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On Sunday morning, I decided that we would have PANCAKES! My mom didn’t make pancakes for us as kids. She was more of a “grits n eggs”, southern girl and we had no complaints. I recalled watching one of my favs, “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” in which he challenged the famed Clinton Street Baking Company (CSBC) in New York to a Blueberry Pancake Throwdown. If you’re unfamiliar with the show, he finds people that are perceived to make the “BEST” something (pancakes, mac n cheese, crab cakes, fish tacos, etc.) and tries to improve their recipe and then challenge them to a duel. You should check it out….I digress.

Bobby’s Pancakes beat out CSBC’s and made it to my “To-do” list. I planned to perform the recipe as created but there were 2 reasons why I didn’t:

Leeriness – How could I get Greg to eat Ricotta Cheese on his pancakes?

Cheapness – I needed AT LEAST 3 pints of fresh blueberries for the original recipe and at $4.99 a pint, that is waaaaay too expensive for breakfast in my family. On top of that, I needed Crème de Cassis and it was 8 am on a Sunday and Publix Liquors was closed. It also called for fresh mint sprigs and I couldn’t bring myself to purchase another bunch after having thrown a wilted bundle out during my New Year’s fridge cleaning. So, instead of the blueberry overload Bobby intended with the blueberry compote, homemade blueberry syrup and blueberry pancakes, I went with the pancakes alone. If you’d like the original recipe, here is a link: Lemon-Blueberry Pancakes

 Pancakes:

  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons cane sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
  • zest of one lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch cream of tartar
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 stick butter, (8 tablespoons) cut into pats

Pancake Topping:

  • confectioner’s sugar (powdered)
  • fresh blueberries
  • Warm Maple Butter Syrup*

Pancake Prep:

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks, oil, buttermilk, lemon zest and vanilla extract.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture. Mix together until flour is just incorporated.

In a small bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the batter just until incorporated. Let sit for 15 minutes, then gently fold in the blueberries careful not to break them. I would hate for you to have blue pancakes batter.  

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Heat a nonstick pan or cast iron griddle over medium heat. Add a pat of butter and heat until the butter just begins to sizzle. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop the batter into the pan or onto the griddle and cook until bubbles appear on the top surface and the bottom is golden brown, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. (The pancakes were a little small so a 1/3 cup measuring cup would be cool too, I think.) Flip over and cook until the bottom is lightly golden brown, about 45 seconds. Remove to a baking sheet and keep warm in a low oven. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with syrup, sugar and fresh blueberries.

Note: The lemon zest gives the pancakes a real fresh taste. Not overwhelming at all but enough to know it was there. Don’t omit if you can avoid it. I was happy that I’d grabbed a lemon in the store.

*To make Maple Butter Syrup, heat 1 cup Grade B syrup and a stick of butter. That’s it! Grade B syrup is a better quality syrup that is a little pricier than the regular “Aunt Jemima” type syrup we typically buy. (If you’re like me, you buy the Publix brand, lol.) Anyway, look closer next time you’re in the store and you’ll see it in the aisles. 

Outcome: They were GOOD! Light and fluffy. I would have made them just a little bit sweeter by maybe adding a little more sugar. : )  

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