THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX: BEST PANCAKES, EVER.

Want to have pancakes for breakfast? Ditch the sad boxed pancake mixes travesties and do what I do: make them the old-fashioned, chemical-free way in a snap! These are not just quick and easy, they're also light and just the right thickness to really enjoy them without feeling too full too fast. I love them with just maple syrup and a bit of butter, but if you still feel a void, or want a more filling pancake experience, have them with fresh fruit. Sliced berries, mango, peach, banana, pear - they're all terrific on pancakes! Chopped walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, cashews are great too.

I do poached fruit like peaches or pears (shown in the first photo) on pancakes if I have them left over from something else, but I prefer raw fruit. The concentrated flavour of cooked fruits like berries overpowers the flavour of the maple syrup and there's no point in wasting perfectly great maple syrup. Honey is a much better alternative if you want to have your pancakes with macerated fruits, compotes, preserves, etc.

Best Pancakes, Ever.
Makes: 10 - 12 pancakes

- 1 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (I use unbleached AP flour)
- 3-1/2 tsp. baking powder (not baking soda)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. orange zest (optional)
- 1-1/4 cups milk, at least 2% or higher fat (or nut milk of choice - I don't eat soy but you can use soy milk if you want)
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp. butter, melted (coconut oil, or safflower/other neutral oil for dairy-free pancakes)

1. Put the oats in a blender and process into oat flour. 
2. Prep the dry ingredients: Mix together the oat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and orange zest in a large bowl. Make sure to mix everything well.
3. Prep the wet ingredients: Break the egg into the blender jar, add the milk and melted butter. Process until everything is just mixed. 
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix until everything just comes together in a smooth batter. A few small lumps are ok, but don't overmix the batter.
5. Heat a lightly oiled skillet (or griddle or frying pan) over medium-high heat. Using a 1/4 cup measure or small ladle, pour the batter onto the hot skillet. The batter will spread to form a 6 - 7 in. pancake. After 30 - 40 seconds, flip the pancake and brown on the other side. Repeat to make more pancakes.
6. Stack 2 pancakes on a plate and serve hot with a pat of butter and/or maple syrup.

Notes:

1. The oat flour won't be as finely milled as the AP flour, but that's fine.
2. If the batter doesn't spread into a 6 - 7 in. pancake, add 1/8 - 1/4 cup milk to thin it.
3. This may be obvious but... if the first pancake is dark brown or burnt, lower the heat for the rest!
4. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat as needed.

EGG ROLLS: KOLKATA STREET-FOOD CLASSIC

Way back when, in small Southern towns out in nowhere, the one petrol station in the area was also a grocery store, general store, pharmacy, restaurant, fishing store, and gossip club. And we should all be glad that in the South, tradition prevails even if the venue gets a facelift. Like the Chevron on the way out of Nachitoches, LA that has some of the best fried chicken, shrimp, crawfish, boudin balls, and a lot more. In fact, stop at a petrol station in any small town around the South and you can have some of the best BBQ, biscuits, meat pies, fried chicken, a slew of meat jerky, fudge, banana pudding, pies, cakes, and even full breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Regional food that comes as close as possible to street-food here in the US.

Meanwhile in countries like India and other parts of Asia, you can do an entire culinary pilgrimage of street-food. So many variations, creations, seasonal foods, and timeless classics that belong on the streets, not in a home kitchen.

Egg rolls are one such Kolkata street-food classic about which all my friends from Kolkata - Bengali or not - have unfailingly *raved*. I cannot stand Chinese food, even less so Indian-style Chinese food, so I'd stop listening at egg ro...

Until I had these and discovered they're nothing like the Chinese egg rolls... and then I was converted. When you're a continent away from Kolkata streets, these do the job quite well, are a snap to make at home, and especially delicious with beer! You can make a meal of one by filling it with seasoned shredded carrots or other raw vegetables. I made these from scratch but you can certainly use ready-made paranthas, or make extra and freeze for later.

