Clinton St. Baking Company's Banana And Walnut Pancakes

On Wednesday night, I had breakfast for dinner.  I decided to try Neil's Pancakes with bananas and walnuts from the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook.  It was a recipe that I was excited about since my mom has had their blueberry pancakes at Clinton Street and really liked them.  I am buttermilk pancake kind of girl, so I was anxious to see how these compared to Martha Stewart recipe I frequently use.  A major innovation in Neil's recipe was the whipped egg whites, which made the fluffiest pancakes ever.  Below is the recipe, along with Clinton Street's famous maple butter.

Ingredients for Neil's Pancakes with Bananas and Walnuts from the Clinton St. Baking Company Cookbook, makes eighteen to twenty 4-inch pancakes:

-4 cups all-purpose flour
-1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-1 teaspoon salt
-6 large eggs, separated
-3 cups whole milk
-3/4  cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus more for the griddle
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-2 1/2 cups sliced bananas
-1 cup walnuts, chopped
-Cinnamon sugar for dusting
-Maple butter (recipe below)

Begin by sifting all dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar).

And separate your eggs (reserve whites in a medium bowl and place yolks in another bowl).

In another bowl combine yolks, milk, melted butter, and vanilla until combined.  When I placed my melted butter into the cold milk, it congealed.  I ended up reheating the butter.  Has this happened to anyone else?  Whisk the egg mixture into the dry mixture, until it is a combined slightly lumpy batter.

Now whip the egg whites until the reach medium peaks.  Neil says peaks are medium when you put your finger in and they drip over a bit and stand up.

Gently mix half the whipped whites into the batter with a large rubber spatula.  Then gently fold the remaining half into the batter.  This batter should slightly lumpy and have large parts of egg whites not fully incorporated (like icecaps in a foamy ocean).

Heat a griddle - either an electric griddle, stovetop griddle, or big flat pan to 350-375 degrees F.  I used a cast iron skillet on medium-low.  Grease the hot griddle with a teaspoon of butter, or just enough so the pancake doesn't stick.  I added too much butter for my first pancake.  Drop about 1/4 of a cup of batter on the griddle and cook to set.  I watch for dry edges and bubbles forming in the center, about 3 minutes.  Add about 1 teaspoon of walnuts, and 3 slices of banana before turning the pancakes and then flip.  When pancake is golden brown on both sides, remove from skillet.  I place my pancakes on a baking sheet in the oven, on the lowest temperature just to keep them warm while I finish the rest.

Meanwhile prepare your Maple Butter, which is 1 cup real maple syrup (Clinton Street uses Grade B), and 2 sticks (16 tablespoons unsalted butter) cut into cubes.  I forgot to cut mine into cubes - whoops.  Heat maple syrup over medium heat.  Add the cold butter to the warm syrup, whisking in a few cubes at a time until the sauce is smooth and all the butter is incorporated.  Turn off the flame and keep sauce in a warm place.  Never boil the syrup.  It will keep for at least two months in the refrigerator.

Once all of your cakes are done, and your maple butter is ready, garnish with cinnamon sugar, bananas, walnuts, and maple butter.  Confession - I don't like butter that much, so I didn't use the maple butter.  The bananas in the pancakes get nice and caramelized and sweeter, so I don't really miss the added richness.

Last year I made a couple of Rick Bayless's salsas.  Click here to read.

CSA Week Seven

I can't believe it is already Week Seven - almost two months of delicious, fresh food.  The produce has definitely shifted form the beginning.  At one point I was so sick of all the greens, but now I miss them.  It was always a good excuse to make tacos or tostadas.  The good news is that I got loads of corn this week.  Corn is one of my favorite summer time treats.  I don't care if I have just eaten the biggest meal of my life, if I walk by a street fair I have to stop and get the roasted corn on the cob with lime juice, salt, and chili powder.  I will say that sadly this corn does not compare to the sweet corn of Iowa.

Here is what I got this week:

-14 ears of corn
-Small head of lettuce
-Dill
-Basil
-Carrots
-Zucchini
-Cucumbers
-Half a head of cabbage
-Peaches
-Cherries
-Eggs

I combined this week's and last week's basil and made pesto Wednesday night.  This is very quick and easy if you have a food processor, but have no fear - you can also use a mortar and pestle (hence where the name "pesto" comes from), which will take a bit longer, but is the traditional way.  I combined Martha Stewart's recipe from Martha Stewart's Cooking School and the Joy of Cooking.

