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Someone recently asked me what one cookbook I would take with me to a desert island. Even though I’m having a great time cooking my way through my newest cookbooks, Giada’s Everyday Pasta and Mario’s Molto Italiano (I love Italian food!), the first cookbook that popped into my head was The Pancake Handbook. For me, there’s no better way to begin a weekend morning than with a stack of hot pancakes. That’s why I couldn’t resist adding a pancake carousel to our Mother’s Day feature – I tracked down the best Food Network pancake recipes to include in this fancy click-through module. But there was one pancake recipe in particular that caught my eye (or rather my stomach)…

For something a little bit different, I decided to try making Alex Guarnaschelli’s Sourdough Pancakes. They use yeast instead of the usual baking powder or baking soda, which gives them a slight tangy flavor. The batter was super liquidly (even after I added 8 extra tablespoons flour), but I loved the thinness of the pancakes and the eggy consistency that came through (similar to Swedish pancakes). And, the best part, most of the ingredients are mixed together the night before, so when you wake up bleary-eyed and groggy, you’re more than half-way done preparing the recipe.

To keep these warm in the oven while I built up a good-sized stack, I put them in a glass baking dish, covered it with foil and stashed it in a 250 degree oven while I was working. Then, to take advantage of early springtime yumminess, I served with sliced strawberries sprinkled with a little sugar. I’m glad to say they would be great for Mother’s Day!

- Kirsten, Web Editor