Saturday, July 17, 2010

Blueberry Pancakes


The markets these days are over-run with berries, especially strawberries and blueberries. Singapore doesn't grow too many fruits and vegetables, leave alone berries; being a land scarce country, most of the food that is consumed here has to be imported.

Consequently, though the markets here have a wide variety food from all over the world throughout the year, some of it does cost quite a bit.






Take, for example, my favourite berries - blueberries. Most of the times, a small packet of blueberries weighing just 125 gms costs around $4.

So, sometimes, when they are available for around $2, it sounds like a real steal. That is when I go and buy several packets and hoard them - by freezing them.


To freeze blueberries (and any other berry), first wash them in water. Gently pat them dry with a kitchen towel. I also let the berries 'air dry' for about an hour. Then, transfer them onto a plate in a single layer - ensure that you don't overcrowd the berries - and then freeze them for 24 hrs in the freezer. (Freezing them in a single layer ensures 2 things - one, the berries get evenly frozen and two, they don't stick to one another).

Then transfer them into re-sealable bags; get as much air out of the bags as possible.


Berries frozen this way can be used for upto 3 months - I am not quite sure if they last longer, I am sure they do but mine got used up and so 3 months is the longest that I can vouch for.

This - the tips on how to freeze berries - is my entry to Jaya's Back to Basics event.





Pancakes don't feature very regularly on our breakfast menu, but are such a welcome change every once in a while. Having frozen blueberries on hand means that I can quickly whip up some blueberry pancakes.


The recipe here is the one I found on the Dairy Farmer's Buttermilk carton; I've tweaked it just a tad bit.



Ingredients:
(makes 8 pancakes)


Self raising flour - 3/4 cup
Whole wheat pastry flour - 3/4 cup
Salt - a pinch
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp


Caster sugar - 2 tbsps
Buttermilk - 1.5 cups
Egg - 1, lightly beaten
Lemon rind - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp + some more for greasing the pan


(Frozen) Blueberries - 1 cup



Method:


Sift together the flours, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Stir in the caster sugar. Then pour in the liquid ingredients - egg, buttermilk and oil - and beat well to get a smooth batter.


Add the blueberries and the lemon rind and stir to combine. Let the batter stand for 10 minutes.

Pour a couple of ladles of the pancake batter on a greased and heated non stick frying pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the top surface is dotted with bubbles. Flip over and cook for another 2 minutes or until golden brown.




Drizzle some maple syrup or honey over the pancakes and enjoy!




20 comments:

  1. looks delicious and mindblowing.....wonderful pics

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  2. looks delicious..btw, where do you get pastry flour in singapore?

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  3. Very comforting breakfast for me. I love pancakes especially with lots of blue berries.. It looks inviting.

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  4. I love these amaerican pancakes, but hubby and daughter prefer the thin french ones. Wish i could grab this plate from my screen.

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  5. Wow, that looks beautiful (pancake) and thanks for freezing blueberry recipe :)

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  6. That looks so so delicious Aqua..I almost feel like eating it right now ..thanks for the freezing tip there..
    hugs and smiles

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  7. These look delicious! I made pancakes just the other night but forgot until after we had eaten that we had blueberries in the fridge. Thanks for the freezing tip too.

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  8. u have a wonderfull space here with lovely collection of recipes and tips...

    your blueberry pancake look yummy and tempting...and i liked your mushroom stock storage post too...it will be very usefull for me

    if u get time do visit my blog

    Satya
    http://www.superyummyrecipes.com

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  9. Sanyukta,thanks. Glad to liked the pics!

    Sowmya, I buy mine from Cold Storage, nowadays, I use Bob's Red Mill brand for most flours I use.

    RV, pancakes with blueberries are the best!

    HC, I've never made the french ones - would love to make them though; have you posted them on your blog?


    Jaya and Priya, hope the freezing bit works for you as well.

    Ann, thanks for visiting; I make pancakes only when I have blueberries!

    Satya, thanks for visiting and liking my blog. Hope to see you often :)

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  11. Nice tips on freezing berries, thanks for sharing!

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  12. Aqua, that is a neat trip to freeze blueberries. We too have been getting a lot of them but here they are pretty cheap at the moment and I too hoard them. Except mine get over before I can freeze them! Thank you for the entry.
    The pancakes look delicious.

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  13. I love blueberries but I don't get fresh / frozen ones where I live.But I do love the blueberry yogurt with real berries,yummm!!!Love this pancake,looks like its calling out to me :)

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  14. Beautiful pictures of berries. Thanks for the pan cake recipe. I am always trying new recipes.

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  15. thanks for the tip.. mouthwatering pancakes..

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  16. Hey.. got your comment on DMBLGIT. Send me your email and will give you an alternate address to send it to

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  17. Lovely and tempting treat. Must try it.

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  18. Hi! I live in Singaproe too, but have never seen fresh blueberries here. Would you mind sharing where you got them from? Thanks so much!

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  19. I just ate blueberry pancakes for dinner last night! They are so delicious. Thank you so much for sharing your tips on how to freeze blueberries, because I have a whole bunch I need to freeze and didn't have a clue how to do it. I would have just dumped them in a bag. Good to know to freeze them in a single layer first then transfer to the bag.

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  20. Yummy.. These pancakes look more than delicious! I'm making them as soon as I get my hands on blueberries.:)

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