These pancakes feature homegrown blueberries. (Photos by Debbie Arrington)
My four blueberry plants have finally started bearing enough fruit to actually make something!
Anyone who has tried to grow blueberries in Sacramento understands the high cost of this spring fruit.
Every blueberry is like a precious little gem, tickled off of clusters one by one by hand. That allows the green berries more time to mature, but also means the plants need to be monitored almost daily. (Otherwise, birds may take all the ripe ones.)
Usually, my blueberries get eaten immediately in the garden; with only one or two ripe ones a day, why not? But this spring, my Sunshine Blue bush produced beautiful, large blueberries that were too numerous to just nibble. When my harvest measured 1 cup, it was time for blueberry pancakes.
Sour cream gives these thick pancakes a rich, soft texture that’s a perfect cushion for the delicate blueberries. They’re sweet enough that syrup is optional (but really good).
Blueberry sour cream pancakes
Makes 7 to 8 (5-inch) pancakes Blueberries ripen on a Sunshine Blue bush. Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup sour cream ¼ cup milk 1 large egg, lightly beaten 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter, melted and cooled 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup blueberries, washed with any stems removed Butter for grill
Instructions:
In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a smaller bowl, mix together sour cream and milk. Add egg.
Flip the pancakes when small bubbles
start to appear on the surface.
Blend sour cream mixture with dry ingredients just until combined. Add oil or melted butter, then vanilla. It will be a thick batter but still can be poured from a spoon; add a little more milk if needed.
Pick over blueberries to remove any stems. Gently fold blueberries into batter.
Heat pancake grill or frying pan to medium. Melt butter to cover the cooking surface. Ladle batter onto grill, allowing about ¼ cup of batter per pancake. Each pancake will expand; space them well apart.
Cook until little bubbles start to appear on the surface of each pancake, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until done, about 2 more minutes. Pancakes should be golden on each side.
Serve immediately with more butter and syrup or dusted with powdered sugar, if desired.
