Test Kitchen #14: Pancakes!

This week I wanted to try a couple of the pancake recipes that we did not get to make during our cooking class at the culinary school. Our group made the Blueberry Yogurt pancakes, but they were primarily worked on by the other two team members since Matt and I were busy with the crepes and waffles.

I like blueberry breakfast goods, but I don't care for whole pieces of hot fruit in the middle of my pancake. I want the blueberry flavor more equally distributed throughout the pancake. Plus, I thought it would be really fun to play with the recipe a little to make the pancakes much bluer. I thought by processing the berries up a little and stirring them into the batter that we could achieve a bluer pancake. I went a little overboard when I decided to also sub in blueberry yogurt. They were REALLY BLUE!

Mom's blueberry plates were very appropriate this week!

Strangely enough with all that extra blueberry content, it didn't really seem to dial up the blueberry flavor much. They were also very moist inside, which could have been from the yogurt and the extra water content in the frozen blueberries. The original recipe calls for fresh blueberries but when the market is charging $3.99 for 4 oz. of fresh berries and $3.99 for 12 oz. of frozen, your wallet makes the call for you. I will continue to tweak this recipe because I still love the idea of blue pancakes. Maybe strawberries next time for some pink pancakes!

I also brought along the recipe for the Dutch Style Pancake. I thought Dad would really dig this one because it's a little different and you can make it with sauteed fruit. We used apples, but the recipe also suggests pears, bananas or blueberries. The recipe we used in class is taken from a New York restaurant supposedly known for their brunch, Prune. What I like best about this 8" pancake is that it fluffs up to about and 1 1/2" thick and is great to share at your breakfast table. At Prune, you can order the entire thing for yourself and it is served with pears, maple syrup and a side of Canadian bacon. City dwellers might appreciate the walk home after this meal, because though delicious, after all those carbs and butter, we were ready for a nap!

The recipe below makes 3 large pancakes, but we only made two. If you need help with the calculations to revise this recipe for only two pancakes, I'll send you Dad's email address. Unless you already know how to measure 3/32 of a cup of sugar. Good Luck!


Dutch Style Apple Pancake
Makes 3 large 8" pancakes

Ingredients:
8.25 0z. all purpose flour
3/4 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
4 oz. butter, melted and cooled
2 apples, peeled and sliced thin

Preheat oven to 375°
1. Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
2. Mix eggs and milk in a separate bowl.
3. Add wet ingredients into dry and whisk well.
4. Add melted butter.
5. Melt some butter into an 8" non-stick skillet.
(Be sure your skillet if safe for oven temps of at least 375° or more.)
6. Add apple slices to skillet, sauteing until soft with light brown edges.
7. Add 8 oz. of batter (about a third) to the skillet, evenly covering apples.
8. Leave on the heat for a few minutes until edges begin to set.
9. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until golden and firm to touch.
10. Remove from oven and flip pancake over so fruit is on the top side.
11. Slice into pie shaped pieces and serve.




Blueberry Yogurt Pancakes

1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 cup of plain yogurt (or blueberry yogurt)
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
3/4 cup Dole frozen blueberries (resealable bag)

1. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg into a bowl.
2. Whisk the egg, yogurt, and milk in a large bowl. Beat in oil.
3. Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until well combined.
4. In a food processor, pulse blueberries until fine. Add to batter and mix well. Batter may be a little lumpy, but extremely BLUE!
5. Heat griddle to approximately 350°. Pour batter on hot surface to form 4" rounds. Pancakes are ready to flip when bubbles begin to form in the center.