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 Crepes, Waffles & Pancakes!: Over 100 Recipes for Hearty Meals, Light Snacks, and Delicious Desserts

by Kathryn Hawkins

REVIEWS
     As a chef who has always believed pancakes could be more than a sticky stack of syrup- drenched paste on a plate, it is refreshing to enjoy Crepes, Waffles & Pancakes. Well conceived and filled with lush photographs, the book expands the bounds of the category, giving us delights like the Deep-Pan Pancake, a cross between a pancake and a pizza, shrimp-filled Jambalaya Pancakes, a Prawn and Mango Pancake Basket (using pancake batter to share an edible basket), and over 100 others.
     The waffles section moves ambitiously into the realm of theIr main course: Spicy Lamb and Chickpea Waffles, Poppy Seed Waffles with Ratatouille, Spicy Tomato Waffles with Pork. Specialties like south Indian Dosas with spicy potato sauce, Blintzes, and the wonderfulclassic Cherry Clafoutis round out this excellent kitchen resource.
Elliot Essman, Deep River, CT (Amazon.com)

     I saw a pre-release for this book sometime ago, and quickly put in an advance order for it with Amazon. The thought of a whole book given to pancakes and waffles seemed like a lot of fun to me.
     Honestly, when it came and I opened up the box, I was a little disappointed. I was expecting a hardback with good binding. Instead, this was a paperback with a white comb binding. However, my disappointment quickly dissolved as I began looking through the book. The pages are suitably glossy, and most of the recipes are accompanied with a nice photo of the finished product.
     Most important, however, was the variety of the recipes. An easy hour with this book and I already knew more about the world of pancakes than I had gained by cooking and flipping them for 30 years. Traditional recipes are provided. But there is also ample coverage of pancakes with non-traditional flours, such as chickpea. The savory recipes almost balance out the sweet ones, providing a lot of opportunities to make these for lunch or at meals when one wants something other than a pile of fluffy sweets.
     I really enjoy this book and do not regret pre-ordering it one bit. The variety and instruction provided is truly eye-opening.
Kat Bakhu, Albuquerque, NM (Amazon.com)