PB&J Pancakes

 The cover photo on the current issue of St. Louis' own FEAST Magazine caught my eye last week.  It featured a delicious-looking stack of pancakes with a fruit syrup drizzled over the top.  Upon investigation, it turned out there were recipes for both pancakes and syrup, and it's the surprising combination of peanut butter and jelly.  Perfect for kids, I thought, but would it prove satisfying for adults, or just too cloyingly sweet? So I put the recipe to the test this morning with my husband and number two son.  Yes, the peanut butter taste was evident, but not overly so, and we all liked them.  They were puffed and fluffy and tasted best, we decided, with the strawberry sauce rather than maple syrup as we tried both.  So, this summer, make breakfast with your kids.  My guess is they'll be more than a little enthused about PB&J Pancakes.

PB&J Pancakes
Yield about 10 pancakes

Pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar

1 egg

1 cup milk, 2% or whole, plus extra if needed to thin

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, melted

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

4 Tbsp butter, divided

Strawberry Syrup

1 cup strawberry preserves

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 Tbsp butter

fresh strawberries and whipped cream for garnish

Preparation of Pancakes

Preheat a griddle. In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients together. In a small bowl, whisk egg, milk, melted peanut butter and oil until combined. Slowly add wet ingredients to dry ingredients while whisking. Add extra milk, 1 Tbsp at a time, if batter is too thick. Melt 1 Tbsp butter on griddle. Pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake on griddle. Batter will spread a bit at first. Keep enough room between pancakes so they don't touch. Cook in batches if needed.

When bubbles start to form on the top, lift edge of pancake with a spatula to make sure it is golden-brown, and then flip. Cook another 2 minutes or until golden-brown.

Preparation of Strawberry Syrup

Combine preserves and corn syrup in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Stir, being careful not to bring to a boil. When mixture is hot, add butter and stir until melted and combined.

Slice the top off each strawberry. Turn on sliced end and slice the strawberry thinly. Top pancakes with warm syrup and garnish with strawberry slices. Add whipped cream and serve immediately.

This post is linked to:
Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesdays
Tuesdays at the Table
This Week's Cravings
Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays
Frugal Food Thursday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday
Cast Party Wednesday

Truly English Savoy Scones

Breakfast served this morning on a plate from The Art of William Hogarth Collection by Williams-Sonoma.

Yesterday, late afternoon, we went to St. Louis Bread Co. (known in different parts of the country as Panera) because I wanted an orange scone and was going to get Jim an "Everything" bagel. I wanted the scone because I still had half a jar of very expensive English clotted cream in the fridge and, having lost an entire jar at one point (got stuck behind the garlic pickles and eggplant chutney), I never wanted that to happen again. When I got there, there was one woman ahead of me and the service counter guy was yakking to her endlessly, making quite a point of ignoring me, as I stood there glaring at him.  When I want an orange scone, I want an ORANGE SCONE, but I digress.



There was only ONE scone (Not an orange one, alas, but wild blueberry that I don't like as well, but will take in a pinch -- orange goes so much better with the clotted cream and strawberry jam, you see. The whole wild blueberry scone/strawberry jam thing just seems wrong, but, yet again, I digress...) and ONE everything bagel left. As I stood there waiting, glancing frantically from the scone to the yakker to the scone and back, a couple came in and they, too, stood there glaring at the pastries, lips trembling, waiting to place an order.


Finally the yakker ambled over to me as the fleet-of-foot barrista, seeing the other couple unattended, ran up to them. As you've probably guessed, the other couple got both my scone and the bagel. I was FURIOUS! I told the yakker that I was there first and it was MY food that they'd just gone off with. He just sort of stared at me then shrugged and wandered off.  Can you say livid?  We're talking scones here, people!  MY scone, in someone else's house!  And probably improperly consumed, i.e. NOT with clotted cream and strawberry jam but perhaps (gasp) with butter or, worse yet, grape jelly! (I  can't stand it!)


Anyway, long story short (or is it too  late?), when I got up this morning there were Savoy Scones (that, BTW, put Bread Co. to SHAME) on the counter under my favorite French linen tea towel. Jim had baked them for me after I went to sleep last night. How's that for an "Awwwwww..." moment?

Here is Anton Edelmann's, maitre chef des cuisines at The Savoy, recipe and our favorite.

SAVOY SCONES

Makes about 8

1-3/4 c flour

4 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

5 T unsalted butter cut in small pieces, cold

5 T sugar

1/2 c currants (optional)

2/3 cup milk

1 large egg yolk for glaze

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Work butter and sugar in by hand until it's crumbly.

Make a well in the center and add milk and currants and mix together quickly but don't over mix. Dough will be a bit sticky and rough looking.

On floured surface, roll dough out 3/4" thick and cut into 2-1/2" rounds. You can also just cut into 2-1/2" squares if you don't have a cookie cutter or make two rounds of dough and cut each into four wedges.

Brush tops with egg yolk.

Put on parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet and let rest for 15 minutes. Bake 15 min. until golden. Remove to rack to cool slightly.

(To be authentic you must serve them with clotted cream and strawberry jam.)