Buttermilk Pancakes

My brother, Cory, is staying with us this weekend, which is always a treat. He’s fun to cook for, the dogs love to pounce on him, and he and the hubby play some serious Wii.

We spent the evening out with friends last night and slept in this morning. The hubby announced that he’d be making supper, which meant lunch was my call. So brunch it was -- pancakes, sausage, eggs, and toast.

I’m embarrassed to admit such a thing, but I know next to nothing about making pancakes. I’m not really a pancake person, and when the occasional mood strikes me, there are plenty of pancake haven-type restaurants to fulfill my needs. With a lovely omelet on the side.

But for the past few weeks, I’ve been able to think of little else but pancakes. I crave them morning, noon, and night. This is also embarrassing to admit. But hey, I’m sure it happens to the best of us.

Although I freely admit my pancake ignorance, I do know that what makes them taste so wonderfully and deliciously tangy is the buttermilk. The buttermilk pancake recipe I chose is printed in The 150 Best American Recipes, and is incredibly simple and basic. Although the batter was a thicker, gloppier batter, so while you could pour it out onto the griddle, it didn’t exactly spread into perfect circles as I’d had planned. And my pancakes were decidedly less golden than I imagined.

In fact, the hubby came to check on me and said, "Uh, WHAT are you making?"

Enter Cory. While he’s exceptionally skilled at making microwave popcorn and Red Baron French bread pizzas, I figured that was the extent of his culinary expertise. But no. He put me on toast duty, and masterfully took over at the griddle. He managed to spread out the batter more artfully than I had, and cranked the griddle temperature up quite a bit.

He’s a genius. I taught him everything he knows. Except the pancake thing. I have NO idea where that came from.

Buttermilk Pancakes
Serves 2-3

1 c. flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 egg
1 c. buttermilk
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
Butter and maple syrup, for serving

1. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Add egg and buttermilk. Using a fork or whisk, stir ingredients just until a lumpy batter forms and all the flour is incorporated. Add melted butter and quickly mix, just until butter is incorporated.

2. Heat an electric griddle or a skillet on the stovetop. (Cory put the electric griddle between 350 and 400 degrees). The griddle or skillet is ready when a droplet of water bounces on the surface.

3. Brush griddle or skillet with 1 tsp. butter or oil. Using a large spoon or ladle, pour out about ¼ c. batter. Spread batter lightly with back of spoon or spatula.

4. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip the pancake and continue cooking a minute or so.

5. Serve with butter and syrup. The hubby likes his positively swimming in syrup.

Or, if you’re weird like Cory, top with peanut butter.

AND syrup.

And occasionally whipped cream. I think he gets this from our mother.

*Note: If you're craving something a bit more savory, check out the jambalaya on Pocket Jacks. And I am a much better speller than I'm given credit for.