Pop’s Pancakes

I grew up in a wonderful home, one where my father did a great deal the cooking.  My Pop was an amazing cook, and one of my father’s most loved dishes was his pancakes.  I grew up on these golden disks, with their light fluffy texture and rich taste was our breakfast on many, many a weekend.  Whether served with bacon, sausages or pan fried kokanee (the fish, not the beer) they were always amazing.  And they were always made using good ingredients, patience, love and a talented hand.  And never with a recipe or measuring cup.  It was always “bunch of this, some of that and a pinch (or two) of something else” – Pop was amazing in the kitchen, and to this day he continues to be my hero and inspiration.

Sadly, my father left us all too soon, his ‘recipes’ lost with him.  In his final couple of years, as the cancer ate away at him, he lost his taste for food and at the end his strength to cook.  I cooked for him whenever I could, but increasingly he was unable to enjoy eating.  Because his ‘recipes’ were all based on taste and feeling, we were never able to get them down on paper.   I miss so much about my Pop, and who he was in my life.  Much of my love of cooking is a direct homage to him.

Back to the pancakes…  Over the dozen or so years since he left us, I have tried to come up with a reasonable replication of his amazing creation.  I made them so many times with him, but on my own I was completely unable to hit that magic combination of ingredients that filled the kitchen with that taste and smell of my childhood.  I would work a recipe over and over, changing a bit of this and a bit of that.  However while I got into the ballpark on an occasion or two, it just was never close enough.  I would eventually toss the recipe, and after a bit of time away from the project, start over again.

Sometime in 2013 I found myself at that point of starting over again.  A clean slate, a reliable ingredients list and a renewed sense of patience.  I brought together the ingredients, and into the pan I ladled the batter.  The result was the closest I had ever gotten to the magical combination.  We were on the path!  A couple of more adjustments over the weeks that followed, and I hit the jackpot.  I can’t deny that there was a tear or two shed at the kitchen table that morning, it was such a powerful reminder of the man who was my father, my hero and my inspiration.  What was so much a part of my Pop’s reputation as a cook, would live on to be enjoyed again.  Oh yeah, and I wrote it down…

These are pancakes for those that truly love pan cakes.  They are tall, light and fluffy.  There are so many versions of pancakes, each with its own strength and enjoyment.  From crepes to flapjacks, Dutch Babies to buckwheat, all have a place at the table.  But for me, these are the pinnacle of what a pancake should be – they are of my childhood memories.

I offer you this recipe with the sincerest wish that your family will enjoy them as much as my family has for so many years.  From my country kitchen to yours….