Kolkata-style Egg Rolls

Makes: 6 rolls

Paranthas (flatbread):

- 1-1/4 cup white wheat or unbleached all-purpose flour (or your favourite gluten-free all-purpose flour mix)

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. olive oil (or any neutral oil)

- 1 cup warm water

Egg filling:

- 6 eggs

- 1/2 onion, sliced thinly

- 1 serrano pepper, sliced thinly

- 6 tbsp. ketchup, or more to taste

- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 lemon, quartered

- 3 tbsp. chile sauce (optional)

1. Make 6 paranthas (flatbread):
1. Put the flour, salt, and oil in a large bowl. 
2. Add water 1/4 cup at a time to make a semi-firm dough.
3. Knead for 5 minutes till the dough is supple.
4. Let it sit for at least 10-15 min.
5. Heat a skillet (or flat griddle) at medium heat.
6. Divide the dough into 6 parts, roll between your palms into a round ball.
7. Roll each ball of dough into a circle, 6-7 in. each.
8. Put on the heated skillet and flip when the dough looks opaque, after about 1 minute.
9. Drizzle a tsp. of oil around the edges of the flatbread, cook for a minute or so .
10. Flip and cook for another minute or until you see brown spots on the flatbread (see the photo above).
11. Repeat for the remaining dough and set the paranthas aside for the egg rolls.
2. Make the egg rolls, 1 at a time:
1. Heat an omelette pan or skillet to medium-low heat.
2. In a bowl, beat one egg at a time.
3. Put a tsp. of oil into the pan and spread it evenly with a spatula or brush to make sure the egg won't stick.
4. Pour the beaten egg into the pan. Immediately put a parantha onto the egg and gently press down.
5. Let everything cook for a minute or so. Flip so the parantha is on the pan and and cook for another minute.
6. Transfer to a plate with the egg facing up, and arrange some of the sliced onion and other garnishes on the egg, off-center (see the photo above). Add a light sprinkle of lemon juice.
7. Roll up and serve!

GUJARATI AT HEART: MUNG BEAN AND PEANUT SPROUTS

In Gujarati cuisine, there are so many ways to eat fangavela (sprouted) mag (mung beans): stir fried, cooked in a sweet and sour sauce, raw in salads, as a filling in various snacks, lightly steamed and mixed with other things including yogurt, the variations are endless.

I grow sprouts very often because I love them and it's so easy. And this is a pretty standard Gujarati way of making mung bean sprouts. I added sprouted peanuts just because I saw raw peanuts in the cupboard and thought, "Why not?!"

I usually make this without the onions, garlic, and ginger, which is the Jain way.

Asafoetida is a gum from a tree, and is used for it's digestive properties. It's also a flavour enhancer, especially in Gujarati cuisine where the use of onions and garlic is sparse at best. Asafoetida is quite de rigeur in Gujarati cooking but you can skip it if you don't have it. 

Jaggery is another very ubiquitous ingredient, a concentrate of cane juice, coconut palm sap, or date palm sap (also known as palm sugar, and a common ingredient in Thai cooking) among others. Jaggery has a softer, rounder sweetness than sugar and it's what we typically use but it's not indispensible so use sugar if that's what you've got at hand.

Serve this dish with rice and ghee - or rotlis (Gujarati version of roti) and ghee like I did - but please, no tortillas, naan, leavened bread, pita, quinoa, barley, brown rice, etc. Save those for something else.

Mung Bean and Peanut Sprouts
Makes: 4 - 5 cups

- 4 cups home-grown mung bean sprouts
- 1 cup peanut sprouts
- 1 medium white onion, chopped into a fine dice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. minced ginger (~ a 1 in. piece)
- 1 chile de arbol, serrano, or jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp. cumin seeds
- 1 tsp. mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp. powdered asafoetida
- 1 tsp. each powdered: turmeric, cumin, coriander
- 1 - 2 tsp. powdered red pepper
- 2 tbsp. jaggery
- 2 tsp. salt, or to taste
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro, to garnish (optional)

1. Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large pan (use a pan that has a lid), and add asafoetida. Let it sizzle for a few seconds, then add cumin and mustard seeds.
2. When the mustard seeds pop, add the chopped onion and green chile, minced garlic and ginger. Saute till the onions are soft and translucent.
3. Add the powdered spices: turmeric, cumin, coriander, red pepper. Give everything a quick stir to mix and add a 1/4 cup of water.
4. Add the bean and peanut sprouts, and stir everything to mix well. Turn the heat to low if things are sticking to the pan.
5. Add enough water to fully cover the sprouts. Add jaggery (or sugar), give everything a quick stir.
6. Turn the heat to high until the water starts boiling, then turn it down to medium-low and cover the pan.
7. Cook for 20 - 25 minutes, then check the bean sprouts. They should be soft and cooked - if not, cover the pan and cook for 7 - 10 minutes longer. The peanut sprouts will be a bit crunchy.
8. Add salt and adjust sweetness to taste. Add the lemon juice.
9. Stir well and garnish with cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges for those who like it a bit more tangy.

HOW TO SPROUT MUNG BEANS AND OTHER LEGUMES

Home grown sprouts, no special equipment needed.

