Day 5/7 – Thursday, October 24, 2024
We’ve made it to day five and it doesn’t get any more simple than this! Just lovely. The maple syrup infused prunes were a touch of deliciousness. I made this recipe up, but you can tweak it as you see fit. Everyone has their favorite pancake recipe. Go with yours if you like and try the maple infused prunes along side and see how it all comes together. Go crazy!
Ingredients:
6 California Prunes
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon of real maple syrup, plus more to top your cakes
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup pecans, plus more for topping
Heat a 1/4 cup of water on medium heat in a small saucepan. Once the water is boiling, add a tablespoon of maple syrup to the water and stir, making a simple syrup. Once the syrup has dissolved, add all six prunes and reduce the heat to low and cover.
Place one leveled cup of all-purpose flour to a medium sized bowl. Add a teaspoon of baking powder to the flour. Whisk lightly, just until mixed. Crack an egg into the flour and powder. Pour 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 3/4 cup buttermilk into the well made by the egg. Mix until batter holds few lumps. Add more buttermilk if batter is too thick for your liking. Pour in 1/4 cup chopped pecans and stir just until combined.
Allow batter to sit and rise for a few minutes.
Give a quick check to your prunes. You want to make sure they are not dissolving into a paste. We want them to remain in tact. If they look like they are breaking down, turn the heat off and remove the pan entirely.
Melt a knob of unsalted butter in a cast iron pan. Pour batter into the pan. If you follow the recipe as written above, batter will be thick and you will need to cook each side longer than you may initially think. Watch for air bubbles to pop on the uncooked side and be patient. Do not flip pancakes over until edges are golden and crispy and several bubbles and appeared. My cook time in total was 4 minutes on each side, as my pancakes were very large. Repeat for remaining pancakes.
Plate your pancakes.
Take a fork and gently remove each maple soaked prune, one by one and place them gently around your pancake. Pour desired amount of syrup on your cakes. Scattered chopped pecans on top. Pour yourself a cup of orange juice, coffee or tea and enjoy!
Note – You can use any sweetener you like to top your pancakes, but try to stick to real maple syrup for the simple syrup to infuse the prunes.
Further Note – A quick substitute for buttermilk when none is on hand. Add a teaspoon of distilled vinegar to a cup of milk. Let stand until bubbles/thicken presents itself.
Tidbits and Timemachines 