Cornmeal Pancakes with Raspberry Maple Syrup

I am so excited that summer is approaching. As much as I love cool weather foods, it is nice to walk into the farmers market and see things other than greens and root vegetables.  Yesterday my trip to the market provided lots of yummy produce including the first peaches and a pint of perfect, red raspberries.  I nibbled on the berries throughout the day, and this morning I decided to have them for breakfast. 

Please excuse the less than wonderful photo-
my camera battery was dead and I had to use my cell phone.

These cornmeal pancakes are slightly sweet with a hint of vanilla and a satisfyingly grainy texture.  They can be eaten with other forms of syrup (they would be delicious with peaches), but maple syrup warmed with crushed raspberries is a perfect complement.  Since maple syrup tends to be a little thin, this is a thinner syrup that soaks into the pancakes.  I don't mind.  Somehow, eating it reminds me of strawberry shortcake and how the strawberry juices penetrate the cake, but if you want a thicker syrup that will sit proudly on top of your pancake rather than seeping in, add a little cornstarch to thicken it. 

Cornmeal Pancakes with Raspberry Maple Syrup- serves 4

This recipe came from two different sources.  The pancake recipe is from Pioneer Woman, and I only copy the recipe here because I only used the pancake portion of it.  The syrup portion of the recipe came from Food to Live By where it was also paired with another version of cornmeal pancakes. I went with Pioneer Woman's pancakes because they were simple with a stronger cornmeal flavor than the pancakes in the cookbook.

Pancakes:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup cornmeal (Pioneer Woman uses yellow but all I had was white)

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp baking powder

4 tbsp sugar

2 1/4 cups milk 

2 large eggs

3 tsp vanilla extract

4 tbsp melted butter

 additional butter or oil for cooking

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and sugar.  Whisk to combine.  In a medium bowl, combine the milk, eggs, and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine being careful not to overmix.  Gently stir in the melted butter. 

Heat one tablespoon of butter or oil in a skillet on medium heat.  Add the batter by 1/4 cups to the skillet and cook until the pancakes are brown on one side.  Flip and repeat.  Repeat with the remaining batter until all pancakes have been cooked. 

Raspberry Maple Syrup:

• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 half-pint fresh red raspberries

Heat the syrup and rasberries over medium heat in a saucepan until they begin to simmer.  Allow them to simmer gently for five minutes, pressing on the raspberries as they cook.  Pour the syrup into a sieve and press down on the raspberry to extract all the flesh while leaving the seeds behind.  Spoon the warm syrup over the pancakes just before serving.