feels like party planning
Recipe: green onion buttermilk pancakes
Jeremy and I are back in Crested Butte getting our offices up and running, squaring away various details, and meeting many of our wonderful neighbors (including their pups like Ryder, Meatball, Lilly…). We have settled into the new digs enough to finally get out and do a little exploring this past weekend – both around town and on the trails.
gâteau fab, who tells me she gets lots of inspiration from foodgawker
a busking biologist at the farmers market
cb farmers market opening day
which baked goodies to choose?!
Living in two mountain towns allows us to draw the inevitable comparisons. So many similarities and yet so many differences. Whenever we tell locals that we live in Nederland, they always ask about the Frozen Dead Guy (aka “Grandpa”). Thankfully, Crested Butte doesn’t boast a frozen dead guy (we really don’t need two of them), but she makes up for it in titles like Wildflower Capital of Colorado and the Birthplace of Mountain Biking. Because we’re both such wimps about the heat, we’ve been riding or hiking in the mornings and evenings. The peak bloom should be in another month, but we’ve already witnessed several early bloomers and their green precursors blanketing whole mountainsides. Just the other evening I told Jeremy that I felt like I was witnessing the party planning stages of a giant celebration. Crested Butte is magical at every turn.
false hellebore or corn lily
meadows of green and yellow
crimson columbines (the first i’ve spotted this season)
sundown on lush hillslopes
the lupine are getting ready
And speaking of magical, you need to get in on this wondrous savory pancake. I grew up eating scallion pancakes of the Chinese persuasion, but these scallion pancakes are of the western variety. They are buttermilk pancakes with green onions. The first time I had them was at The Pinyon (which is now closed) – two green onion pancakes tucked under fried chicken with a side of syrup. Now that I can’t get them at The Pinyon, I have to make my own. Challenge accepted!
buttermilk, milk, eggs, butter, baking soda, baking powder, salt, green onions, flour
mix the dry ingredients together
slice the green onions
whisk the wet ingredients together (except the butter)
It’s actually no challenge at all. Take your favorite basic pancake recipe and add green onions. So simple. Am I right?! And while we’re talking about pancakes, I just want to reassure any of you who use pancake mixes that it is just as easy to make them from scratch. Control freak aside, I always think it’s good to know what goes in your food, and hence, what goes in your belly.
stir the wet and dry ingredients until just combined
stir in the (real) butter
add your sliced green onions
Treat the batter as you would any pancake batter. Pan fry your pancakes in a little oil or butter – make them as small or as large as you like. The trick is to pour the batter, spread it to the size you want (but not too thin), and leave it be. When bubbles begin to pop open at the top and leave little steam holes, it’s about time to flip the pancake over. Let the bottom get to a nice golden brown before you remove the pancake from the pan.
batter is ready
there should be little steam holes all over the pancake before flipping
golden
When I made the green onion pancakes, I served them with a side of bacon… because bacon is the whole point of breakfast (or life, for that matter). Talk about a team. If you really dig on your bacon, you might consider crumbling bacon and adding it to the green onion pancake batter. Regardless of how you prefer your bacon – inside the pancake or outside the pancake – the final touch is a drizzle of pure maple syrup. That’s my kryptonite. Bacon and maple syrup? Meh. Green onion pancakes and maple syrup? Okay. Bacon, green onion pancakes, and maple syrup? Absolutely.
maple syrup
the triumvirate: bacon, green onion pancakes, maple syrup
i can’t quit you
Green Onion Buttermilk Pancakes
[print recipe]
based on this recipe from Simply Recipes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder (1/4 tsp @8500 ft.)
1/2 tsp baking soda (1/4 tsp @8500 ft.)
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup milk (1 1/3 cups @8500 ft.)
