Weeknight Cooking

Green Pancakes (Pascadous)

July 31, 2013
4.5
2 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Very lightly adapted from Clotilde Dusoulier's The French Market CookbookNicholas Day

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Nicholas Day is a longtime Food52 contributor.
WHAT: A pancake to call "dinner."
HOW: Add garlic and wine to a classic pancake batter (do we have your attention yet?), then allow to cool and fold in whipped egg whites (for extra fluff!) and chard. Cook on a hot skillet, then serve warm.
WHY WE LOVE IT: These pancakes combine the ease of breakfast for dinner with the satisfaction of, well, dinner for dinner. They're also easy to adapt depending on what vegetables you have in your crisper, no maple syrup required. —The Editors

Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • Fine sea salt
  • 4 eggs, 2 whole and 2 separated
  • Black pepper
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons dry white wine (optional)
  • 1/2 cup milk (or unflavored, unsweetened nondairy milk)
  • 8 ounces Swiss chard leaves (save the stalks for another use) or spinach, finely chopped
  • Olive oil for cooking
Directions
  1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and 1 teaspoon salt and form a well in the center. Add 2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks and stir to mix with part of the flour (reserve the 2 remaining egg whites). Sprinkle with pepper. Add the garlic and wine and then pour the milk in a slow stream, whisking as you go, until all the flour is mixed in and the mixture is creamy and mostly lump-free. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
  2. When ready to cook, remove the bowl from the fridge.
  3. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with 1/4 teaspoon salt (using a whisk or an electric mixer) until they form stiff peaks. Fold gently into the batter with a spatula. Fold in the chopped chard.
  4. In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add about 1/4 cup of the batter to the hot skillet, without flattening. Repeat to form as many pancakes as will comfortably fit in the skillet.
  5. Cook until the edges are set and the pancakes are golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes, until the other side is golden. Transfer to a warm serving plate, grease the skillet again, and repeat with the remaining batter. You should have enough for 10 to 12 pancakes. Serve hot, with a sprinkling of salt and pepper on top.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

I'm the author of a book on the science and history of infancy, Baby Meets World. My website is nicholasday.net; I tweet over at @nicksday. And if you need any good playdoh recipes, just ask.

15 Reviews

Alison September 4, 2018
I have to admit that I skipped a few steps due to last minute, whats-for-dinner? timing--didn't refrigerate the batter and I didn't separate the eggs (kind of embarrassing, but laziness won out). It was still delightful, and I recommend this dish. We had it with irish bacon (sort of like Canadian bacon) for dinner. I will try it with the separated eggs next time, to see the difference. I also think some shallots would work well instead of the garlic (I would have normally added onion to chard, if left totally to my own devices), so might try that variation as well. I recommend this for a quick (if you cheat), tasty dinner that includes a good, stealthy helping of veggies.
Linda D. August 7, 2018
Thank you, Nicholas for sharing this simple and savory meal. I used spinach instead of kale and heavy cream instead of milk. I served the pancakes for dinner with bacon and applesauce on the side.
Courtney C. February 9, 2016
These were great! I have the cookbook that these came from, but I had not yet made these. I'm very glad that I did. I used a box of mixed greens (chard, spinach, and kale) and blitzed it in the food processor. I also added some chives. Very tasty!
witloof February 8, 2016
For those who want a gluten free option chickpea flour makes excellent pancakes.
amy August 31, 2015
Is this 1 cup of swiss chard or 1/2 lb?
Slimfender August 31, 2015
Since the chard is specified as finely chopped, one could assume the author meant 8oz as in volume, not weight, but that's just my take on it, as a bystander. If the chard was listed in the recipe as an ingredient prior to prepping it, I might assume weight instead of volume.
Liz January 21, 2015
We are a gluten free household. Any ideas on how this would translate to almond flour. They look so darn good!!
Aviva B. March 6, 2015
Hi Liz, instead of almond flour you might want to find a gluten free "all purpose flour" (I know I've seen it at Whole Foods, and maybe some other places?) It's a mix of different gluten free flours that winds up better suited for recipes like this one. Good luck!
Marry October 5, 2014
Just made these-really good-I didn't refrigerate the batter though and they came out fine. I put carrot top pesto on top and served with sliced avocado and tomato wedges. Yum!
Slimfender August 27, 2013
What a great brunch pick! I love this.
MariahK August 23, 2013
I've made this three times in the last month. They are excellent when first made but they are equally good after being refrigerated and reheated in the toaster. Next I'm going to try freezing them so that I can always have some on hand!
WellFedWit August 13, 2013
I've made this twice now and I love it! Used buttermilk both times because that's what I had on hand. Excellent when combined with a bit of fresh feta and a nice salad.
JPyyyy August 1, 2013
Thanks.
JPyyyy August 1, 2013
I'm not able to find anything about what to do with the 2 egg whites that were separated. Are they supposed to be used in the recipe somehow?
Nicholas D. August 1, 2013
The egg white step went missing, mysteriously, but it should be there now.