Griddle Cakes in Triplicate

I was very excited to find a copy of The Nero Wolfe Cook Book at my local library bookstore a few weeks ago. I love the Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout. The books revolve around the formidable (in both mind and body) Nero Wolfe, whose powers of deduction are unrivaled and whose appetite remains unparalleled. Sequestered in his Manhattan brownstone, he solves crimes and sates his appetite with the help of Archie, his smooth talking right hand man, and the amazing butler-cum-chef Fritz, whose meticulous cooking is almost always able to meet Wolfe's high standards. Feasting on such delicacies as starlings (cooked with sage, not saffron, Fritz!), he is quite the gourmand!

One of the great things about the series is that all three of these men live in the brownstone together. While they keep separate rooms, of course, they function as funny sort of unit, working, living, and eating together. This sharing of routines is perhaps best exemplified by the griddle cakes which all breakfast on each morning. Archie eating his downstairs in the kitchen with Fritz, while Wolfe takes his upstairs in his bedroom. Work cannot commence before everyone is properly fed.

Whilst these griddlecakes may not give your brain the crime-fighting boost it gives Wolfe and Archie, they are undeniably delicious. Tender, springy, slightly sweet and perfectly corn-y, I can't think of a better way to fortify yourself for a day of hard work and good food.

Griddle Cakes

From The Nero Wolfe Cookbook, by Rex Stout

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup corn meal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sour milk (or more)

2 tablespoons melted butter

Sift the flour and corn meal, baking powder, salt, and sugar into a bowl. In a separate bowl beat the eggs until lemon-yellow in color and add the sour milk. (Sour milk can be made by adding a few drops of lemon juice to sweet milk and allowing it to stand for a few hours in a warm place.) Add the dry ingredients to the egg-milk mixture and beat with a wire whisk or electric hand beater. Add the melted butter gradually while beating. Ladle out the batter with a dipper onto a hot, lightly oiled griddle. When the bubbles on top have opened and the underside is golden brown, turn each cake and cook for 1 or 2 minutes more. Serve hot with butter and a sweet topping. (Makes 12 griddle cakes)