A tweet recently caught my eye from New York Times Dining & Wine. I clicked on the link, began to read the article, and immediately had the desire to leave work and go whip up a batch of pancakes. These were no ordinary pancakes, though. Oh no…these were Elderflower pancakes. Sound familiar? No? We are (well, were) in the same boat.
It turns out that elderflower pancakes (also known as Hollerküchle) are a traditional German favorite. And, regardless of the fact that Germany sautéed my beloved Argentina in the quarterfinal round of this World Cup, I am too excited to try out this recipe. Related to the more well-known honeysuckle, the lacey foliage of the elder plant is inserted face-down into the fresh pancake batter as soon as it hits the pan. The pancake is then either traditionally cooked only on one side (and allowing the top to simply “set”) or the stems are trimmed and the pancake is flipped. The wonderfully delightful food art happens when the rougher stems are pulled from the pancake leaving the blossoms themselves intact within the batter.
This seems like a possible weekend project, with two crucial pieces of information to note. First off, it’s mid-July and it seems elderflowers bloom in the Northeast in June. I will keep on the lookout regardless. Second, elderflowers should not be confused with poisonous Queen Anne’s Lace. Ok, got it. Queen Anne’s Lace is bad. Note to self.
Wish me luck!
Daniela
Oh good luck! I made an order from Diamond Organics the other day and one item they had was edible wildflowers, not sure if you could experimentally substitute...Post pictures :)
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