Pancakes That Are Not So Flat (Artistically)

CHANCES are, if you have a reliable pancake recipe, you rarely stray.

After all, pancake recipes are relatively similar to one another, and most are good. When pancakes are warm and buttered with amber syrup sliding down the sides, the subtleties of the pancake itself are muted by the maple.

Then there’s the fact that most of us make pancakes on weekend mornings, knocking around the kitchen on autopilot before we are fully charged and caffeinated. In this state, experimenting with something new is not only bothersome, but also downright risky.

But recently I was inspired to branch out and try something new. A jar of homemade rhubarb compote had been staring pinkly at me from its spot in the fridge. I felt it needed a canvas more majestic than a mere bowl of yogurt or slice of toast. What it really wanted, it seemed to be saying, was a fluffy pancake on which to shine.

As pleasing as my standard pancakes are, they didn’t seem special enough for homemade compote.

But some honey and lemon zest stirred into the batter, enriched with Greek yogurt and extra melted butter, elevated them nicely. So did a sprinkle of poppy seeds. (Sour cream and sesame seeds would have worked, too.)

Then for serving, I slathered the pancakes with more Greek yogurt before gilding everything with a dollop of rosy compote.

The pancakes were fruity and sweet and really more like dessert, which was just fine with me.

In fact, if you substitute crème fraîche, whipped cream or ice cream for the Greek yogurt, they would be special enough to serve to company. They would be exotic, too, because while crepes are universally accepted as dessert fare, pancakes rarely show up at the table post-brunch.

For the most elegant dessert presentation, consider making the pancakes silver-dollar size, both because they are quite filling and they are cuter that way. Otherwise, frying bigger pancakes is easier and more efficient.

And if you don’t happen to have homemade rhubarb compote beckoning from the fridge, any good jam or preserves would work nicely, too. But I would stay away from maple syrup, which could overpower the delicacy of the lemon. Save the syrup for your regularly scheduled Sunday-morning fare.