I’ve been looking forward to making cornmeal pancakes with fruit (started out thinking about ripe Texas peaches) and cottage cheese all week. One of my favorite breakfasts. I decided to use a different cornmeal pancake recipe this morning. And who better to go to for a good recipe than Mark Bittman? Apparently, in the case of cornmeal pancakes – almost anyone. I have no pancakes. I have a bowl of fried-ish polenta-ish cripsy globs with some AMAZING cherry compote I made from frozen organic cherries, some lemon zest, freshly ground cardamom and little maple syrup. I knew better than to attempt pancakes with no leavening. I started in my extremely well seasoned cast iron skillet that is basically non-stick because it’s been cooked in for well over 50 years as it belonged to my grandmother. I used a little oil to ensure success. My poor skillet has crunchy chunks of polenta-ish stuff clinging to it like I would be to George Clooney’s leg if he showed up. I decided to try in the non-stick skillet which I almost never use. I have chunks of crunchy polenta-ish stuff which was scooped into a bowl along with the yummy cherry stuff and some cottage cheese.
In need of comfort and reassurance and inspired by TheTeaFairy, I turned to this tea. Chocolaty, chocolaty goodness. It goes really well with my cherries (also inspired by TTF this morning), and I am getting less hostile toward Mark Bittman by the minute. A big chocolate bomb that is smooth and delicious with zero bitterness or astringency even when steeped around 5 minutes is something that makes my semi-broken heart happier.
Flavors: Chocolate
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I’m sorry for your epic pancake fail but this made me laugh so hard!
Pancakes with no leavening…? How bizarre. Imagining the clinging to George Clooney’s leg… Priceless. :)
The recipe ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fine or medium cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk, or more as needed
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, plus more for frying
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup pine nuts
Honey, for serving
The recipe: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/dining/19minirex2.html
oh god, i’m so hungry…. this sounds soo good.
@Sil – it does until you try to MAKE it. I still kind of have a heart ful of hate for ol Mark Bittman at the moment. I wanted pancakes
LOL we love bittman – have 3 cookbooks in our kitchen haha
I do too! Who would have thought he would try to pass off fried polenta as pancakes????
I got one of those skillets, over 100 now belonged to my great grandmother. And I miss her so and how she taught me to cook.
How did I ever miss this note this moning? Omg my spleen hurts that how much I laughed!
(Being attached to George Clooney’s leg brings all kind of images…)
And really, homemade cherry compote? Let me book a flight to Texas…
And count me in! I also have my grandma’s cast iron skillet…with a wooden handle. Almost as heavy as I am, but everything tastes better in it!!
Mrmopar, this is so priceless that your grandmother taught you how to cook…how precious that skillet must be.
@mrmopar – I learned to cook from my grandmother and great grandmother as well and I miss them both. My cast iron skillets are priceless to me
@TTF – LOL I’m feeling better about the whole thing now (except for the having to clean my skillet part) but I was grumpy this morning. The cherry compote was easy-peasy, just simmered the cherries and lemon zest and cardamom and some maple down until it thickened up some. I have some left for later.
Poor girl! I hate when something like that happens.
I’m thinking this recipe needs to have eggs in it, or egg replacer. Or ground flax seeds would probably work. Something that would bind things together.
I have one of mark’s books, in my crazy who’s who collection of vegan & vegetarian cookbooks from my 30+ some odd years of non-meat eating. Lately I’ve been feeling really nostalgic about all those tasty grain & bean based dishes, I really miss that stuff.
Side note…I use to love polenta, especially Fried polenta!
Maybe you were suppose to refrigerate the recipe in a loaf pan & slice it before cooking it? :)
At least the cherry compote was good, & thank god for tea!
Well if I had thought it through, I would have realized how it would turn out. I did briefly think about no leavening or egg – but Mark Bittman! They really are polenta cakes and not pancakes – but he calls them pancakes and they look like them in the recipe photo. I’m mostly over it now because I had great tea and I hsve some of the cherry stuff left over
You could spread it on toast (another food I REALLY miss).
Or layer it in a fancy wine glass with coconut whipped cream & other yummy stuff…
It JUST so happens I have some coconut whip and that had occurred to me :)
:)
I’m sorry for your epic pancake fail but this made me laugh so hard!
Pancakes with no leavening…? How bizarre. Imagining the clinging to George Clooney’s leg… Priceless. :)
The recipe ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fine or medium cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk, or more as needed
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, plus more for frying
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup pine nuts
Honey, for serving
The recipe: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/dining/19minirex2.html
oh god, i’m so hungry…. this sounds soo good.
@Sil – it does until you try to MAKE it. I still kind of have a heart ful of hate for ol Mark Bittman at the moment. I wanted pancakes
LOL we love bittman – have 3 cookbooks in our kitchen haha
I do too! Who would have thought he would try to pass off fried polenta as pancakes????
I got one of those skillets, over 100 now belonged to my great grandmother. And I miss her so and how she taught me to cook.
How did I ever miss this note this moning? Omg my spleen hurts that how much I laughed!
(Being attached to George Clooney’s leg brings all kind of images…)
And really, homemade cherry compote? Let me book a flight to Texas…
And count me in! I also have my grandma’s cast iron skillet…with a wooden handle. Almost as heavy as I am, but everything tastes better in it!!
Mrmopar, this is so priceless that your grandmother taught you how to cook…how precious that skillet must be.
@mrmopar – I learned to cook from my grandmother and great grandmother as well and I miss them both. My cast iron skillets are priceless to me
@TTF – LOL I’m feeling better about the whole thing now (except for the having to clean my skillet part) but I was grumpy this morning. The cherry compote was easy-peasy, just simmered the cherries and lemon zest and cardamom and some maple down until it thickened up some. I have some left for later.
Poor girl! I hate when something like that happens.
I’m thinking this recipe needs to have eggs in it, or egg replacer. Or ground flax seeds would probably work. Something that would bind things together.
I have one of mark’s books, in my crazy who’s who collection of vegan & vegetarian cookbooks from my 30+ some odd years of non-meat eating. Lately I’ve been feeling really nostalgic about all those tasty grain & bean based dishes, I really miss that stuff.
Side note…I use to love polenta, especially Fried polenta!
Maybe you were suppose to refrigerate the recipe in a loaf pan & slice it before cooking it? :)
At least the cherry compote was good, & thank god for tea!
Well if I had thought it through, I would have realized how it would turn out. I did briefly think about no leavening or egg – but Mark Bittman! They really are polenta cakes and not pancakes – but he calls them pancakes and they look like them in the recipe photo. I’m mostly over it now because I had great tea and I hsve some of the cherry stuff left over
You could spread it on toast (another food I REALLY miss).
Or layer it in a fancy wine glass with coconut whipped cream & other yummy stuff…
It JUST so happens I have some coconut whip and that had occurred to me :)
:)