Blue Cornmeal Pancakes

My sister and her boyfriend Steve spent New Year's with us in Chicago. They have been talking about these blue cornmeal pancakes for a while, so I convinced Steve to make them for us. It was a big pain actually finding the blue cornmeal - I actually wasn't able to find it in Chicago at all. Luckily a grocery store back home carries it so I picked up a bag over Christmas. The brand we used is Bob's Red Mill.

Apparently the blue cornmeal is manufactured separately from all the other Bob's Red Mill products, so just because your store carries the products doesn't necessarily mean they will have the blue cornmeal. I've heard it's easier to find in the southwestern U.S...

If you do find it, these pancakes are fantastic! And really you could make them with regular cornmeal and I'm sure they'd taste practically the same. The texture reminded me of the blueberry ricotta pancakes in that it was very soft and light, but you still get the firm pieces of cornmeal. For a new twist on pancakes (and a pretty blue color) these were great!

If you're wondering what to do with your leftover blue cornmeal, I just discovered that the Bob's Red Mill website has other recipes too!

Blue Cornmeal Pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup blue cornmeal (medium grind) OR traditional cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 cup boiling water

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup milk

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

3/4 cup unbleached white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the blue cornmeal, salt, and sugar. Stir in the boiling water until all of the ingredients are wet. Cover, and let stand for a few minutes.

2. In a measuring cup, combine the milk, egg, and melted butter. Stir the milk mixture into the cornmeal mixture. Combine the the flour and baking powder in a small bowl. Stir this into the cornmeal mixture until just mixed. If the batter is stiff, add a little more milk until the batter flows off of the spoon thickly, but smoothly.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and grease with a dab of oil or butter. Use about 2 Tablespoons of batter for each pancake. When the entire surfaces of the pancakes are covered with bubbles, flip them over and cook until golden.

4. Serve immediately with maple syrup or fruit preserves.

Serves 4 (we had a few leftover so it may actually serve 5)

Source: Bob's Red Mill blue cornmeal package label