Gingerbread pancakes
Can someone explain to me what happened with the Anglican Communion? In 1534, Henry the Eighth split the Church of England from the Catholic Church so he could divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn. And from then on, Anglicans have basically been lax Catholics. Our priests can marry, we don’t have one-on-one confessions, we have female priests and we can divorce and remarry to our hearts’ content. So in those days before lent, when Catholic countries are filled with people wearing beads, tossing doubloons, donning festive masks, dancing in the streets and eating king cake, why do those radical and rebellious Anglicans mark the night before Lent by staidly eating a pile of pancakes?
OK, I admit, I do know that there is a historical (if not liturgical) reason why pancakes are consumed on this day. Many centuries ago, fatty foods including dairy were forbidden during the 40 days of Lent. So in order to use up their supply of these ingredients, the Anglicans added flour and voila—a feast of pancakes on the day before Ash Wednesday. And don’t get me wrong. I love pancakes. Next to pizza and burgers, I’d say it’s one of those foods that’s never bad, there are just varying degrees of quality. But growing up in an Episcopalian family, and watching all my Catholic friends head with their families to Galveston or New Orleans to revel in those last few days before Lent, I always felt a little sheepish walking into my church’s annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. No beads, no floats, no dancing, just stack upon stack of pancakes. And yes, it was a bit gluttonous, but compared to Mardi Gras, it was bit tame, too.
Perhaps it was dull because the only style of pancake served at my church’s supper was your standard buttermilk with maple syrup. Delicious yes, but they can get a bit boring. I mean c’mon, a pancake is like a blank template screaming for culinary creativity. Take my grandpa’s, for instance. Every Saturday when I was growing up, he’d make fluffy pancakes dotted with fresh blueberries and pecans from the family farm. And then there were my uncle’s: his so-called Mexican pancakes were chunky with fresh coconut, a variety of nuts and chocolate chips. And he poured so much batter on the griddle they’d turn out as big as your head.
After my family’s, I’d have to say the tatiest pancakes I’ve ever eaten were in Austin, TX. There are two cafés, Kerbey Lane and Magnolia, that are open 24 hours, and while they make all sorts of dishes both places excel at breakfast. There’s been a long-standing debate about which restaurant is superior. And to be honest, it’s been so long since I’ve eaten at either one I have no opinion. But if you want pancakes in that town, everyone knows some of the best are found at either restaurant—they both make excellent variations on this classic dish. Theirs are large, fluffy and stuffed with all sorts of delights such as bananas, nuts, berries and chocolate chips. But I’d have to say my favorite style the two both serve is the gingerbread pancake.
I’d never had gingerbread pancakes until I moved to Austin and after one bite, I no longer had a desire for any other flavor. Take all the spicy goodness of a gingerbread cookie and make it rich, cake-like and fluffy, and there you have the joy that is a gingerbread pancake. They’re versatile as well, going equally well with nuts and honey, maple syrup, applesauce, whipped cream, or my favorite topping, vanilla yogurt.
After I moved to New York, I’d go to diners around town, asking if they served gingerbread pancakes but nobody did. Fortunately, a few years ago Magnolia gave its recipe to Texas Monthly. I made it, and instantly I was back in Austin on a warm spring morning, where the bluebonnets were in bloom, the sun was shining and everyone was relaxed sipping their steaming coffee and stuffing their face with gingerbread pancakes. So even if you prefer Kerbey Lane over Magnolia, I believe you’ll find this recipe a good substitute for either café’s offerings. And if you’ve never eaten gingerbread pancakes, what are you waiting for? Fire up the griddle and get cooking! And yes, perhaps if my childhood church had served these instead of plain old buttermilk, I would have found Shrove Tuesday a little less tame.
Happy Pancake Day!
Gingerbread pancakes
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup brewed coffee
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Cream eggs and sugar together. Stir in buttermilk, water, and coffee and set aside. In a separate bowl sift together remaining dry ingredients.
- Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients, then mix in melted butter.Add more water or buttermilk if necessary, but batter should be thick.
- Cook until done on a lightly greased hot griddle or in a heavy skillet (turn once when bubbles appear on upper side and start to break). Pancakes will be thick and cake-like in texture.
Wow! Your pancakes look so tempting. It is now one of the “must-trys” for me. This comming weekend, maybe? Thanks for the wonderful blog. -Jill-
Kimberley–I think this recipe harks back to the Omlettry, but I could be wrong. Maybe it’s the Omlettry West. I never ate there, which is nuts since it was by my house, too!
