Cornmeal and Blueberry Pancakes

 
The blog and all my social media channels have been unusually quiet as of late.  I mean, I'm not the biggest user of social media (something I hope to improve on!), but I typically have an Instagram-worthy photo of something delicious to share on a fairly regular basis, at the least.  Or, I'll share something scrumptious and delightful that I've found somewhere in the land of the Internet on Facebook.  Or, I'll have something posted by Tuesday, so that my typical two posts per week are nicely spaced out.  None of that is happening this week.  I wish I could say it was because I've been a busy little bee working on secret projects or off on a super top secret foodie adventure (I wish), but the truth is that my single, lonely recipe post of the week and social absence is the result of something far less exciting.  I was just too darn sick to cook anything this past weekend.

Although I guess that's not totally true, because I'm here talking about pancakes (or I will be in a moment).  I woke up in a slight funk on Friday morning and by Friday night I just felt baaadd (great Fourth of July, right?), and on Saturday morning I woke up feeling even worse.  I usually like to play tough and skip out on going to the doctor, but thankfully my mom got angry at me and made me go (thank you, mama!).  I got a bunch of prescriptions that didn't really make me feel any better, but they did a great job at making feel really really sleepy, so I ended up sleeping through what I had been hoping would be a productive, food-centered Saturday (not like I would have been able to actually make anything had I not gotten drowsy  medication, but whatever).  I still felt pretty sick and pretty sleepy on Sunday, but I forced myself out of bed to make something to share on the blog.  I just had to make at least one thing, and while I originally had plans for more elaborate things to prepare, life got in the way.  I was sick and the oven was off-limits because our air conditioning stopped working over the weekend (I'm happy to report that it works now!), so I needed something comforting and really quick to make that was either no-bake or stovetop-only.  Pancakes seemed like the most obvious solution. 

My family has recently been on a blueberry craze and my fridge is full of them (I think this morning I counted four full pint containers).  I've been snacking on them without reservation, knowing that there will be more coming back to restock the fridge.  Once I settled on making pancakes, I wasn't quite sure what I actually wanted to make- I already have a buttermilk pancake recipe that I adore and find no faults with, I had no bananas on hand, and on Sunday there was literally zero chance I was going to leave my house to go to the supermarket to buy anything.  I knew I had blueberries in my fridge, but blueberry pancakes, as delicious as they are, seemed a little blah as I was running through my options.  Fortunately, I remembered that I've been wanting to try blueberry and cornmeal pancakes for the longest time (seriously, a looong) time, and I was so happy to discover that I had just barely enough cornmeal to make a batch of cornmeal and blueberry pancakes.  I may have been sick, but I was also lucky to have these two key ingredients on hand.  

Pancakes are a straightforward breakfast item that don't really require much explanation.  You mix the dry ingredients, you mix the wet ingredients, and then you mix the two together.  Nothing crazy.  Just make sure you don't go too crazy with the mixing; lumps are perfectly fine in a pancake batter.  To cook the pancakes, I like to use a regular griddle pan set over medium heat, and then I melt a little butter directly on the pan.  I'll cut off about a tablespoon and just swirl it around the pan with a knife until the whole griddle is perfectly coated.  The size of your pancakes is up to your preference, but I happen to think that pancakes made with a 1/4 cup measure are the best size; they're on the smaller and cuter side, and that's how I like my pancakes.  The original recipe for these pancakes suggested coating the blueberries in a little sugar before sprinkling them on top of the pancakes as they cook on the griddle. I did this, but to be honest, I didn't think that sugaring the berries did anything for the pancakes.  I imagine this would be a helpful step if your blueberries are on the tart side, but I don't think it's necessary.  If you'd like to sweeten your berries, simply toss them with an additional 2 tablespoons of sugar before adding them to the pancakes. 

One final note about these pancakes: They. Are. Awesome.  Seriously.  I can't even tell you how much I liked these pancakes, and my parents, sister, and boyfriend all loved them too.  My sister compared them to "diner pancakes," a compliment I'm thrilled with, because aren't the very best pancakes made at diners?  These pancakes were a little denser than your typical all-flour pancake, but were fluffy nevertheless.  I absolutely loved the slightly crunchy texture from the cornmeal, and I'm excited to try another version of cornmeal pancakes that uses more cornmeal than flour. My blueberry-cornmeal craving was satisfied, and these pancakes are now one of my favorites.  These pancakes, topped with sweet maple syrup and fresh blueberries were exactly what I needed to feel better, and I know that this is a recipe I will make again and again.  Enjoy!

Cornmeal and Blueberry Pancakes
recipe by Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, shaken
1/4 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
2 cups fresh blueberries
maple syrup, for serving

Directions

Begin by whisking together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.  In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, milk, butter, and egg.  Using a wooden spoon, mix the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined (the mixture will be slightly lumpy, but that's ok). 

Heat a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat, and brush with melted butter.  Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour the pancake batter onto the hot griddle.  Sprinkle the top of each pancake with about 2 tablespoons of blueberries.  Cook the pancakes until the edges are beginning to set, about 3-4 minutes.  Flip the pancakes over and cook until the bottoms are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes more.  Remove the pancakes from the griddle.  Repeat with the remaining batter and blueberries, brushing the griddle with melted butter before adding each batch of pancakes.  Serve the pancakes immediately with maple syrup and more fresh blueberries.  Enjoy!

Makes 12 pancakes