sunday afternoon sour creme pancakes

© Jessie Kanelos

“So, what do you want to eat for lunch?”

“Je ne sais pas.”

“Scrambled eggs?”

“Non.”

“An omelette?”

“Non.”

“Pancakes?”

“Ouaaaaiiiiiis!”

This is usually what happens every Sunday morning on our way to the market. Today was no exception.  We had some Franco-American friends expected for lunch.  And pancakes were well-received from both parties.   To spruce them up, I picked up some strawberries and mirabelle plums from the market, a nod to the fleeting summer. Mixed with some quartered figs, it was an unexpected accompaniment to our flapjacks.  Like most things, just add bacon…

Sunday Afternoon Sour Creme Pancakes

Time: 20 minutes

Yield: about 12 pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sour creme

3/4 cup milk, plus 1 tablespoon

2 eggs

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

unsalted butter

1.)  Stir together flour, salt, baking powder, and oats.  In a separate bowl, mix sour creme, milk, eggs, honey, and vanilla bean.  Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined.

2.)  Melt 1 teaspoon butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.  Ladle in pancake butter, creating 3-4 pancakes.  Cook 2-3 minutes until bottoms brown and bubbles form on top.  Flip pancakes and cook for another minute until golden brown.  Wipe out skillet and continue until all the batter is used.  Serve with maple syrup, butter, and seasonal fruit.

. . . . .

Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

BLT

© Jessie Kanelos

The thing about being a token American in France is all of my French friends keep me posted on all the American happenings in Paris.  I am always the first to know about the latest burger truck, American steakhouse, Breaking Bad spoilers, and cupcake depot.  Since I have never thought about chili cheese anything in my four years in France, I am always hesitant to eat at American restaurants.  For me, it is peculiar that eating something like Korean makes me far more sentimental for home than an uninspired burger on an industrial bun.

But for months, I had two French friends raving about  the latest attempt at American at Little Kitchen in Montreuil (80 rue de Paris 93100 Montreuil).  With a farm-to-table mentality and an airy “New York” storefront ambiance, this little café has a delicious, mixed bag of a menu. With American standards like chicken Caesar salads, beef burritos, and cheeseburgers alongside a mushroom and cheese tartine, a Japanese shrimp salad, and mysterious daily specials, everything is inspired and freshly prepared.  I was nervous ordering a BLT, a sandwich whose most exciting component is often its slathering of mayonnaise.  But I was pleasantly surprised to discover juicy tomato, micro greens, and crispy bacon all on a grainy, grilled country bread.   Unfortunately, their hours of operation do not yet go into the evening hours (Monday-Friday 11:00am-7:00pm).  But with a little planning, the Little Kitchen hosts a brunch not to be missed the first Sunday of the month from 10:00am-3:00pm.  Oh, and it is cheap.  It is easy to eat for under 10 euros.  Make an afternoon out of it, do not miss the bargains at the Montreuill flea market every Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

But BLTs are one of the easiest, foolproof things to whip up at home.  I would apologize for putting the recipe in French, but a BLT is kind of a commonsense sandwich.

littlekitchenmontreuil.com

. . . . .

Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest