On Breakfast for Dinner

Something I firmly believe in!

Welcome to the Friday post for paid subscribers, a recipe celebrating one of life’s great joys: eating breakfast for dinner. On Tuesday, all subscribers will receive another edition of behind-the-studio-scenes! As ever, check out my day-to-day work at my website.

When we were little, we sometimes ate breakfast for dinner when my dad traveled for work. Though I hated when he left, I loved breakfast for dinner. It felt indulgent, and a little bit naughty. Best of all, it felt like my mom was in on it with us: we were all getting a treat.

Our family cookbook had a few recipes for pancakes in it, and for some reason, I copied two of them into the now-battered cookbook I took with me to college. One is credited to my great-grandmother, the other to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. There are subtle differences, but they both yield fantastic pancakes. These were the pancakes I craved for dinner as a child.

I was thinking about this particular yearning a few weeks ago. As you may remember, I went through a waffle phase this winter, and during that time, we fried up waffles more than a few times for dinner. Waffles, to me, feel easy to make savory. Maybe it’s the iconic chicken and waffles dish, maybe it’s my personal preference for crispy and crunchy over soft and fluffy. I love scallion pancakes, of course, but those were not the pancakes we ate for dinner. Those were flat and tan and, well, cakey. Sweet.

Instead, of either recipe from the archives, I opted to make a Dutch baby-style pancake that I could top with vegetables and spicy things—much more my taste these days. I used heavy cream and put it through the blender, and let it go for too long. Too much air was added to the batter and it thickened the way my whipped cream never seems to. (*sigh*) I baked it anyway because I refuse to throw away my failures.

Imagine my surprise when this thick batter yielded a beautiful, springy pancake! There was none of that signature ripple that I associate with a Dutch baby, sure, but maybe that was okay. This pancake is hefty enough to stand up to hot sauce, fresh avocado, and corn salsa from Trader Joes (I love it so much!). Of course, you can top it with whatever you like, but I’m in charge here, so that’s what I did.

Zingy Pancake Brunch