Buttermilk Pancakes with Raspberry Syrup

I’ve never understood people who can start their day with nothing more in their bellies than a banana or slice of toast. I would be irritable from low blood sugar by 9 am and fainting by noon. Although typical Lumberjack breakfasts are too much for me, I do enjoy sitting down to a hearty breakfast washed down with a cup or two of coffee. Sunday breakfasts are sublime when the sun is shining warmly through the kitchen windows and the meal is accompanied by a crossword puzzle and a CBC broadcast in the background. My usual breakfast fare for the past few months has been blueberries, yogourt and granola, though occasionally on weekends – and in particular after a long run – I’ll risk messying the kitchen for a plateful of pancakes.

Pancakes remind me of childhood breakfasts, where my parents would whip together flapjacks from a box of Bisquick dry mix. Even now, when I visit my parents, my step dad will bring out blueberry or banana pancakes drizzled in maple syrup with a side of crispy bacon. At Christmas, we were allowed to open stockings first thing in the morning, though the holiday tradition required us to sit down for pancakes before we could actually start shredding through gift wrapping. Needless to say, we ate very quickly and our legs twitched with anticipation throughout the meal.

Pancakes are delicious when slathered in butter and syrup, but for something different try it with a homemade fruit syrup, such as raspberry or strawberry.

Preparation: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Makes: 4-6 medium sized pancakes

For the Pancakes:

Ingredients

1 large egg

1 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup milk

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tbsp granulated white sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Butter for the frying pan

Directions:

1. Whisk together the egg in a medium bowl, then mix in the remaining ingredients (except butter) until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add another few tablespoons of regular milk and whisk.

2. Heat the frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp of butter to the pan and wait for it to melt. Add 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of batter to the hot frying pan. Cook until fluffy and until edges are dry. Lift up with spatula to make sure bottoms aren’t burned. When golden brown, flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until browned. Serve warm with butter and maple syrup or with fruit syrup.

For the Berry Syrup:

You’ll need:

1 cup of berries (strawberries or raspberries, frozen or fresh depending on the season)

4-ish tbsp of granulated sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

In a medium saucepan, heat up the washed berries until they begin to get soft and mushy. Add the cornstarch to thicken the berry mixture and then the sugar, then keep stirring. These are pretty flexible amounts depending on taste. If you prefer a syrup that’s thicker then add an extra tbsp of cornstarch. Add more or less sugar as well depending on how jammy you want it. If you don’t like the berry seeds in the syrup then you can run it through a fine sieve to extract only the sweet juices. I personally don’t mind them so I ate it whole and the syrup ended up looking more like jam – but oh, so sweet and tasty!