EVENT: Sunday Morning Breakfast
VENUE: Cara’s New Apartment, Prospect Heights
PARTY SIZE: 2
OCCASION: None at all
MENU: Pumpkin Pancakes with Honey-Nutmeg Butter, Coffee, Maple Syrup
If the responses to our Grill Pan Giveaway (about your favorite fall foods) were any indication, autumn makes us crave pumpkin like summer made us yearn for tomatoes. Come October, pumpkin gets stirred into cheesecake, quickbreads, muffins, pies, and more-even if it comes from a can we could technically have opened at any time of year.
To note, you can totally mess around with real pumpkins, and other kinds of squash as we do in Phoebe’s Brisket-Pumpkin Chili or my Inside-Out Ravioli Pasta. But for baking purposes, the stuff that comes in the can works wonders.
I had the idea to make pumpkin pancakes a while back, and eventually I got around to actually making them. In pancakes, pumpkin works like ricotta or yogurt, making the pancakes slightly denser, almost more egg-y tasting.
Though I was recently inspired by this recipe to combine the flavors of pumpkin and butterscotch-or caramel-for the moment, I’ve stuck with the go-to pumpkin flavors, nutmeg and cinnamon here. Those spices get a second moment in the sun, since they also get mixed into a sweet-salty honey butter, which is fantastic atop a stack of pumpkin pancakes. If you’re in an indulgent mood, that is. Which of course you are. Since Sunday is Halloween, we figure these are a perfect breakfast, either to get you started on a day of treats, or to finish up a tricked-out weekend.
From my kitchen, wishing you a sweet Halloween, to yours,
Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK
**Recipes**
Pumpkin Pancakes
Serves 2
These are easily made dairy-free. Just sub almond milk for the milk and a neutral oil for the butter. And, of course, skip the butter.
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar in a medium bowl.
In a separate small bowl, combine the pumpkin and the egg and whisk to combine. Add the milk, vanilla, and cooled melted butter, and whisk again to make a smooth mixture.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and fold until they are only just combined-a few lumps remaining are fine.
Heat a cast iron skillet or frying pan over medium-low heat for 3 minutes. Using about 1/4 cup of batter for each, cook the pancakes until golden brown, flipping once, about 2-3 minutes per side.
Remove to a plate and serve immediately with Honey-Nutmeg Butter and maple syrup.
Honey-Nutmeg Butter
Makes 1/2 cup
Ingredients
1 stick butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)
Cream the butter with the honey, nutmeg, and cinnamon until slightly fluffy and even. Scrape into a small bowl and refrigerate until about 30 minutes before you’re ready to use. Then, let it soften slightly.