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Sprouting Mung Beans and Other Legumes
Makes: approximately 4 cups sprouts

- 1 cup mung beans (or peanuts, garbanzos, or any other bean, or a mix of beans)
- 4 - 8 cups water, or enough to submerge any bean you're using by at least 2 inches

1. Rinse the mung beans.
2. Put the rinsed beans in a large bowl and add all the water. Soak overnight (8 - 12 hours, but really up to 24 hours is ok too). 
3. Drain the water and put the beans back in the bowl. (It's ok if some water is clinging to the beans, you don't want them to be totally dry. You don't want too much water in the bowl, because otherwise they'll just spoil and smell bad. If this happens, throw the beans away and restart at step 1.)
4. Cover the bowl with a damp cotton kitchen towel and leave at room temperature. After 8 - 12 hours, rinse the beans, drain, and put them back in the large bowl.
5. Repeat step 4 three or four times until you have sprouts with a 1/2 to 1 inch long "tail".
6. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Notes:

1. Beans absorb a lot of water within the first 8 - 12 hours, so make sure to soak in plenty of water.
2. Sprouting time will vary with bean size - larger beans like garbanzos will take a longer time to sprout.
3. Sprouted peanuts are terrific, lightly steamed or raw in salads.
4. I've never tried sprouting kidney beans because I don't really like them so the only time I cook them is if it's for someone else, by request. But I suppose they'd sprout.

AN EASY CLASSIC: CREME BRULEE

Does the creme really need to be brûlée? No. Because really, once you bake the custard in a bain marie, it's cooked, and perfectly edible. And of course there are plenty of baked custards that aren't made with a burnt sugar topping: flan or creme caramel, for example. But the crunch of the caramelised sugar with the silky custard underneath is just such an enjoyable sensation that the extra step to make the caramelised sugar layer is totally worth it.

Is the bain-marie essential? Yes, because it keeps the hot oven air moist for the top of the custard and also protects the delicate egg custards from curdling or breaking.

Flavour-wise, I find that the classic vanilla custard is best, perhaps with the addition of a complementary addition like citrus, almond, or hazelnut liqueur. If you must, serve berries or other accompaniments separately rather than adding into the custard. If you're adding solid flavourings like a scraped vanilla bean, citrus rind, nutmeg, etc. then certainly strain the custard before pouring into ramekins. Also strain if your egg yolk mixture wasn't properly tempered and has bits of curdled yolk - it happens sometimes, it won't affect the flavour of the custard so keep calm and strain on.

Also resist the temptation to make the caramelised sugar layer more than 5 minutes in advance of serving - the sugar will just melt into the custard and you won't have a crunchy layer anymore. When you caramelise the sugar, the chilled custard underneath quickly cools the caramel and hardens it, creating that crunchiness. But it has to be done *just* before serving.

Creme Brûlée 
Makes: 6 servings

Custard
- 6 large egg yolks
- 7 tablespoons sugar
- 2-1/4 cups whipping cream
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur (optional)

- 6-8 ceramic ramekins 

- 2 in. or deeper oven-safe pan large enough to hold the ramekins (if you don't have a pan large enough to hold all ramekins, bake the custard in batches)

Caramelised Sugar Crust

- 3-4 tbsp. sugar (I use turbinado or demerara sugar but white sugar will work)

- a working blow-torch to make the burnt sugar crust

1. Preheat oven to 325 F / 165 C.
2. Bring cream to simmer in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and let it settle for 5 minutes.
3. Whisk egg yolks and 7 tbsp. sugar in a medium bowl until thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes.
4. Temper the yolk mixture so it doesn't curdle and get lumpy:
1. Mix in 4 tbsp. (1/4 cup) hot cream into the yolk mixture. Repeat.
5. Whisk in the remaining hot cream into the yolk mixture. Whisk in Grand Marnier and vanilla. 
6. Divide custard among the ramekins. Arrange the ramekins in the oven-safe pan. Make a bain-marie to protect the custards while baking:
1. Pour hot water into the pan to be level with the custard inside the ramekins. The water will protect the custard from browning / burning.
7. Bake custards until gently set in center, 25 - 30 minutes.
8. Remove the pan from the oven and remove the custards from the bain-marie. 
9. Cool custards completely and refrigerate uncovered until fully set and chilled, 3 - 24 hrs. 
10. Just before serving, make the burnt sugar crust:
1. Remove the custards from the fridge and sprinkle an even layer of 1/2 tbsp. sugar onto each.
2. Use the blow-torch per instructions to burn the sugar - you will see it melt. Let it sit for a minute or so and serve.