TGIF!

Fridays are even better in the summer when I have every other Friday off! WOOT! Today is my day off and even though it is raining (Again! I'm used to it!) I have really big plans, including making a breakfast that is something other than cereal and a hard boiled egg.

I have a love-hate relationship with pancakes. I love blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup. I hate plain pancakes. Yuck. Why I feel there is such a distinction I don't know. I do have a great recipe for blueberry buttermilk pancakes, but I don't usually have any buttermilk in my fridge. Who does? I certainly don't have any now, so I had to do a little research on alternate recipes. Fortunately Cook's Illustrated came through with a recipe that resembles one using buttermilk. They came up with a faux "buttermilk" mixture of lemon juice and milk. It totally works! I always have lemons and milk (as well as the rest of the ingredients) on hand, so this might be my new go-to pancake recipe for those once a year pancake cravings that I get.



Blueberry Faux-Buttermilk Pancakes
(from The New Best Recipe)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cups milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1-2 teaspoons unsalted butter (for cooking)
1 cup fresh blueberries



1. Whisk the lemon juice and milk together in a medium bowl or large measuring cup; set aside to thicken while preparing the other ingredients. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to combine.

2. Whisk the egg and melted butter into the milk until combined. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients in the bowl; pour in the milk mixture and whisk very gently until just combined (a few lumps should remain). Do not overmix.

3. Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for 3 - 5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon butter and brush to coat the bottom of the skillet evenly. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto 3 spots on the skillet. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon blueberries over each pancake. Cook the pancakes until large bubbles begin to appear (see photo below), 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Using a wide, thin spatula, flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown on the second side, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes more. Serve immediately. Repeat with the remaining batter, using the remaining butter if necessary. Serves 4 to 6.