FRESH BERRY PANCAKES

FRESH BERRY PANCAKES

Since the Royal Canadian Pancake House prefers not to give out recipes, we offer this one from "The Breakfast Book," by Marion Cunningham.

Of the recipe, she writes, "This basic pancake tastes better than all the others I've tried. Like any good recipe, it is versatile: You can add fresh berries, fruit, granola, spices, and flavors. Pancake batter and waffle batter differ only in that waffle batter is usually thinner. Add a little more liquid to pancake batter and it will cook up as a good, self-respecting waffle." 2 eggs 5 tablespoons butter 1 cup milk 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon sugar 4 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups fresh berries, trimmed, cleaned, cut into desired size

Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl until they are thoroughly blended. Put the butter and the milk in a small saucepan and warm over low heat until the butter has melted. Set aside and allow to cool a little - a very hot mixture would cook the eggs. Stir the butter mixture into the eggs, and mix well. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and stir with a fork until well mixed.

Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir only until the dry ingredients are well moistened. Don't overmix.

Heat a griddle or skillet medium-high. Drops of water splashed on the griddle will bounce before turning to steam. Grease lightly. Drop 2 or 3 tablespoons of batter for each pancake onto the griddle (a 12-inch griddle will hold 4 pancakes) and cook until bubbles break on the surface.

Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of berries on the top of each pancake, gently pressing the berries down a trifle with a spatula. Turn the pancake over and finish cooking another 30 seconds, or until the bottom is lightly browned. Serve the pancakes hot.

Serves 6 to 8.