A coworker mentioned a stack of fabulous brandied-cherry pancakes she ate during a recent restaurant brunch. They sounded great and I imagined it’d be easy to substitute a cup of brandied cherries for the cup of blueberries in my mom’s time-tested blueberry pancake recipe. And it worked. Sweet, sweet brandied-cherry pancakes!
After pitting the cherries, I cut each into eighths and soaked a cup of them (about 20 cherries) in brandy. Then I strained them and pressed them so they didn’t retain too much liquid. With a pat of butter, I cooked each pancake in my trusty Lodge cast-iron frying pan and found I could cook two simultaneously, each made with 1/4 cup of batter, which yielded eight hearty pancakes. I also learned I’ve got to rid myself of my grilled-cheese habit of smashing down the pancakes with the spatula; they’re much better when they’re roughly 1/4-inch thick because the fruit stays juicier.
Brandied Cherry Pancakes
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup brandied cherries
- 1 egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Mix the flour, soda and baking powder in a bowl. A wire whip works well.
- Put the rest of the ingredients, except the cherries, in another bowl and beat with wire whip.
- Add to dry ingredients and mix. Fold in cherries.
- Cook over medium heat, a few minutes per side, on a greased griddle or in a frying pan.