Australia: Pancakes with Mascarpone and Berries

I do feel like I've cheated a little bit when it comes to Australia. As I said when I was writing about Australian cuisine in general, Australia has a very meat-heavy cuisine which borrows from different countries due to the mass immigration the continent has seen. So corn fritters and pancakes aren't typical to Australia as a whole, but the brunch culture that Australia has is diverse, and it is that idea that has expanded to the rest of the world.

History of Pancakes

Everyone knows that pancakes is a staple of a brunch menu. It seems that they've been that way for thousands of years - the earliest written record of pancakes is from Ancient Greek times. In the 5th century BC they are mentioned in poetry by Cratinus and Magnes. The Greek words for pancakes (such as tēganitēs) all originate from the word for frying pan (tagēnon). In Middle English, the word 'pancake' appeared in the 15th century, appearing as plat a kake.

World Pancakes

Globally, pancakes have a huge variety of appearances. The shape, taste, and methods of cooking are different across the world. Some are sweet, some are savoury. Some are made for breakfast and others you serve with dinner. In the USA they're fat and fluffy. In France, you have the crepe. In Ethiopia you get the injera (yes I will be cooking those eventually!). Okonomiyaki are found in Japan and have the addition of cabbage. Already in this project I have cooked jingalov hats from Armenia which are breads fried in a pan.

There's an entire celebration for pancakes: pancake day, on Shrove Tuesday. This was originally to use the last of the eggs and fats before Lent, when no meat products were to be consumed. In the UK there are towns like Olney where the locals run races flipping pancakes.

Beating the mix together

Whipping up the egg whites

Pancakes at Home

Typically, I enjoy my pancakes for breakfast, light and fluffy, with maple syrup, or lemon juice and sugar. When we were kids, my dad made pancakes for us and I was always so impressed with them. His were fluffy and perfect every time. He'd be able to flip them in the air rather than using a spatula. I definitely still can't do that.

I don't have a typical pancake recipe that I follow, or know off by heart, or any recipe that runs in the family. Usually when I make them I follow a different recipe every time, just whatever is convenient. I remember once when I was planning on making them and added chocolate chips to the recipe, thinking I'd have gorgeous, fluffy pancakes with bits of chocolate in them... turned out the recipe I was following was for a more crepe-like pancake and the chocolate just sat and melted in the middle of the pan. Bit of a disaster really.

The pancakes I made for my Aussie brunch were pretty much bang on. The secret? Beating the egg white separately and folding it into the mix. I thought this gave them a lightness to them that worked really well. Plus, I took the low-and-slow approach, where I cooked them over a low heat so that they wouldn't burn. Patience is a virtue that I am still learning about!

I took this recipe from Lifestyle Food Australia, so it's definitely an Aussie recipe! Enjoy - I certainly did.

Pancake Stack with Mascarpone and Berries
Serves 2

Ingredients

• 125gm mascarpone
• 2 teaspoons icing sugar
• 1 cup self raising flour
• 1 egg, separated
• 1 cup milk
• 25g butter, melted
• Butter or oil for cooking
• 1 cup fresh berries (I used raspberries but use whatever you have available!)

Instructions

1. Stir icing sugar through mascarpone in a bowl, and set aside.
2. Sift flour into a medium sized bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour and whisk in the egg yolk, butter, and milk until just combined into a smooth batter. 
3. Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff, then fold into the batter.
4. Heat some oil in large non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat. Pour the pancake batter in for your preferred size of pancake (I use about a ladle-full for each pancake).
5. When bubbles start to appear on the top side of the pancake, flip it over to cook the other side. Cook for another minute or so until the pancake is lightly golden on both sides.
6. Repeat with remaining batter.
7. To serve, place a pancake on a plate, top with a thin layer of mascarpone and a few berries, then add your next pancake on top. Repeat the process until your stack is 3 or 4 high (or however many you want!). Top with a tablespoon of mascarpone and a few berries.