Blueberry Pancakes

In France, they serve crêpes on Mardi Gras, but the Country Boy is more than willing to accept new traditions, especially when they come in the form of blueberry pancakes.

I went to Catholic school; I didn’t know that Mardi Gras was called “Pancake Tuesday” until high school, when my day-to-day life suddenly became quite pancake-fortified. Our senior year of high school, Thursday mornings were relegated to teacher meetings, and so while many of our peers used the extra 45 minutes to sleep in, my three best friends and I would trudge downtown through the snow and sleet to the Lantern Brunch, a diner-esque restaurant with hearty breakfast specials numbered 1-5 and the sort of endless, weak coffee that you just can’t find in France.

It’s strange to consider the fact that what was, at one point, a number on a menu that I could recall without even thinking (or caffeinating) has now disappeared into the recesses of my memory, where more than half of the former US Presidents’ names, my old locker combination and even my room number junior year of high school have also vanished.

I hardly remember what we talked about over those early-morning breakfasts, bundled up against the cold and still drowsy from sleep. I remember breaking the yolk of my egg with the tines of my fork, remember dragging potatoes and bites of toast through the yellow puddle and washing them down with cups of coffee. I remember laughing, but I can’t for the life of me remember why. If I had known how difficult it would be to get a group of friends together at 7:30 in the morning once high school was over, I might have relished those breakfasts more, taken more notice of what exactly it was we talked about as we stuffed ourselves full of eggs and coffee.

I do know what I ordered: two fried eggs, potatoes and toast with endless black coffee. Every once in awhile, though, I changed it up for something special: my favorite breakfast of blueberry pancakes with a fried egg on top.

Today, my favorite breakfast is still the same, though I usually reserve it for dinner, when I have the time and energy to devote to making stacks of pancakes with the maple syrup I brought from the States. I make myself a cup of coffee, pouring hot water to the brim; TCB knows by now that when I have coffee with dinner, I’m looking for that elusive American diner cup, the one that we have finally decided tastes like burned hot water. I mock; I know it’s horrible, but I can’t help loving it.

My old pancake traditions–Lantern Brunch in Andover, and my fathers’ Sunday morning pancakes sloshed over the counter and scattered with chocolate chips and blueberries before that–are no more. But I’ll hold onto this tradition–pancakes for dinner on Mardi Gras–for as long as TCB lets me get away with it. Given the exuberance with which he inhaled these–especially the Mickey Mouse one made specially for him–I don’t think that will be a problem.

I’ve tried all variety of pancakes–mascarpone, buttermilk, rolled oat and Nutella–but I maintain that the best things in life should not be altered, and so it’s this simple, eight-ingredient recipe for me. Topped with pure maple syrup and a barely-cooked fried egg, it makes the perfect weekend breakfast… or weekday dinner.

Blueberry Pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup milk
1 egg
butter
frozen blueberries (1 cup should do it… depends on your preference)
maple syrup for serving

extra eggs for frying (optional)
salt

Turn your oven to the “warm” setting, or preheat your oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn it off and leave the door closed.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together into a large bowl. In a medium bowl (or large measuring cup) combine the egg and milk with a fork. Make a well in the flour and add the milk and egg. Mix until just combined; if there are small lumps, don’t worry, they’ll cook out.

Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Melt a small amount of butter in the skillet, and then spoon three tablespoons of batter onto the griddle, one on top of the other (to make one pancake). (For blueberry pancakes, spoon two tablespoons, then scatter a small handful of blueberries, then top with the last tablespoon).

Cook until bubbles rise to the surface of the pancake and the edges look slightly solid (about 1.5 minutes), then flip. Cook the other side until golden brown, then put on a plate and store in the oven.

Re-grease the skillet between each round of pancakes. Continue until you have used up all the batter.

If you decide to fry eggs, grease the skillet one last time and crack the eggs directly into the skillet. Sprinkle with salt. Cook until the whites are solid and the yolks are still liquidy, about 1 minute. Serve on top of a stack of pancakes.