aka…Pancake Tuesday. Since approximately the 12th century, this celebration marks the days preceding lent by using valuable ingredients like eggs, milk, and sugar; hence cooking up pancakes or the thin pancake, the crepe.

Pancakes are one of the earliest forms of bread and are served geographically in many ways. You can be all traditional with baking powder or try prospecting with sourdough pancakes like the early pioneers. Flip them with oatmeal or buckwheat when in Vermont, or for a Dutch-style treat, serve with lemon, powdered sugar, and jam. Substitute the flour for cornmeal, and you’ll enjoy it as a Native American specialty.

Go Pollack by designing your pancake creations with sliced apples, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts.

Berry Crepes

Makes four servings

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2 cups mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)

¼ cup raspberry jam

1 cup all-purpose flour

Pinch salt

1 cup milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

2-3 drops of vanilla extract

2 egg whites

1 Tablespoon granulated cane sugar

Confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup freshly whipped cream

8 Fresh mint leaves

Place the flour and salt in a medium bowl and slowly add the milk and egg yolks, using a whisk to avoid lumps. Stir in the cream, melted butter, and vanilla.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Before making the crepes, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the flour mixture.

Preheat a 6-inch nonstick skillet & spray with vegetable spray. When the pan is very hot, pour in 2 Tablespoons of the batter and swirl it around. Cook for 1 minute, turn and cook another minute on the other side. Remove and set aside.

Continue making crepes with the remaining batter.

Spread two teaspoons of raspberry jam in the middle of each crepe, and add a few mixed berries.

Roll up and sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

Serve two crepes per serving with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, and top off the crepes with fresh mint leaves.

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Galani is also known as fried ribbons, bow ties, or angel wings in the U.S. The ribbons of sweet pasta dough are fried and covered with sugar or honey. It takes on different names throughout central Europe including; chrusciki, krusczyk, frappe, frappole, sfrappole, flappe, cenci, crustci, donzelli, crostoli, galani in Veneto, lattughe, nastri delle suore, bugie, and gigi. No matter what you call them - they are addictive.

Angel Wings

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2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons butter, room temperature

6 egg yolks

pinch of salt

grated zest of 1 lemon

6 Tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt

2 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tablespoon Sambuca, whiskey, or rum

frying oil

approximately 3/4 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar to pastries

By Mixer:

Place the flour in a mixing bowl with a dough hook, add all ingredients except the confectioners sugar, blend well at low speed, then mix for fifteen minutes.

By Hand:

If kneading by hand, make a well in the center. Add the egg yolks and rub in with the fingers until combined. Add all the other ingredients except the confectioner sugar. Blend well and keep kneading by repeating a pattern of folding the dough, flattening it, folding again, and flattening it for at least half an hour.

Divide the dough into four pieces and cover it in plastic wrap. Allow to rest in the refrigerator for one hour or overnight.

When ready to fry, roll out dough with a rolling stick 1/16th inch thick. Slice into one-and-a-half-inch wide strips. Cut the strips diagonally, preferably with a fluted pastry wheel, into 5-inch lengths. In each strip, cut a one-inch slit the long way in the middle. Pull one end of the strip through the slit so that it looks like a bowtie shape.

Preheat frying oil to 375F. Test a small piece first; it should become golden in about 45 seconds, then turn over. Fry the strips in small batches until they turn light golden, turning once. Drain on wire screens and allow to cool. When cool, move to a serving platter and dust with confectioners sugar.

Tip: The long mixing will create air pockets in the dough; you will want the air pockets to make the pastry puff when frying.