In keeping with my growing love for purple things, I thought it appropriate to share this discovery I made at Rainbow Produce about a month ago: blue cornmeal. As soon as I saw it, my mind started racing, thinking of all the great things I could do with blue cornmeal. Blue corn tamales. Blue cornbread and blue corn muffins. Blue corn pizza dough!
But the first and most obvious thing to do with the cornmeal was this: blue corn pancakes. Because they are AWESOME.
I adapted a couple different recipes that I found online (weeks ago... I can no longer find them because of the f-ing Google search algorithm change). They are all more or less the same: varying portions of blue cornmeal, white flour, egg, melted butter, sugar, baking powder, salt. I put it together and was mildly alarmed at how thin the batter was. I had to keep whisking it so the ingredients would stay incorporated, and they made for some really flat, thin pancakes (you can even see holes through them, below).
But what I really love about these pancakes is that they are so versatile. They have a hearty texture and nuanced flavor, and they can go either salty or sweet, opening up a world of possible accompaniments. Here are some of my favorites:
- Wildflower honey: the deep, nuanced flavor of really good honey plays beautifully against the rich nuttiness of the pancakes.
- Avocados
- Creme fraiche
- Honey butter
- Eggs
- Any number of fruit preserves and jams
- Smoked salmon
- BACON!