sprinklefingers

one evening last week i tried to talk my kid into having breakfast for dinner. thinking i’d already won i said, “hey, kid, do you want pancakes & sausage for dinner or do you want noodles with tofu and peanut sauce?” and he answered, “noodles. with tofu. and peanut sauce.”

i nearly started crying. and to be perfectly honest, i was a tad bit disappointed in him. three years old and already making sensible food choices? shouldn’t his answer have been, “neither! i want pixie sticks and tootsie rolls with side of wonder bread”? what is this world coming to?

to make up for last week’s lack of breakfast for dinner, we had it last night. i made cornmeal & buttermilk pancakes. the best thing about these ‘cakes is that they can easily be breakfast fare or dinner fare. at breakfast time they’re a bit sweeter, then when dinner rolls around you can make a few adjustments and - voila - dinner pancakes (that actually have nothing to do with breakfast for dinner…more on that after the recipe!)

cornmeal & buttermilk pancakes
adapted from a recipe found in gourmet magazine, r.i.p.
makes 10-12 pancakes

you need:

• 3/4 cup medium grind cornmeal
• 3/4 cup plus 2 T AP flour
• 2 T granulated sugar
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 salt
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 3 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

make the pancakes:

1. in a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. in a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. add the butter in a slow stream, whisking all the while.
3. add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until all traces of flour disappear - being sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl.
4. allow the fully mixed batter to sit for 15 minutes. this will allow the cornmeal to absorb some of the moisture so that your pancakes won’t be overwhelmingly gritty.
5. meanwhile, preheat a griddle to 350. alternatively, set a well-seasoned cast iron pan or non-stick skillet over medium heat.
6. coat the griddle or pan liberally with butter and pour in 1/4 cup of batter per pancake.
7. when the edges of the pancakes are dry and the ‘cakes are bubbly, flip and cook for a few more minutes.
8. keep your pancakes warm in a low, low oven until you’re ready to enjoy them with maple syrup and bacon, of course.

now, these pancakes would be just as delicious in a non-breakfast setting. simply reduce the sugar to just a dash or two and up the salt to 3/4 t. griddle the ‘cakes following the above directions - only make them a wee bit smaller. instead of serving them with syrup, use them as the foundation for seasoned black beans with salsa and sour cream. or pulled pork with homemade ‘que sauce. or shredded chicken with salsa…or any number of delicious savory delights you can dream up. so good.