Vanessa–Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed them! And wow! I don’t think I’ve ever heard bacon called “superflous!”
Christine–Hope you enjoy them!
Caroline–Thanks! They are indeed a dream to eat.
Jill–You’re welcome, enjoy the recipe.
County Clerk–Wow! This is awesome! Thanks for the excellent history lesson! “A Man for All Seasons” was on TV this weekend, and I thought to myself, “How timely.”
Your “anglican” comment made me laugh. Yeah… old Henry wanted a divorce, but it was MUCH MUCH more than that.
It boils down to “who is in charge.” Either it is a king who rules by divine right from God, in which case the CHURCH is in charge (and therefore the “king” of the church is in charge of the “king” of the state. OR, the monarch says “I get my power from some other place” i.e. myself, the people, whatver.
What Henry VIII did was permantly end Fuedal control of English (and later British) princes by the Pope. And yeah, he wanted a divorce too.
It get’s interesting when you look at how kingdoms evolved. After the fall of Rome there were many, many, many small kingdom/states each with a monarch (sometimes called a king and somestimes not – a prince, a duke, an “elector” whatever). This went on for hundreds of years until, in 800, Charles the Great (Charlamagne) united the Franks and set his “empire” at the service of the (only) Church. Rome. He was crowned Emperor by Pope Leo III. He became the first “Holy Roman Emperor.” This started some nasty business that would go on until Napolean… and would cost several of Henry VIII’s wives their lives and well being.
It just so happened that Charlamagne was strong and could handle things. But this was not the case with everyone across Europe who followed as a “Prince.” In no time there was the Pope (the head of the only church at the time) telling Kings and Princes what to do. Really. Invade here. Pay for this. Marry him or her. Why? Beacuse the POPE was in charge, theoretically anyway. After all, it was the POPE who crowned the first emperor.
Now, it is important to think of the Pope (in this context) as another Prince and not a just a spiritual person.
Also, it is important think of “countries” in a not so nationalist way. Princes and kings had “principalities” and “kingdoms” as a result of inheritence and not National borders. What we think of France was a collection of estates. Same with what we thing of as Britain. So “kings” would have “kingdoms” that were quite strange. Take the kingdoms of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II, take the kingoms of Isabela of Castile and Feridinand II of Aragon.
Anyway, fast forward to henry VIII. England was poor and small. It was NOT a major player in European or world affairs. Henry VIII wanted to change all that. And he was getting tired of being told what to do by an Italian prince (the Pope). And THEN he had difficulty with a male heir and needed a divorce. The Pope, of course, said no (for MANY REASONS). And THAT WAS THE PRETEXT to break with the church. Henry thought “Well, now I can end this. I am the King and I’ll decide what happens.” Also, Henry VIII needed money. And so, by breaking with the Roman Catholic Church he could confiscate all their property and money in England. Which he did.
There was no drastic ecclesiastic reform. (Until later with the book of Common prayer, which was created so that every subject in the Empire would know what service to read on what day. So, even the Book of Common prayer is the fruit of empire… the Britsih Empire.)
Even today the Monarch of the United Kingdom is “defender of the faith” and head of the church.
Now, I’m an Anglican too. But let’s not believe that the break was about a divorce. More like: the DIVORCE was about a break.
Finally, almost ONE THOUSAND years exactly after Charlemagne opened this can of worms, Napoleon closed it again. In a beautiful bit of historical irony, the “little corporal” CROWNED HIMSELF emperor. CROWNED HIMSELF. He literally took the emperial crown out of the very surprised hands of Pope Pius VII and crowned himself. And then Napolean crowned his empress.
There is a GREAT painting of this by Jacques-Louis David.
And so it was done. The claim of Papal rule over emperors was through.
So it wasn’t really Henry VIII wanting a divorce. It was henry VIII wanting to be a more powerful king. The poor ladies of Tudor England got a raw deal.
Anyway, there is an interesting wikipedia entry for the term emperor” is you care at all.
Sorry so long.
i love this blog! 😛 i live in texas and i’m loving all the down home recipes and pictures! yeah, magnolia cafe has the BEST chocolate chip pancakes i’ve ever had the privilege to put in my mouth.
p.s.-i totally ADORE fritos too!
Even though I prefer Kerby Lane, Magnolia has always provided a close substitute. Thank you for your blog.
Being a Longhorn myself and living in Coralville, Iowa (Hawkeye country, I do get homesick for Austin’s best.
The recipe came in handy this morning in being able to surprise my wife with breakfast.
Blessings to you,
Jim