Cornmeal Pancakes

I seem to have developed a grudge against regular ol' pancakes. I don't know what it is, but they just seem so blah, so plain, so not interesting to me these days. So the other day it was crepes for breakfast (lunch or dinner) and today it is cornmeal pancakes. I love 'em.

I do my best to use whole grain cornmeal because it is both healthier and tastier - and really, how often do you get to find those two things in the same sentence? The downside to whole grain cornmeal is that it is not shelf stable because the germ of the corn kernal contains oil which can go rancid over long periods of time. Don't let a little thing like that put you off. If you want to buy whole grain cornmeal I suggest buying it at Whole Foods where you can buy just what you'll use from their Buy-In-Bulk aisle. Also, I store my cornmeal in a ziplock bag in my freezer to keep it fresh. If you read all that and just think "what a bother" go ahead and use regular shelf stable cornmeal that you'll find in the baking aisle of any supermarket.

I like thin pancakes made small. So this batter is very wet. I measure out about a Tablespoon on the griddle for each pancake so that I get tiny ones... and when they are all done I prefer mine spread with raspberry jam. The rest of my family sticks with maple syrup on theirs, but I don't hold it against them.

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Cornmeal Pancakes
Adapted from Fanny Farmer


Ingredients

1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 Tablespoon of sugar
1 Tablespoon of baking powder
1/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup milk

> Put the cornmeal in a mixing bowl and pour the boiling water over, stirring briskly until well blended. Pour in the melted butter and stir thoroughly to combine. Let stand on the counter to rest and cool while you measure and prepare the other ingredients.

> In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder with a wire wisk. Set aside.

> In a small bowl (or in your liquid measuring cup) combine the beaten eggs and the milk and beat together briefly. Add the egg mixture to the cornmeal mixture and stir to combine.

> Mix the flour mixture into the cornmeal mixture and beat the batter until it is completely mixed.

> Heat the griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat (do not use as high heat as you would use for white flour pancakes). Film the griddle with butter or oil when it is hot. Using a Tablespoon to measure out each pancake. Cook until bubble break on top of the pancakes and turn them over. Cook another few minutes, or until the bottom of the pancakes are lightly browned and set. Serve hot.