulging in all kinds of food, drink, and traditions in honor of Mardi Gras next Tuesday.
We know Mardi Gras as a time of excessive celebration, and like many "holidays," through the
commercialization, we might have forgotten why it's there. As a refresher "Mardi
Gras" translates from French to "Fat Tuesday." The celebration has its roots in Catholicism -
the Church established the period from January 6th (12th Night) until Mardi Gras as "Carnival," a time of
celebration and enjoyment. Mardi Gras is the last day of Carnival, and is the last chance for us to enjoy
ourselves, before we go into the 40 days of Lent, a period of prayer and penance.
Mardi Gras is also known as both Shrove Tuesday and
as Pancake Day because pancakes are eaten to
use up milk and eggs, which are not eaten during Lent.
Our 
Last year, we rounded up 
The general recipe for pancakes seems to be 100g plain flour, a pinch of salt, 1
medium sized egg and 300ml milk. Of course variations abound: 
Today - February 28th, 2006 - all participating 
Even though the may of 
Though the parades and festivities have been scaled back a bit this year in New Orleans,
Slashfood will be fully indulging in all kinds of food, drink, and traditions in honor of Mardi Gras next Tuesday. 
Cakes so amazing they'd be hard to cut into
Fruit juice: An invitation to diabetes?
Morbid thoughts? Have a cookie
