David Eyre's pancake
Encyclopedia
A David Eyre's pancake is a sweet, baked egg-and-flour dish named for writer and editor David W. Eyre (1912–2008).
The recipe was published by New York Times Food Editor Craig Claiborne
in an April 10, 1966, Times article entitled "Pancake Nonpareil." In it, Claiborne recounted discovering the dish at a breakfast prepared by Eyre, then the editor of Honolulu Magazine
, while Claiborne was visiting Eyre's Honolulu home.
Eyre's version of the pancake was reportedly based on a recipe for German pancakes (also called Dutch baby pancakes) from the Hotel St. Francis Cookbook first published in 1919, though the two recipes vary slightly.
Following is the Hotel St. Francis Cookbook recipe for German pancakes:
Two eggs, one-half cup of milk, one-half cup of flour, a pinch of salt, a little nutmeg and one teaspoonful of sugar. Mix well. Have a large frying pan ready with hot butter. Be sure and have the butter run all over the inside of the pan so the pancake will not stick to the sides when it rises. Pour in the batter and place in oven. When nearly done, powder with sugar and put back in oven to brown. Serve with lemon and powdered sugar.
The recipe for David Eyre's pancake as it appeared in The New York Times, in addition to generally regularizing quantities and temperatures for modern use, omitted sugar and salt from the batter.
The recipe also appears in The Essential New York Times Cookbook, whose author, longtime food writer Amanda Hesser
, counts it among her favorites.
The recipe was published by New York Times Food Editor Craig Claiborne
Craig Claiborne
Craig Claiborne was an American restaurant critic, food writer and former food editor of the New York Times. He was the author of numerous cookbooks and an autobiography...
in an April 10, 1966, Times article entitled "Pancake Nonpareil." In it, Claiborne recounted discovering the dish at a breakfast prepared by Eyre, then the editor of Honolulu Magazine
Honolulu Magazine
-History:In 1888, when Hawaii was still a monarchy, King Kalākaua commissioned a magazine under royal charter to be Hawaii's ambassador to the world. That magazine was Paradise of the Pacific. For nearly a century, Paradise of the Pacific promoted local business and tourism by assuring citizens of...
, while Claiborne was visiting Eyre's Honolulu home.
Eyre's version of the pancake was reportedly based on a recipe for German pancakes (also called Dutch baby pancakes) from the Hotel St. Francis Cookbook first published in 1919, though the two recipes vary slightly.
Following is the Hotel St. Francis Cookbook recipe for German pancakes:
Two eggs, one-half cup of milk, one-half cup of flour, a pinch of salt, a little nutmeg and one teaspoonful of sugar. Mix well. Have a large frying pan ready with hot butter. Be sure and have the butter run all over the inside of the pan so the pancake will not stick to the sides when it rises. Pour in the batter and place in oven. When nearly done, powder with sugar and put back in oven to brown. Serve with lemon and powdered sugar.
The recipe for David Eyre's pancake as it appeared in The New York Times, in addition to generally regularizing quantities and temperatures for modern use, omitted sugar and salt from the batter.
The recipe also appears in The Essential New York Times Cookbook, whose author, longtime food writer Amanda Hesser
Amanda Hesser
Amanda Hesser is an American food writer, editor and cookbook author. She was the food editor of The New York Times Magazine and the editor of T Living, a quarterly publication of The New York Times.-Life and career:...
, counts it among her favorites.