Cornmeal Pancakes with a Blueberry Compote

Have some free time this weekend and want to veer from the usual cereal or oatmeal for breakfast? Try this homemade pancake recipe. Making pancakes from scratch does require a bit of time, but you will avoid those partially hydrogenated oils (which are very bad) and even trans fat--which can be found in many pancake box mixes.

My mom inspired me to try this recipe because I was recently at home, and she made cornbread "pancakes" in the skillet. I was unaware that it was cornbread--and not a cornmeal pancake, so I drenched them in syrup and ate them. Needless to say, they were totally scrumptious!

The blueberry compote is an essential part to the recipe because the cinnamon in the compote really pairs well with the grated nutmeg in the pancake mixture. Enjoy!

Preparation Time: 35 min.
Difficulty: Medium

Recipe- Cornmeal Pancakes with Blueberry Compote

Pancakes:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs, separated, at room temperature (yolks in one cup, egg whites in second cup)
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature (or 1 cup milk with 1-2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice)
1/2 cup milk at room temperature
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 200. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and place in oven (this will keep the pancakes warm while we are making them).
2. Combine the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg. Whisk the egg yolks with the buttermilk, milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the egg yolk/milk mixture into the flour mixture to make a thick batter. Do NOT overmix--or the pancakes will be dense. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to fold the egg whites into the batter.
3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and coat the surface lightly with butter. Pour the batter into the skillet, 1/4 cup batter per pancake. Cook until bubbles break the surface and the undersides are golden brown. Flip over and cook one minute more. Transfer the cooked pancakes into the warm oven while you finish. Serve with the blueberry compote (directions below).

Blueberry Compote:
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup PURE maple syrup
1 cinnamon stick OR 1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Heat the blueberries and maple syrup in a small saucepan. Add the cinnamon and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, and the mixture boils and the blueberries just start to pop, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the cinnamon stick. Stir in the butter and lemon juice. Serve warm.