Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes with Peach Jam

The combination of lemon and poppy seeds is such a classic. And somehow, it makes every recipe it touches just a little bit better.

Maybe it's the brightness of the lemon
Or maybe it's the crunch of the poppy seeds.
Either way, it's a combination made in heaven.

These pancakes capture everything that's great about lemon poppy seed muffins or cake -- and bring it all to the breakfast table. They're tender and light, and if you use a bit of butter to cook them, you'll get those amazing ever-so-slightly crisp edges.

Most recipes for lemon poppy seed pancakes call for buttermilk. But you shouldn't worry if you don't have any on hand -- since you're using lemon juice in the recipe, you can just use regular milk for the pancakes, and everything will come out just fine (after all, you can make buttermilk substitute by mixing a bit of lemon juice with milk...).

And, while these pancakes are great with maple syrup, they really shine when matched with peach jam -- something I found out this morning when we whipped up a batch for breakfast.

Back in July, I found myself the happy recipient of two cases of Georgia peaches. I put some away in
the freezer for smoothies. But, I also managed to preserve about half of them -- in the form of peach mostarda and rosemary peach jam.

The rosemary peach jam was a stellar match for these pancakes, which are redolent with lemon flavor and crunchy poppyseeds.

Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes

©BURP!

Caramelized Baked Apple Pancake

Good morning, sleepyheads!
2009 is upon us, and it's time to celebrate the New Year!

We're hoping that your NYE was filled with ample celebrating -- and that you're looking forward to all the fantastic possibility that comes with the start of a brand new year.

However, if you're anything like us, you stayed up fairly late last night. And morning is feeling a bit like it came slightly earlier than usual.

Fortunately, I happen to have the perfect recipe for the morning after the eve. It's a baked pancake that's fairly easy to whip together -- and, for those of you still yearning for a bit of that holiday spirit, it brings together just enough sweetness and spice to satisfy.

First, you want to start with a couple of lovely apples. I core and slice mine without bothering with the peels. But, if you'd like to meddle with peeling them, that's your perogative.
I like to melt a bit of butter in the bottom of my cast iron skillet for this recipe. The pan will do double duty as a saute pan for the apples and a nice skillet for the oven-baked pancake.
Saute the apples with a bit of cinnamon, nutmeg, and a few tablespoons of sugar.
Be sure to add a handful of dried cranberries toward the end of the cooking process. These offer some nice color to the final product -- and I really like the tart-sweet combo.
Now, we're getting to the easy part. While those apples were cooking, you whipped up a bit of pancake batter. And now's your chance to pour it all over the top of those warm, caramelized apples.
When the apples are sufficiently covered with batter, toss the whole pan into a preheated oven, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy the smell that begins to waft over. The final product doesn't look particularly impressive. But, it smells fantastic.
And when you flip it over onto a platter, you'll see what all the fuss is about.
This is positively delicious served with a nice dollop of creme fraiche ... and a bit of powdered sugar doesn't hurt either.

Make your own!
Caramelized baked apple pancake


©BURP! Where Food Happens

Whole Grain Granola Pancakes

When I was a girl, growing up, pancakes were a Saturday morning staple. My dad would get up early and whip out a boat-load of flap jacks. If we weren't already awake watching Saturday morning cartoons, the sheer smell of dad's pancake batter sizzling on the griddle was enough to lure us out of our snuggly beds on a chilly autumn morning..
Peef is the pancake maker around our house. While I have a tendency to wince at the thought of flipping pancakes (for fear of flipping them righ off the griddle), he wrangles them like an expert. And he's gotten pretty good at creating interesting pancake variations to boot.
One of my favorites is the double banana pancake -- banana puree incorporated into the batter, with sliced fried bananas and maple syrup on the side. But, his whole grain granola pancakes are a close second. They're chewy and hearty and ever-so-slighly sweet. And. unlike some wimpier pancakes. they really stick with you.

I'll bet these pancakes would be great with a side of fried apples. Or even some of those chopped fried bananas. But, they're also pretty darned good on their own. With a nice pat of butter and a bit of syrup.

Whole Grain Granola Pancakes


©BURP! Where Food Happens