Here in New England, blueberry pancakes with butter and real maple syrup are a tradition. Every year my wife, Nancye, goes to a local farm and picks a few pounds of blueberries. When she comes home, she spreads the berries on sheet pans and freezes the berries. Stored in ziplock plastic bags, the berries keep through the winter retaining their fresh tangy sweetness allowing us to enjoy blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and bacon, or Blueberry Muffins, blueberry pie, blueberry sauce, etc, to cheer us up during the cold winter months. If you can’t pick your own berries, most supermarkets have fresh-frozen Maine blueberries in the freezer section of the store which are superior in taste and more economical compared to the pints of “fresh” blueberries they sell in the winter.

Yield: 6-8 pancakes about ½ inch thick
Ingredients:

1 cup sifted flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1- 1½ cups blueberries
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg slightly beaten

Preparation:

Sift in the flour, salt and soda and mix lightly; mix in blueberries.
Melt the butter; whisk the egg.
Add the melted butter to the egg and whisk together; whisk in the buttermilk.
Slowly add liquid mixture to flour and berries; mixing lightly
(For lighter, fluffier pancakes, mix until the ingredients are just well combined; don’t over mix.)
Use about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake.
Cook on a lightly oiled hot skillet over medium high heat, until golden brown turning once. The rule of thumb is: once the batter bubbles on the surface, it’s time to turn the pancake. (see *Note)

*Note: To check if your griddle is hot enough, drop a small spoon-full of batter on the griddle. Once it bubbles and is brown on the griddle-side, your griddle is hot.

*Note: If you are using frozen blueberries, once the griddle is hot turn the heat to medium-low heat to give the batter more time to cook before turning. This avoids burnt, undercooked pancakes.

Adapted from: “New York times Cookbook” by Craig Claiborne, Harper & Row, 1961.

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