So the day of thanks has come and gone, and you’re probably still recovering from the celebratory meal. Welcome to the holidays and the bounty of leftovers that come with it.
Many recipes at this time of year have to do with leftover turkey but overlook the supporting cast from that Thanksgiving meal. Yet those pantry extras deserve just as much respect and can allow for even greater culinary creativity.
Take that canned pumpkin purée, for example. While most people will use it to make pie, canned pumpkin adds a delicious sense of the fall season to other foods such as breads, cookies, and soup. Or even pancakes.
Pumpkin and pancakes may seem unlikely partners at first, but the purée blends seamlessly into the batter. When cooked, you get orange-hued pancakes that are autumn on a plate. I like to add pecans, another staple of the season easily found in markets, for a bit of crunch and extra flavor.
With this recipe, you can quickly and easily use that extra can of pumpkin purée (or have a reason to try the stuff in the first place) and load up on some breakfast carbs ahead of the holiday madness.
Let’s make some pumpkin pecan pancakes.
PUMPKIN PECAN PANCAKES
(Makes 10-12 pancakes)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons melted butter, plus extra to coat pan
- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 eggs
- Garnish: Chopped pecans, butter, syrup
Step 1: Making pancake batter is as easy as whisking dry and wet ingredients, then mixing them together. For the dry portion, put the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and pecans in a large bowl and mix with a whisk or fork.
Step 2: Prep the wet ingredients by putting the melted butter, pumpkin, milk and eggs in a separate bowl and whisking until well mixed.
Step 3: Now comes the marriage. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones. Mix with a spatula just until blended. If there’s one mistake to making this batter, it’s over-mixing. A few lumps are OK.
Step 4: Heat a griddle or large non-stick pan over medium heat, coat with butter and wait until it sizzles. Using a ladle, plop the batter into the pan.
Step 5: You’re almost to pancake heaven. When bubbles appear on the top of each pancake, flip. Cook for another minute or two, remove from the pancakes when the color is to your liking, and keep them warm while you finish the batch.
Congratulations: You’ve just made pancakes with a unique twist for the season. All that’s left is to pile them on plates, slather with butter and syrup, garnish with pecans, and gobble it all up.
Source: iwanttocook.com (defunct blog)
