Dinner with Kirsten

I love leisurely Saturday mornings spent sipping strong French-pressed coffee and devouring stacks of fluffy pancakes. And these are the fluffiest, moistest, hands-down best pumpkin pancakes I’ve ever tried. The secret is whisking the egg whites until they’re foamy and then gently folding them into the batter – the pancakes turn into delicate soufflés. I also brought all the wet ingredients to room temperature before blending with the dry ingredients.

The recipe, of course, comes from my favorite cookbook, The Pancake Handbook from Bette’s Oceanview Diner. They recommend serving with cranberry sauce, but I used equally tart Lingonberry sauce, a common Swedish preserve. It’s not as American or fall-themed, but it tasted great.

The Best Ever Pumpkin Pancakes
Adapted from The Pancake Handbook

1 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup milk
2 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and ginger. In a separate bowl, conbine the pumpkin, milk, egg yolks, brown sugar, butter and salt. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once, stirring just to blend. Do not over-mix or you’ll over-develop the gluten  in the flour, which makes pancakes tough and rubbery. It’s okay to have some lumps in the batter at this point.

Here comes the good part! Place the egg whites in a separate bowl and beat with a whisk or electric mixer until whites are stiff but not dry. Then, gently fold them into the batter until just combined.

Lightly oil your griddle or skillet (I use an electric griddle set to 375 degrees). Measure out 1/4 cup of batter per pancake and poor onto griddle. Cook until bubbles cover the surface of pancake (about 2 to 3 minutes). The underside should be lightly browned. Then flip, and cook for about 2 minutes more.

Serve with maple syrup. Try cranberry sauce or lingonberry sauce if you want to add a tart twist.