Buttermilk and Lemon Scented Pancakes with Warm Blueberry Syrup

My son Cameron wanted me to make this for his birthday breakfast.  He is 12 and completely, without a doubt, my son.  He will sit and watch cooking shows with me into the wee hours of the night, or in the middle of a Saturday.   He has his own list of favorites he likes to Tivo.  Like me, he loves the presentation of his food, (he likes to call it "professional").  It always needs to look professional. ;)  Now, my husband has someone else in the house to roll his eyes at when we want to stick some garnish on a plate.  

I love these pancakes, they are pretty simple and easy to make.  The syrup is even easier, with only two ingredients.  I usually leave the blueberries whole the day I make them.  Whatever is left over I will puree and put through a strainer and keep in the refrigerator.  The flavor is actually better pureed.  

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 cups light corn syrup

1 cup all~purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons lemon zest

confectioners' sugar

In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the blueberries and corn syrup.  Bring to a boil and cook for a couple of minutes.  Remove from heat and with a potato masher, mash the berries.  Keep warm.  

In a small mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, and butter until fully incorporated.  Add the sifted ingredients to the milk mixture and whisk until it is slightly smooth, but still has some lumps.  Fold in the lemon zest and allow the batter to rest for a couple minutes. 

Lightly grease a griddle over medium heat.  Cooking in batches, pour 1/4 cup of the batter onto the hot griddle for each pancake.  Cook for about 2~3 minutes or until the batter bubbles and is golden brown, flip and continue to cook until golden brown.  Remove and stack on serving plates.  Place a pat of butter between each pancake.  Drizzle the pancakes with the syrup and garnish with the confectioners' sugar.  

With the remaining syrup, I puree it and put it through a strainer.  My kids like it better this way.  

Baja "Charred" Salsa

One of my favorite places to eat for lunch, is Baja Fresh or anything similar to it.  I'm not really a sandwich shop kinda girl.  Give me a simple chicken taco with some great salsa and I'm happy.  I could eat at a place like this for lunch just about every day. The food is simple, clean and flavorful.  Don't get me wrong, I also love complex and heavy.  Just not every day.

One of reasons I keep coming back is the Salsa Baja, it's my favorite.  I love so many things charred, blackened or broiled.  For me, the completely charred tomatoes and jalapeno in this recipe are perfect.  It's what makes it special.  You may feel like you are ruining the tomatoes, and you've got a burnt mess.  Stick with it!  I've added pictures of the black tomatoes so you can see how it could seem bad.  But, bad never tasted so good!  Recipe adapted from Todd Wilbur.

9 firm medium tomatoes, *chilled~ this will help them stay intact during grilling
1 jalapeno, stem removed
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup white onion, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Preheat barbecue grill to high heat.

Place 7 of the chilled tomatoes, stem~side down (remove stems), directly on the grill.  Allow the tomatoes to roast over the flame for 20~30 minutes until most of the surface of each tomato is black.  (I roasted my tomatoes at about 550~600 degrees for 25 minutes).  Add the jalapeno to the grill and turn over the tomatoes and roast another 20~30 minutes.  Turn the jalapeno once during cooking so the pepper blackens evenly.

Take the tomatoes and jalapeno off the grill and put them on a plate to cool for 10~15 minutes.  Dump the tomatoes, jalapeno and any liquid into a blender.  Add the garlic and salt and blend on high speed until the mixture is pureed.  Add the water and lime juice and blend again on high speed for about 30 seconds.

Pour the mixture into a bowl.  Dice the remaining tomato and add it to the salsa.  Add the onion and cilantro, then cool the salsa in the refrigerator.

Makes about 4 cups.