Whole Wheat Pancakes with Apple Compote

Whole-wheat pancakes with apple compote
September 29, 2010
Boston Globe

Serves 4

Whole-wheat pancakes, made with beaten egg whites, are hearty and nutty, a good match for an apple compote with walnuts, raisins, maple syrup, and warm spices. Double the compote recipe to keep on hand for other breakfasts or to set beside pork chops at supper.

COMPOTE

4 baking apples (see Page 19), peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup water
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt

1. In a heavy saucepan over high heat, combine apples, walnuts, raisins, butter, maple syrup, water, lemon, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

2. Bring liquid to a boil, lower the heat, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until apples soften.

PANCAKES

4 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Canola oil (for the pan)
1/2 cup heavy cream, softly whipped (optional)

1. In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks; set aside.

2. In another large bowl, stir together yolks, milk, sour cream, sugar, canola oil, and salt. With a rubber spatula, fold in the baking powder, baking soda, and whole-wheat and all-purpose flours. Fold in the whites.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add a few drops of canola oil and swirl it around in the pan.

4. Ladle the batter by the 1/4 cupfuls, adding about 4 to the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until bubbles form on the tops of the pancakes. Turn and cook 2 to 3 minutes more or until golden on the undersides. Wipe pan with oil between batches.

5. Serve pancakes with apple compote and whipped cream, if you like.

Homemade Yogurt

Making yogurt at home is incredibly easy and does not require much specialized equipment. However, as most fermentations go, it is a somewhat lengthy project. If you have a yogurt maker, feel free to use it. If not, try this method. A hot water bottle can be used in place of the heating pad. The only important factor is that the milk must remain at a temperature around 110 degrees for 8 hours or so. The desired thickness is up to you. Strain until it reaches a consistency of your liking. We used a dollop of Fage Greek yogurt to start our yogurt, but in the future, we will not be using a commercially produced starter. With every batch made, we will set aside enough to begin the next batch.

Once the process is finished, you may use it as a spread (IE. on a smoked salmon sandwich), as the base for dips, sauces, and dressings, or as a simple breakfast. For a relatively unprocessed granola recipe, check out this link to the Boston Globe. A recipe that I have made many times, it was contributed by my predecessor, the former pastry chef at Flour Bakery and Cafe and the current owner of Ula Cafe, Korinn Koslofsky.

1 half gallon skim milk
2 heaping tablespoons yogurt (as a starter)

1. In a large bowl, set over a large pot of simmering water, heat to milk to 185 degrees, stirring often.
2. Remove the bowl from pot and cool, stirring, until the milk reaches 110 degrees.
3. Whisk in yogurt.
4. Pour mixture into a non-reactive container (like glass or stainless steel). Cover the opening of the container with cheesecloth, butcher paper, or a coffee filter. Secure with a rubber band.
5. Place container inside a cooler, and wrap container with a heating pad. Place lid on cooler. Turn on heating pad in order to maintain a temperature of 110 degrees inside the cooler for 8-10 hours. We set our heating pad on medium, but you will have to experiment with your own.
6. Chill yogurt in refrigerator overnight. At this stage, you may consume the yogurt, but we prefer a thicker style.
7. Place yogurt in cheesecloth or a very fine mesh sieve. Wrap the yogurt inside the cloth, and suspend it over a container in the refrigerator. Allow the yogurt to drain overnight.
8. Check consistency of yogurt. If it is too stiff for your liking, stir in some of the liquid that collected in the container.