Blueberry Lemon Buckwheat Pancakes

Well, after the wild weekend we had it was time to start being healthy right away! Yesterday was a special Tuesday. South of the border folks were busy trying to decide who will win the right to run for President. New Orleans was celebrating Fat Tuesday. Those of us who live in countries that were formally colonies of the British Empire enjoyed Shrove Tuesday.

Across Canada, the U.K., Ireland and Australia, on the last Tuesday before Lent — the 40-day period Christians mark in the lead-up to Easter — millions of frying pans get pulled out, placed on stoves, heated up and lined with fat to fry stacks of pancakes.

It's been known as Shrove Tuesday since medieval times in England. Traditionally, it was a day for Christians to confess their sins and be absolved by a priest before the beginning of Lent. It was also a day to rid the house of the rich foods that you were supposed to give up during the Lenten period — foods like milk, eggs and fats.

The rich Shrovetide pancakes were eaten as a symbol of self-indulgence before the sacrifices of the fast. The pancakes were fried in butter or fat and served flat or rolled and sprinkled with powdered sugar and topped with preserves or doused with alcohol. WOW - not diet food.

I found this great recipe at Tea and Cookies. I had never used buckwheat flour before and had a tough time finding it. The resulting pancakes were light and flavourful. I modified the recipe a bit by adding some Vietnamese Cinnamon and some freshly grated nutmeg. I used frozen wild blueberries and they caused the butter in the batter to clump - fresh berries would work better. For the lemon zest I used one of the Meyer Lemons that Judy gave me in California this weekend. Her friends grew them in their front yard - yes, I am jealous!

Lemon Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar (more if you like your pancakes on the sweet side, or if your berries are super tart)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 stick cold, unsalted butter (1/4 cup) cut into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk (you can fake the buttermilk but adding 1 tsp lemon juice to 1 cup milk)
2 eggs
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 cups blueberries
oil or butter for the pan

Mix the flours, baking powder, sugar, spices, and salt, either in a bowl or in the bowl of a food processor and cut the butter into the mix—by pulsing the food processor or by using a pastry cutter or knife and fork—until the mixture resembles fine meal. I used the food processor.

In a large bowl, mix the buttermilk and the eggs until smooth. Add the dry ingredient mixture and stir until incorporated. Add the lemon zest. Let sit five minutes before adding the blueberries. The batter will be thick.

Grease a fry pan or griddle and heat on medium high. Once the pan is hot enough so that a drop of water “dances” on the grease, pour the batter on in 1/2 cup scoops with a ladle. Don’t flip the pancakes until a generous amount of bubbles have appeared towards the center of the pancake. Adjust heat as needed.

We served the pancakes with some home-made turkey sausage patties with apple and some of the maple syrup that was harvested (do you harvest or make maple syrup?) by my friend Susan from work.

Comments

[girasoli]

I forgot until I saw the news last night that yesterday was Malasada Day here in Hawaii (the Portuguese version of Pancake Day). If you have never had a Malasada, you must try one some day.

From my "Welcome to the IHOP, I will be your waitress" days, I got hooked on buckwheat pancakes (perks of the job - free pancakes). I LOVE buckwheat pancackes but have not had them in years. Those pancakes look soooo yummy!

[girasoli]

And I forgot to add, I think you "tap" Maple Syrup but am not positive.

[Kitchen Goddess]

They look really good. The idea of buckwheat flour really appeals to me.

[Jerry]

Girasoli - I used to work in a pancake house as well - the Golden Griddle. I was the one cooking the pancakes. Pancake Tuesday was our busiest day of the year. I shall look out for Malasada - they sounds interesting.

Kitchen Goddess - I was a little skeptical at first, never having had buckwheat flour, but they were really good. The consitiencey of the batter was different but the flavour - WOW!

[angie - alias tuscanartist]

My oldest family member 97 has made buckwheat flour pancakes for generations but she never put blueberries in them. Here I am trying to avoid sweets in my last two months of expecting and then I see this photo that makes me want to die

[Jerry]

Angie - I can't imagine avoiding sweets ins some form or another! LOL It must be a real challenge in Paris.