Mama Hathi, Papa Hathi, and I went to the Grand Canyon the summer before I started medical school. It was a marvelous trip. We were able to visit both the North and the South Rims of the canyon. The North Rim was far more rustic. We stayed in a cabin a short walk away from the hiking trails. There was a beautiful lodge on there with a terrace that stood on the edge of the canyon. I sat there one day with a book and delighted in the way that the shifting light changed and brought out new colors and playful shadows in the Grand Canyon.
The South Rim is a little more commercial, and has many more tourists. It also has a few more restaurants than the North Rim, which only has one! One of these restaurants, El Tovar, serves up a delicious pancake trio for breakfast: buckwheat, blue cornmeal, and buttermilk. The truly special thing about these pancakes, though, is that they were served with honey-pine nut butter, prickly pear-pistachio butter, prickly pear syrup, and maple syrup. It was fun to pair the different butters and syrups together to create delicious new combinations! This recipe is inspired by that breakfast, and by a wonderful cookbook that I bought while on that trip. Feel free to eat these pancakes with honey or maple syrup. They both are delicious!
Cornmeal Pancakes
| Prep: | Cook: | Yield: 12 3" pancakes | Total: |
Try making cornmeal pancakes as a shake up to your regular butternut routine, they have a delicious texture and wonderful flavor.
You'll Need...
- 1 and 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup milk
Directions
- Combine the cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl combine the milk and eggs together. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter stirring constantly to combine.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir well until there are no more lumps.
- Heat a nonstick pan or griddle over medium heat. When hot, add a pat of butter to the pan, swirling it to spread the butter. If you prefer, you may also use non stick spray. Drop a large spoonful of batter onto the pan. Allow to cook until the edge appear a bit dry and small bubbles form on the surface of the pancake. Flip to cook on the other side until golden brown and remove from pan.
- Serve with butter and honey or maple syrup. Enjoy!
Additional Notes
Adapted from Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations
6 Comments
We have never had pancakes this good. A big incentive for us to make the trip again.
I was thinking about trying out some cornmeal pancakes, and these photos have definitely convinced me!
@ Papa Hathi: Let's go back! But maybe this time when the temperature stays below 100 degrees!
@Crepes of Wrath: Thanks for checking out my blog! I love yours! I'm glad you want to try cornmeal pancakes. I'm a huge cornbread fan, and these pancakes do pack that taste! If you'd like them to be a bit fluffier, consider substituting half of the cornmeal with all purpose flour. These pancakes are fantastic smeared with some butter and floral honey! Enjoy and let me know how they turn out!
It seems very interesting… I'll definately try this !! recently i found an awesome food online channel, you will like it 'Indian Recipes cooking show', 'Indian Cooking Recipe', 'Indian Cooking'
Delicious! I used this recipe to make waffles. Very good served with fresh blueberries. Added plus is that they are gluten free. I used canola oil and almond milk so they were dairy-free too.
Hi Donna! So happy that you enjoyed this recipe! And I’m glad thatyou made it your own!