As a paleo alternative to traditional flour pancakes, the texture and flavour is just right.
These pancakes are flour-free, nut flour-free and use cream cheese to add substance to the batter.
This is not substitution - these pancakes are better than flour pancakes!
I guess sweeter versions could be made using a little sweetener - honey, maple syrup, Stevia, or the like. Deepen the flavour with a little spice - nutmeg, cinnamon, or even on the savoury side with a little salt, coriander powder, cumin or cayenne pepper as ideas.
With your regard to choice of sweetener and whether it is primal, I'll link to a couple of resources and you can make your own mind up:
- http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-definitive-guide-to-sugar/
- http://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-honey-a-safer-sweetener/ ... I tend to think so.
To work ...
Cream cheese should be as natural as you can get it - there really is no need to buy industrialised cream cheese which may have all manner of preservatives, emulfisiers and so on. If in doubt, check the ingredients! If you're still in doubt, rely upon what I call the Ingredient/Description Principle, as outlined in Coming in From the Cold on my personal paleo blog.
Interestingly enough, Philadelphia brand has Locust Bean Gum listed in the ingredients (urgh!), yet (one for the UK paleo people), Sainsbury own brand "So Organic" Cream Cheese does not even list ingredients on the tub - it is, literally, "cream cheese".
Simply put, the ingredients should list nothing more than the description of the food; so, 'Butter' should read as "butter" in the ingredients, 'Salted Butter' as "butter, sea salt" and ... 'Cream Cheese' as "cream cheese". Anything else in there are you probably don't want to eat it, particularly if it has an x in it!
Of course you could make the cream cheese yourself by hanging some full fat yoghurt up in a muslin bag and permitting the whey to drain out.
With your cream cheese made, or well selected, let's get back to it ...
The ratio is simple - use 1 egg per 1oz of cream cheese. That will make a couple of 6" pancakes or three very thin crêpes.
Blend together well and allow the large bubbles to fall off, leaving a foamy batter.
Grease an 8" skillet or frying pan (which will produce 6" ish pancakes) with a little fat - coconut oil is ideal for both savoury and sweet pancakes, but do vary the fat if you like the flavour to go one way or the other.
Pour in a ladel of the batter and tip it around the pan.
After maybe a minute, the remaining uncooked batter will just be about to cook out, so swirl any remaining around the edge of the pan to strengthen the now cooked thin edges.
After a couple of minutes carefully, and I mean carefully, get a palette knife underneath and flip the pancake over. Another minute and it will be ready to tip out.
Have fun ...
