Thin Pancakes with Rhubarb Compote and (no) Boogers

Last year, during a series of "life events," I stopped requiring my kids to do anything in the kitchen. With temporary housing, plastic utensils, a boxed-up kitchen, and all of that, it was just too hard to have them make even their own toast. It was easier for everyone if I just did it. Then, by the time we were set up in our new house, my kids were 100 percent helpless in the kitchen.

If there were a reboot of the Box Car Children series where all the adults disappeared (died) and then the very polite siblings had to survive on their own, my kids would not be in it. Instead, my kids would be the dead children in a German fairytale. They’d lie dead on the ground with really dirty fingernails, surrounded by top ramen packages that they had somehow failed to open. They would serve as a warning to other children: learn to boil water because if you don’t, all you’ll have to eat are your own boogers.

Once we were settled into our new home, I swore that my kids would no longer be warnings in a German fairytale, but "Boxcar Children" who could take care of themselves! But I put off actually doing anything for a few months. Until, finally, I hit my limit and began "empowering" my kids. My 10 year old did a Great British Bake Off cook-along challenge, and my 4 year old and 8 year old started making pancakes with me. Making breakfast together was something that they vaguely remember from our old life in Michigan, which gave it a nostalgic feeling and made it not as scary as cooking something totally new. Below is our current, absolute favorite, liebchen, booger free, pancake recipe.

Thin Pancakes with Rhubarb Compote!

If thick buttermilk pancakes are the quintessential winter pancakes, then these thin pancakes are the quintessential summer pancakes. These pancakes are not as thin or intimidating as traditional crepes but are far thinner than most pancakes. They color beautifully and, despite their thinness, have a springy yet fluffy texture. We love to top them with seasonal fruit, and rhubarb compote is everyone's current favorite topping (even more so than maple syrup!). But most days my kids (and I) just roll them up and dip them in syrup, and none of us have ever complained.

---

Note About How to Cook Pancakes with Kids

The practical aspect of making pancakes with kids is simple: first, drink your coffee in peace. Next, use step stools or chairs so that your kids can see inside any bowls and reach any ingredients they’ll need. Then, start to introduce them to measurements. At first, my kids had trouble understanding that they need to fill a whole teaspoon not just part and not a heaped spoonful. In fact, the first time you cook together you’ll probably end up measuring most of the ingredients yourself and then handing them to your kid(s) to dump in a bowl. That’s fine! especially for younger kids!

The beauty of pancake batter is that any mistake is almost always fixable, you can always add a tablespoon or two liquid or flour at the end. Furthermore, my kids stir the hell out of pancake batter, and we have never yet made glutenous pancakes. So please don’t stress if your kids stir things more than you think they should. I then let them watch (safely) as I cook the pancakes at the stove. By the time the first ones are ready to eat, my kids are starving and so proud/grateful to be fed.

---

Thin Pancakes with Rhubarb Compote

Serves 5-7. Time 20 minutes to make the compote and pancakes. (5 minutes to prep the compote with 15 minutes cook time, 10 minutes to prep the pancakes, 10-15 minutes to cook the pancakes). Adapted from Kiano Moju's "Koko;s Pancakes" in AfriCali (2024)

Ingredients

• 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (220 grams)

• 1 and 1/4 cup water

• 1 cup milk

• 3 tablespoons butter plus another 3 (or so) for the pan

• 3 eggs

• 2 tablespoon sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 3/4 teaspoons Diamond kosher salt or heaped 1/4 teaspoon table salt

• toppings for serving rhubarb compote recipe below

Step One

Add your dry ingredients to a large bowl: flour, baking powder, salt, sugar. Mix them together and set aside.

STEP TWO

Melt your butter in a medium/large microwave safe bowl, and then add your milk, water and eggs in with the butter. Mix until eggs are broken up and fairly well combined.

STEP THREE

Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and whisk together with a fork or whisk. Whisk until any lumps are smaller than a grape nut. You should have a thin batter.

STEP FOUR

Preheat a nonstick or cast iron pan on medium heat until hot enough to make your butter sizzle. Then take your stick of butter, peel back the wrapper by about an inch, and rub a bit of butter (about a teaspoon) directly on the pan. Then pour in 1/4 cup of batter into the pan. I like to use a measuring scoop for this because I can use the flat back of the scoop to encourage the batter to spread a bit further (see photos below). You're looking for about a 6-7 inch diameter pancake. Keep the heat on medium and cook until bottom takes on a toasty brown color (about 1 minute if your pan is truly hot). There is a sweet-spot temperature: hot enough to cook your pancakes quickly but not hot enough to make the butter smoke. Use a spatula to flip your pancakes and cook the other side until it takes on color too. If your first pancake seems too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water to your batter to thin it out.

