Growing up, one of the few things my younger brother and I could agree on was Swedish Pancakes. We loved them. We couldn’t sit down at the breakfast table on a normal morning and eat without blocking each other out with cereal boxes, but when Swedish Pancake morning rolled around—once or twice a year—all was forgotten. Once we were old enough to work the stove by ourselves and had pretty much outgrown hating each other, we’d make them together. Christmas morning, Easter, birthdays, just a craving. If one of us mentioned Swedish Pancakes, the other was all over it. Okay, so it was mostly me cooking and him eating, but that didn’t seem to matter. There was something about them that united us, and to this day, when I’m feeling down, the one thing that is sure to cheer me up is Swedish Pancakes.

This year, after a flood ravaged our county and damaged our house, my husband and I called off Christmas. We had too much to do, too many other expenses. Decorations and gifts seemed careless; holiday cheer was too much to handle. But Christmas morning rolled around, and I wanted something to hang onto, something to remind me that a bump is just a bump. So I got out of bed, went downstairs, and started cooking.

I was still in my pajamas and it was cold. Three weeks earlier, we had ripped out ten to eleven inches of sheet rock and insulation from the floor up due to water damage. The insulation in the crawl was likewise ruined and removed. Until the moisture falls below 12%, however, we cannot return the house to normal, so I braved the cold and destruction and cooked anyway. And it was worth it. The only thing missing that morning was my brother, waiting in anticipation at the breakfast table, eating faster than I can cook.

Berry Swedish Pancakes

Note: The batter recipe came from my mother, who is unsure where she got it.

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 2/3 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. sugar
2/3 tsp. salt
1 cup blackberries
1 cup blueberries
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. honey
cinnamon for sprinkling
maple syrup (optional)
butter (optional)

Set the oven to warm.

Beat eggs until thick and lemon colored. Stir in milk.

Add dry ingredients and mix until smooth.

Heat a small non-stick fry pan (use two if you have them) over medium heat.

Fill a ¼ cup nearly full with batter, drop into the pan, and swirl around until the batter evenly covers the bottom. When the edges of the pancake begin to brown, use a spatula to flip the pancake over. Cook for about 30 seconds longer, or until patches of golden brown begin to emerge.

Place the cooked pancakes on a plate and keep warm in the oven until the entire batch is finished.

In a medium bowl, combine one cup fresh blueberries, one cup fresh blackberries, 1 tsp. honey, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Stir gently to combine.

To assemble, place 3-4 Swedish Pancakes on your plate, buttering in between, if desired. Top with 1-2 spoonfuls of the berry mixture, sprinkle with cinnamon, and top with maple syrup, if desired.

This list always interests me. How do the editors choose? How do they even find out about half of this stuff? And more importantly, how accessible are these places, these foods, these drinks, to the general population? Before we take a sneak peek inside the 2008 list, let’s go back and look at 2007’s Tastes to Try. How many did you experience? I didn’t fare too well, but I came to the list late, so that’s my excuse. Of those I picked out, here are the 2007 tastes I still have yet to try:

#27 Peruvian Food. I seriously need to get my passport.

#43 Amaranth. A high-protein grain loved by the Aztecs. Is it anything like quinoa? I love quinoa!

#48 Syrah from South Africa. I love Aussie Shiraz, and I’m betting South African is superb. Gotta get me some!

#71 Mangosteens. Has the FDA approved this Thai fruit for import? I’m not sure. I haven’t seen it in the market yet, but I’ll keep looking. I did, however, try cherimoya, prickly pear, and the pepino melon this year.

#73 Wild Artichokes. Italian imports. Mmmmm.

And the one trend for 2007 that I will never, ever understand? Bacon in desserts.

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Now for my personal 2008 Tastes to Try. The full list is in the January 2008 issue of Food and Wine.

#4 Mochi Creams. A Tokyo craze, these desserts are made with mochi rice balls that are filled with ingredients like caramel pudding, green tea, and red sweet potato. Yum!

#25 Costa Rica. I really do need to get my passport.

#29 Napa’s Best Market. 40,000 square feet of gourmet food. What more could you want?

#35 Exquisite Tea Blends. I love tea, especially in the winter, and these blends that combine unique flavors like almond and coconut sound tremendous.

#52 Sicilian Almonds. Almonds that taste like marzipan? Sign me up!

#73 New Exotic Herbs. Rare edible plants. The environmentalist in me doesn’t like this idea, but I’m curious…

#83 Barrel-Aged Beers. I love beer—dark beer. Beer aged in oak barrels that adds wood, vanilla, and fruit essences? Oh, yes!

#99 Miso Lager and Other Japanese Beers. I’m down for the Echigo Stout, which is said to rival Guinness, and the Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout.

Hmmm. I better get busy!