Strictly Lingonberry

 Some may argue that one's psychic abilities are hindered by the ingestion of dairy products. Undoubtedly, gluten has the same affect on one's ability to predict future events. How are you to know that due to a series of bad decisions you wake up in the morning to find yourself with one less toe?
  Even a pessimist needs to plan ahead. Some mornings call for pancakes. The night before this morning happens, throw together a pancake batter.

For these pancakes- or really really thin pancakes or crepes- allowing the batter to sit overnight results in a lacy, delicately textured cake.

Lingonberry pancakes, or crepes

~1 cup all-purpose flour (Bob's red mill or King Arthur are good)

1 cup milk, whole or other 

1 egg

1/2 cup water

~1/2 tsp dry yeast (or one package- that's 1/4 or 1/8 teaspoon, but should work fine, as it's more for flavor than actual leavening)

1/4 teaspoon salt, preferably kosher or at least in the style of kosher.

1 Tablespoon sugar

To make this slightly "healthier", you could add a bit of whole grain flour, such as wheat. Adding a tablespoon of flax seed meal makes me feel slightly better about myself.

Also:

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Several more tablespoons for cooking and serving

Also oil for cooking- Or just butter.

Lingonberry jam.

Method:

1. Place water, room temperature, in a bowl. Add yeast, allow to sit for a couple of minutes.

2. Add milk, egg, flour, salt, sugar, flax seed meal (if desired) and whisk together.

3. At this point, allow batter to rest in refrigerator overnight. If you desperately need to make pancakes now, I would suggest allowing batter to rest for at least one hour. It will make OK pancakes. Otherwise, you could leave the batter in the refrigerator for probably up to 3 days.

4. When ready to cook, look at the batter. Don't be alarmed by the presence of a clear liquid that may have separated. Just whisk it in. Consider the thickness of the batter. It should not be thick like traditional pancakes, but more like melted ice cream. Add an ounce or two of milk at this point to thin it down, if necessary.

To make things easier, place the batter into a container with a spout. Then you can just pour it into your hot pan.

5. Have ready your pan. A 9"-10" flat-bottomed sauté pan or griddle should work well. Cast iron is a good bet, or stainless if you're lucky enough to have it. Let the pan warm up over medium-high heat.

6. Melt ~1 Tablespoon of butter and whisk it into the batter.

7. Heat a bit (1/4 teaspoon) of butter or oil in the pan, swirl to coat. Wipe out excess oil with a paper towel, if there is a puddle. ( I use butter, generally, to cook these. The flavor is better, but care must be taken to keep the pan at just the right temperature so that the butter may brown a bit but not burn. )

8. Pour some batter into the pan, just enough to coat the bottom entirely. Swirl the pan to evenly distribute batter.

The ideal lacy edge. Usually accomplished after the first pancake.

9. When edges just begin to brown, use a spatula to loosen and flip pancake over, using spatula for support.

The pancake is very thin, and probably impossible to "flip" with an action of the pan--unless a ridiculous quantity of butter is involved.

10. Cook for about a minute or so longer, then lift out onto plate. Garnish with lingonberry jam and more butter, if desired.

10. Spread jam and butter evenly over surface of pancake, then roll up.

Pancakes are best eaten immediately, of course, but they can be kept around and eaten later if you've maybe eaten too many of them already.

Notes on the method:

Crepe preparation can be difficult. It is a challenge to find the correct consistency of batter that will create a crepe that has good flavor and a light texture without falling apart. Keep in mind that the first crepe/pancake of the day is usually a disaster. I often need to make adjustments on the heat level, batter consistency, amount of butter used, etc.

Notes on the recipe:

Flour can differ, like the weather, and you may need to add more or less depending.

  Look for active dry yeast in the bulk section of your supermarket or local co-op. This is a really inexpensive way to purchase yeast, and it should last either on the shelf or in the refrigerator for several months.

The addition of salt is important for flavor, and I would suggest tasting the first pancake and adding more salt and/or sugar to the batter if desired.

And vanilla extract or orange liquor isn't a bad addition.

Although lingonberry jam is really nice with this style of pancake, I would also suggest apricot jam with sliced banana. Also, lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Ice cream would not be objectionable, maybe with ganache or a chocolate spread of some kind. And other beautiful fresh fruits.

This cherry jam is particularly delicious with these pancakes, along with butter.

Savory Crepes

Or if you want to get crazy, you can eliminate the sugar (or lower it to 1/2 teaspoon) and add some chopped chives, parsley, fresh thyme or even dill to the batter. Excellent fillings include:  salmon, sauteed spinach or asparagus, and seasoned chèvre or cream cheese. And capers.  Swiss chard and chèvre is a surprisingly good combination.