STEP FIVE

Make the rest of your pancakes.

Pancakes can be kept warm in the oven until you're ready to eat. We've never had any leftovers; however, if we did, I'm sure my kids would make rollup sandwiches with them and eat them for snack. Makes about 18-20 thin pancakes.

---

Rhubarb Compote

Takes 5 minutes to prep 10-15 minutes to cook. serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 1 pound rhubarb chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

• 1/2 lemon

• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar

STEP ONE

Combine rhubarb and sugar in a small pot. Squeeze lemon juice over the rhubarb and then add the lemon to the pot as well. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Once simmering, turn heat to very low and stir every few minutes until rhubarb breaks down to desired consistency. This will take between 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove lemon and serve.

Serve warm. Cover and store any leftovers in the fridge. Compote will last for 3-5 days and is a great topping for oatmeal, ice cream, and yogurt. Or freeze rhubarb compote for a special treat later in the year.

Blue Cheese Coleslaw: Picnic/BBQ Optional

I like most coleslaws enough to scoop some on my plate at a picnic. I like a several coleslaws enough to make them myself to bring to a picnic, but there are only a few that I love so much I will make them just for the joy of eating them (no picnic necessary). This Blue Cheese Coleslaw is one of the few. I will eat bowls of it while standing in the corner of the kitchen, spoiling my appetite before I even get to the party.

It highlights the sharp mineral taste of real mustard seeds which then blends with the earthy complexity of blue cheese, and it's all accentuated by the acidic kick of celery salt and apple cider vinegar.

This masterpiece of a slaw is inspired by an Ina Garten recipe I first made about 15 years ago. Garten introduced me to the addition of blue cheese to coleslaw, and if you're having this at a BBQ instead of a picnic, try putting it on top of a burger, or even better a lamb burger with a brioche bun. Just remember to send me an invitation.

Blue Cheese Coleslaw

Special equipment: food processor. Takes 15 minutes to make. Plus 1-2 hours flavors to come together. Makes about 10-12 servings. Keeps 3 days in the fridge. Adapted from Ina Garten's

Ingredients

• 1 small green cabbage (roughly 1.5 pounds) or 1/2 small green cabbage and 1/2 small purple cabbage

• 3 large-ish carrots

• 2 large green onions (green and pale green parts only)

• 1/2 cup chopped parsley

• 1 cup mayonnaise (230 grams)

• 3 tablespoons "stone ground" dijon mustard (OR 1 slightly heaped tablespoon whole grain mustard plus 2 tablespoons dijon mustard)

• 1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (plus additional 1-2 teaspoons to taste)

• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt

• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper (optional but I highly recommend)

• 1/2 teaspoon diamond brand kosher salt plus extra to taste

• fresh cracked pepper

• 6 ounces about 1.5 cups crumbled blue cheese (I really like buttermilk blue cheese for this recipe.)

STEP ONE

Using the slicing disk, shred the cabbage in the food processor. Then using the grating dish shred the carrots. Combine cabbage and carrots in a large mixing bowl. Slice green onions into 1/8 of an inch rings and add them to the cabbage and carrots. Chop your parsley and (reserving 1-2 tablespoon for garnish) add to the bowl. Set cabbage mixture to the side.

STEP TWO

Next make your dressing: Combine mayo, mustard(s), apple cider vinegar, celery salt, white pepper, and salt. Stir to combine.

STEP THREE

Dress your cabbage mixture and toss to combine. Crumble your blue cheese and add to the salad and stir again. Garnish with the remaining parsley. Cover coleslaw so that it doesn't dry out and place it in the fridge for 1-2 hours so flavors can come together.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Harvesting rhubarb is almost as fun as eating it: Individual pieces crack off smartly, cleanly separating from the mother plant, leaving you with colorful stalks and a leaf the size of ancient Egyptian fans. If you've never broken your own rhubarb stalks, you should sneak into a patch and try it sometime. I swear it will be worth it.

Cooking with rhubarb is just as rewarding: you take a bitter, pungent and, almost inedible stalk and watch it shine as the star ingredient supported by a cast of pastries and tarts.

