Breakfast and Brunch Favourites

Oatmeal Pancakes                                           

1 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk (don’t substitute, it won’t be the same!)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another.  Add wet to dry and mix well (batter will be thin).  Let sit for at least fifteen minutes so the oatmeal softens.

Melt half a tablespoon of butter (or just spray with Pam) in a preheated skillet (preferably cast iron); add 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.  Grill until brown on one side, flip and grill until second side is brown.  Serve with butter and syrup!

 

Giant Peach Pancake (serves 6-8)      

This easy, low fat pancake is a frequent go-to in the kitchen. The ingredients are simple: fresh fruit (this one uses peaches but I love it with apples, sour cherries and also apricots), a few eggs, milk, and a bit of flour. It’s quick and glamourous! Only stipulation is that the crowd must be sitting with forks raised when this masterpiece emerges from the oven. Like a soufflé, the pancake rises with heat and loses its loft once it’s out of the oven, so eat it up fast! Somehow, this is never a problem at my house!!!

Pancake Batter

¼ cup butter or margarine melted
6 eggs
1 ½ cups 1% or skim milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups unbleached flour

Heat oven to 425 degrees F (220 C).

In a food processor or with electric mixer, beat eggs for a few minutes, add milk and vanilla. A bit at a time, add the flour, blending continuously as the flour is added. The mixture should be smooth but not overbeaten!

Place a large cast iron or other skillet or a couple of smaller ones, into the oven and melt butter in the skillet. Pour the batter into a hot skillet and bake on bottom shelf for 10-15 minutes.

Peach Sauce 

4 cups sliced peaches ( I like them big so cut into 12ths ..)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

Mix fruit, sugar and spices together in a large saucepan or skillet and cook gently till warmed and sugar starts to caramelize. With apples, add 1 tbsp rum and 1 tbsp apple juice for extra juice. Peaches have enough moisture and don’t need the liquids added…

Add the warm fruit sauce, and bake for a further 10 – 15 minutes, or until pancake puffs up, golden brown, and the fruit sauce bubbles happily round the edges. Mmmmm…

Remember that crowd of brunch guests have to be ready, waiting and eager as the pancake will settle the instant it emerges from its hot oven. No fear. The drama of the moment when this giant pancake graces the table, is well worth assembling an audience.

My dad was just here visiting and we were enjoying granola on homemade yogurt with fresh rhubarb from the garden. He noted that the recipe for granola was nowhere to be found on the blog. Ooops. Here is the recipe, Dad. It’s an adaptation over many years and looks a tad different each batch depending on what’s in the kitchen. Regardless of whether it’s slivered almonds and dried apricot, or dried cranberries and pecans, this is a luscious start to the day, or a great lunch at work.

Yummy Kootenay Granola

Makes about 10 cups. I usually double the batch and save the second batch for the freezer or give it away to friends or family.

6 cups whole rolled oats
1 cup sunflower or flax seeds or hemp hearts
1 cup unsweetened coconut (optional)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (optional)
1/4 cup unhullled sesame seeds (optional)
2 tsp cinnamon (or 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg – my personal fave)
2/3 cups sunflower, safflower or canola oil (for a low-fat version, I use 1/3 cup oil in mine; plus 1/3 cup water)
2/3 cup honey (works with 1/3 cup too)
2 tsp vanilla (Mexican vanilla is divine!)
1 cup nuts – almonds or pecans
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup thinly sliced dried mango

Preheat oven to 300 F.

In a saucepan, or in the microwave, heat the honey, water and oil – don’t let it boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients and stir until grains, nuts and seeds are well coated.

Spread the mixture onto 2 baking sheets (or one – depending on size of your baking sheets) and bake till golden, stirring every 20 minutes or so. Bake for about one hour. Watch it more carefully as the time goes by, as it cooks faster at the end – too brown can be too crunchy. Aim for the golden colour.

Granola will be slightly soft when it comes out of the oven, and crisps as it cools. Add the dried fruit while it is still hot and allow the combined mixture to cool on the baking sheets.

Cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Freezes well too.

Essentially, this is a base mixture – use the kinds of fruit, seeds, nuts you like the best. And – think of true love, home-grown tomatoes, and Slocan Lake granola with homemade yogurt and fruit – home-canned, frozen or fresh.