Buttermilk Banana Pecan Pancake Recipe

3/4 c buttermilk
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c cake flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 bananas, sliced thin
1/4 c chopped pecans

1. Combine the buttermilk, butter, egg and extracts in a large mixing bowl.  Beat well with a whisk.

2. Combine the dry ingredients and sift.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet all at once and stir just enough to dampen the flour.

3. Lightly butter a non-stick pan or griddle and place over medium heat.  Add batter, about 1/4 cup per pancake.  Do not overcrowd the pan or you will end up with one large pancake!  Immediately, press several slices of banana and a few pieces of pecan in the pancake.  With a spoon, add just a tiny smear of pancake batter on top of each banana slice so it won’t burn when flipped.

4. Let cook for a few minutes, until bubbles remain on top.  Very gently, flip the pancake and continue to cook until golden brown.  Keep warm in the oven until all pancakes are cooked.

Makes 6-8 pancakes, 2 servings.

I found this recipe in a big stack of recipes torn out of magazines… so I’m not sure which one this came from, but it is simple and good.  I made a few adaptions… like cream cheese glaze.  What’s not to like?

Glazed Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Dough
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
2 c milk
1 tbsp instant dry yeast
6 1/4 c all purpose flour
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp salt

Filling
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

Glaze
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c powdered sugar
1/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a small saucepan, melt 1 stick of the butter in 1 cup of the milk over moderate heat. Remove from the heat and add the remaining 1 cup of milk. Pour this mixture into the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Add the yeast and beat until dissolved. Add the 6 1/4 cups of flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the salt and beat at medium speed until a dough forms.

2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 1 minute. Lightly oil a large bowl, add the dough and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until the dough has almost doubled in bulk, 40 minutes.

3. Line the bottoms of two 10-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and lightly butter the paper. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll 1 piece into a 12-by-6-inch rectangle about 1/3 inch thick, with a long edge facing you. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar with the cinnamon. Spread 2 tablespoons of the butter on the dough and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar, leaving a 1-inch border at one long edge. Roll up the dough jelly roll-style and pinch to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and cinnamon sugar.

4. Cut each roll into 8 slices. Arrange the slices in the cake pans, cut side up and about 1/2 inch apart. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until the rolls rise slightly, about 30 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 375°. Bake the rolls for 30 minutes, or until golden. Meanwhile, combine all of the glaze ingredients and beat with mixer until soft.  Spread on the hot rolls.

Makes about 30 rolls

It’s blueberry season! This week we’ve had blueberry pancakes, blueberry muffins and many big ole bowls of blueberries. They really are one of the best snacks… healthy AND yummy!  This is a combination of my favorite streusel recipe (from my Turkey day sweet potato casserole) and favorite muffin recipe (from The Joy of Cooking.)  This is NOT one of those healthy muffins, but one that is cake like and addicting.  So what’s not to like?

Streusel Recipe

1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c flour (plus another tablespoon or two if needed)
1/2 c chopped pecans
2 tbsp butter, melted

1. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and chopped pecans in a small bowl.  Add the melted butter and stir well to incorporate.  I find it easier to use my hands to mix.  The mixture should start to resemble small pebbles.  You might need a little more flour in order to get the right texture.  If the streusel is too wet, it will just flatten out when it bakes. If it is too dry, it will be sandy instead of streusel-y.

2. Set aside and prepare the muffin batter.

Blueberry Streusel Muffin Recipe

2 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 c sour cream
2/3 c packed brown sugar
8 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 c blueberries, fresh

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and butter a standard 12 muffin pan. You can also use paper liners.

2. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl.  In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and sugar.  Add the wet ingredients and blueberries to the dry ingredients, stirring just enough to incorporate. Do not over mix… you should have some small lumps.

3. Using a scooper or spoon, divide the batter among the cups and top with the streusel.

4. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.  I usually test one with a skewer or toothpick to make sure it is cooked.  It should come out clean.  Let cool for several minutes in the pan before removing.  Serve warm.

Makes 12 muffins

Raspberry Hoe Cake Recipe (adapted from Food and Wine Magazine)

1 c all purpose flour
2/3 c stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 ears of corn, kernels removed, cobs reserved
1 1/2 c milk
2 large eggs, separated
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
1 pint raspberries, halved lengthwise
confectioners sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt.  With a butter knife, scrape the milky liquid from the corn cobs into a blender.  Add half of the corn kernels, milk and egg yolks.  Puree until smooth.  Whisk the corn puree into the dry ingredients. Fold in the melted butter and the remaining corn kernels.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Fold the beaten whites into the batter, then carefully fold in the raspberries.

3. Heat a large non-stick pan or griddle.  Brush the griddle lightly with butter. For each corn cake, pour 1/4 c of the batter onto the griddle and cook until small bubbles appear on the surface, about 3 minutes.  Be careful your pan is not too hot, as the raspberries will burn.  Flip the corn cakes and cook until golden, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer the corn cakes to a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while you prepare the rest. Serve warm with a sprinkle of confectioners sugar and warm maple syrup.

Makes about 24 corn cakes

This one particular story bothers me immensely… The new CEO of WAMU, Alan Fishman, who was just hired on 9/7/08 might be getting around $18 MILLION dollars for 18 days of work.  Do you think they are still hiring?  I’d like to find a job with a company that would pay me a $7 million signing bonus and then 18 days later pay me a $11 Million severance due to… bankruptcy.  It’s a big fat crap-sandwich, if you ask me.

OK, vent over…  So instead of going to our usual weekend breakfast at the Ft Lauderdale staple, The Floridian, I made breakfast at home.  I’m making a conscious effort to cook at home more.  Since getting back from vacation, I don’t have my pantry and refrigerator up to par, so that left plain pancakes with the one (questionable) egg I had left.  I topped them simply with sliced banana and maple syrup… Took all of about 20 minutes to have it on the table.   The recipe is adapted from my go-to cookbook, Fannie Farmer. What makes them especially good is whipping the egg white separately and folding it in at the end… makes them uber-fluffy.

Anyone else find themselves cooking at home more these days? 

Fluffly Pancake Recipe

3/4 c milk
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 egg, separated
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)

1. Whisk the milk, butter, egg yolk and vanilla in a medium sized bowl.  Combine all the dry ingredients in a small bowl.  Add the dry ingredients all at once to the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula just until combined. Don’t worry about any small lumps, do not over mix.2. Whisk the egg white in a small bowl to soft peaks.  Fold the whipped egg white into the pancake mixture, just until combined.

3. Heat a non-stick pan over medium low heat and add a thin smear of butter.  (I put about a tablespoon of butter in a paper towel and wipe the pan before each set of pancakes) Pour about 1/4 cup of the pancake mixture onto the hot pan and cook until there are bubbles on top and the bottom is lightly browned.  Flip with a spatula and brown the other sides. Place finished pancakes on a plate in a 200 degree oven until you are ready to serve.

Makes about 10 pancakes