3 tbsps unsalted butter, melted
1 cup green onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup bacon, crumbled (optional, but highly recommended)
vegetable oil or butter for frying
Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk together and set aside. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl to break them up and then stir in the buttermilk and milk. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir the melted butter into the batter. Fold in the green onions. Heat a little oil or butter in a pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, pour some batter (about 1/3 cup or more) into the center and spread to 4-6 inches in diameter, depending on your preference. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface of the pancake, flip it over and cook until the bottom is golden brown. Makes 8 6-inch pancakes.
more goodness from the use real butter archives
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scallion pancakes |
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raspberry buttermilk pancakes |
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chocolate gingerbread pancakes |
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french toast |
June 10th, 2013 at 5:57 am
i can just see my daughter’s raised eyebrow if I served her green onion pancakes! They do sound awfully good, though I would probably serve them with dinner instead of as breakfast (except for once just to check out that eyebrow action!). Loving your lupines. They don’t seem to want to be perennials in Missouri.
June 10th, 2013 at 9:53 am
I make a similar flavor combo in biscuits – I’ll bet the pancakes are wonderful…
June 10th, 2013 at 11:13 am
Savory pancakes! Where have you been all my life? :) I’ve only been to Crested Butte & surroundings once-for camping & hiking out past the Rocky Mtn Bio Lab–but I have to say I’m pretty jealous that you get to live there, even if part-time.
June 10th, 2013 at 3:16 pm
These look SO good! I cannot wait to try!
June 10th, 2013 at 4:46 pm
Yum, savory-sweet is the best. LOVE your CB shots. xo
June 10th, 2013 at 11:18 pm
Yum, those pancakes look so tasty. My mom used to make potato pancakes with leftover mashed potatoes, and she always added green onions. I have NEVER been able to make them as good as she did, and I’ve been trying on and off for almost 50 years…..sigh.
xo Linda
June 11th, 2013 at 7:46 am
So beautiful!
June 11th, 2013 at 9:56 am
I just made these for breakfast for myself and the hubster buster, and they were savory! You don’t even need maple syrup…just alone, they are delicious. They are like chinese scallion pancakes, but easier to make and less greasy. I just don’t know how to get them perfectly round like yours. *sigh* but it was sure tasty! I am now drinking a cup of breakfast blend coffee and listening to the birds sing.
June 12th, 2013 at 7:16 am
Isn’t the corn lily invasive? It seems like my last few years in Colorado when I went hiking in the San Juans this plant was taking over at high altitudes and crowding out the wildflowers. I hated this plant!
June 12th, 2013 at 9:12 am
Love all the flowers!!
June 12th, 2013 at 12:25 pm
Green onion pancakes have always been my favorite! Will definitely try out the pancake version! :)
June 12th, 2013 at 9:36 pm
Perfect for Father’s Day, perhaps. Well, I’ve got to do something!
June 16th, 2013 at 11:01 am
Beautiful ….can’t wait until the wildflowers are in full bloom!
July 8th, 2013 at 8:49 am
Kristin – that’s a shame that the lupine don’t stick around over there. I think they’re one of my favorites in the backcountry! Well, I hope your daughter likes the pancakes! :)
Rocky Mountain Woman – yes, quite good! :)
Eileen – I’m a fan of savory breakfasts, so savory pancakes are a win-win for me! Crested Butte is a pretty special place. We really love it.
Katrina – thanks!
Kathya – YES!! But we have similar tastes, so maybe we’re just freaks? :P xxoo
Linda – that sounds fantastic.
marcie – thank you.
Pey-Lih – I used a ladle and drop the batter in the center of the pancake, then swirl the base of the ladle in a circular motion around the edge to “round” it out before it starts to set. Hope that helps!
Marcy – It is native to Colorado. It flourishes in areas where grazing is common because animals avoid eating it (it is a horribly toxic plant). So all of the other plants get eaten and then the corn lily takes advantage and grows like gangbusters.
Anna – thanks!
Vicky – they’re different, but similar, you know? :)
Abbe – ;)
jill – me too!