| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 39 min |
| Prep: | 35 min |
| Cook: | 4 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 12 ounces butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (about 3 cups)
- 1/2 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 to 2 teaspoons fig or maple syrup, plus more to drizzle
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- 1/4 cup creme fraiche
- 2 tablespoons Indian maple sugar
Instructions
- Using a vegetable juicer, juice the squash and reserve the pulp. (You should have about 1/2 cup of pulp and 1/2 cup of juice.) Place the squash pulp in a medium mixing bowl and sprinkle with the flour. Using your fingers, gently squeeze the pulp and flour together until just blended. Gently stir in the squash juice and apple juice until just blended.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites to a very soft peak. Add the fig syrup and whisk to a medium-firm peak. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter base to lighten it, being careful not to fully incorporate the egg whites. Gently fold the lightened batter back into the egg whites. Again, be careful not to fully incorporate the mixture. (The more gently you treat the egg whites, the higher the batter will rise.)
- Heat a 12-inch non-stick saute pan over a medium heat until hot. With a paper towel dipped in the oil, lightly oil the pan. Working in batches, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the batter into the pan, to form as many 2 to 3-inch round cakes as will fit, and cook until just set. Gently turn the cake over and finish cooking, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. The cakes will be very soft. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- To serve: Shingle the cakes on heated plates. Place a quenelle of creme fraiche against each serving of cakes and drizzle with fig syrup. Sprinkle each plate with Indian maple sugar.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 213 |
| Total Fat | 7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 36 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 7 mg |
| Sodium | 452 mg |
Reviews
I’ve never had such failure with a recipe before. They stuck to the point of ruin in all three pans I tried. I cook with gas, even tried cooking on low, but it just took longer to the sticking point, and couldn’t turn sooner as they are so soft. I did use date syrup in the place of fig syrup, but often substitute date for maple syrup with no issues. I also tried using coconut oil, & adding more oil, but the pancakes seemed to absorb the oil from under them and 1/4-1/2 inch around them – hence the sticking. It was a lovely light batter though. Pity, they were all thrown away (and an hour wasted.
Why isn’t there any mention of how to create the fig syrup for Squash Pancakes and Fig Syrup? A search of your website did not reveal any recipe either.
This recipe is improved by using pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, ginger and cloves). If using separate spices, try 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger and 1/8 tsp. cloves. As the previous reviewer pointed out, it would otherwise just taste like squash. I made this mistake in the past when I was trying to create my own squash pancake recipe.
I liked this recipe, but my husband and son did not. It’s basically squash puree made into a pancake, so you really need to be a squash fan to like it. With folding in the egg whites and working in the flour, it had a nice texture and cooking it gave it a nice brown thin crust on the top and bottom. I also liked that is basically has no fat – it’s almost all veggies, which is hard to do with breakfast food. I would make it again, but I would probably be the only one in my family eating it!