Takes the (Pan)cake

The more I cook, the more I’ve come to think the simplest things are the most spectacular. Consider the German pancake, aka Dutch baby (which may have been coined by somebody who couldn’t pronounce the word Deutsch). I was at a sleepover the first time I had it; I remember waking up to a smell that reminded me of the old German bakery where my family would get fresh kuchen on very special occasions. We scrambled down to the dining room – there was no delaying it. That pancake with the puffy edges waited for no one. As soon as it came out the oven, it started to deflate. But no matter. The texture was sublime: creamy, almost custardy in the center and crisp-crusty around the rim. I like to top the baby in this recipe with butter and a good homemade fruit jam, though it’s also good with fresh fruit and powdered sugar, or sautéed apples. If you lean savory, it would be luscious with Gruyère cheese and sheets of salty prosciutto.

German Pancake

Serves Two

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup 2% milk 

2 large eggs

2 T. granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 T. unsalted butter

DIRECTIONS:

Place a 9-inch, oven-safe skillet inside a cold oven on the middle rack. Heat oven to 425 degrees.  

Add all ingredients except for butter to a medium-size bowl. Blend vigorously with a whisk until no lumps remain (about 2 minutes). Let batter sit for about 30 minutes.

Using oven mitts, remove the skillet from the oven; place it on the stove. Add the 2 T. butter to the hot pan and let it swirl over the bottom. Pour the batter on top of the butter and let it coat the bottom of the skillet. Bake about 15-20 minutes, until the cake puffs up and is lightly browned. Remove skillet from oven. With a spatula, gently lift the pancake from pan and place on a serving platter. Cut into wedges and serve with butter, jam, maple syrup, etc. – Recipe adapted from thekitchn.com.

Let’s start with the name. Hash comes from the French word hacher, which means to hack or chop. Origin stories go back to the 1800s. Variations abound. But most agree that fried potatoes diced, grated or julienned, formed into a patty or amorphous nest, and pan-fried are what make spuds hash browns. Perfect browns – light and crispy – can overshadow almost everything else on the plate. How do you get those desired results at home? Café at the Plaza’s Peter Smith has made mountains of hash browns over his career. Here are his tips:  

Rinse, drain and dry your cut potatoes. You can even soak them overnight first.
Why: Removing the starch (and the excess water) will help avoid a gummy product.

Cook with cast iron. 
Why: It’ll provide even heat and a smooth surface for crisping up your browns.

Use clarified butter for frying.
Why: “Clarified” means the milk solids and water are removed. This allows you to cook at a higher temperature (without burning) and develop a rich, buttery flavor. 

Go small. Form a palm-size amount in your hand, place it in the pan and flatten it with a spatula.
Why: Overcrowding the pan will cause steaming and ergo, soggy potatoes.

Be patient. Wait until the ends are starting to get brown before flipping them.
Why: You’ll give the potatoes time to develop that caramel color and crunchy coating. 

You Saucy Thing

I love eggs, but I also love spicing them up. Hot sauces – with their varying heat, flavor and color – just change the playing field. If you’re like me, you want a fridge shelf devoted to Wisconsin-made hot sauce. Here are five to try: 

Candied Jalapeno

$14 | AT WEST ALLIS CHEESE & SAUSAGE SHOPPE

Made by Dousman’s Sourced in Nature, this bad boy is thick and viscous, with sweet tanginess on the front end, a sharp bite on the back. Wonderful with scrambled eggs.

Smokin’ Ts Original

$8 | AT OUTPOST NATURAL FOODS

Created as a salad dressing by another Dousman maker, it’s like biting into a pulverized, smoked tomato. Pour it on a breakfast sandwich or potato. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Scorcho

$10 | AT 1840 BREWING AND SUPERMOON BEER

The condiment made by MKE’s Johnny’s Hot Sauce sounds like a fireball. The flavors are complex – tangy, briny, spicy (that hint of allspice) and lip-tingling hot. Drizzle it on sunny eggs.

Friendly Ghost

$7 | AT WEST ALLIS CHEESE & SAUSAGE SHOPPE

The ghost pepper sauce from Beloit’s Bushel & Peck has enough tang and sweetness to balance that heat. Try it on a breakfast burrito. 

Aji Pepper Hot Sauce

$7 | AT BEANS & BARLEY

From Stallis-based The Alchemist, the sauce is tangy, heady, rich and surprisingly mild. A great one for all kinds of eggs. 

INGREDIENTS:

6 slices of bacon

6 eggs

¼ cup of shredded cheddar or Monterey jack

Salt and pepper or everything bagel seasoning

One 6-cup muffin tin. 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line each muffin cup with a strip of bacon, making a ring shape with each slice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and crack one egg into each cup. Sprinkle with cheese and seasonings. Bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven, run a knife around the edges of each cup. Remove cups and serve. – Recipe adapted from tasty.co.

RELATED: WHICH BACON BRAND IS BEST?

Sticky Notes  

MAPLE SYRUP is a breakfast hero, saving even the saddest specimens of waffle and pancake from inedibility. But with the varying shades and grades maple syrup comes in, how do you know which to choose? In 2014, maple syrup producers ditched letter grading because it led consumers to think (mistakenly) that grade A was higher quality than B and C, while the letters actually denoted color and flavor. So now all maple syrups are labeled A grade but with an added color descriptor. Here’s what they mean and how to use them:

Golden: Mild in flavor and light in color, this is produced from the season’s first run of sap. It delicately flavors yogurt or tea and can be used on pancakes, too, but it’s subtle. 

Amber: With a more pronounced maple flavor and darker hue than Golden, Amber is also the most commonly used syrup for pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, etc.   

Dark: The robust taste here makes it better suited to sauces, meats and fish – even bourbon cocktails – than used as a table syrup.

Very Dark: The darkest and most robust of syrups, it goes especially well in recipes (sweet or savory) where you want a strong maple flavor. Use it in a salad vinaigrette or marinade.