Sweet Corn Pancakes
Deb, over at
Smitten Kitchen, posted a tempting recipe for
Sweet Corn Pancakes,
using fresh corn. The recipe was uncomplicated enough to try even though we were in our
motorhome. Ingredients were simple
enough too - I only needed to buy buttermilk and an ear of corn. Deb's
recipe calls for "¼ cup cornmeal, any kind", but all I had was
polenta. (Doesn't everyone carry polenta in their RV?) I solved the over-crunchy-possibility of using polenta by
letting the polenta "soften" in the egg, buttermilk and vanilla mixture
while the sautéed corn cooled.
Here is Deb's recipe:
Sweet Corn Pancakes
About the sweetness: in my family, we drench our pancakes in maple syrup
so I prefer the pancakes themselves to have little or no sugar, for
contrast. If you’re one of those noble beings that like your pancakes plain,
you might like an additional tablespoon of sugar in them. As I mentioned
above, I think these have great savory potential by skipping the sugar and
increasing the salt, served with sour cream or salsa.
Makes about 9 to 10 4-inch pancakes
2 tablespoons butter (1 ounce or 28 grams), plus additional for brushing pan
3/4 cup kernels cut from one large ear sweet fresh corn
1/8 teaspoon (1 gram) salt plus additional for seasoning corn
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups (296 ml) buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (13 grams) sugar
3/4 cup (3 3/8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (3/4 ounce or 22 grams) cornmeal, any kind
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet or griddle pan over medium heat.
Add corn and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to brown
ever-so-slightly. Sprinkle with salt and set aside to cool. Wipe out
skillet.
Lightly beat egg in the bottom of a large bowl, then whisk in buttermilk,
corn, vanilla and sugar. In a smaller bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, baking
powder, baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet,
mixing until just combined but still lumpy in appearance.
Reheat your skillet or saute pan to medium. Brush the pan with butter and
ladle 1/4 cup batter at a time, 2 inches apart. When the pancakes have
bubbles on top and are slightly dry around the edges, flip them over and
cook them until golden brown underneath. If they seem to be cooking too
quickly (dark on the outside, raw centers) turn your heat down to low for
the next batch and inch it up as needed. Repeat with remaining batter, and
serve immediately with a pat of salted butter and a healthy dose of maple
syrup.
print recipe
at Smitten Kitchen
My comments: I cooked the pancakes, one at a time, in my
little 10-inch non-stick skillet (that's what I had in the motorhome) and it
worked just fine.
DT and I just loved these pancakes. We had them for breakfast, with maple
syrup and I was able to make the pancakes using organic ingredients. I
really can understand Deb's suggestion that the pancakes could go savory and
think they would be excellent served bite-sized with a little sour cream or
green chile sauce as an appetizer.
Make these pancakes - your family will love 'em.