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Whole Wheat Pancakes with Blueberry Compote

by Michael Noble from Amy Coleman's the Best of Home Cooking with Amy Coleman


Blueberry Compote:
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
Zest from 1 orange, finely chopped
2 tablespoons port wine (optional)
2 cups (1 pound) fresh blueberries

Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 CUPS milk, or more as needed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 sprigs fresh mint, for garnish




This is one of the more popular breakfast items at Vancouver's Diva Restaurant. Star chef Michael Noble confesses that he did not invent the recipe, but "borrowed" it from his mother. If you can't find fresh blueberries, substitute frozen blueberries.

To make the blueberry compote, place a small saucepan over medium heat. When the pan is medium hot, slowly add the sugar a sprinkle at a time while stirring constantly to melt. Continue cooking until the sugar turns to caramel.

Pour in the raspberry vinegar and orange juice and deglaze the pan, scraping up the bits stuck to the pan. Add the zest and port, if desired, and continue to cook over medium heat until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the mixture starts to get thick and syrupy.

Add the blueberries, bring to a simmer, and cook until the berries soften slightly, approximately 5 minutes. (If the compote is too runny, thicken it slightly with 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 teaspoons orange juice.) Serve warm.

To make the pancakes, in a large bowl combine flours, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, milk, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix to incorporate well. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto a nonstick griddle or frying pan (do not add oil) and cook over medium heat. Cook until the edges of the pancakes are dry and small bubbles have formed on top, approximately 1 1/2 minutes; then flip with a spatula. Transfer to a 250°F oven to keep warm while repeating the procedure with the remaining batter.

To serve, top the warm pancakes with 1/4 cup warm blueberry compote per person, and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

This and many other wonderful recipes may be found in
Amy Coleman's the Best of Home Cooking with Amy Coleman from Chronicle Books

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