Ingredients for pesto (1 cup):
-2 cups fresh basil leaves
-1/3 cup walnuts or pine nuts, toasted (I used walnuts because they are cheaper and don't spoil as fast, but pine nuts are delicious)
-1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
-3 cloves garlic, peeled*
-1/2 cup olive oil, or more if needed
-salt and pepper to taste

*Martha Stewart recommends blanching the garlic to mellow its flavor, creating an overall sweeter pesto.  To blanch - place garlic cloves in a small sauce pan and cover with 1 inch of water.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately drain and let garlic cool to room temperature.

To begin, toast the walnuts and then cool completely.  Combine basil, walnuts, garlic, and Parmesan cheese in food processor until everything in chopped into very small bits and the basil is pulverized.  While food processor is on, slowly add olive oil until the pesto is pretty smooth.  Use immediately on pasta, sandwiches, or pizza, or cover with a layer of oil and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Stay tuned for many delicious corn recipes!  Gotta run - I am making this amazing looking bread called Zucchini and Olive Breakfast Cake.  Click here for the recipe.

Two-Hour Nut Rolls

My mom has been making my great-grandmother Mary's nut rolls since I can remember.  They were my grandpa Mike's favorite Russian treat.  I would like to carry on the tradition, so over the holiday break I made them with my mom.  These nut rolls are sweetened with honey and are a great breakfast or anytime treat.

Here are the ingredients for two-hour nut rolls (makes four large rolls):

For Dough:

-6 cups all-purpose flour

-1 teaspoon salt

-1/2 pound unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened

-3 tablespoons granulated sugar

-3 large eggs, beaten

-8 ounces of sour cream

-1 package of dry yeast

-1/2 cup warm milk

For Filling:

-1 pound walnuts, ground

-3/4 cup milk

-1/3 cup granulated sugar

-1/3 cup honey

-2 egg yolks, beaten

-1 teaspoon vanilla

Begin by making the filling so it has time to cool before you add it to the dough.  In a medium sauce pan, mix egg yolks, sugar, honey, and milk and cook over low heat until thickened.

Ground the walnuts finely in a food processor.

 

Add walnuts and vanilla to the thickened mixture and mix until combined.  Let cool.

While filling is cooling, dissolve yeast in warmed milk (be careful not to heat the milk too hot so it does not kill the yeast).  Using an electric mixer, blend the yeast mixture, eggs, sugar, butter, and sour cream until well combined.

 

Add the flour in two parts and mix with a dough hook or knead until well combined.  The dough will be sticky.

Generously flour your counter and divide the dough into four parts.

 

Roll out each section into large rectangles about 1/4 of an inch.  Then spread a quarter of the cooled nut filling all along the rolled dough and then roll the dough along the long side of the rectangle. 

 

Create the remaining three rolls and place all four on two greased baking sheets.  Let rise for one hour or until the rolls have doubled in size.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush with egg wash and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown.

 

Serve warm or at room temperature (I like the rolls at room temperature the best).

Garlic Scape Pesto

When it comes to pesto, I have made a couple varieties depending on what I have had on hand. Since I had gotten a few garlic scapes and a bunch of basil from my CSA, I thought this could be the perfect combination.

Traditionally, pesto is a mixture of basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and parmesan cheese. But you can do a lot of substituting. For example, I made mine with walnuts and garlic scapes instead. I feel the thing about pesto is that nothing has to be an exact measurement. Make it how you like it, whether you want to add more cheese or nuts, or less garlic, etc. That said, I just kind of put it together and tasted it as I went along, so feel free to improvise.

Here are the ingredients for my garlic scape pesto:
-1 cup basil leaves, packed
-2 garlic scapes, cut into 3 inch pieces
-1/4 cups walnuts
-1/4 or more of olive oil
-1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded
-salt and pepper to taste

To begin, chop garlic scapes into 3 inch pieces.
Place basil leaves, scapes, walnuts and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into food processor and pulse until combined.
Slowly add oil and process until smooth.
Transfer mixture into small bowl and mix in shredded parmesan. Season with salt and cracked pepper.
Use immediately on pasta, pizza, or bread. Or place covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator up to a few days. You could even freeze it. Click here to learn how.