Perfect Pancakes

I originally got this recipe from the New York Times in 2002 in a wonderful article by Lucian Truscott. At the request of his daughter for mid-week pancakes, he comes to the realization that they're not really that hard to make, and are the best pancakes he's ever tasted.

The pancakes are delicious, incredibly easy to make, and they seem to have a slightly higher proportion of oil and butter in them - enough so that greasing the pan isn't necessary. They're great served with Haydee's Microwave Bananas! One less thing to fuss with in the morning!

Mississippi Pancakes (aka Perfect Pancakes)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp butter -- melted
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1. Place a nonstick griddle or a skillet over medium heat. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and foamy. Add milk, oil and butter. In another bowl, sift together dry ingredients, then beat them into the liquid ingredients with a wire whisk.
2. When skillet is hot, pour in about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake, leaving space between. Flip when batter bubbles. Continue cooking for about a minute. Serve immediately.

Yield: About 20 medium pancakes.

Haydee's Microwave Bananas
2 very ripe soft bananas -- peeled and sliced lengthwise
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Place bananas in a ceramic bowl with all other ingredients. Do not mix.
2. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon on top of pancakes.

Yield: 4 servings.

Finding the original article was an adventure, as the NYTimes archives were only available to subscribers for the longest time, and I had only copied down the recipe without the title - I worried about what I'd do if I lost my precious clipped recipe. Thank goodness that Fabulous Girl put up the original (Imperial) recipe. It was reprinted in Australia's The Age, with the metric recipe and article here. The article is a sweet read.