This season my obsession is Rhubarb Coffee Cake. I started experimenting with grocery store rhubarb a few weeks ago, and now we've finally gotten to the super fresh stuff, and OMG, I have the best coffee cake recipe. It's got a cinamon-ginger crumb top, a moist vanilla bottom and a tart rhubarb center that just makes your day. This coffee cake brings all the neighbors to the yard. So far I have made it for a teacher appreciation brunch, a neighborhood brunch, and my family has simply eaten several of these cakes on our own.

About Rhubarb: If you don't already know this, only use the stalks of the rhubarb plant. The leaves are poisonous. After disposing of the leaves, the next thing you need to consider when making this coffee cake is how fresh your rhubarb is. The freshest rhubarb is going to put off a lot of moisture when you let it sit in sugar and lemon. You can still work with it, but all that juice may cause the center of your cake to sink a bit. The best rhubarb to use for this cake is rhubarb that's been in the fridge a few days. That way you will get a fair amount of juice, but you won't end up with a soggy cake.

About this Recipe

This recipe has three elements: cake, rhubarb center, and a crumb topping. Each element uses roughly the same ingredients, and it comes together quite quickly. In order to make planing easier, I've provided a complete shopping list and then provided an ingredient list for each element.

Why this Recipe is Different from Melissa Clark's (2007) and Deb Perelman's (2008) recipes? These two women are the originals for this cake. What I've done is streamlined the ingredients, (no more corn starch or different flours). I also give the rhubarb time to "cook" in lemon juice and used buttermilk instead of sour cream to give the cake a little extra tang. Lastly, I've added some extra flour to keep your crumb from getting mushy and adjusted the cooking time for peak doneness. These small changes add up to huge differences.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Takes about 30 minutes to make. 55-65 minutes to bake. Bake in a parchment lined 8x8 glass pan. Serves 9-12

Inspired by Melissa Clark's Rhubarb "Big Crumb" Coffee Cake and Deb Perlemen's

Complete Ingredients List

1/2 pound rhubarb

1/2 lemon

about 1 cup granulated white sugar

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

About 3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon Diamond kosher salt

14 tablespoons of unsalted butter (6 tables room temperature and then additional 8 at any temperature)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Step One: Rhubarb Layer:

Ingredients

1/2 pound rhubarb (roughly 2 large or 3 medium stalks)

1/2 lemon juiced

1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 320 degrees. Lightly coat a 8x8 glass baking pan with cooking spray or oil (for easiest removal line the baking pan with an oiled piece of parchment). Set pan aside. Thinly slice rhubarb (about 1/6 of an inch pieces). Put slices in a medium sized bowl, squeeze lemon juice over top and pour over sugar. Mix to combine and set aside.

STEP TWO: Crumb Topping:

Ingredients

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted

1/3 cup packed brown sugar 70 grams

1/3 cup granulated sugar 65 grams

1 and 1/3 cups all purpose flour (do not scoop!) 160 grams

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon Diamond Kosher salt

Melt butter in the microwave in a medium sized bowl. Then fold in other Ingredients until clumps form and flour is evenly distributed.

STEP THREE: Coffee Cake

Ingredients

6 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter

1/3 cup granulated white sugar (65 grams)

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup buttermilk (thick is best)

3/4 teaspoon diamond kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 and 1/3 cup all purpose flour (160 grams)

Using a stand mixer, beat togher butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Then add butermilk and mix. Batter will look a bit curdled at this point, but it will even out! Sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, and salt over the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Then sprinkle flour over top and mix until just combined.

STEP FOUR: Assemble Layers

Ingredients

prepared cake batter

prepared rhubarb mixture

3 tablespoons of all purpose flour

prepared cinnamon-ginger crumbs

Spread batter evenly across the bottom of the pan, this will take a little coaxing from the thick batter (I just use my fingers). Set aside. Fold in 2 tablespoons of remaining flour into your sugared rhubarb and lemon mixture (and accumulated juices), then pour the rhubarb and collected juices into the batter. Next, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of remaining flour over top of your rhubarb. It will look like the photo above. (This will keep your rhubarb juice from melting your rhubarb crumbs). Lastly, spread your crumb mixture on top.

Cook for 55-70 minutes at 320 (or 300 convection) until rhubarb starts to just bubble up and the top of the coffee cake looks toasty and set. If your rhubarb is really fresh, it's probably going to take a full 70 minutes. If it's a little older, it will be done closer to 55 minutes.

Allow coffee cake to cool before removing it from the pan. In a cool house it can be kept on the counter for 3 days. We've never had one last longer than that. Otherwise, refrigerate after the first day.