Corn Meal Pancakes & New Lunch Time Classes
My husband referred to our four-year-old as the breakfast tyrant this morning. And it’s true. I’m not sure how and when it started but the first thing he says when he wakes up now is: “Can we have crepes for breakfast?” and without waiting for my reply he usually adds: “We have enough milk, don’t we? And eggs?!” If I say no (to the crepes) he turns to pancakes or waffles or biscuits. . . I love to cook. I cook several times a day every day and making crepes in a blender is practically as fast as cutting up some fruit for him and adding it to his muesli and granola which is the everyday breakfast around here. But on weekday mornings, the answer is often no. But not on weekends.
Another good thing about these pancakes is that they cook in a flash.
On Saturday we had crepes but on Sunday we had my favorite–corn meal pancakes. He loves them too and so it didn’t take much convincing. I’ve been making these–an adaptation from an old Joy of Cooking recipe–for many, many years. And each time I make them I wonder why I would ever make any other kind. They are light and lacy around the edges if don’t skimp on the oil in the pan. They have a little crunch and wonderful fragrance thanks to the lemon zest. I often add blueberries straight from the freezer to the batter. They are wonderful served with jam, with syrup, with a fruit compote or with greek yogurt and chives and I’m sure with most things you might think of.
Blueberries and lemon zest are a wonderful combination. I neglected the blueberries in this weekend’s version but I’ll have another opportunity soon thanks to the breakfast tyrant.
They are a bit thinner than regular pancakes and they are best with a medium to coarse grind of corn meal and even better if the corn meal is fairly fresh. We happen to be fortunate enough to have a local farm (several now actually) who sell freshly milled grains. A commercially available medium grind corn meal or polenta work well too. The corn meal is mixed with boiling water and gets to sit for 10 minutes which softens the crunch.
One of the corn meals I buy is called Roy’s Calais and has beautiful reddish flecks in it.
Corn Meal Pancakes
–adapted from The Joy of Cooking
1 cup medium or coarse white or yellow corn meal
1 teaspoon salt
1 – 2 tablespoons honey, syrup or sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 egg
1/2 cup milk (preferably whole milk)
2 tablespoons melted butter
the zest of one lemon, finely grated
1/2 cup whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
oil for frying
Whisk the salt and sugar into the cornmeal in a medium bowl. Carefully whisk in the boiling water and syrup or honey (if using that instead of sugar) since the hot water will prevent it from clumping. Cover bowl with a plate or lid and let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile whisk the egg with the milk and melted better. Mix the flour and baking powder in a third bowl. Add the egg and milk mixture to the cornmeal; add the lemon zest and flour mixture. Combine quickly. Add blueberries here if you’re using them.
Fry the pancakes in a hot, oiled pan. They only take about 90 seconds per side. Flip when the edges appear golden and the bubbles begin popping on the surface.
Makes about 12 4-inch pancakes.
P.S. you can also make fancy pancakes for the young or young-at-heart at your table–see below!
Cowboy boot pancake–hard to flip but very fun.
P.P.S. I’m launching my new Lunch Time classes next week. So depending on your locale (I’m in Portland, OR) and lunch routine, the classes I’ve scheduled over the next couple of months might be appealing. You won’t have to pack a lunch or buy one (elsewhere!) and you’ll get to learn a couple of new one-dish meals that make for excellent leftover lunches and enjoy a delicious meal! And knowing my love of desserts, I’ll spare you that mid-afternoon cookie run by sending you off with a sweet treat of some kind.
So check out the lunch-time classes here and sign up! I’m in inner SE Portland, very close to downtown, in case that’s where you find yourself during the day. . . .Classes are from noon – 1:30pm, February 24, Mar 17, and April 14.
