Parents fret about how their kids eat all the time, but not on Christmas morning. Not many parents can claim kids like my three who, when they were little, followed the principle of "you snooze, you lose" at the table. They ate everything, like a swarm of locusts. "Finicky" in our house meant you asked what it was you just ate. But even for picky eaters, Christmas morning is a time of unfettered delight. Not only are there presents waiting under the tree, but usually Mom or Dad will be making something special for breakfast.

For parents, the sight of their children's joy is motivation enough to make their dream breakfast. In our family, it was Belgian waffles with real maple syrup with thick-cut bacon and freshly squeezed orange juice, or occasionally blueberry pancakes. But there was another breakfast I sometimes made: broken pancakes, or torn pancakes. This was something that I came across in Switzerland and the former Czechoslovakia many years ago, and the kids loved it.

Basically, you make regular pancakes with raspberries or blackberries and start breaking them up as they cook. They are turned out onto a plate, sprinkled with powdered sugar and whipped cream, and garnished with mint leaves. My kids used to suck the mint leaves and then throw them away. The nice thing about this recipe is you'll make two big pancakes to serve four, and the pancake itself doesn't have to look pretty since it's broken and then garnished. You can cook in a large nonstick skillet too, in which case only preheat it for a minute or two.

Broken Pancakes With Raspberries and Whipped Cream

Serves 4

Ingredients

Directions

1. In a bowl, sprinkle the raspberries with 2 tablespoons sugar and let rest until needed.
2. Preheat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat for 10 minutes.
3. In a bowl, sift the flour, then re-sift it with the salt, the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, and the baking powder.
4. Pour the milk into a 2-cup measuring cup and add the egg yolks and beat. Add the melted butter to the milk.
5. In another bowl or measuring cup, beat the egg whites with an electric or handle beater until they form peaks.
6. Pour the milk mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Fold in the raspberries. Then add the egg whites and fold -- don't beat -- all the ingredients together. Let sit 15 to 30 minutes.
7. Pour or ladle half the batter into the skillet so it reaches the sides, pushing the batter out to the sides with the bottom of the ladle. Cook for a few seconds, until the bottom sets then start breaking it up into pieces with the edge of a spatula, turning the pieces to cook all sides until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside while you cook the second pancake if you're not using two skillets.
8. Remove to serving plates, dust with powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream and a small sprig with 3 or 4 mint leaves. 

Zester Daily contributor Clifford A. Wright won the James Beard / KitchenAid Cookbook of the Year Award and the James Beard Award for the Best Writing on Food in 2000 for "A Mediterranean Feast."

Photo: Broken berry pancakes with whipped cream and mint. Credit: Clifford A. Wright

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