A tall stack of soft and fluffy champagne pancakes topped with champagne-spiked raspberry sauce.
I don’t know which genius invented the champagne breakfast (or brunch), but I wish I could personally shake his or her hand. Few things make me more bubbly* than a champagne breakfast.
*Sorry, pun haters!
For you see, having a glass of champagne – or a Bellini or Mimosa – at breakfast time is completely impractical. You could say it’s downright irresponsible. But champagne breakfasts ignore all of that and proudly proclaim, ‘I don’t care what time it is, my breakfast deserves champagne!’
Now that’s an attitude I can get on board with.
If you’re having a champagne breakfast or brunch to celebrate the New Year – or for any other reason (including no reason at all) – then may I recommend adding these pancakes to your breakfast plans? There’s champagne in the pancakes, champagne in the sauce, and they’re served with a glass of champagne on the side.
If that doesn’t put you in the mood to celebrate, then nothing will.
Of course, if straight champagne isn’t your jam, then enjoy a fruity Mimosa or Bellini on the side. (Or something non-alcoholic, if you’d prefer).
The pancakes themselves are tall and fluffy due to the magic of whipped egg whites. Separating the eggs and beating the whites into soft peaks requires some extra effort (and an extra bowl), but people, it’s definitely worth it.
A mixture of Greek-style yogurt and ricotta cheese make these pancakes soft and moist, so there’s no need to add any butter or oil to the batter.
In fact, these pancakes are less indulgent than they appear. The tiniest bit of maple syrup adds a touch of sweetness – so there’s no refined sugar in these pancakes – and they’re made with a combination of all purpose and oat flours for a little extra fibre (and flavor).
So I guess what I’m trying to say is: pass ’round the pancakes because I’d like some more!
Ordinarily, I don’t bother with making sauces for my breakfasts. Give me some maple syrup and I’ll be a happy person. But this is one of those rare occasions when I think a special sauce is 100% necessary.
Unlike most pancake sauces, this raspberry sauce isn’t overly sweet. There’s no granulated sugar, just two spoonfuls of maple syrup and orange juice. Oh, and champagne. Let’s not forget the theme of this breakfast.
As well as upping the champagne factor, the sauce adds a burst of berry flavor to the pancakes – which will complement those Bellinis or Mimosas nicely. Just saying.
While I certainly hope you’ll be ringing in the new year with a stack of pancakes, regardless of how you’re celebrating 2016, I hope you have a wonderful time. And stay safe, of course.
Happy New Year!
P.S. Are you making any New Year’s Resolutions? This year I’m going to avoid making any resolutions that are just too darn hard to keep. So one of my resolutions is: eat plenty of pancakes.
- Champagne Pancakes
- 1 cup (130g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (45g) oat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, separated
- ⅓ cup (80g) Greek-style yogurt
- ¼ cup (65g) ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon (15mL) maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (180mL) buttermilk
- ¼ cup (60mL) champagne
Raspberry Champagne Sauce- 2 cups (245g) frozen raspberries
- ¼ cup (60mL) champagne
- 2 tablespoons (30mL) orange juice
- 2 tablespoons (30mL) maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
To Serve- Fresh berries
- Champagne
- For the pancakes: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the all purpose flour, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with a fork. Whisk in the yogurt, ricotta cheese, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Add the buttermilk and champagne, and mix until well combined.
- In another bowl, use electric beaters to whip the egg whites into firm peaks.
- Pour the dry ingredients (the flour mixture) into the wet ingredients (the buttermilk mixture). Mix until just combined.
- Fold the egg whites into the batter. This is easiest if you fold in one tablespoon first, and then add the remainder of the egg whites.
- Preheat a skillet over medium-low heat. Grease with cooking oil spray, and then add ¼ cup of batter for each pancake (an ice-cream scoop is perfect for this). If necessary, use the back of a spoon to gently shape the batter into circles.
- Cook the pancakes for about 3 – 4 minutes on one side, or until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip, and cook for 1 – 2 minutes on the other side. Adjust the stove heat as needed.
- For the sauce: Combine the raspberries, champagne, orange juice, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a saucepan over high heat. Cook the sauce for 10 – 15 minutes, stirring frequently, or until it has reduced by half (approximately). Reduce the stove heat as necessary to prevent the sauce bubbling over.
- Blend the sauce until smooth, and then pass it through a mesh sieve to remove the raspberry seeds.
- Serve the pancakes with plenty of Raspberry Champagne Sauce, some fresh berries, and a glass of champagne. Enjoy!
You can make your own oat flour by grinding some rolled or quick-cooking oats in a coffee grinder (or a food processor or blender). You'll need just under ½ cup of oats to yield ½ cup of oat flour. Grind the oats first, and then measure the flour.
Yogurt
Any thick and creamy yogurt should work in this recipe - it doesn't need to be authentic Greek yogurt. Plain or vanilla yogurts are ideal.
Recipe inspired by Veggie and the Beast
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