Pancakes With Blueberry Butter

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Pancakes have a way of making mornings feel special. One can’t help but smile as they bite into a pile of fluffy, pillow-like cakes that are made moist with a bath of syrup.

Around here we have pancakes quite often. I guess we like our mornings to feel special. Or I just love how excited my kids get when they see me grabbing the flour, sugar, baking powder and syrup from the cupboards. They know what’s coming and they’re eager to get involved in the dumping and mixing. Grabbing their aprons and pushing the “baking” chairs up to the counter the flour starts to fly.

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I’m not one to be satisfied with just butter and syrup for my pancakes. Because of this we have gone through many pancakes phases depending on the season and my mood. One of our all-time favorites is chocolate chip pancakes served with a heaping pile of unsweetened. cold, whipped cream.

Lately our pancakes have been slathered with blueberry butter. A lightly sweetened butter is mashed with fresh blueberries to create a new, fun and extremely delicious addition to our pancakes.

I imagine this butter would be equally thrilling on scones, muffins, quickbreads, etc. I know for a fact that it makes a great quick breakfast when slathered on toast.

But for now, I’m sticking with pancakes.

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Homemade Potato Chips

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In a recent cooking class I taught we made homemade potato chips. We then sprinkled said chips with a spice mix composed of fennel seeds, coriander, fennel pollen and salt and pepper. Since that class I can’t stop making these chips. Please, help me stop making these chips.

They are light and airy, fried to a deep, dark golden crisp and have such an intriguing and unique flavor from the Fennel rub. I really need help.

Remember the last time I talked about Fennel Pollen? Oh come on, I know you do. Those shortbread cookies with onion jam? Seriously, everything fennel pollen touches becomes somehow magical. It is like Fennel in that it has a lovely black licorice flavor but it is also  floral – less harsh and so much more complex.

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Of course you don’t need the fennel pollen to make these chips irresistible. Try Chili Salt or Truffle Salt or even Vanilla Salt. But for now I’m sticking with the Fennel Spice Mix – unless someone comes over here and stops me – which you really should do except I must warn you, I’m very pregnant and hormonal and not afraid to hit if someone tries to take away my chips.

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Homemade Potato Chips

Homemade Potato Chips with Fennel Spice Rub 4 russet (baking) potatoes (about 2 pounds) about 4 cups canola oil for deep-frying Using a mandoline, cut potato into paper-thin slices (about 1/16 inch thick) and let potato slices stand 5 minutes in a bowl of cold water to cover. Drain potato slices and spread without overlapping on a triple layer of paper towels. Blot slices completely dry with another triple layer of paper towels. In a 3-quart saucepan heat oil until a deep-fat thermometer registers 360-380°F. Working in batches of 8 to 10 slices, fry potatoes, moving them around with a slotted spoon or spider, until golden, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, making sure oil returns to 360-380°F before adding next batch. Transfer chips as fried with a large slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with Fennel Spice Rub. Continue to pat dry, cut, dry, and fry remaining potatoes in same manner. Potato chips may be made 2 days ahead and kept in an airtight container. Fennel Spice Rub 2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and ground 1/2 tsp fennel pollen (optional) 1/2 tsp coriander, toasted and ground 1 tsp kosher salt 1/2 tsp black peppercorns Toast fennel and coriander seeds in a dry, heavy bottomed pan over medium heat.  Grind seeds and peppercorns in a spice grinder or mortar & pestle to a fine powder.  Add salt and fennel pollen and stir to combine.

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