Summer Peach Pancakes
Of all the many items in the Breakfast Kingdom -- French toast! eggs benedict! waffles! -- the Pancake (with a capital "P") holds a special place in my heart. We have quite a history, the Pancake and I; for starters, it was one of the first things I learned to cook way back when I was a pint-sized future food blogger, adding water, egg, and oil to a boxed mix with the help of my mom, and then flipping the pancakes carefully once the bubbles appeared on the surface (I stood on a chair, as I didn't quite reach the stove top).
Flash forward to my year in Bologna back in 2009! Pancakes -- the classic American breakfast item, served with the mysterious accompaniment that was maple syrup -- were a subject of fascination to my new Italian (!!!) friends, who were accustomed to just a cappuccino and cornetto in the morning. To introduce them to my country's version of the first meal of the day, I organized a breakfast-for-supper, starring chocolate chip Pancakes, with blueberry muffins, home fries, and omelets as the supporting actors. The pancakes, unsurprisingly, were the hit of the whole meal, golden brown and stacked high with a little butter and syrup, completely and utterly delicious, and I concluded that Bologna had tagliatelle and tortellini, yes, but we had Pancakes.
When the blog opened up back in 2014, back when I had a co-blogger, each of us decided to contribute one dish to the blog's name (American, and Italian) to reflect the sort of cuisine we'd be posting about. I chose Pancakes, and Gloria opted for Biscotti.
Pancakes and I are still going strong in 2019, and at 30 years old, I confirm that they're still my very favorite thing to eat for breakfast in all their maple-syrup topped splendor (an Italian cornetto will never compare).
These Peach Pancakes are the latest memorable chapter in my Pancake adventures, one where the pancakes turn out soft and fluffy (sour cream!) and light and airy (baking powder and baking soda!) dotted with peaches that go sweet and caramelized. Make them while peaches are at their peak and before summer ends, and then make them with apples and pears through the Fall and Winter, to keep the pancake party going.
You're welcome.
A couple of notes: Feel free to substitute nectarines or plums instead of peaches in these pancakes. If you don't have sour cream on hand you can substitute plain (full-fat) yogurt here too. I didn't have any on hand, but if I had, I'd have subbed some of the white flour here for whole wheat flour. The recipe as written calls for nutmeg and cinnamon; I left out the nutmeg and upped the cinnamon to 1/2 teaspoon, but do as you please!
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SUMMER PEACH PANCAKES
Makes eight 4-inch pancakes to serve 2-3. Recipe from “The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook” by Deb Perelman.
Ingredients:
1 large egg
1 cup (240 grams) sour cream (or yogurt -- see notes)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 peach, halved and pitted, and very thinly sliced (about 1/8-inch slices)
Maple syrup or honey, to serve
Directions:
Heat oven to 250°F. Whisk together the egg, sour cream, vanilla extract, and sugar in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the salt, cinnamon, flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. The batter should still be a little lumpy.
Bring a cast-iron skillet (or a bottom heavy skillet) to medium-low heat. Melt a pat of butter in the skillet, and use an ice cream scoop to scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet. Leave at least 2 inches between the pancakes to allow the batter to spread out. Arrange two peach slices to cover the top of each batter puddle. Let the first side of the pancake cook until the edges begin to dry and bubbles form on the top, about 3 to 4 minutes. Use a wide spatula to flip the pancake in one quick movement.
Cook pancakes until they are golden brown on the bottom and the peach slices are nicely caramelized, about 5 minutes. Place the pancakes on a plate or cookie sheet and keep them warm in the oven until ready to serve with lots of maple syrup or honey.
