Winter is Lame

So January is almost over, and I, for one, have had enough of grey, grey days. So I will share my favorite dead-of-winter treat. Lemon pancakes! They are even now buoying me through the last days of wrestling with the book. I have a self-imposed deadline of February 14 to complete this draft. If I meet it, I’ll post a chapter here for you to enjoy.

I do have an odd confession about my limits as a writer and my limits as a pancake eater. My very smart agent Elana and I were discussing the last draft of the book and she pointed out that my main character really ought to have a crush on a certain character. She was totally right–if Asha is sexually attracted to this character, it escalates the tension of the book in all the right ways. Genius! So why didn’t I see it?

Two reasons: I want to like my main character, and I like her a little less when she treats her boyfriend badly (even though it’s things like treating your boyfriend badly once in a while which makes you seem human. Ask my husband–if I was nice to him all the time, he’d think I was possessed.)

The other reason: the character in question was a pale, blue-eyed blond, and that is just not my gig. I understand logically that there are lots of very handsome men in the world with pale hair and eyes. Hey, I’ve been to Norway, a country chock full of brawny blond types, and yeah, I suppose they’re cute. But it does nothing for me, I’m afraid. Just not my type. And I find it hard to write convincingly about sexual attraction I wouldn’t feel under the same circumstances.

(Perhaps I should also mention that this character is utterly evil, but I’m not sure that that means he’s not my type. I really think it’s his hair color, which is why he has black hair in the current draft.)

My feelings are the complete opposite when it comes to pancakes, however. I am simultaneously grossed out by the very thought of undercooked eggs (POISON!) and tough, overcooked pancakes. I want my pancakes to be blond, blond, blond, not at all tough, but firm throughout. I’m so picky that I rarely even make pancakes for myself, because getting them perfectly done is such a pain.

But these pancakes are easier than most to get perfect, I suspect because of the high fat content. Also, they are so delectable that you don’t need to add butter or syrup to the final product. You can, in fact, eat them with one hand while revising a novel with the other, which is what I will be doing for the next couple of weeks. I encourage you to give these a try–normal pancakes may never do it for you again.

So–Lemon Sour Cream Pancakes from The Joy of Cooking:

Prepare and preheat your griddle
Whisk together in a large bowl:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Whisk together in another bowl:
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and gently stir them together, mixing until just combined. It will be very thick and lumpy–that’s okay. Fold in:
finely grated zest of 2 lemons

Spoon 1/4 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake nudging the batter into rounds. Cook until the top is speckled with bubbles and some have popped, then turn and cook until underside is lightly browned. Serve immedieately or keep warm in a 200 oven.