Let’s hear it for the weekend, which has finally arrived. W-E-E-K-E-N-D! What’s that spell? WEEKEND! All frustration, exacerbated by chores undone, delayed flights, and obnoxious comments about the very disgusting, self-inflicted scar smack in the middle of my nose (the result of accident-prone me scraping my nose on the bottom of the laundry basket as I was puling it down from atop the machines last week), has melted away. This weekend is all about rest and fun and yes, catching up. 

I kicked off the weekend of relaxation and fun rocking out to Franz Ferdinand at their NYC show, followed by 12 delicious hours of sleep and some hard-core couch surfing. I am almost completely reluctant to cook anything at the moment, except foods related to brunching, and with leftover milk, eggs, and buttermilk all just waiting to expire in my fridge, plus a carton of blueberries that I’d picked up with something in mind (but for the life of me, I can’t remember what).

And so, I made pancakes for Brian and me this morning. Lots and lots of them, which I always do, and we never even come close to finishing them. I always wrap extra pancakes in plastic wrap and put them in the fridge and somehow, they usually disappear within a day. I expect the same to happen this time, because these were absolutely perfect with a nice tang from the buttermilk and a great flavor from the cup of whole wheat pastry flour that I substituted for white. They were perfectly light and fluffy and totally delicious.

After the pancake leftovers were wrapped up, I proceeded to scour the internet for contacts for greenhouses in Maine that might be selling Blueberry bushes, because, at the top of that to-do list that has been gathering dust all week, is the very important errand of saying thank you to my mother for birthing me and then putting up with me for the last (almost) 30 years.

My mom is a tough nut to crack in the gift buying department. She doesn’t like the usual stuff and she’s fiercely practical. She’s a gardening guru, so last year I thought I had nailed it when I ordered a bunch of bulbs to plant in the garden at my grandmother’s house. Best daughter ever, right? Uh, no. Because I have zero clue about planing seasons for bulbs, and I managed to buy a variety that spanned the calendar, and my mother has been receiving my gift in annoying little installments, each one causing her to have to coordinate with the UPS guy for delivery.

A few weeks ago she mentioned that she was getting into planting blueberry bushes, so I’m determined to find a place in her area that sells them, pre pay for one, and allow her to go pick it up herself. Except that, between the complications of prepayment and the fact that no one seems to have blueberry bushes right now, I’m striking out all over York, Maine and the surrounding area. Anyone know where I can prepay for a blueberry bush somewhere in southern Maine?

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
Adapted from Mark Bittman’s book How to Cook Everything 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or substitute for an additional cup of all-purpose flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons melted and cooled butter 

1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat while you make the batter.

Mix together the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs into 1½ cups of milk, then stir in the 2 tablespoons melted cooled butter and vanilla (if you are using them). Gently stir this into the dry ingredients, mixing only enough to moisten the flour; don’t worry about a few lumps. If the batter seems thick, add a little more milk. Fold in blueberries.

If your skillet or griddle is nonstick, you can cook the pancakes without any butter. Otherwise, use a teaspoon or two of butter or oil each time you add batter. When the butter foam subsides or the oil shimmers, ladle batter onto the griddle or skillet, making any size pancakes you like. Adjust the heat as necessary; usually, the first batch will require higher heat than subsequent batches. The idea is to brown the bottom in 2 to 4 minutes, without burning it. Flip when the pancakes are cooked on the bottom; they won’t hold together well until they’re ready.

Cook until the second side is lightly browned and serve, or hold on an ovenproof plate in a 200-degrees oven for up to 15 minutes.

I’m not entirely clear on what makes a good pancake so good, and a sub-par pancake, well, so just plain filling. What I do know is that once New Yorkers catch wind of brunch spot that boasts good pancakes, suddenly you must go to great extremes to get a seat (i.e. show up at ungodly early hours on a Sunday, wait in line exposed to the elements, giving diners dirty looks because how dare they order a second cup of coffee while you stand on line, freezing your toochis off). Why go through that when you can make pancakes at home, in your jammies, with your favorite coffee and the paper?

The secret to great pancake batter is a bit of melted butter. My grammy makes pancakes this way, and this recipe that I adapted from Bon Appetit uses the same approach. Also, do not go making great pancakes and then kill them with fake syrup. The extra calories are not as bad for you as the chemicals, and that stuff ain’t right.

One thing that I believe firmly about pancakes is that you should be able to throw them together on a whim, from ingredients you already have in your home. To that end, I made some big modifications to the original recipe, using Greek-style yogurt and subbing milk for buttermilk. I think that the extra thickness and tang from the Greek yogurt made up for the buttermilk.

The batter should be on the thin side (add extra milk until it has the consistency of latex paint. Use a ladle to slowly pour the batter, allowing it to spread to the desired size. Remember, you are the boss when it comes to how big you would like your pancakes.

I picked up these blackberries a few weeks ago during a weak moment at a fancy grocery store. They were cheap for the time of year (only a $1.50!) but I never got to use them the way I had been imagining. The were a little soft and perfect for turning into a syrup.

This can be done with any berry – just simmer the berries in water and mash them with a spatula until they thicken, then add maple syrup. 

You can either strain out the pulp and seeds to get a very sexy, deep purple syrup (as shown here) or you can spoon the pulpy mash from the pan onto the pancakes. I made the strained version for Brian and and the pulpy stuff myself.

Drizzle the pancakes with the syrup and serve immediately with extra syrup on the side. Anything goes when it’s brunch time at your house, but jammies are pretty much a requirement.

Yogurt Pancakes with Blackberry Maple Syrup
Adapted from Bon Appetit, October 2004 (original recipe was for Buttermilk Pancakes with Maple Syrup Apples) 

Pancakes

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup milk

1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt

1 large egg

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Syrup

15-20 blackberries

1/2 cup real maple syrup

1/4 cup water

For syrup:
Set a small saucepan over low to medium heat with blackberries and water. Simmer the blackberries until they are soft and then mash them with a spatula until they are pulpy and the juice has come out. Add maple syrup and simmer for about 5 minutes. Strain if desired.

For pancakes:
Combine first 6 ingredients in large bowl; whisk to blend. Whisk milk, yogurt, and egg in medium bowl to blend; add to dry ingredients and stir until just blended but still lumpy. Gently mix in 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter.

Heat griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spread thin coating of butter over griddle and let melt. Working in batches, drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto griddle, spacing apart. Cook pancakes until brown on bottom and bubbles form on top, about 3 minutes. Turn pancakes over and cook until bottoms are brown and pancakes are barely firm to touch. Transfer to plates. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more butter to griddle as needed.

Spoon syrup over pancakes. Serve, passing additional maple syrup.