EMMA LAKE SUMMERS …LEMON BUTTERMILK PANCAKES AND BREAKFAST ON THE BEACH

Summer at the lake.  Every time you say those words  you conjure up memories of sunny days that lasted forever; floating  in the cool, green waters of a Northern lake, sand scrubbed bodies stretched out to the sun.  We spent our summers beside a small, quiet lake just north of Prince Albert,  Emma Lake.

We had a tiny cottage on the lake.  A low bench of sand and birch trees shielded us from the  winds coming off the water.  Against the bench of sand my Father had his outdoor kitchen, a few steps from the cottage.  He cooked on an old black kitchen stove.  A wooden table scrubbed white was both a prep counter and a place to eat.

On the weekends our Father would drive up to the cottage.  The car groaning under its load of fresh produce and groceries.  But for we children most important was the baking he had done during the week.  Our favorite was Royal Bread Pudding.  It was  creamy,  cinnamon flavoured, raisin filled,   bread pudding topped with a layer of pastry and then vanilla icing.

We loved our breakfasts at the lake.   Pancakes cooked on top of the outdoor black stove.    Dad would scour the top clean and build a roaring fire.  He would use the entire surface of the stove to turn out “flap jacks”.  These he would spread thick with butter, sprinkle with sugar and then squeeze lemon all over.  He would stack them high, keeping them warm in the oven as he continued to flip pancake after pancake.  In the warm oven the butter melted into the sugar and lemon and drizzled into sweet pools around the pancakes.  Ah, sweet heavenly delights.

And what of the photograph of the osprey and we children on the beach?  We had found him struggling with a broken wing.  Dad made splints from wooden matches and  bandaged the wing.   We fed him raw meat. He became very tame while the wing was healing.   One day he was just gone.  On the beach we found bits of the bandage and a few feathers. We knew our falcon was flying free high above us.

LEMON BUTTERMILK PANCAKES  (makes 32 pancakes)

2 cups buttermilk

4 tbs. (2 oz.)  melted butter

2 eggs at room temperature

2 cups all-purpose unbleached white flour

3 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

To finish, lemon juice, butter and sugar, and maple syrup if desired.

The amount of buttermilk you use will determine how thick these pancakes are. Start with the smaller amount and add more if the batter seems too thick.  Have the milk at room temperature before mixing and take care not to over-beat; a few lumps in the batter will do no harm.

Beat the milk, butter and egg lightly in a large  mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt and add them all at once to the first mixture, stirring just enough to dampen the flour.  Let your pancake batter sit for around 15 or 20 minutes.

Lightly butter or oil a griddle or skillet and set over moderate heat until a few drops of cold water sprinkled on the pan form rapidly moving globules.

Drop about 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan, or pour about 1/4 cup from a measuring cup if large pancakes are desired.

Bake until the cakes are full of bubbles on the top and the undersides are lightly browned.  Turn with a spatula and brown the other sides.

Place finished pancakes on a warm plate and spread with butter, sprinkle with a little sugar, and a squeeze of lemon juice, stack and top with a lemon slice.

Keep the plate warm in a 200°F (95°C) oven until you have enough to begin serving.