Breakfast

pear, pecan & ginger pancakes

Whenever I go through a pantry-cleaning spree, I come across packets of flours or ingredients that were bought in a particularly inspired moment but have never been opened, or used just once and then relegated to the back shelves. The exceptions are staples like all-purpose and whole wheat flours, beans and lentils and a large Ball jar of my homemmade pancake mix.

The same one I use for my jam-filled oat bran pancakes, my pumpkin pancakes, banana pancakes. apple pancakes…pretty much any fruit that I have on hand. And just like my idli and dosa batter in the fridge that can morph into different dishes, this hearty mix has come in handy countless times. With a significant amount of oat bran, it is perfect for breakfast and keeps one fairly full until the next meal, I never hesitate to whip up a batch when I want to make something different from a toast or an omelette.

Since I had a huge bag of fragrant pears, using some in pancakes seemed to be called for. I also wanted to celebrate the Fall flavors and added some maple sugar and also some raw pecans that I first powdered in a food processor. And although I first thought of some mixed spices to go along with the pears, I settled on some fresh ginger that I grated and squeezed out the juice.

The batter comes together quite easily with the mix, eggs and buttermilk to make wonderfully fork-tender and fluffy pancakes. These got a double dose of the pears….some of it grated and added to the batter and some sliced very thin and used on top, making them a perfect special breakfast…either for a special person or a special occassion:)

Pear, Pecan and Ginger Pancakes

Print Recipe

Mix:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup oat bran hot cereal (like Trader Joes, Bob’s Red Mill or any brand)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp maple sugar

1 tsp salt

For 6 pancakes:

1/2 cup of the pancake mix

1/8 cup raw pecans

2 tsp canola oil or melted butter

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup milk

2 large egg whites (or 1 whole egg), lightly beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup grated pears

2-3 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 tbsp butter, cut into 6 pieces

oil to lightly coat skillet

For the mix:

Mix the all-purpose flour, oat bran cereal, baking powder, baking soda, maple sugar/brown sugar and salt and mix well. Store in a jar.

For the pancakes:

Powder the pecans in a food processor or spice grinder. Make sure it does not turn to paste. Add to the pancake mix. Or you can pulse the pecans along with the pancake mix until it becomes a corase powder.

Put the grated ginger in a small muslin cloth or paper towel and squeeze the juice into a medium bowl. Add the egg whites, canola oil, buttermilk, milk, vanilla and grated pears and whisk lightly. Stir in the dry ingredients just until all the flour is mixed in.

Heat a skillet on medium heat. Rub a little oil on the skillet so that it is just very lightly coated but not oily.

Take about a 1/4 cup batter and pour onto the pan to make pancakes.

After a few minutes, top with a slice of pear. Once the bottom turns golden brown, add a piece of butter on the pear and flip it around. Let it cook unti the bottom is also golden brown.

Serve with maple syrup.