- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup superfine sugar
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2/3 cup milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 8oz blueberries, fresh or frozen
- vanilla ice cream, to serve
- maple syrup pecans
- 4 oz. pecans
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 400º F.
To make the maple syrup pecans, spread the pecan halves over a baking sheet and cook in the preheated over for 5 minutes until lightly toasted. Simmer the maple syrup in a mall saucepan for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir pecans and butter.
To make the pancakes, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into a bowl. Put the egg yolks, sour cream, milk, and butter into a second bowl and beat well, then add the flour mixture all at once and beat until smooth. Put the egg whites into a clean bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Fold them gently into the batter, then fold in the blueberries. (Do not overmix - a few lumps of flour and egg white don't matter.)
Lightly grease a skillet and preheat over medium heat. Reduce the heat. Pour 3 tablespoons of batter into the pan and cook in batches of 3-4 for 1-2 minutes over very low heat to avoid burning the blueberries, until small bubbles begin to appear on top and the underside is golden brown. Turn them over and cook the other side for 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and keep them warm in a low oven while you cook the remainder.
Serve with ice cream and maple syrup pecans.
Blake, Susannah... [et al.]. (2007). easy breakfast & brunch • simple recipes for morning treats. (pp. 38-39). New York: Ryland Peters & Small.
I figured that it would be a good idea to start off slow with a weekend brunch to share with all of you. Everyone loves a good breakfast... especially Jean Paul and myself.
On my last outing to Crate and Barrel, I had found this gorgeous little gem of a cookbook called easy breakfast & brunch and scored a treasure for sure. It is packed full with creative breakfast and lunch ideas that will last us months to come, with plans to try out a new one at least once every weekend for awhile. In our overly packed and busy lives, there's something really special about taking the time to cook a big brunch, even if only on the weekends. To slow down together and create something beautiful and nourishing. It is not only good for the belly and the soul, but good for the relationship as well.
We started with one of Jean Paul's favorites, the classic blueberry pancake, but one that was spruced up quite nicely.
Pancakes have always been a bit of a challenge for me. Now as you know, I am no sous chef here. I am an amateur food lover, yes, that has come a loooooog way. But I still strive for better and more delicious. I am working at perfecting my own art of cooking.
Now pancakes, they seem so simple, but finding that balance of a heated griddle can become almost like having a zen moment with that never-ending search for enlightenment. The first batch the griddle is not hot enough, the second batch, the pan is too hot and I nearly burned the beauties... but by the third batch, the heat is evenly distributed and the flow of batter from bowl to pan, with a graceful flip flip is achieved. Perfecto!
With that being said, unless you have mastered the griddle, I recommend that you make the full batch and eat the best of the bunch.
If I would award this recipe stars, this one would gather many. The pancakes were thick, yet fluffy which I have learned and believe is due to the beating of the egg whites prior to mixing it in with the rest of the batch. And something that I would continue to do with any pancake recipe made from scratch from this moment forward. Toasting the pecans prior and adding them to the heated syrup was a nice touch, along with eating ice cream for breakfast! The only thing that I would do different next time would be to add a side of something savory, like bacon, to balance out just how sweet the meal itself was. But overall, both Jean Paul and I were both delightfully pleased and will revisit this one again!
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