These delicate, pale-green avocado pancakes come from my former big-city life as executive pastry chef at Anthony’s, owned by Tony Vallone, one of Houston’s top restaurateurs. The recipe for these savory pancakes was shared by a sous chef there, and I fell in love with them. We served them with crab and pico de gallo. In this version, I top them with homemade crème fraîche and trout caviar, a gorgeous, orange, medium-grained roe. (It is also more reasonably priced than many caviars and sustainably raised.) Incredibly simple, the pancakes must be made at the last minute and served warm.

　　

Ingredients

makes 25 small pancakes

　　

Crème Fraîche

1 cup heavy whipping cream

　　1 tablespoon cultured buttermilk

　　

Pancakes

1/4 medium white onion

　　1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

　　1 large egg

　　1/2 cup all-purpose flour

　　1/4 teaspoon baking powder

　　3/4 cup whole milk

　　1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

　　1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

　　2 ounces trout roe

　　

Step 1

TO MAKE THE CRÈME FRAÎCHE: Pour the cream into a glass container or bowl. Stir in the buttermilk, cover, and let the mixture sit in a warm spot until the mixture thickens to the consistency of sour cream, at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Cover and refrigerate.

　　

Step 2

TO MAKE THE PANCAKES: In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade or the jar of a blender, process the onion until pureed. Add the avocado, egg, flour, baking powder, milk, salt, and pepper, and process until the mixture is creamy and resembles breakfast-pancake batter, about 4 minutes. Set a large, lightly oiled skillet over medium-low heat. Drop the pancake batter by tablespoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto the heated skillet. Cook until the pancakes puff up, deflate slightly, and are lightly browned on both sides, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes per side.

　　

Step 3

TO ASSEMBLE THE PANCAKES: Top each warm pancake with 1 tablespoon of crème fraîche and 1 teaspoon of trout roe. Serve immediately.

　　

do it early

Step 4

The crème fraîche will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator.

　　

tips

Step 5

If you don’t feel like making your own crème fraîche, most grocery stores carry it.

　　

Step 6

Many high-end markets, such as Whole Foods and Central Market, carry trout roe. A number of vendors offer it online as well.

　　Pastry Queen Parties by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Copyright © 2009 Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved.A pastry chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, native Texan Rebecca Rather has been proprietor of the Rather Sweet Bakery and Café since 1999. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, Rather Sweet has a fiercely loyal cadre of regulars who populate the café’s sunlit tables each day. In 2007, Rebecca opened her eponymous restaurant, serving dinner nightly, just a few blocks from the café.  Rebecca is the author of THE PASTRY QUEEN, and has been featured in Texas Monthly, Gourmet, Ladies Home Journal, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Chocolatier, Saveur, and O, The Oprah Magazine. When she isn’t in the bakery or on horseback, Rebecca enjoys the sweet life in Fredericksburg, where she tends to her beloved backyard garden and menagerie, and eagerly awaits visits from her college-age daughter, Frances.Alison Oresman has worked as a journalist for more than twenty years. She has written and edited for newspapers in Wyoming, Florida, and Washington State. As an entertainment editor for the Miami Herald, she oversaw the paper’s restaurant coverage and wrote a weekly column as a restaurant critic. After settling in Washington State, she also covered restaurants in the greater Seattle area as a critic with a weekly column. A dedicated home baker, Alison is often in the kitchen when she isn't writing. Alison lives in Bellevue, Washington, with her husband, Warren, and their children, Danny and Callie.